Carrying the Flag: The Story of Private Charles Whilden, the Confederacy's Most Unlikely Hero

Rating:
Summary: Delightful and Informative
Review: "Carrying the Flag" is a gem of a little book telling the story of an otherwise anonymous Confederate Private who found 15 minutes of fame in 15 hours of improbable glory. While Private Whilden's exploits at Spotsylvania's Bloody Angle were unique in their specifics, one can only imagine hundreds, if not thousands, of equally heroic deeds over the course of the war by similarly obscure infantrymen.

Private Whilden's battle experience was limited to the Wilderness and Spotsylvania. Accordingly, much of author Rhea's book details just how unexceptional Private Whilden was. The material, which seemingly holds little promise, in fact makes for an appealing window on the "middle class" antebellum South. In the end, if you can't applaud Private Whilden's take on the world and his place in it, you can surely understand it and, perhaps even applaud the depth of his commitment to it.

One of the most attractive features of the book, for me, is the compelling way in which Private Whilden's two battles unfold. There is the usual blood and gore, but more important, the narrative, complemented by just one map of each of the battlefields, is as clear as any I've read. The tactical story is the focus, but the operational and strategic context is cogently sketched in as well. Indeed, I would recommend the two battle sequences as among the best, most comprehensible short summaries of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania that I have read.

A very nice, very readable addition to the literature; highly recommended.


Rating:
Summary: A truly excellent read!
Review: Author Gordon Rhea produced a non fiction book that reads like a historical novel. The reader follows the life of an unlikely soldier that became a true hero for the Confederacy, while also being taken through the Civil War battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House in 1864. Mr. Rhea accomplishes a personal interest story along with a definitive work of historical reference. I have traveled to the places described in the book on many occasions, but Mr. Rhea's descriptions of Civil War sites has me planning my next vacation for further Civil War tours. It takes quite a bit to mesh battle descriptions with the ability to generate page turning exitement, but Mr. Rhea accomplishes it in this work.

Rating:
Summary: Enthusiastically recommended reading for Civil War buffs
Review: Carrying The Flag by civil war historian and expert Gordon C. Rhea is the true story of Private Charles Whilden, an ordinary solider who served the Confederacy during the Civil War and whose courage was so great it would affect the tide of one of the war's greatest battles. An attention compelling, superbly detailed, informed and informative narrative that goes into especial detail concerning the bloody and deadly fights, as well as an intrinsically exciting read, Carrying The Flag is enthusiastically recommended reading for Civil War buffs and a welcome contribution to the growing library of American Civil War literature.

Rating:
Summary: Best Rhea book yet
Review: I have enjoyed Mr. Rhea's previous books, but this is by far his best work yet. This book follows the fortunes of a remarkable soldier from South Carolina who ends up as the unsung hero of the battles that Mr. Rhea knows so well. The book reads like a modern novel and pulls you into the action. I can't wait for the movie!