Allegiance: Fort Sumter, Charleston, and the Beginning of the Civil War

Rating:
Summary: Great book for understanding the events of Fort Sumpter
Review: To tell you how good this book is, I picked this book up almost as a lark. I only had planned to glance through the first few pages before setting it down to read later and the next thing I knew I'd read 50 pages. That's how good a writer David Detzer is.

The book itself follows the events of 1861 in Charleston South Carolina as a small garrison of Union soldiers try to hold out against the growing tide of secessionism. These men and more specificly the fort they hold becomes an important symbol for both sides as events begin to boil. The man in the center of all this is Maj. Robert Anderson, commander of the Union garrison. Raised in the south, Anderson tries desperately to prevent the war he knows is fast approaching.

Allegiance isn't just a good Civil War book but a good book in general. It will be the standard for many years to come on the subject of Fort Sumpter.