In the first major biography of the Civil War general in more than 30 years, Farwell reveals a quirky, obsessive, dark personality radically different from the storybook version. The author's lively narrative is balanced by meticulous research on every battle and facet of Jackson's life, resulting in an honest, often unflattering yet sympathetic portrait. Photographs and maps.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Farwell, a leading popular military historian ( Mr. Kipling's Army ), argues that his subject's reputation has been so highly polished by admirers that both the man and the soldier are obscured. Here he depicts a Stonewall Jackson (1812-1863) as a complex person who could be petty as well as pious, vindictive as well as heroic. The core of the work, however, is a series of battle narratives that establish Jackson as a hard-driving offensive fighter who took risks and made them pay off. Farwell's insistence that Jackson was consistently lucky understates the effects of Stonewall's ability to force his enemies to make mistakes. He is more convincing in arguing that Jackson's difficulty in cooperating with colleagues and subordinates meant that corps command marked his effective limit. The author's concluding implication--that Jackson's death at Chancellorsville might not have been an overwhelming disaster for the Confederacy--is certain to attract attention. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
reinterprets the South's most legendary soldier in this respectful but thoroughly debunking biography of "Stonewall" Jackson. Best known for his writings on Britain's colonial wars ( The Great War in Africa , LJ 12/86; Mr. Kipling's Army: All the Queen's Men , Norton, 1987), Farwell brings a fresh perspective to Civil War scholarship. In his efforts to establish the facts of Jackson's life and career, he concludes that most of the Jackson legends, including his fabled eccentricities, lack factual basis and contribute nothing to an appreciation of Jackson's merit and success as a military leader. At the same time, he notes that luck as much as skill made Jackson a legend. Suitable for all public and academic libraries but of real value for those with contrasting Jackson biographies.
- Lawrence E. Ellis, Broward Community Coll. Lib., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Lawrence E. Ellis, Broward Community Coll. Lib., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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