This is a superbly written account of the battle for and burning of Atlanta during the American Civil War - the event made famous in the film "Gone with the Wind". In "War Like the Thunderbolt", Russell Bonds presents the epic story of what one observer call 'The greatest event of the Civil War' - the struggle for the city of Atlanta. It was the conflict that secured the re-election of Abraham Lincoln, sealed the fate of the Confederacy, and set a precedent for military campaigns across the world. Based on new research into diaries, previously unpublished letters, newspapers, and other archival sources, this superb volume takes readers across the smoky battlefield and into the lives of fascinating characters, both the famous and the forgotten, including the diminutive young Benjamin Harrison, later to become 23rd President of the USA, and Carrie Berry, a gifted diarist who belied her ten years of age. Like its fictional counterpart, "Gone with the Wind", this volume presents a superbly written account and meticulous account of this momentous event in American history.