Steven L Acker Shoeleather and the Bayonet

"Gritty and absorbing. Finally, a novel that takes you into the ranks of a Civil War combat outfit, propelling you through months of training, campaigning, privation and danger, without the golden glow of post-war remembrance. Steven Acker is an important new voice in the growing chorus of evidence-based novels and narratives."- Brad Graham, Civil War documentarian and historianClay Miller joins a Mississippi regiment to escape the brutality of his father only to find himself in the even more brutal world of a western Confederate soldier. Through the trials of Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and every footfall in between, through mud, heat, cold, poor living conditions and often worse leadership, aided by the teachings of Transcendentalism and the guidance of mentors, he finds peace in war. He finds himself.Meticulously researched and gritty in every detail, this is not a romantic tale of chivalry and honor. Shoeleather and the Bayonet is the journey of a foot-sore, hungry confederate soldier fighting to find the good in man and in himself.