William Henry Fitzhugh Lee; called "Rooney" by his family; was born the second son of the famous commander and general of the Confederacy; Robert E. Lee. After graduating from Harvard; Rooney planned to take up farming on his family's plantation. When the Civil War broke out; however; he immediately volunteered and was commissioned a captain in the Confederate cavalry. During the war years; he was quickly promoted on his talents -his famous father was careful not to interfere in his son's promotion track. Rooney Lee earned a reputation for bravery and effective command at Gettysburg and Chancellorsville. He was wounded at Brandy Station and shortly after was captured by Federal raiders and placed in prison. After his release in a prisoner exchange; he was promoted to the rank of major general-the youngest man in the Confederacy to hold this rank. By the war's end; he was one of the highest-ranking cavalry commanders in the Confederate army.There has been no study of the military career and accomplishments of this important Confederate commander-until now. Using previously unavailable material from the Lee family archives; this new biography presents a balanced appraisal of one of the South's most important commanders.
#3189814 in Books Colonel William Allan 1995-08-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.72 x 6.25l; 2.30 #File Name: 0306806568536 pagesISBN13: 9780306806568Condition: NewNotes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An honest and straightforward account of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign by a former staff officerBy SEHCol William Allan's account of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign is a must read for every serious student of the Sectional War. (This book is a compilation of two books written by Allan: the first regards the operations of Jackson's Valley Campaign; the second is an account of all actions of the A.N.V. in 1862. This review concerns the former.) As the scenes open; Allan was serving on the staff of the Valley District's Quartermaster Department and was part of every movement from November 1861 thru June 1862 (he would later go on to serve as Jackson's chief ordinance officer). Having first driven the federal army out of Northwestern Virginia (present-day West Virginia) Jackson then returned to Winchester where he was thereafter driven up the Valley and placed in a defensive position while he explored his options. After the defeat at Kernstown; and being told there were no reinforcements to be sent to him; Jackson studied out in his mind how to best marshall the resources around him. On a forced march to McDowell to retrieve Gen. Edward Johnson's small; independent command; and summoning General Richard Ewell (then at Culpepper) to the Valley to link their divisions; Jackson hurled his Valley Army upon the unsuspecting Federals. With his numbers now doubled; Jackson subsequently beat four separate armies in detail as he marched down the Valley: Milroy - McDowell: Banks - Front Royal Winchester; Fremont- Cross Keys;and Shields - Port Republic. Each one of these Federal armies contained massive troop strengths that could have annihilated Jackson; especially if they had cooperated with one another. But Jackson's sagacity and celerity; and the fear he inspired by his conclusive movements (and the Federal generals' jealousy of each other) prevented this from happening. After the Battle of Port Republic; Jackson allowed his men a full week to recuperate; rest; and recover; then on June 17th; 1862; Jackson moved his little Army to the support of Lee in the defense of Richmond. Written with the help of Jedediah Hotchkiss (Jackson's topographical engineer) and the memoirs of former staff officers (which were willingly loaned to him upon the conclusion of the war); Allan's account is honest and straightforward; but at times I felt like I was plodding through the text to get to the author's point. Without any prior military background before he enlisted; Allan nevertheless has the ability to describe each battle and each march with remarkable precision but does not drag you down into the laborious minutia of every engagement (in this way; sometimes the accounts are too brief). The only reason I didn't give it all 5 Stars was because I felt it lacking in the personal nuances that help the reader (and avid student of the Civil War) identify more intensely with the principal characters. I would have liked to have seen him interweave more of the staff personalities into the story because their contributions helped mark Jackson's success. This; however; was not the objective of Allan's manuscript. Nevertheless; you do feel the admiration he has for his commander; and the desire through his writing to define for all time the significant historical contribution Jackson's Valley Campaign had in immobilizing tens of thousands of Federal troops; who didn't know whether to rush to McClellan on the Peninsula; or to hold the defensive line against Washington. North or South; one's veneration for this distinguished and brilliant General Stonewall Jackson admits that his life was cut too short.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. ExceptionalBy Hugh BurgessThis is an exceptional piece of work: precise; documented;. fair minded; with the obvious regional bias and hero worship of Jackson and Lee kept in check; and an overlay of admiration for sheer grit; sharp thinking; and gallantry. The awesome business of maneuvering large bodies of men; often exhausted; together with stores and prisoners through difficult terrain and into battle lines is sharply depicted; as is--on the other side of gallantry--the murderous effect of pitched battle. This work was written some twenty-plus years after the Civil War; at a time when Allan could well expect his readers to identify the various leaders whose names specified a military unit. Most readers today however probably do not have that immediate knowledge and may have difficulty knowing whether a given unit--say; Mahone's brigade--is Union or Confederate. Some note taking and some research can clear up up this difficulty..0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy david L. petryvery nice
