The Black Flower : A Novel of the Civil War | Howard Bahr

The Black Flower : A Novel of the Civil War | Howard Bahr | Franklin's Savage Battle

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The Black Flower :...

	The Black Flower : A Novel of the Civil War Howard Bahr, 2000 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 110 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Black Flower is the gripping story of a young Confederate rifleman from Mississippi named Bushrod Carter, who serves in General John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee during the Civil War battle that takes place in Franklin, Tennessee, in November 1864. Written with reverent attention to historical accuracy, the book vividly documents the fear, suffering, and intense friendships that are all present on the eve of the battle and during its aftermath. When Bushrod is wounded in the Confederate charge, he is taken to a makeshift hospital where he comes under the care of Anna, who has already lost two potential romances to battle. Bushrod and Anna's poignant attempt to forge a bond of common humanity in the midst of the pathos and horror of battle serves as a powerful reminder that the war that divided America will not vanish quietly into the page of history.

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Darkly Beautiful

"The Black Flower" is one of the most depressingly heartbreaking Civil War novels I have ever read - and one of the best. Mr. Bahr's use of mystical imagery and his chilling unflinching descriptions of the battlefield in the aftermath of the battle of Franklin haunted me like a bad dream. This is no romantic glorification of war yet there is a dark romanticism to be found amidst the chaos and humor-tinged irony of some of his vignettes. I particularly loved the burial scene at Kennesaw Mountain and his depiction of the three grim reaper-like drummers clad in black frock coats beating mournful time as the Southern line advanced to meet their almost certain death at Franklin.

Another incredibly powerful scene which I found very touching occurred on the McGavock family's estate the day following the battle. It concerned a tintype of the three soldier companions (Bushrod - the central character - and his two childhood friends) discovered by the little McGavock boy Winder as he secretly examined the contents of Bushrod's haversack which he was carrying. The boy had wandered away from the house and was found by his family after dark where he had fallen asleep amidst a nightmarish landscape of horror. As he is carried back to the house, the tintype fell from his pocket into the shadows lost in the darkness presumably for eternity.

The characters are quite unforgettable - even the minor ones. They represent a full spectrum of good and evil, insanity and innocence. I loved how Mr. Bahr wove Bushrod Carter's Episcopal faith into the story from beginning to end like an artist adding subtle brush strokes to a portrait to round out his subject.

This book requires courage to read for it takes you to a very dark place; however it is well worth your time and I know I shall read it again. I highly recommend it.

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Franklin's Savage Battle

Unless you are from Tennessee or a Civil Buff you may not have heard of the battle in Franklin,Tennessee. Here fierce hand-to-hand combat occurred and there were 5,500 Confederate casualties and 1,300 Union casualties. One of the bloodiest battles of the war was over in a few hours. Bahr takes you to Franklin and describes the savage fighting and the horrors of death of that battle. A must read! By Ruth Thompson author of "Natchez Above The River" and "The Bluegrass Dream"

SUPERB!

I tend to agree with several other reviewers: this rates as one of the best books I have read. Howard Bahr's BLACK FLOWER is visually poetic and hauntingly sad. It forces one to ponder the insanity of war and this fleeting thing we call life. Read it slowly and deliberately. read it aloud. And read it again.

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civil war

I enjoyed this novel very much, and yes they cuss alot, but wouldnt you in war.

talk about gruesome....

I have read many Civil War books and I know it must have been a horrible nightmare. But ...over and over........in minute detail, "The Black Flower" takes us through the battle and the aftermath for page after page....chapter after chapter.....Two of the characters are lost about midway through the book. The main character, Bushrod, makes it to the very end, struggling every step of the way. My thought is that the book could have been about half as "wordy" and made a good story.

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