Tolstoy and War

In his book War and Peace, Tolstoy describes the atmosphere over the Russian armies when they first engage Napoleon. Due to his experience in the russian military, he seems to be able to bring one into middle of the company that is under bombardment by the French artillery. Although some soldiers are scared and frightened, others take comfort in the strength of those around them and watch unflinshing as cannonballs fly above their heads. It reminds me of another book of the American Civil War, which is told from the perspective of a young recruit in the Union army.