Customer Reviews

Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you have even an ancillary interest in the American Civil War, this is essential to read and to own. I consult my copy on a weekly basis and I've owned it for twenty years. Warner writes well and succinctly about all of the Confederate Generals. Each biography is accompanied by a single photograph of the subject. The book is like a large biographical dictionary, easy to navigate and peruse at your leisure. If you are interested in in-depth material on any of these Generals, it's best to consult an individual biography of your chosen favorite. But if you have a casual interest or merely want an essential reference tool, this is a "must have."

Many historians have compiled lists of the most influential and indispensable civil war books of the 20th century. Invariably, Warner's book is included, along with the companion volume on Union Generals. It's not fancy, but it remains one of the preeminent biographical tools for any civil war historian.

Generals in Gray -- Lives of Confederate Commaders. Published by Louisiana State University(1959) Ezra J. Warner gives biographical information on all 425 Confederate Generals.He gives facts about service in the -- Old Army-- and reasons why men followed the Lost Cause. This book along with Generals in Blue -- Lives of Union Commanders has excellent scholarship.Generals in Gray is a library must for buffs of the War Between the States.Mr. Warner died in 1974

I remember first reading Generals in Gray as a teenager and have often referred back to the book over the years.

Warner gives a synopsis of each general , usually containing the following information:

1. Birthplace and birthdate.
2. Pre-Civil War life.
3. Battles served in, promotions, woundings, death (if applicable).
4. Postwar career (if he survived the war).
5. Death and place burial.
6. Brief mention of the general's competency (or lack thereof).
7. Relationships with other generals (superior, subordinate).

I have often found the book to be extremely helpful when reading a book on a particular Civil War battle. Doing so helps me to better understand the general when studying a particular battle.

Whether you have a serious interest in the Civil War or a novice, I highly recommend the book as an excellent reference!

This is a must have book that outlines each Confederate General who fought in the Civil War. From their beginning to the end of their life, each General of the Confederacy is listed, as well as their picture. From the great and popular Generals such as Robert E. Lee, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson to more obscure generals such as Francis Nicholls and Paul Octave Hebert, each of these are analyzed and given honest treatment to their conduct and bravery during the Civil War. This is a defifite MUST have to any Civil War Historian, Librarian or enthusiast. Highly Recommended!

Warner does an excellent job in giving short biographies on all 425 Confederate generals, including a picture of each general. An excellent reference guide and a must have for your Civil War library.

If you are a civil war buff(modest expert)?,and don't have this book what are you waiting for?For one thing the location of the gravesites in this book is accurate.Over the years I have been able to locate alot of these gravesites using this book,and with some directions from local natives,(some unfriendly so beware!)have been able to easily locate the sites.
The brief histories are accurrate and although major biographical works are available on the Confederate States Generals,the thumbnail accounts in this book are very good.It makes you think. Almost all of these generals are not some rabid,slavemongering,Yankee hating,scoundrels,just men who think the United States is just too big to be governed by New England,"those peoples",(to quote Mr. Lee.)An overwhelming majority of the Confederate Generals are West Pointers or VMI'ers.
If you study European history where slavery was outlawed in the early 1800's or before,you will see that Europeans would go to war to settle border disputes over a few acres of territory.In the US of the 1860's,there was a heck of alot more territory at stake than 5 European countries combined.Who would control the resources and government.As the Confederacy perceived it at the time,definitely not New England or Washington.The mistake the Confederacy made was not seeing how actually powerful the Northern States were with long reaching tenacles and aplace in alot of peoples hearts and interests.Slavery-a side issue(although not if you were a slave)doomed even within the Confederate States themselves.
A great moment in my travels,finding Patrick Cleburne's grave in Helena,Arkansas worth more than all of those riverboat gambling boats right near it,but they would go well together cause Cleburne liked to gamble.(At least one geezer has told the story of Cleburne's ghost playing Keno on the boat cursing John Bell Hood everytime he loses which is always.).Then the mossy,spooky overhanging vegetation of Earl van Dorn's grave right next to the Miss.River.According to the book Earl was caught with his drawers down in bed with another man's wife.Was her name Dixie and did he "die in Dixie"?For Yankees there is the Union Generals book also great.

This book is a must for any Civil War buff. Learn the good, bad and the ugly about all general officers of the army of the CSA. I keep this book, and its companion, Generals in Blue, handy when I am reading historical accounts of battles of the Civil War. How often, while you are reading, have you yearned to get additional information on a particular general? These books are perfect to provide more information, when you want it.

Originally published in 1959 by Ezra J. Warner and in print ever since, "Generals in Gray" is 420 pages long and in this case a 2006 reprint by the Louisiana State University Press. It contains sum-up biographies on a staggering 425 men, all of whom earned at least one star in the service of the Army of the Confederate States of America. There are no CSMC generals to list, since the ranking Marine officer was a colonel, and the handful of Confederate admirals could hardly be included in a book called "Generals in Gray". Each biography varies in length depending on the amount of details available. Unsurprisingly, Robert E. Lee has one of the longest entries in the book. Literally thousands of books on the Civil War, fiction and nonfiction, have been written and published. Ezra J. Warner's "Generals in Gray" is one of the few that is truly indispensable. To anyone interested in researching the top-ranking commanders of the Confederate States Army, I recommend this book highly. No library, public or private, could ever claim to have a complete collection of Civil War volumes if this fine book was not included.

Essential companion for studying the Civil War.
An absolutely indispensible book for all Civil War buffs. Ezra Warner's Generals in Gray is required for any Civil War library to be complete. It is the definitive Who, What, Where, When, and How of the Confederate General Officer Corps. Mr. Warner provides concise thumbnail sketches of each General and best of all he also includes a photo or drawing of the General. A perfect companion when studying the various Confederate Armies, Battles and Battlefield tactics of the Civil War. It is really nice to have a book like this at your finger tips when you read about or study a battle or other CW history involving senior army commanders. Some of the Generals in Mr. Warner book are of minor importance but fortunately they are included and that is the importance of this masterpiece.
Highly recommended for anyone claiming to be a serious CW buff.

Many died in battle, some early like Bernard Bee and some late like A.P. Hill. Others infamously, like Earl Van Dorn at the hands of a jealous husband.

Almost all were from the South but some, like John Pemberton, Josiah Gorgas and Samuel Cooper cast their lot with the CSA because they had southern wives.

Some had memorable names like States Rights Gist and Bushrod Johnson.

They came from all walks of life and many were trained and educated professional West Point graduates and others were talented amateurs like Wade Hampton and most notably Nathan Bedford Forrest. Perhaps the most able field commander in the west, Patrick Cleburne, was Irish born and had served in the British army.

Two personal favorites of mine are Richard Taylor and Alfred Mouton, a pair who did so much in defense of my home state of Louisiana. Taylor was son of President Zachary Taylor and Mouton, who was killed at Mansfield, was son of Louisiana governor Alexander Mouton. Mouton was born in Opelousas and did not speak English until he was a young man.

All these and many more are here in Warner's Generals in Gray. Almost fifty years after its first publication it is still the essential reference on the commanders of the CSA.