Pickett Leader of the Charge: A Biography of General George E. Pickett, C.S.A [Paperback]

Edward G. Longacre (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This first modern biography of the man who led the final Confederate attack at Gettysburg depicts neither an archetypical cavalier nor a shallow incompetent. Though Pickett's promotion owed something to the patronage of his superior Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, he had an excellent record of brigade command and did as well on July 3, 1863, as anyone was likely to have done in the circumstances. Nevertheless, Pickett lost the confidence of Robert E. Lee and spent most of the rest of the war on peripheral assignments in North Carolina and southern Virginia. Performing adequately under direct supervision, Pickett showed no aptitude for independent command despite some successes, notably in organizing the defenses of Petersburg in 1864. Longacre's sympathy for his subject leads him both to overestimate Pickett's military capacities and to understate Gettysburg's impact on a man who in its aftermath arguably suffered from what is now called post-traumatic stress disorder. This work is still a useful addition to the literature on Confederate command in the Civil War. Illustrations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The name of General George Pickett is readily recognizable owing to his role in the Battle of Gettysburg, yet this is the first biography of him since 1899. Longacre (Mounted Raids of the Civil War, Univ. of Nebraska., 1994) has written an excellent account of a gallant leader who risked his life in earlier battles but did not accompany his troops into the battle that still bears his name. Longacre depicts in a well-rounded manner Pickett's life and actions, from his days at West Point through the Mexican War, and details his leadership in the Civil War. The author also draws on Pickett's personal life to show how it affected his military life. Overall, Longacre's well-written study refutes most of the earlier accounts written about Pickett, yet gives a clear picture of his life and military exploits. Recommended for all libraries.
W. Walter Wicker, Louisiana Technical Univ., Ruston
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: White Mane Pub (July 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572491264
• ISBN-13: 978-1572491267
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #841,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Done, June 7, 2002

By 

Michael E. Fitzgerald (Kingwood, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pickett Leader of the Charge: A Biography of General George E. Pickett, C.S.A (Paperback)

This is a good work. Other than the Gettysburg charge, before reading this book I did not know George Picket very well. I only got glimpses of him from various readings: Chapultepec, the Penninsula Campaign, Bermuda Hundred, Five Forks, etc. And in those various readings never once did anyone take him to task, making him account for himself like Longacre does.

What we have here is a complex aristocrat, a fighter, whose personal attributes estranged the majority of his superiors (Lee and Jefferson Davis to name a few) but one whose loyalty and devotion to Confederate Independence made him indispensable to their efforts .

He is difficult to like. He deserts a son, is a heavy drinker, is a panderer and is a political maneuverer in the worst sense of the concept. But we also have a person who personifies loyalty, who serves to the very end, under privation, while absorbing every imaginable insult from his superiors along the way. He may have made some serious errors but he always obeyed orders, remained steadfast, even when he must have known he had been identified as expendable. Above all else he served, served, served.

Longacre does a remarkably good job of brining Picket to life. Even more important than Picket is the wonderful glimpse we get into the workings of the Confederate High Command. A very valuable additional plus is the myriad of interesting historical antidotes that will make the most serious student of the Civil War stop and say, "I didn't know that."

No Lost Cause apologia, here you get all the warts. This one is definitely worth the time.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book For Anyone Wanting to Know More About Pickett, August 5, 2003

By 

Gary Blackmon (Port St. Lucie, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pickett Leader of the Charge: A Biography of General George E. Pickett, C.S.A (Paperback)

I enjoyed Longacre's book on George Pickett. I often read "on the go" and liked the way he broke down each chapter in brief segments which I could read and stop conveniently. The author does a good job of portraying Pickett evenly and sifting thru the legends and myths. I appreciated Longacre's discussion on Gettysberg as that is one thing I have always wondered about. Was it wrong for Pickett not to accompany his men on this heroic and futile assault ? Pickett himself proved to be a complex man and all too human. After reading this book I felt that Pickett's military career was a quest for respect and secondly for glory and not the other way around.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book., January 23, 2002

By 

Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leader of the Charge: A Biography of General George E. Pickett, C.S.A (Hardcover)

Growing up in the south I always held the same general opinion of Pickett that most southerners and indeed most Americans hold. The playboy image seen in the movie "Gettysburg" has always been what came to mind at the mention of General Pickett. Thanks to this book I see that the well known image is false.

Pickett does indeed seem to have been a glory hound and playboy but he was also a brave soilder who exposed himself to deadly fire in the Mexican War and was wounded early in the Civil War. Longacre handles the fact that Pickett didn't actually lead his men to the angle at Gettysburg in just the way he should have handled it.

I found most interesting Pickett's work at Petersburg to hold that city until Beauregard and then Lee could arrive on the scene. Pickett is not in general given his due for Petersburg probably because after the war the "cult of the lost cause" was so protective of General Lee that they kept to a minimum Pickett's role. In fact, Lee made a mistake and Pickett and then Beauregard saved the day. Without Pickett's contribution at Petersburg the war might have ended several months sooner. Richmond simply could not have been held without Petersburg.

A great book that puts a new and interesting face on George Pickett. It belongs in any Civil War library.