The Class of 1846: From West Point to Appomatox- Stonewall Jackson, George McClellan and Their Brothers [Paperback]

John C. Waugh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

No single group of men at West Point--or possibly any academy--has been so indelibly written into history as the class of 1846. The names are legendary: Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, George B. McClellan, Ambrose Powell Hill, Darius Nash Couch, George Edward Pickett, Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox, and George Stoneman. The class fought in three wars, produced twenty generals, and left the nation a lasting legacy of bravery, brilliance, and bloodshed.

This fascinating, remarkably intimate chronicle traces the lives of these unforgettable men--their training, their personalities, and the events in which they made their names and met their fates. Drawing on letters, diaries, and personal accounts, John C. Waugh has written a collective biography of masterful proportions, as vivid and engrossing as fiction in its re-creation of these brilliant figures and their pivotal roles in American history.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Waugh, a former correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor , brings an original but ultimately unsatisfactory approach to this study of command in the Civil War. The West Point class of 1846 graduated 59 men: 10 of them, including Stonewall Jackson (1824-1863) became confederate generals; 12, including George McClellan (1826-1885), wore stars for the Union. Waugh is at his best describing the routines of West Point and the experiences of the Mexican War (1846-1848) that welded the class into a community. But when he addresses the Civil War, he focuses almost entirely on Jackson and McClellan while their classmates receive cursory and episodic treatment in a text that jumps abruptly from Gettysburg to Appomattox. Confederates like George Pickett, Cadmus Wilcox and A. P. Hill, and Union generals like John Gibbon and Darius Couch ('46ers all), invite comparative analysis in the context of their common professional experience. What Waugh offers instead is operational narrative, well-written but adding nothing to standard images of McClellan's failure and Jackson's genius. Photos not seen by PW .
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this most entertaining and readable book, Waugh offers us a collective biography of a class of West Pointers and their careers from when they entered the academy through the end of the Civil War. The two most prominent members of the class were George McClellan and Thomas Jackson; the better student proved the poorer general. In focusing on their careers , Waugh inevitably gives short shrift to the conflict after classmates George Pickett and John Gibbon confronted each other at Gettysburg. The stories are familiar but retold rather well; much less is made of the common experiences of the group and their impact on their generalship. Buffs and lay readers will nevertheless enjoy this well-written chronicle.
- Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State Univ., Tempe
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; First Ballantine Books Edition/Fourth Printing edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034543403X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345434036
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #338,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Account of Civil War Generals, October 16, 1999

By 

Aussie Reader ""Rick"" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Class of 1846: From West Point to Appomatox- Stonewall Jackson, George McClellan and Their Brothers (Paperback)

I found this book to be a very enjoyable book to read and if helped fill in a few spaces left about the great names of the Civil War before they became Generals. I have always enjoy reading accounts of the war with Mexico and seeing how the future enemies of the American Civil War fought together, saved each others lives on occassions and learnt the common lessons of war. This is a very interesting and well presented account although I found the battle scenes lacking in depth but I would suppose that was not the authors main focus but more on the people involved. I think it may have helped to have added a few maps of the fighting in Mexico and the Valley as if you have no prior knowledge of these areas you really do not appreciate the efforts involved in moving from one point to another. Overall this is a decent book and most people should enjoy immersing themselves in this bit of history.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible book, with minor flaws, October 4, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Class of 1846: From West Point to Appomattox : Stonewall Jackson, George McClellan and Their Brothers (Hardcover)

Although most of the information in this book is not new, it is presented with such flair that it is hard to put down. From time to time, I was offput by Waugh's determination to go into excruciating detail on some battles. For example, did the anger of the Union cook in Charleston harbor do anything for the Ft. Sumter issue? (If I were to indicate that perhaps it was nonetheless humorous in those dark and sad times, I would feel insensitive.) Using so much print here and throughout, he omitted other battles that could have added to his writing laurels. Nonetheless, I felt the anguish of our country's patriots, on both sides of the rifles. Having myself completed a military career, I tried to put myself in their shoes of yesteryear. How I would have cried having to fire upon those with whom I bonded in aviation cadets. And with whom I still stay in touch, these 45 years later. Or if some of my family, i.e., parents, sister, or children, had chosen to fly a different flag than mine. On the other hand, I relished Waugh's description of General Tom Jackson revving back and forth in Virginia time and time again. We've lived in the metropolitan area of Washington, DC for many years, and traveled the length of Virginia several times. How exciting to read about the names of so many places that we have driven past at least a dozen times enroute to our family home in Mississippi, yet another Confederate stronghold. Having visited Gettysburg's battlefield provided us with another sense of our nation's anguish. This book provides so many moments of recall, that I could continue on, but I would never be able to capture the spirit of that era that Waugh has so generously shared with us. Clearly, this book will rank alongside the top notch Catton works of the Civil War.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How classmates came to fight each other, January 18, 2011

By 

Walter Foulke "The Philadelphia Reviewer" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Class of 1846: From West Point to Appomattox : Stonewall Jackson, George McClellan and Their Brothers (Hardcover)

This is a fascinating perspective on the Civil War from the perspective of one class at West Point that ultimtely provided many officers who ended up serving together in the Mexican war and the Indian wars but eventually served on different sides in the Civil War, usually depending on where they originally came from. This is one of the most interesting historical books ever published about the Civil War that is avidly read by both Southerners and Northerners.