R. E. Thomas

Mother Earth, Bloody Ground: a Novel of the Civil War and What Might Have Been (Stonewall Goes West Trilogy) (Volume 2) R. E. Thomas

Praise for Stonewall Goes West:

"It's no easy task to accurately depict individual personalities, let alone write believable fictional conversations and interactions between them; nonetheless, the author excels at both." -- Dr. Mathew Lively, author of Calamity at Chancellorsville

"Thomas' story is highly readable and highly entertaining. [Jeff] Shaara could use a lesson on pacing from Thomas." -- Prof. Chris Mackowski, author of Chancellorsville: Crossroads of Fire and the Dark


As Part Two of the Stonewall Goes West trilogy, Mother Earth, Bloody Ground continues to answer the greatest "what if?" of the Civil War: what if Stonewall Jackson had survived the Battle of Chancellorsville? Through a combination of misdirection and audacious aggression, Jackson led the hard luck Army of Tennessee to its first real victory of the war at Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, but that was only the beginning of his campaign against the Northern armies under William Tecumseh Sherman.

With Sherman organizing a reinforced army in Nashville, and George Thomas still poised to invade Georgia, Jackson must adapt his strategy and find a way to permanently liberate the "Mother Earth" of Middle Tennessee. While generals like Patrick Cleburne, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and A. P. Stewart prove reliable, others like Leonidas Polk continue to vex Jackson's efforts. Meanwhile, Sherman must contend with sniping politicians from above and a scheming Joe Hooker from below as he works to hurl Jackson's army back into Alabama and continue his drive on Atlanta.

What ensues across the early and mid-summer of 1864 is a colossal struggle pitting two of the Civil War's greatest generals, Sherman and Jackson, against each other. The outcome will decide the fate of Middle Tennessee, and with it the course of a Civil War destined to be changed in unforeseen ways.