Lovely, lovely

I've really enjoyed the first half of Killer Angels. After finishing BCOF it's refreshing to go back to a novel format. I know, I know. :)

There are obviously a million things I could write in response to the reading, but I thought I would keep things light in this post. Let's face it, the Civil War is a pretty depressing topic! I had a laugh-out-loud moment when reading Buford's comments regarding Heth's early morning movements against him:

"The first attack was very short: a ragged fire. Buford nodded, listening, 'Yes. Tried to brush us off. Got a bloody nose. Now he'll get angry, all puffed up like a partridge. Now he'll form up a line and try us for real, and he'll hit the main line.' The mist was lifting slowly, the rain was slackening, but Buford could not see the line. he felt the attack come and turned his face toward the sound of the guns, judging the size of the attack by the width of the sound, and he sat grinning alone in the cupola, while the Rebel troops pushed his line and drew back, bloody, and tried again in another place, the firing spreading all down the line like a popping fuse, and then there was another long silence, and Buford could feel them reforming again ... If whoever was out there attacking him had any brains he would probe this position first and find out what he was attacking. Buford listened for the scattered fire of patrols coming in, moving along his flanks, outlining him, but there was nothing. A long silence, then a massed assault. Buford grinned, baring fangs. Damn fool. He's got a brigade in position, that's all. He's hitting me with one brigade, and I'm dug in. Lovely, lovely."

I know this was the beginning of the battle and should be taken seriously, but I couldn't help but laugh as I pictured Buford sitting there strumming his fingers together with a little devilish smile on his face saying, "Lovely, lovely." Not to mention the fact that I was amazed at how much he could discern by simply listening to the skirmish taking place out-of-sight. Very impressive!