A METEOR SHINING BRIGHTLY [Hardcover]

Mauriel Phillips Joslyn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

In this collection of well-written and lucid essays, the life, career, and impact of Irish Major General Patrick R. Cleburne is definitively reassessed. A Meteor Shining Brightly corrects inaccuracies in published accounts of Cleburne’s life, and explores aspects of Cleburne’s life that made him unique among Civil War generals.

This collection of essays by various historians covers Cleburne’s life from his immigration as a young man to the United States, his experiences becoming a self-made man in Arkansas, and how he joined the Confederate Army to defend the state in which he and his family had been given a fresh start. His rise through the ranks was limited because he had advocated arming slaves to support the Confederate cause. He died during an impossible charge on Franklin, Tennessee and Jefferson Davis honored him with the nickname, "Stonewall of the West."

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

"These essays provide readers with exciting new information about and interpretations of one of the Confederacy's most able and controversial generals. Who was Pat Cleburne? How good a commander was he? Why didn't he rise higher in the army? These and other questions are answered in well-written and meticulously researched chapters. This book belongs on the shelves of everyone interested in the Western Theater and Civil War leadership." (Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. Pamplin Park Civil War Site) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Mauriel Phillips Joslyn was honored as Georgia Writer of the Year for this book. Her previous books include Immortal Captives: The Story of 600 Confederate Officers and the US Prisoner of War Policy, Charlotte’s Boys: The Civil War Letters of the Branch Family of Savannah, 1861-1865, and Valor and Lace: Roles of Confederate Women, 1861-1865.

Contributors: Frederick H. Bohmfalk, William Pettus Buck, Thomas Y. Cartwright, Mark M. Hull, Carl H. Moneyhon, Anne Ruisi, Alethea D. Sayers, William Lee White, and Mauriel Phillips Joslyn.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 284 pages
• Publisher: Mercer University Press (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865546932
• ISBN-13: 978-0865546936
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,528,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mauriel Phillips Joslyn was born in Manchester, Georgia. She received her B.A in History from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Va. and M.A from Georgia College and State University, and is an adjunct professor at Georgia Military College. Mauriel has been a history buff all her life, and combined that passion with writing and reenacting the periods of American Civil War, World War I and World War II. Author of several non-fiction books on Confederate history, she has lately turned her attention to films (My Christmas Soldier) and novels set in the period of World War II. She has contributed to encyclopedias, and noted magazines such as America's Civil War, North and South Magazine, Cross and Cockade International Journal and Military Heritage. She received Author of the Year in 1998 for A Meteor Shining Brightly. "Check out my Facebook page for more about my interests and being my friend."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book about one of the best Confederate Generals!, October 21, 1999

By 

Cullen W. Monk "CM" (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Meteor Shining Brightly: Essays on Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne (Hardcover)

This book does an excellent job telling about Patrick Cleburne. It is not a day by day biography of Cleburne, instead, it tells the stories that help us understand Cleburne better, from a drowning incident in the Mississippi to Chattanooga where Cleburne was the only one to hold his ground. This book is a must for all history lovers.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Explores the brilliance of Patrick R. Cleburne, April 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Meteor Shining Brightly: Essays on Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne (Hardcover)

Natural intellect, compelling logic and great moral courage led Confederate Major General Patrick Cleburne to suggest that independence for the South might best be won through independence for the Slave. His controversial emancipation position would make him a liability to the Richmond government and until now, to many Southern writers. Now the fascinating life of Patrick Cleburne is revealed through this scholarly collection of essays. A Meteor Shining Brightly explores the brilliance of the general some have claimed as the most capable, and most controversial, Confederate commander. Keith Gibson, Director VMI Museum programs.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read, March 20, 2002

By 

W. Surrey "average joe" (LA, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Meteor Shining Brightly: Essays on Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne (Hardcover)

Being a non-historian (this is the only history book I've read cover to cover in 7 years), I was initially dreading reading this book. However, its well-organized format, its to-the-point style (to which almost all of the authors ascribed), and its information were incredible. This is an enjoyable read. FYI, I also sent an e-mail to the author of the book as I was tracking down Cleburne's original work, and she very graciously replied within a day, informing me that his work was at the University of Arkansas. READ THIS BOOK!!!