Russell S. Bonds

B*ATL is proud to host Russell S. Bonds, author of the recent critically acclaimed book entitled War Like the Thunderbolt. In War Like the Thunderbolt: The Battle and Burning of Atlanta, award-winning author Russell S. Bonds takes the reader behind the lines and across the smoky battlefields ... (more)of Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Ezra Church, and Jonesboro, and into the lives of fascinating characters, both the famous and the forgotten, including the fiery and brilliant Sherman; General John Bell Hood, the Confederacy’s last hope to defend Atlanta; Benjamin Harrison, the diminutive young Indiana colonel who would rise to become President of the United States; Patrick Cleburne, the Irishman turned- Southern officer; and ten-year-old diarist Carrie Berry, who bravely withstood and bore witness to the fall of the city. Here also is the dramatic story of the ordeal of Atlanta itself—the five-week artillery bombardment, the expulsion of its civilian population, and the infamous fire that followed. Based on new research in diaries, newspapers, previously unpublished letters, and other archival sources, War Like the Thunderbolt is a combination of captivating narrative and insightful military analysis—a stirring account of the battle and burning of the "Gate City of the South." RUSSELL S. BONDS is an attorney in Atlanta and author of the best-selling Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor, now in development as a feature film. He is an honor graduate of Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia School of Law. He lives in Marietta, Georgia, with his family.

Russell S. Bonds author of Stealing the General re-tells 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 ... (more)for military campaigns across the world. War Like the Thunderbolt is based on new research into diaries, previously unpublished letters, newspapers, and other archival sources, this superb volume takes readers across the smoky battlefield and into the lives of fascinating characters,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. Bonds is an in-house lawyer at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta and a lifelong resident of north Georgia.

(Free but reservations are suggested. 312-587-0234/ Open Reception - 9:00am CST, Presentation & Live Webcast - 10:00am CST, Film Screening & Discussion - 11:00am CST) Russell S. Bonds is an in-house lawyer at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta and a lifelong resident of north Georgia. He was born ... (more)in Atlanta and grew up in Marietta, just a few blocks from the spot where James Andrews and his men first boarded the General on the morning of April 12, 1862. Russ received a B.S. with honor from Georgia Tech and a law degree magna cum laude from the University of Georgia, where he was the Executive Articles Editor of the Georgia Law Review. He has published several articles and reviews on Civil War topics in national publications, including "Pawn Takes Bishop: The Death of Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk," Civil War Times (May 2006) and "Lieutenant Tecumseh: Sherman's First March Through Georgia, 1844," Civil War Times (forthcoming, 2007). He lives in Marietta, Georgia with his wife and three daughters. Stealingthegeneral.com