When the Drums Stop

Based on a True Story

By: D.W. Roach

Narrated by: John Tanner

Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

“The flag bearers!” Sergeant Loyod pointed down the line as three Confederate battle flags made it to the top of the berm, waving erratically back and forth. “Shoot’em down! Don’t let them rally!”

For two years, the terrible and bloody Civil War raged in the United States of America, tearing at the very fabric of its glorious founding. In the midst of utter turmoil, a young boy, Anderson Roach, longed to join his brother as part of the famed Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry.

With his brother gone fighting for nearly two years, Anderson was now ready to leave the farm and prove himself by joining the ranks of men on the battlefield. Little did Anderson know that his dreams of adventure and heroism would soon be met with the harsh reality of soldiering in the Union Army.

With each step, he would walk hand in hand with death and experience the physical and mental anguish of war.

©2017 D.W. Roach (P)2020 D.W. Roach

excellent

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! good overall

4.5/5 When the Drums Stop by D.W. Roach

Narrated by John Tanner
Summary:
A young man lies about his age to join the Union army in Tennessee. The book follows Private Roach from that fateful decision all the way through the rest of the Civil War.

Additional Comments:
- I think this book picks up late in 1863. The kid joins the army because his older brother did. He ends up in the cavalry.
- Haven’t heard many Civil War books, but I always enjoyed the history. This doesn’t give you a heck of a lot of facts or dates to track anything, but it describes the day to day life of the cavalry soldiers decently.
- The framed portion wasn’t necessary. The author could have jumped immediately to the story itself without the part about the guy answering questions for the young woman.
- Tanner’s performance fit the script well.
- Content Warnings: Besides general war descriptions, there’s at least one very disturbing scene where something horrible happens to Roach’s friend. There are 7 f-bombs and a smattering of lesser curse words.

Conclusion:
If you enjoy Civil War stories and can handle some language and at least one really gruesome scene, you should check this out.
*I received a free copy from the author/narrator. I chose to review. This is my honest opinion.

Highly entraining!

I love a good war story about those that were in the heat of battle. I never read anything about the soldiers that served in the Civil War. In the book, we get to experience what a young man had to go through to stay alive and bring about a much needed victory for the US and a slaved people. I love the detail and the emotion that was brought to light about the characters. I can feel the joy, the fear, the pain and the passion that our hero had to go through during his time in the service. I listened to it while I drove a dock truck for work. It made the hours fly by. I had to be very disciplined to not listen to it in my POV so I could savor the time spent while on the clock. The narrator was amazing. His voice was a perfect match for a Southern Union soldier as well as all the other characters throughout the book. Overall, and put simply, it was a fun listen and worth the purchase.