Apprentice Killers: The War of Lincoln and Davis

In 1975, Michael Shaara wrote the ever popular Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Killer Angels. Shaara presented the epic three-day Battle of Gettysburg as seen through the eyes of some half-dozen of its mostly major participants. Apprentice Killers: The War of Lincoln and Davis employs a similar technique to that of Shaara as it relates to the American Civil War in total.

In Apprentice Killers, the war unfolds through the conflicting emotional outlook of six of its primary players: A. Lincoln, U. S Grant, and G. B. McClellan from the Northern side and J. Davis, R. E. Lee and J. E. Johnston from the Southern side. While Shaara wrote in novel form and Apprentice Killers is written in a narrative style, it is, nevertheless the story of America's most dangerous period.

Jim Ridgway has had an avid interest in American Civil War history since his first visit to the Gettysburg battlefield in 1963. For many years he was a member of the Civil War Round Table of Wilmington, Delaware. He has written and spoken on this fascinating subject for many years. His book Little Mac: Demise of an American Hero, a biography of General George B. McClellan, was published in 2000. Jim and his wife Ruth now live in Tucson, Arizona where Jim continues to pursue his interest in Civil War history.