War In The Mountains: The Macbeth Light Artillery at Asheville, NC 1864-1865

I am currently reading the book, but have spent a lot of time scanning through it. Bought it mainly to learn more about The Battle of Asheville. The author, realizing the The Battle of Asheville alone does not have enough content to produce a book. What he as done contributes a lot of research and brings the big picture into view. I for one have noticed signs scattered all across Western North Carolina commenting on Stoneman's Raid. For a long time I have known about Strawberry Plains and other skirmishes in Eastern Tennesse and Western North Carolina. As a former resident of Buncombe County, I also knew a little about the battle of Swannanoa Gap, etc. What I did not know was exactly why the skirmishes and battles were taking place. Askew's book brings all of this together. My most recent interest in what took place in Asheville began when I was visiting a cemetery in an old country church in Jenkinsville, SC. There I found a grave of J.W. Clark. At the foot of his grave was a Confederate grave marker for him which indicated he was a member of Jeter's Artillery. I looked up his service records and pension application and saw where he was in the Battle of Asheville. The renewed interest caused me to revisit Asheville and particularly Battery Park and the earthworks at the Botanical Gardens. Being familiar with Battery Park and that it may have some significance relating to the War Between The States, I did not realize until reading War in the Mountains, there was much more to it than a historic hotel. This location was Stoney Hill and the location of Battery Porter, named after its commander 1st Lt Starke Porter of Jeter's Artillery. I don't think I have previously known of any publication that associates Macbeth (Jeter's Artillery) with the battle, most only mention the home guard (Silver Greys). Great Book, love the detail. My only complaint is there is no index, but I still give it five stars

I liked that the turns of each battle are very well detailed and it is easy to visualize what might have actually happened at the time when the events in question take place. Knowledge of American history and geography will go a long way in gaining better understanding of the text.There are some places where opinions are being drawn from incomplete facts. However, such occurrences are few. There is a lot of military jargon being used, especially involving equipment and weaponry prevalent in use at the time. At the same time, there are also multiple lists of references which were used to gather information.At times, the chapters seem stretched out, especially when no major action is being described. A shorter text would have been better.

I was fascinated only by the history of the Civil War but, the personal connection J.L. Askew had with his great-grandfather being connected thanks to the MacBeth Light Artillery. It was refreshing to see the hefty pages of notes Askew used through his research. His passion for genealogy, history, and most importantly, for his family came though in each chapter. Books that are worth reading, teach you a lesson while you read. I've learned more about the Civil War through this book than I ever did in history class. That's why I express much gratitude that Askew went down the research rabbit hole and just kept digging until he was able to unveil every story and every secret of the MacBeth Light Artillery, the Civil War, and his great grandfather.The bravery and fortitude shown by these men was admirable and inspiring. This book should be on the reading list for either a collegiate history course or a senior year high school history elective. The imagery and very detailed storytelling made this point of history even more interesting than ever.IA trip through the most prominent historical events that is sure to be a ride of a lifetime. That is why this book gets 5 stars.

This is a great book for anyone interested in the Civil War in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. It is very in depth and amazing research.

I enjoyed the writer's vivid portrayal of the fight for a cause that was greater than life itself -freedom.

The author of War in the Mountains, Mr. Askew, set out seven years ago to try his hand at genealogy research. His main interest was to learn more about a great-grandfather who had served in the Civil War. There were stories and family lore that were intriguing and Mr. Askew dug in and went down the rabbit hole of research. A research rabbit hole is when one bit of information leads you to another, and another, and another still, until you've explored every tunnel of the rabbit warren. In this case it was years of searching and research, with others pitching in along the way, and a book emerging from the paper trail. That trail led to the Macbeth Light Artillery. This groups journey from the coast of the Carolinas to the hills is one of bravery, perseverance, sense of duty, and the wish to make it home alive. Mr. Askew has included not only scores battle information but a touch of the human side to these soldiers. Truthfully the personal asides were my favorite, an interesting look into the life of a military man on the move. Write to someone in the service, it meant and means a lot. War in the Mountains is a labor of love and it shows.

This book belongs in the library of any student of Civil War in Western North Carolina. The research resulted in amazing details. It's not "just about" The Macbeth Light Artillery. It's much more than that.It focuses on a 2-year period when Western NC was being ripped apart not just by the North, but by some of their own people. One can feel, hear, and see the relief of the Macbeth when they were transferred to Asheville from the mosquito infested heat of Charleston. Kudos to Mr. Askew.

Loved this book. I'm always a big fan of history, and studied civil war maritime history in college. I really enjoyed reading about a lesser-known part of this history, and this book wasn't too stodgy or stuffy like some war history books can get.