These Rugged Days

"Sledge has effectively balanced the uniqueness of the conflict in Alabama with the broader context of the rest of the war . . .  it consolidates one state’s wartime experience into a single, accessible volume, and is thus a useful contribution to the Civil War literature." —Journal of Military History

"These Rugged Days is eloquent. This is narrative history at its best. One normally ignores blurbs, but on the back cover, filmmaker Ken Burns says of These Rugged Days, 'I couldn’t stop reading it.'I couldn’t either." —Don Noble, The Tuscaloosa News

“As a writer, Sledge possesses an appealing gift for evocative prose, his picturesque writing style well suited to drawing in both casual readers and more serious students of Civil War Alabama. His narrative generally follows the top commanders, but it also generously incorporates pithy excerpts from the diaries and letters of common soldiers and civilians from all parts of the state." —Civil War Books and Authors

"Through [Sledge's] appreciation of the past of his home state and his smooth, engrossing prose, we finally have a riveting account of Alabama's Civil War that enlivens obscure figures we should better know, animates forgotten landscapes where war was waged with which we should be more familiar, and brings home the visceral emotion and profound spectacle of combat on Alabama soil and waters through which we should have understood these events all along." —The Historians Manifesto
 

“A fresh look at the Civil War in Alabama that thoroughly covers the topic in a way that only John Sledge can. Anyone who grew up in the South, who has an interest in the Civil War, will immediately relate.”
—Robert Bradley, former chief curator at the Alabama Department of Archives and History

“If all politics is local then history is more so, and that holds true for the story John Sledge has told here. It is personal and intimate (and unusually moving), as well as enormously edifying, well written, and revealing; I couldn’t stop reading it! Bravo!” —Ken Burns, Emmy Award-winning producer and director of The Civil War

"The audience for which Sledge is writing—Southern-born general readers, buffs, and hobbyists, among others—in search of a good yarn or two will enjoy These Rugged Days immensely. It is truly the work of one of Alabama's master writers and will be savored." —Alabama Review

"A highly engaging, comprehensive narrative of the state’s wartime experience. Readers will enjoy the informative read and students researching specific events will appreciate the detailed bibliography pointing to a wealth of additional resources for more in-depth study." —Military Review