General Robert F. Hoke: Lee's Modest Warrior [Hardcover]

Daniel W. Barefoot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1996

Neglected by modern historians, Robert F. Hoke was a towering figure in his time. Mustered into Confederate service as a second lieutenant in April 1861, he was a major within five months, a lieutenant colonel within nine months, a colonel within sixteen months, a brigadier general within two years, and a major general within three years-becoming, at age twenty-six, the youngest Southern officer of that rank in the Civil War.

Of the 125,000 men his state contributed to the Confederate cause, it was Hoke who was called "the North Carolina Lee" and "the most distinguished soldier in North Carolina." In a face-to-face meeting after the war, U. S. Grant admitted that Hoke had administered "the worst drubbing I ever got," at Cold Harbor.

He fought in nearly every significant battle in the Eastern theater-Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill, Second Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Plymouth, Petersburg, Richmond, Cold Harbor, Fort Fisher, Bentonville. He witnessed the first Confederate casualty at Bethel and provided the rear guard as Joseph E. Johnston met Sherman at Bennett Farm to arrange the surrender.

Back home, Hoke hitched his war-horse to a plow and quietly set about rebuilding the South, a cause that later inspired him to leadership positions in industry. A private man, he declined every major honor offered him by North Carolinians, including the governorship. He rarely spoke about the war-especially about his most notorious claim to fame, the still-disputed rumor that he was picked as Lee's successor should anything ever happen to the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia.

The personification of reserve, Hoke was once described thus: "Get you a hero, and I give you General Robert F. Hoke...as an ideal in peace and war."

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A biography that stresses its subject's modesty may be implying that he or she has a good deal to be modest about. Perhaps it was his modesty that made Robert F. Hoke (1837-1912) the last major Confederate general to warrant a full-length biography, but the fact is that Hoke established himself as one of the finest subordinate commanders in the Confederacy's eastern theater. Though not a professional soldier--he'd managed his family's manufacturing businesses before the war--Hoke served admirably with the Army of Northern Virginia as a regimental and brigade commander. Transferred to his home state of North Carolina after Gettysburg, he mounted a series of small but successful operations against Union forces. When he returned to Virginia in 1864 as a division commander, he came into his own, handling his command with skill and success in the siege of Petersburg. In the war's last months, Hoke made a final stand against Sherman's army. Barefoot's (Turning the Backwoods of North Carolina's Lower Coast) account of this latter campaign is among the best from a Confederate perspective. His seemingly almost uncritical admiration for Hoke, however, leads him to exaggerate both the general's importance and his talents. Nevertheless, Barefoot establishes Hoke as a general who improved with increased responsibilities, even in desperate circumstances. This quality, unusual in any war, justifies this near-hagiographic but exhaustively researched and informative study. Illustrations.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Like Hoke, Daniel W. Barefoot's roots are in Lincoln County, North Carolina. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, Barefoot now serves his state's 44th District in the North Carolina House of Representatives. He is the author of four volumes in the Touring the Backroads (tm) series. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 452 pages
• Publisher: John F Blair Pub; First Edition edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895871505
• ISBN-13: 978-0895871503
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,216,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gen Robert F. Hoke: Lee's Modest warrior, January 17, 2000

By 

Darrell Harkey - See all my reviews

This review is from: General Robert F. Hoke: Lee's Modest Warrior (Hardcover)

I have a collection of over 500 books on the Civil War. The best one by far is Gen R.F. Hoke. Daniel Barefoot puts his heart and soul into his work. Daniel has the same qualities as Gen. Hoke and I guess that's why the book is so great. This book takes you through the life of R.F. Hoke from cradle to death. After reading this biography you will understand why Gen. Lee chose Gen. Hoke to assume his command should something terrible befall Lee. A must for every student of the Civil War.

4 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile bio of obscure Civil War general marred by flaws., March 28, 2002

By 

David W. Nicholas (Van Nuys, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: General Robert F. Hoke: Lee's Modest Warrior (Hardcover)

Robert F. Hoke led an interesting life. He was a young man when the Civil War broke out (mid-twenties) and enlisted as a lieutenant in the 1st North Carolina Volunteers, seeing combat at the Battle of Big Bethel in Virginia in 1861. Four years later, a Major General, he was one of the principle players at the Battle of Bentonville, one of the last battles of the Civil War. In between he missed few battles (though Gettysburg was one; he'd been severely wounded), rose quickly through the ranks to prominence, and was roundly and pretty universally praised, at least according to the author. All of these things are summarized relatively competently in 14 of the 17 chapters of this book; the remaining chapters cover his pre- and post-war life, and summarize his achievments. What then is my gripe? Well, I have several.

First, the author is a bit more pro-Confederate than you would expect in this day and age. Granted both author and subject are from the same part of North Carolina, but is that any excuse for the use of the word "Negro?" I haven't seen that in a book published since the '50s, perhaps early '60s. And no, it's not part of a quotation. Captured North Carolina soldiers who enlist in the Union army are traitors, while Union soldiers who wind up in Confederate ranks are "trators" (note the quote, implying the author disagrees with the judgement of treason). It's all a bit much.

Second, the author imparts a great deal of wisdom and skill to Hoke. I have no problem with some of it, but the idea that he was so skilful that General Lee would want himself replaced by Hoke should Lee be incapacitated or killed seems to stretch the bounds of believability a bit too much.

Third, the author is handicapped by the characteristic that he imparts to Hoke in the subtitle; modesty. Hoke never wrote much of anything about his war service, kept no diary during the war, wrote few letters discussing it (at least that have survived), and never gave speeches or anything. He never attended veterans' reunions (very unusual for a Civil War general from either side) saying that the war was over, and it was time to look forward. Consequently, the book is very much Hoke as others saw him, not as he saw things himself. This last point, I will grant you, is not the author's fault, but it does hamper the book somewhat in that the picture of Hoke is almost exclusively external; we have no idea what he's thinking most of the time.

Lastly, there are no maps. In a book of Civil War biography like this where the author is trying to tell you that Hagood's brigade was deployed to the east of the swamp, facing a creek, with Hill's division on his left, you need to be able to look at the map to see which creek or river, etc. No one has the capability to look at all this stuff and visualize where everyone is on the battlefield.