The Last Confederate Battle

When I saw this book on the book tour I wanted to read it. This past summer my family had the wonderful opportunity to go to Pennsylvannia where we went to many historical sites. Early in my marriage my husband and I lived in the South, Savannah, Georgia and Columbus, Georgia, where we found many historical sites to visit. I have always loved history, my father is some what of a historian and has passed that love for history to his children. This book although it was a fiction, it weaved historial facts and detail throughout. Given that I am a proud American, and come from a long line of a Military family you'll know that this was a story I wanted to read.

ABOUT THE BOOK: History records that the last battle of the Civil War was fought on the red clay soil of the Rio Grande River at Palmito Ranch, near Brownsville, Texas. That battle took place in mid-May 1865, more than a month following General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, Virginia. There are factual accounts of skirmishes that took place long after Lee’s surrender. The historical attention to detail is highly accurate giving the reader a front row seat to life before, during and after the Civil War.
The Last Confederate Battle brings to light the perspectives from both sides, revealing the positive and negative natures of men. Conflict within our own country is remarkably described through the writings of John Cline; the main characters of this multifaceted story come to life as real historical experiences are interwoven into each page.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Following a twenty five year career in both the enlisted and officer corps’, John Cline retired from the U.S. Navy as a Limited Duty Officer (Mustang) in July 1993 with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He was the director of the Idaho Bureau of Disaster Services until he retired in 2005.
He has a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Workforce Education and Curriculum Development from Southern Illinois University, and a Master of Art degree (M.A.) in National Security Studies; Homeland Security and Defense from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (140th Session), and was nationally certified by the National Coordinating Council on Emergency Management and the International Association of Emergency Managers. He is an avid Amateur Radio Operator with the call sign W5USN. John and his wife Pat have three children and four grandchildren

My Review:
This book captured my attention from the start. I hated putting the book down when I had to do something or go somewhere. The books story line is captivating and draws the reader in quickly. The historical detail is done with a great deal of effort. Though I would expect nothing but that from a military man! Mr. Cline writes in a way that I found to be easy to read, which is something that is important to me, because some books write WAY over my simple head.

I loved this book, the story made me think of going to see the historical sites this summer and knowing that family did fight against family. Standing on Gettysburg this summer I realized how austere the terrain was, I think about the soldiers in the south and how poor most were. I think about how these soldiers do not have the gear or equipment that soldiers today have available.

The beginning of this book, when Andy walks into the plantation and decides to restructure how he runs the plantation, was awesome. I knew I would love the book from that point on! Because I love a good love story, I found that to be an excellent part of the book, something that was unexpected and yet made the story oh so much better for me! I am a true romantic at heart and this book found me loving that part of it! This book will appeal to a variety of readers. I highly recommend this book.

I was given a copy of this book by Media Guests for an honest review, the review is my own feelings and thoughts, I was not paid for this review.

Sandie