Named States Rights Gist by his father; the Harvard Law School graduate went on to become a Confederate general despite his lack of formal military training. This biography fills in the outline of Gist that other historians have left incomplete. His brilliant performance in high command led him to become a militia general at the age of twenty-four. He participated in the first shots at Fort Sumter and lead the charge at Franklin; Tennessee; dying gallantly in the process. In the interim; he was a combat leader at First Manassas; Chickamauga; Chattanooga; and the Atlanta campaign.
#1951292 in Books South Mountain Pr 1987-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 #File Name: 0937339113324 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The story of Early's tenacious retreat from the ShenandoahBy Michael A. KleenIn From Winchester to Cedar Creek: The Shenandoah Campaign of 1864; Jeffry D. Wert charts Union General Philip Sheridan’s victory over Confederate General Jubal Early in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley during the closing months of the American Civil War. Sheridan’s campaign ensured Confederate defeat in Virginia and ultimately contributed to President Abraham Lincoln’s reelection. Drawing on manuscript collections and many published sources; Wert offers vivid descriptions of the battles of Third Winchester; Fisher’s Hill; Tom’s Brook; and Cedar Creek.First published in 1987; From Winchester to Cedar Creek explores how interplay of the strengths and weaknesses of the Union and Confederate commanders; Sheridan and Early; resulted in victories for Sheridan’s Army of the Shenandoah. It not only documents and dynamically recounts these events; but it also details the political; strategic; and tactical forces that made the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign so important to the outcome of the Civil War.As Philip Sheridan’s star rose; Jubal Early’s fell. In June 1864; Confederate General Robert E. Lee sent Early and approximately 15;000 men up the Shenandoah Valley to clear Union troops from the area and menace Washington; D.C.; in an effort to repeat Thomas “Stonewall†Jackson’s successes in 1862. Early; however; was no Jackson. Despite early success; by August he was on the defensive. General Ulysses S. Grant sent his cavalry commander; Philip Sheridan; to command all Union troops in the Valley and destroy Early. This is where From Winchester to Cedar Creek picks up the story.Philip Sheridan was one of the few cavalry commanders who successfully transitioned to overall command of an army. His unique experience allowed him to better integrate infantry and cavalry. During the Civil War; it was considered suicidal for mounted cavalry to directly engage infantry; but at the Battle of Third Winchester; September 19; 1864; Brig. Gen. Wesley Merritt’s cavalry division broke Early’s defensive line with a classic Napoleonic cavalry charge.Down but not out; Early’s beleaguered units surprised Sheridan’s Army of the Shenandoah in fog at the Battle of Cedar Creek. While the Confederates paused to regroup; Sheridan dramatically rode down from Winchester just in time to rally his men and turn the tide. After the war; Early blamed soldiers who stopped and looted Union camps for the critical delay. Wert argues the dense fog; and Early himself; was largely to blame. Neither Early nor his subordinates recognized the importance of the Valley Turnpike north of Middletown; where they could have turned the Union flank and prevented Sheridan’s reinforcements from arriving in time.Because General Early permanently lost the Shenandoah for the Confederacy; history has not been kind. Sheridan’s Valley Campaign; on the other hand; made Sheridan a legend and a national hero. But Wert argues Early did the best he could with what he had. He had taken the war to the outskirts of Washington; D.C.; diverted men and material away from Grant’s army around Richmond and Petersburg; and inflicted higher casualties against forces that outnumbered him 3-to-1. “Burdened with his disadvantages; Jubal Early displayed superior generalship when compared to his Union counterpart;†he argued.Beyond a firm grasp of strategy and tactics; Wert offers compelling accounts of how the average soldier fought and died during the Civil War. He pauses to explain how it was a common experience that once under fire; a soldier’s nerves steadied and fear seemed to vanish. One account of a visitor on the Third Winchester battlefield described the expressions on the faces of the men who died–surprise; pain; and even peacefulness. Men died instantly with looks of surprise frozen on their faces. Others had time to make peace with their fate. It’s an intimate; chilling side of battle you rarely read.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Absorbing and detailed account and analysis of often overlooked campaign.By IpyThis is an excellent account of the 1864 Shenandoah Valley campaign; a campaign that is often overshadowed by Grant's operations against Lee and Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Valley campaign. Wert covers each aspect of the campaign in good detail and gives outstanding accounts of the battles at Winchester; Fisher's Hill; and Cedar Creek. Other chapters cover the objectives of the campaign; the two armies and personalities; the Burning; a chapter on Mosby's impact; and a conclusion assessing Sheridan and Early during the campaign. The book makes clear how intense these lesser known battles were and the losses proportionately were comparable with battles such as Shiloh and Gettysburg. I had not fully realized the losses; both total and in general officers; that Early's army suffered or the full extent of Sheridan's numerical superiority. Wert is fair overall in his criticisms of generals on both sides; but in particular he is appropriately critical of Sheridan for his tactical and strategic errors; not to mention his tendency to claim others ideas and success as his own. That said; he makes it clear there was no Northern general like Sheridan when it came to rallying and inspiring troops on a battlefield. Early also gets his share of criticism; but Wert acknowledges his many achievements during the campaign as well. If the book has a flaw; it is in the maps. While they are adequate to understand the big picture of the battles; they are not detailed enough for a real understanding of the complicated movements. Also; lesser battles such as Tom's Brook are given short shrift. I would have liked to have read a full account from Early's departure form Lee; including Monacacy and the fight in Washington as well as the Valley campaign; but that may well have been too long. Overall; this is a terrific book and its flaws are minor quibbles. Highly recommended to all Civil War enthusiasts.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Beautifully WrittenBy booksrmywindowsWert gave me different perspective on Union general Phil Sheridan and his campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. Sheridan is shown to be a far less than perfect general who was often sloppy and careless during the campaign; but quickly turned into a brilliant and decisive leader when the shooting started. Confederate General Jubal Early comes off as being a general who does a good job of managing the ragged and starving Confederate Army of the Shenandoah. His description of "The Burning" of the Valley and its effect on the people of the Valley is haunting and reminds me of other attempts at other times and places in the history of the world to suppress local uprisings and really brings home the level of the violence that was reached in the Civil War. Wert's prose is clear; but dynamic and catches all the aspects of the campaign. My great great grandfather was with the 22nd Iowa - which was part of of the XIX Corps - and was wounded during the battle of Cedar Creek so I found this book particularly interesting.
