Generals in Bronze: Interviewing the Commanders of the Civil War [Hardcover]

William B. Styple (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005

Generals in Bronze: Revealing interviews with the commanders of the Civil War. In the decades that followed the American Civil War, Artist James E. Kelly (1855-1933) conducted in-depth interviews with over forty Union Generals in an effort to accurately portray them in their greatest moment of glory. Kelly explained: "I had always felt a great lact of certain personal details. I made up my mind to ask from living officers every question I would have asked Washington or his generals had they posed for me, such as: What they considered the principal incidents in their career and particulars about costumes and surroundings." During one interview session with Gen. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Kelly asked about the charge at Fort Damnation. Gen. Chamberlain acquiesced, but then added, "I don't see how you can show this in a picture." "Just tell me the facts," Kelly responded, "and I'll attend to the picture." And by recording those stirring facts, Kelly left us not only his wonderful art, but a truly unique picture of the lives of the great figures of the American Civil War.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William B. Styple has edited, co-authored, and authored several works on the Civil War. His book: "The Little Bugler" won the Young Readers' Award from the Civil War Round Table of New York. He is currently writing the biography of Gen. Phil Kearny.

From AudioFile

Civil War artist James Kelly sketched and interviewed 40 Union Army generals in the years following the war. While making his drawings, Kelly probed the soldiers with intimate questions about their military dress, the high points of their lives, and the minute details of their notable battles. Narrator Patrick Cullen uses the generals' conversations with the artist to sculpt personalities for each, making the famous men lifelike, distinctive, and memorable. His General Sherman is a cranky, abrupt, and rude character while a few words from General Lee at the signing of the surrender at Appomattox reveal a tired-sounding officer with a soft Southern drawl. While some narrators might overdo such a performance, Cullen summons prudent restraint to avoid comedy in his pursuit of realism. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 314 pages
• Publisher: Belle Grove Publishing Co. (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883926181
• ISBN-13: 978-1883926182
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #907,109 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Civil War in Retrospect: Interviews with the Generals by an Artist, October 23, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Generals in Bronze: Interviewing the Commanders of the Civil War (Hardcover)

GENERALS IN BRONZE is one of those books that contains so much intimate information about figures known to the public as heroes of the past that it borders on delicious gossip. But the structure of this fine book has a history of its own and that puts the contents edited by William B. Styple into a more meaningful and lasting context.

James Edward Kelly was an artist of bas-reliefs and sculptures during the Civil War, sketching battles in the days before cameras and videotapeing were omnipresent. He also sketched famous people and interviewed them during the sketching, and this book is a series of memoirs or diary of an artist's recording of not only the images of the great names of the Civil War, but also the conversations he had with his sitters. Famous names abound in this informative and well-constructed book. We learn about General Custer's constant companion - a canteen of iced tea - and that he possessed a 'boyish chuckle' that is not at all the image of the historical Custer. Ulysses Grant discusses his drinking problem, Mary Todd Lincoln was seen pulling her hair out by the handfuls upon Lincoln's assassination, other generals talk about the complete inadequacy of Gettysburg as a battleground, and so on.

One of the pleasures of this book is that all of the interviews noted by Kelly were after the war: this is a series of retrospective commentary and as such is a sharp lesson in how we have thought about all our previous wars under the tutelage of the artists' eyes and ears and words. A fascinating and humbling document. Grady Harp, October 05

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Generals In Bronze, August 24, 2005

By 

cwbookworm (Gettysburg, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Generals in Bronze: Interviewing the Commanders of the Civil War (Hardcover)

William Styple has made an incredible find. "Generals In Bronze" has over 40 interviews with famous Civil War Generals including Grant, Hancock, Chamberlain, Sherman & Howard. Artist James Kelly captures the words of the real Generals and shows their human side. The interviews are eye-opening and refreshing. Many of these recollections were not printed in their personal memoirs. I highly recommend this book to everyone from Civil War beginners to scholars. A great read with interesting perspectives.
cwbookworm
Gettysburg, PA

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History Uncovered!, October 9, 2005

By 

Shaun C. Grenan (Gettysburg, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Generals in Bronze: Interviewing the Commanders of the Civil War (Hardcover)

With Generals In Bronze, Mr. Styple has produced a GOLDMINE to the history and Civil War community. The interviews with Generals (and other historical figures, ie Teddy Roosevelt on the Span Am War) are amazing for the information they contain. For over 140 years, no one knew exactly what General Hancock wore at Gettysburg, what was said the night of July 2nd in Meade's Headquarters, Grant's drinking, who was asked to command the Army of the Potomac BEFORE Reynolds and Meade, etc. There are many candid stories from these Great men of history that fill in all the gaps left by other, more formulaic books, such as Gettysburg by Sears.

Generals in Bronze is yet another fine book of the kind Mr. Styple is known for. Anyone who is interested in knowing more about these Generals, great battles of the Civil War, the Lincoln assassination, or what these great men did NOT put in their "official" memoirs should read this book!