Shanks: The Life and Wars of General Nathan G. Evans, CSA [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Jason H. Silverman (Author), Samuel N. Thomas (Author), Beverly D. Evans (Author), Jason H. Silverman (Author), Jr Samuel N. Thomas (Author), Beverly Evans IV (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2002

Until now, little has been known about Nathan "Shanks" Evans, a prominent and highly controversial Confederate general who served throughout the Civil War in several theaters of operations. Thankfully, because of a recently discovered cache of his personal papers—long rumored to exist but never before seen—it is now possible to present his fascinating Civil War odyssey largely in his own words. Shanks covers Evans's entire amazing career, from his brave stand with a brigade at the famous stone bridge at First Manassas to his controversial months in North and South Carolina, where his erratic and harsh behavior earned the ire of much of his subordinate officer corps. Fighting in nearly every important campaign of the war, the famous brigade under his command was so well traveled it was known throughout the army as "The Tramp Brigade." Viewing the Civil War and the actions of his men through Evans's eyes is an engrossing new perspective and adds substantially to the literature of the Civil War.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jason H. Silverman is a professor of history at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and the author of many articles and books. Samuel N. Thomas, Jr. is the curator of the Cultural and Heritage Commission of York County, South Carolina. The late Beverly Evans IV was the great-grandnephew of General Evans. Samuel N. Thomas, Jr. is the curator of the Cultural and Heritage Commission of York County, South Carolina. The late Beverly Evans IV was the great-grandnephew of General Evans.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo; 1st ed edition (June 30, 2002)
• ISBN-10: 0306811472
• ASIN: B000IOEXF6
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,926,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disapointed!, February 9, 2010

By 

R. Scott Pearson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shanks: The Life and Wars of General Nathan George Evans, C.S.A. (Hardcover)

I had read many short exploits on "Shanks" and was really excited to read a full book on his exploits. This book however proved disapointing. I never got the feel for his true personality. The author states that he was "honored" with a position in the Dragoons after West Point. The dragoons were where bottom of the barrel for West Point grads. Later on he's a Major on one page then a Colonel on the next page. It's not until 4-5 pages later are we informed that he was promoted. Many times during a battle the reader is left scratching his head asking what happened. The detail of a movement is described and the next thing you know the battle was over. What happened?
I've read over 63 Civil War biographies and was disapointed in this one.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Biography of Shanks Evans Is a Solid Success, July 23, 2002

By 

Jody Harrington "Quotidian Grace" (Sugar Land, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Shanks: The Life and Wars of General Nathan George Evans, C.S.A. (Hardcover)

Winthrop University historians Jason Silverman and Samuel Thomas have teamed up with the late Beverly Evans to produce a thoroughly enjoyable biography of Confederate Brigadier General Nathan "Shanks" Evans of Marion, South Carolina.

The strength of the book lies in the authors' skillful use of the private papers of General Evans that his descendent, Beverly Evans, had carefully conserved and made available to his two co-authors. Rather than foisting their own interpretations of Evans on the reader, the authors allow the general to speak for himself, mostly through his previously unpublished family letters as well as his military correspondence. The picture of Evans that emerges from the book is at odds with the common perception of him as an impetuous, brawling brigadier with a fondness for alcohol.

A West Point graduate and an accomplished Indian fighter before the war, Evans' resigned his commission in the U.S. Army shortly after his native state seceded from the Union. Despite his spectacular early successes at First Manassas, Ball's Bluff and Secessionville, and solid performances at Second Manassas and Antietam, Evans' promotions stalled out at the rank of brigadier general. His failure to obtain the coveted rank of major general traced to a series of running disputes with both his subordinate and his superior officers that resulted in two courts martial of Evans during 1863. Though acquitted in both proceedings, Evans' public reputation never recovered, and he spent the balance of the war in obscurity. He died in 1868, aged only 44, still struggling to rebuild his life from the war.

Superbly written and grounded in sound research, SHANKS contains some previously unpublished photographs of Evans and his family. Maps would have augmented the battle descriptions. But despite their absence SHANKS is a fine book that sheds positive, new light on an obscure but important military figure. Readers with an interest in South Carolina, or in the early Civil War in the East, will especially enjoy the book.

Review by C. Michael Harrington

Mr. Harrington is a member of the Houston Civil War Roundtable and Civil War Aficionados. He has written articles on two officers in Evans' Brigade. A practicing lawyer, he has degrees in economics from Yale and Cambridge and a law degree from Harvard.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging read and scholarly sound, August 7, 2002

By 

Jason A. Greer (the Carolinas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shanks: The Life and Wars of General Nathan George Evans, C.S.A. (Hardcover)

I purchased this book a few weeks back because it was written by one of my favorite college professors and advisor, Dr. Silverman at Winthrop, hoping the book would be as good as his lectures. I was not disapointed.

For someone unitiated to the life of General Evans, like myself, the narrative portions of the book gave a real feel for his times and motivations. The battle descriptions are certainly more than who moved his forces where and such. A real sense of the character of Gen. Evans and how his leadership style meshed with the flow of the Confederate Army opened up to me the depth of the military action and struggle of battles, like Manassess, that I am already familiar with.

Letting the participants speak for themselves through their own personal letters is well done, especially since the narrative flows well with the letters.

Again, the only complaint would be the lack of maps, other than that this is a fine read for the general reader and for those concerned with the details of the Civil War and Confederate leadership.