Rating: 
Summary: Of Universal Appeal and National Significance
Review: Because of its universal appeal Virginia B. Morton's MARCHING THROUGH CULPEPER - a very "Gutsy" yet "Uplifting" history of four years of war in and around Culpeper County Va. is - in the estimation of this reader - destined to ultimately to be read by
by more Americans than GONE WITH THE WIND !Not only is it a better read, it is also better history. But more important is the national cultural significance of the timely antidote provided by Mrs. Morton in this important work to the currently fasionable villification by the amorale Clinton Culture of the SOUTH and the traditional values and code of
chilvary for which it stands. Break the back of the South and break the back of traditional culture. But the majority of Americans may just embrace this work to break the back of the godless left. If that happens, look out America - you may be about to witness a cultural earthquake. When he met Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, Lincon is said to have remarked, "so this is the little lady who started the war" The shooting war is over but the cultural war goes on and a lot of Americans from all sections are fed up with the politically correct excesses of the left. Sould this book and the values it reaffirms be as widely embraced by good Americans as this reader believes is destined, Mrs. Morton may just be the little lady who ends the cultural war started by the anti-southern slander of Mrs Stowe over 140 years ago.
Rating:
Summary: Thank You Mrs. Morton
Review: Born and raised in the North I was exposed in school only to the Northern point of view, "Marching Through Culpeper" was not only a very good read - one of the best books that I've ever read - but was also very informative about the South. I now have a much more balanced view. Thank Your Mrs. Morton
Rating:
Summary: Better Than Gone With The Wind
Review: Culpeper,VA,not Atlanta,is where the real action was in the Civil War.In comparison,the "Atlanta to the Sea" action was brief and occurred when the outcome of the war was no longer in doubt,whereas conflict in the Culpeper area covered years.The details are presented for the first time in this book.Though a novel,Ms.Morton's book also carefully records historical facts.Her intertwining of fact and fiction results in a moving,exciting,and beautiful,though often tragic,story of famous as well as ordinary people as they were involved in the most significant event of our nation's history.Anyone,from those interested in an entertaining yarn of how life was at that time,to the most learned buff of the Civil War will enjoy and treasure this magnificent book.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed, I cried, and I learned. Two thumbs up!
Review: Having grown up in Virginia, I knew about its unenviable position as a border state during the Civil War. I knew the names of the battles. But I never really thought about the fact that the state was persistently occupied by one army or the other during the Civil War. More importantly, I never thought about what it would be like to live in an atmosphere of constant fluctuation and terror, with possession changing hands several times a year and the "enemy line" always advancing or retreating. Marching Through Culpeper really opened my eyes to the hometown, civilian side of the war in Virginia, which was predominantly experienced by the wives, mothers, and children who were left to defend their homes, nurse injured soldiers, and find some means of feeding their families. This impressive novel, with its eighteen-year old heroine, could have easily been written as a historical romance or "woman's" novel. Yet what Morton achieves is much more than that. Yes, there's a love story here, and it's a poignant one full of twists and turns. But in following a fictional young woman and her ever-shrinking family from Culpeper, Virginia-a town in central Virginia that amazingly witnessed troop movements, skirmishes, battles, encampments, and occupations on a near daily basis for the entire span of the war-you learn history in the best way possible. That is, you learn without even knowing it. It digests easily because while the novel is painstakingly factual, it is also an absorbing read due to the way the reader becomes invested in the well-developed characters. Morton writes battle scenes as compellingly as domestic scenes, and she has taken her colorful fictional characters and craftily placed them in the paths of equally charismatic real people like J.E.B. Stuart, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and the endlessly entertaining and intrepid spy Frank Stringfellow. Thus the novel succeeds not only at seamlessly and plausibly blending truth and fiction, but also skillfully compresses an eventful five years by narrating the story in delectable vignettes of a few hours or days at a time. Morton's "in the moment" writing style keeps the story moving briskly and is rich with humor and authentic dialogue. While Marching Through Culpeper ostensibly tells of one embattled Southern town's struggle for survival, it also exposes the "big picture" and the many paradoxes and ideological schisms that existed in this complicated and devastating war. I heartily recommend this book to anyone, male or female, history buff or not. p.s. If you are able to read the final chapter without crying, you'd have to be a robot. I rarely cry, and I would not be exaggerating to say it happened repeatedly during the story's denouement. I can give no higher compliment to the author than that.
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: I found this book to be quite entertaining. I have always loved the Civil War time period and everything that goes with it. The main characters were well developed and the mixture of facts and fiction were woven together well. As a history major from Longwood University, I was quite pleased that a fellow alum would write such a great, historical epic.
Rating:
Summary: Marching Through Culpeper
Review: I found Virginia Beard Morton's book a heart warming tour of the Culpeper area relating to the Civil War. Her ability to combine fiction and non-fiction characters has added color and amusement to a book that I think is as full of excitement and adventure as "Gone With the Wind". I highly recommend it to Civil War buffs and to all who wish to venture forth into new excitement from an old time. This book will sell and be remembered. Pete Bennett-pete@email4u.com
Rating:
Summary: Great Dialogue!!
Review: I gave this book a 5 star rating. I am a history buff and mostly enjoy reading non-fiction books on the Civil War and also the two World Wars. This book was undoubtedly one of the best books that I have ever read. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! It is a super book; I look forward to meeting the author and taking a tour of the Civil War sites mentioned. Unlike some other books that I have read, it's easy getting started and once you start, it only gets better. Virginia played such a monumental role in the Civil War. I am going to buy additional copies of this book to give as Christmas presents to some of my friends.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I gave this book a 5 star rating. I am a history buff and mostly enjoy reading non-fiction books on the Civil War and also the two World Wars. This book was undoubtedly one of the best books that I have ever read. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! It is a super book; I look forward to meeting the author and taking a tour of the Civil War sites mentioned. Unlike some other books that I have read, it's easy getting started and once you start, it only gets better. Virginia played such a monumental role in the Civil War. I am going to buy additional copies of this book to give as Christmas presents to some of my friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Stitled, dry South
Review: I have read many books of historical fiction; "Marching Through Culpeper" is the best. I know it will be a classic. It's time for the author to start another book for her fans.
Rating:
Summary: Marching Through Culpeper
Review: I have read many books of historical fiction; "Marching Through Culpeper" is the best. I know it will be a classic. It's time for the author to start another book for her fans.
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