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MWSA Review
Two Million Steps is the fictional story of Hamon Jennings, an actual member of the 25th Wisconsin Infantry regiment who fought in the American Civil War. Author Tommy Anderson is Hamon’s great-great-grandson. He tells the story of this famed unit from the dramatized perspective of his relative.
Anderson weaves themes of friendship, family, and fortitude into his story as he describes the ebb and flow of army life. After leaving his family to fight, Hamon must survive the war and return to his wife and new son. Combat is not the only threat he faces. Other dangers lurk in camp. Will Hamon survive? A series of dreams and flashbacks leave the outcome unknown until the latter part of the book. Although Hamon’s survival is a mystery that can keep the reader invested, this book tends to favor repetition over innovation.
Readers interested in the Civil War will understand the significance of the title and appreciate Anderson’s portrayal of the trials and successes of Union soldiers fighting against the Confederacy.
Review by Braden Hall (June 2021)
Author's Synopsis
Two Million Steps is the story of two men from western Wisconsin who were members of the 25th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company A. It tells their journey from the formation of the regiment through the end of the war. During the Civil War men from both sides rushed to volunteer seeking excitement, adventure, and to defend their state along with their country. This is the regiment's story.
In 1862, the 25th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed in La Crosse, Wisconsin, from mostly volunteers from the western part of the state. The regiment went to war with 1,018 men. The Twenty-Fifth Wisconsin would go on to fight in seven major campaigns and numerous smaller skirmishes with a common motto amongst its men that was coined by Chauncey H. Cooke, a private from Company G, and was picked up by the regiment: "I have no heart in this war if the slaves cannot go free."
During the war, the regiment lost the largest percentage of soldiers from Wisconsin units. They were often called to lead the attacks in Major General Sherman's March to the Sea and to the end of the war because of their ferociousness in battle.
ISBN/ASIN: 978-1636496269, 978-1636496276
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook, Audiobook
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 178