Ulysses S Grant was the biggest hero of the Civil War. Johnny Clem might well have ... the drummer boy won fame at the battle of Shiloh, where he put down his drum, picked up a gun, and shot ...

In contrast to Roland, Smith devotes much more space to Johnston’s Civil War service. Smith draws his title from Johnston’s comment at the start of the Battle Shiloh, that he must “roll the iron dice ...