I don't remember when I bought the book Sevastopol by Leo Tolstoy. I do know that as a very good book about the Crimean war of 1854 to 1856. However, the real treasure of this book is the introduction written by Phillip Rahv. The entire book is only 229 pages.  That must be read before digging into the rest of this book.

This book deals with all the horrors of war and begins with a young soldier visiting the battlefield and his idealistic view of what's going on. You later returns to battle only the discover that some of things he thought were so go the first time around turn out to be really horrible. There were many errors in judgment on both sides during this battle and as a result the losses were enormous. 

"The 11 months of that Tolstoy spent in Sebastopol were not entirely absorb our military life.  He was able to keep up with his diary in which we find any number of entries quite detached from his immediate experience.  Of particular and surprising interest is the following notation of March 5, 1855:" 

" A conversation about the Divinity and Faith has suggested to me a great, a stupendous idea, to the realization of which I feel capable of a devoting my life. That idea is the founding of a new religion corresponding to the present state of mankind: the religion of Christ but purged of the dogmas and mysticism - a practical religion, not promising future bliss but giving bliss on earth. I understand that to accomplish this the conscious labor of generations will be needed. One generation will bequeath the idea to the next, and someday fanaticism or reason will accomplish it. Deliberately to promote the union of mankind by religion is the basic thought which I hope will dominate me."

Now I ask you; isn't is enough to make you want to read this book?