Customer Reviews

A. P. Hill: Lee's Forgotten General

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

 

 

Robertson's work is a readable,even-handed treatment of this Confederate general who is overshadowed by his fellow Virginians, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. I give Robertson high marks for not trying to inflate Hill's abilities while at the same time giving Hill deserved credit for his hard-nosed leadership of the Light Division. After Stonewall Jackson is felled at Chancellorsville, Lee promoted hill to Corps commander. What Henderson shows is that Hill possesed the verve and warfighting skills to be an outstanding division commander, but he did not possess the strategic vision required of a corps commander. While Hill and Lee had deep respect for one another, Hill clashed with both Longstreet and Jackson. Jackson arrested Hill for not following his orders during the Second Manassas Campaign. The sting of that arrest was an insult that would never heal.Robertson probes these clashes objectively and honestly. I reached the conclusion that the imperious Jackson and the proud Hill would never have gotten along in any age, in any setting. It certainly was not a case of right and wrong. Roberston explains that Hill's poor health is the likely result of a case of gonorrhea which he contracted during his West Point years. Roberston provides interesting details of the competition between George McClellan and Hill for the hand of Ellen Marcy. The picture that emerges of "Little Hill" is a courageous,noble warrior who was magnanimous to friend and foe alike. Hill does not rank as one of the top generals to come out of the Civil War, but he is clearly in the same class as Forrest or Hancock as a tenacious fighter.Hill's death only days before Appamatox has become a metaphor for the southern cause.Finally, one cannot avoid the poignance that the name of Hill was on the dying lips of both Jackson and Lee. A powerful testament indeed to a spirited fighter.

This is a solid biography of General A.P. Hill. The prose flows well and is easily followed. Descriptions of terrain, deployments, and the action of battle are clear and concise. The author makes vivid use of source material to delve into the motives of the figures involved, most notably in recounting the conflict between Hill and Jackson, and to show what Hill's contemporaries had to say about his military abilities as well as his strengths and weaknesses as a human being.
However, the author does presume that the reader has considerable knowledge of the was as a whole. He does not spend much time explaining the significance of many of the battles, places, and people he references, instead focusing more directly on General Hill's involvement. This is not a problem, but the more casual reader might be well served to have some quick reference material on hand to help them get the most out of this excellent biography.

Ambrose Powell Hill (A. P. for short) was one of the finest division commanders in the Army of Northern Virginia. His rise to corps command may illustrate the "Peter Principle," in which people rise to positions for which they are incompetent.

This book looks at his early life, including the triangular relationship among George McClellan, Hill, and Ellen (Nelly) Marcy. McClellan won Nelly's hand. Later, some Union troops wondered of Hill would have been less aggressive had he won Nelly's affections!

The story in this book begins with his youth and his early career in the army. When war broke out, he joined the Confederate army. The author, William Hassler, describes Hill's leadership qualities thus (Page 3): "A natural leader, Hill possessed that 'commanding resolution' which 'inspired by his voice, his example, and his personal appearance.'"

He showed a great ability with division sized command, leading what became known as "The Light Division," an oversized command that fought hard under him. His prickly nature came out with two corps commanders--James Longstreet and Stonewall Jackson. Both feuded with him. In fact, he was removed from Longstreet's command to Jackson's to get around the disagreement with Longstreet--only to see a second feud brew with Jackson!

His high water marks came at Second Manassas and Antietam ("and then Hill came up"). At the latter, his last minute arrival at the battlefield saved the day for Lee's forces. After Jackson's death at Chancellorsville, Lee reorganized the army and gave Hill command of a corps. His dicey health and perhaps his skill level were not up to the challenge., He performed poorly at Gettysburg and blundered badly at Bristoe Station. At the North Anna, he had another bad day. On the other hand, at Reams' Station, outside Petersburg, he thoroughly whipped Winfield Scott Hancock's by now degraded Second Corps.

This is a fine biography of Hill's life. I would have desired a bit more detail on the battles and some maps would have been be appreciated. Nonetheless, this is a good work.

Hassler's book is an interesting read of one the Civil War's overlooked generals.

Hassler covers many areas of Hill's life, including: Hill's early years, West Point education, and contribution in several Civil War battles (specifically: Williamsburg, Seven Days' Campaign, Cedar Mountain, 2nd Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, and Petersburg).

Particularly interesting were the descriptions of his tense relationships with superior officers (Jackson and Longstreet), his strong relationships with Lee and subordinate officers, and how he was well-loved by his soldiers.

While the book flowed well and the battle descriptions interesting, I would have liked to have seen more well-drawn maps so I could better understand troop movements. The lack of such maps is the only reason I give the book 4 stars.

Despite this, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to know more about one of the Confederacy's overlooked generals. I also highly recommend James Robertson's new and more detailed book on A.P. Hill (I would rate his book better).

William Hassler's book "A. P. Hill: Lee's Forgotten General" was first published in 1957 (reprinted 1962) and although it may suffer in comparison with more recent biographies on Hill it is still a worthwhile book to read. In 240 odd pages we follow Ambrose Powell Hill from birth in 1825 till his death towards the end of the Civil War in 1865.

This is not an in-depth biography but does cover the life and aspects of the man in question and his role in the Civil War. The battles he fought in are not covered in great detail but enough to understand the man and his inter-action with fellow Confederate commanders. Overall this is an easy to read and enjoyable book and I found the story compelling and told with an unbiased approach. My one complaint would be that the maps supplied were not enough and not in great detail.

To finish I would like to quote from the front piece of the book:

"Distinguished in every engagement, his death in front of Petersburg, April 2, 1865, was a serious loss to the army. Upon him as perhaps none of his other young officers, except Stuart, General Lee implicitly relied, and to him the memory of the great commander seemed to revert on his deathbed, for among his last words were: `Tell A. P. Hill he must come up'. " - Douglas Southall Freeman:

This is a solid biography of General A.P. Hill. The prose flows well and is easily followed. Descriptions of terrain, deployments, and the action of battle are clear and concise. The author makes vivid use of source material to delve into the motives of the figures involved, most notably in recounting the conflict between Hill and Jackson, and to show what Hill's contemporaries had to say about his military abilities as well as his strengths and weaknesses as a human being.
However, the author does presume that the reader has considerable knowledge of the was as a whole. He does not spend much time explaining the significance of many of the battles, places, and people he references, instead focusing more directly on General Hill's involvement. This is not a problem, but the more casual reader might be well served to have some quick reference material on hand to help them get the most out of this excellent biography.