The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 100, July 1996 - April, 1997 Page: 522
551 p. : ill. (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
recognition as one of the nation's most talented and prolific Civil War historians.
First through his biography of Confederate General Stephen Dodson Ramseur
and then through edited recollections of General Edward P. Alexander, an edit-
ed volume on Fredericksburg, three edited volumes on Gettysburg, and numer-
ous essays in other works, Gallagher has established himself as a leading authority
on campaigns in the eastern theater of operations. These latest two volumes,
which he edited and contributed essays to, further enhance that reputation.
The large volume on Robert E. Lee provides readers a balanced view of the
great Virginian by contemporaries and later writers. Most of the essays have been
previously published, but five new articles by Civil War specialists have been writ-
ten for this volume. Editor Gallagher has arranged the material under four sepa-
rate headings. Part I consists of conversations Lee had with contemporaries
concerning his campaigns. Eleven essays assessing Lee's overall generalship form
Part II. These include favorable interpretations by Douglas S. Freeman, Charles
P. Roland, Albert Castel, William C. Davis, and Gallagher. Critical evaluations
are offered by Thomas L. Connelly and Alan T. Nolan. Ten essays in Part III fo-
cus upon Lee's conduct of specific campaigns including the Seven Days, Sharps-
burg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness. The final section is an
annotated bibliography of 2oo essential books on Lee's military career prepared
by T. Michael Parrish.
Additional information on Lee's greatest victory is provided in Chancellorsville:
The Battle and Its Aftermath. This work contains eight original essays concerning
the campaign. All provide fresh insights about the engagement. John J. Hen-
nessy's opening essay describing the Army of the Potomac on the eve of the cam-
paign is an excellent portrait of Union commanders. Gallagher's own article
sheds new light on the role of Jubal Early in the Fredericksburg-Salem Church
portion of the campaign and Robert K. Krick clarifies a number of points con-
cerning the Confederate volley that wounded Stonewall Jackson. In the book's
longest essay A. Wilson Greene argues that Stoneman's Raid marked the begin-
ning of a transformation in the Union cavalry. Carol Reardon defends the role
of Hancock's division in the battle and James I. Robertson Jr. describes the poor
medical care of the Chancellorsville wounded. Keith S. Bohannon reviews the
court-martial of Confederate Colonel Emory F. Best, who was cashiered from ser-
vice for abandoning his regiment at Chancellorsville. In the concluding essay
James A. Marten describes the impact of the battle upon the children of Chan-
cellorsville. Exceptionally fine maps prepared by George Skoch and carefully
chosen photographs accompany the narrative.
Each of these volumes should be of considerable interest to the ever-increas-
ing number of Civil War enthusiasts. They help us better understand and appre-
ciate the complexities of our great civil conflict.
Lamar University RALPH A. WOOSTER
Mace Bowman: Texas Feudist, Western Lawman. By James Stephen Peters with
Charles Norman Parsons and Marianne Elizabeth Hall-Little. Introduction
by James A. Browning. (Yorktown: Hartmann Heritage Productions, Ltd.,April
522
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 100, July 1996 - April, 1997, periodical, 1997; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101218/m1/600/: accessed March 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.