--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not far away lay the big cannons that had…" description: "\"“Not far away lay the big cannons that had held Ulysses Grant at bay for fifty siege days while the citizens of the town ate rat flesh and clung to the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/greg-iles-4609_civil-war_not-far-away-lay-the-big-cannons-that-ha_2622775.jpg" --- # Not far away lay the big cannons that had held Ulysses… ![“Not far away lay the big cannons that had held Ulysses Grant at bay for fifty siege days while the citizens of the town ate rat flesh and clung to their long-cherished beliefs. How many had died in that lost cause? Dr. Tarver wondered. Fifty thousand casualties at Gettysburg alone, and for what?…” quote by Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/greg-iles-4609_civil-war_not-far-away-lay-the-big-cannons-that-ha_2622775.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/greg-iles-4609_civil-war_not-far-away-lay-the-big-cannons-that-ha_2622775.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/greg-iles-4609_civil-war_not-far-away-lay-the-big-cannons-that-ha_2622775.jpg) > ““Not far away lay the big cannons that had held Ulysses Grant at bay for fifty siege days while the citizens of the town ate rat flesh and clung to their long-cherished beliefs. How many had died in that lost cause? Dr. Tarver wondered. Fifty thousand casualties at Gettysburg alone, and for what? To free the slaves who built this house? To preserve the Union? Had Stonewall Jackson died to create a nation of couch potatoes ignorant of their own history and incapable of simple mathematics? If those brave soldiers in blue and gray had seen what lay in the future, they would have laid down their muskets and walked home to their farms.”” [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on the futility of war, questioning whether sacrifices made were justified and imagining if soldiers knew the future, they might have refused. **In simple terms:** War’s cost is huge; questioning its purpose. Key Takeaway Question the purpose of sacrifice. Themes war history morality human cost illusion Mood somber reflective critical Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - military education - peace activism - historical study - public policy Key Concepts historical revisionism ethical reflection counterfactual thinking Questions to Reflect On - If you could change one historical decision, what would it be? - How do we honor sacrifices while learning from past mistakes? A Different Perspective Counterpoint: Historical outcomes are complex; hindsight may oversimplify motives and consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civil war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Gettysburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gettysburg/) [Lost cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-cause/) [Ulysses Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ulysses-grant/) ## Related quotes > [“In the words of Gen. Ulysses S. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/about-once-a-decade-it-becomes-necessary-to-remind-americans-again/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [“Let your words be as few as will express the sense you wish to convey and above all let what you say be true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/let-your-words-be-as-few-as-will-express-the-sense-you-wish-to-convey/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [During a mock battle attended by President Warren Harding in 1921, Marine Corps General Smedley D. Butler exhumed the arm \[of Stonewall Jackson; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/during-a-mock-battle-attended-by-president-warren-harding-in-1921/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“In the words of Frederick Douglass, “That sturdy old Roman, Benjamin Butler, made the negro a contraband, Abraham Lincoln made him a freeman, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/in-the-words-of-frederick-douglass-that-sturdy-old-roman-benjamin/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) ## More by Greg Iles > [“path of least resistance, or the walk over hot coals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/path-of-least-resistance-or-the-walk-over-hot-coals/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Like my best friend, I asked for drums for Christmas, and got them. 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I have no artificial barriers based on genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-ll-read-anything-that-s-good-i-have-no-artificial-barriers-based-on/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [My father has always been the heart of my Penn Cage novels,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/my-father-has-always-been-the-heart-of-my-penn-cage-novels/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I've learned as much about writing from songwriters as I have from other writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-ve-learned-as-much-about-writing-from-songwriters-as-i-have-from/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) [Explore all 106 Greg Iles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) ## More Civil war quotes > [“Time overlaps itself. 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