The Military Memoirs of a Confederate Line Officer

The Military Memoirs of a Confederate Line Officer PDF Author: William R. Cobb
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781611215144
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
John C. Reed fought through the war in General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia as an officer in the 8th Georgia Infantry. A graduate of Princeton University and a classically educated aristocrat, he wrote home often and kept careful contemporaneous notes of his experiences in camp and on the battlefield. In 1888, Reed used these documents to produce a detailed memoir of his wartime experiences, but it was never published and because of an archival filing error after his death, was effectively lost for a century. The Military Memoirs of a Confederate Line Officer: Captain John C. Reed's Civil War from Manassas to Appomattox, edited by William R. Cobb, is published here in full for the first time. Reed was the son of a famous minister, educator, planter, and slave owner, and the understudy of Georgia's preeminent pre-war lawyer. When his state left the Union, the 25-year-old joined a local volunteer unit as a 2nd lieutenant. The outfit mustered into Confederate service as Company I (The Stephens Light Guards) of the 8th Georgia Volunteer Infantry, rode the rails north to Virginia, and fought the entire war from First Manassas through Appomattox. As a line officer, Reed had a front row seat to the fighting. He was wounded at least twice (at Second Manassas and again at Gettysburg), promoted to captain during the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864, and led his company through the balance of the Overland Campaign and through the horrific siege of Petersburg all the way to the surrender on April 9, 1865. The Military Memoirs of a Confederate Line Officer is a perceptive and articulate account filled with riveting recollections of some of the Civil War's most intense fighting. Reed doesn't shy away from providing his opinion on a variety of officers, decisions, and experiences, including the execution of deserters, premonitions of battlefield death, and what it was like to watch his friends and fellow soldiers die in battle. Reed's outstanding memoir, judiciously edited and annotated by William R. Cobb, includes a special Foreword by Richard M. Allen, the compiler of a detailed roster of Georgia troops. The Military Memoirs of a Confederate Line Officer is a valuable resource certain to become a classic in the genre.

The Military Memoirs of a Confederate Line Officer

The Military Memoirs of a Confederate Line Officer PDF Author: William R. Cobb
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781611215144
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book

Book Description
John C. Reed fought through the war in General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia as an officer in the 8th Georgia Infantry. A graduate of Princeton University and a classically educated aristocrat, he wrote home often and kept careful contemporaneous notes of his experiences in camp and on the battlefield. In 1888, Reed used these documents to produce a detailed memoir of his wartime experiences, but it was never published and because of an archival filing error after his death, was effectively lost for a century. The Military Memoirs of a Confederate Line Officer: Captain John C. Reed's Civil War from Manassas to Appomattox, edited by William R. Cobb, is published here in full for the first time. Reed was the son of a famous minister, educator, planter, and slave owner, and the understudy of Georgia's preeminent pre-war lawyer. When his state left the Union, the 25-year-old joined a local volunteer unit as a 2nd lieutenant. The outfit mustered into Confederate service as Company I (The Stephens Light Guards) of the 8th Georgia Volunteer Infantry, rode the rails north to Virginia, and fought the entire war from First Manassas through Appomattox. As a line officer, Reed had a front row seat to the fighting. He was wounded at least twice (at Second Manassas and again at Gettysburg), promoted to captain during the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864, and led his company through the balance of the Overland Campaign and through the horrific siege of Petersburg all the way to the surrender on April 9, 1865. The Military Memoirs of a Confederate Line Officer is a perceptive and articulate account filled with riveting recollections of some of the Civil War's most intense fighting. Reed doesn't shy away from providing his opinion on a variety of officers, decisions, and experiences, including the execution of deserters, premonitions of battlefield death, and what it was like to watch his friends and fellow soldiers die in battle. Reed's outstanding memoir, judiciously edited and annotated by William R. Cobb, includes a special Foreword by Richard M. Allen, the compiler of a detailed roster of Georgia troops. The Military Memoirs of a Confederate Line Officer is a valuable resource certain to become a classic in the genre.

Military Memoirs of a Confederate

Military Memoirs of a Confederate PDF Author: Edward Porter Alexander
Publisher: New York : C. Scribner's sons
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 674

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Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Military Memoirs of a Confederate: a Critical Narrative

Military Memoirs of a Confederate: a Critical Narrative PDF Author: Edward Porter Alexander
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781505866520
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 330

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Book Description
In the narrative of the Civil War, Edward Porter Alexander has loomed larger in death than in life. Just 25 years old when the war broke out, Porter Alexander had already served as an engineer and officer in the U.S. Army, but the native Georgian resigned his commission in May 1861 and joined the Confederacy after his home state seceded.Porter Alexander spent 1861 as an intelligence officer, and he served as part of a signal guard, but he soon became chief of ordnance for Joseph Johnston's army near Richmond. Half a year later, Johnston would be injured during the Peninsula Campaign at the Battle of Seven Pines, after which he was replaced by Robert E. Lee. Over the course of 1862, Porter Alexander took on more roles in the Army of Northern Virginia's artillery branch, particularly under James Longstreet's 1st Corps. Though he participated in several battles, he played his biggest role at the Battle of Gettysburg. On the third day, Lee decided to make a thrust at the center of the Union's line with about 15,000 men spread out over three divisions. Though it is now known as Pickett's Charge, named after division commander George Pickett, the assignment for the charge was given to Longstreet, whose 1st Corps included Pickett's division. Lee's decision necessitated a heavy artillery bombardment of the Union line in an attempt to knock out the Union's own artillery before beginning the charge that would cover nearly a mile of open space from Seminary Ridge to the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. Lee tasked Porter Alexander, in charge of the 1st Corps' guns, to conduct the artillery bombardment. What resulted was the largest sustained bombardment of the Civil War, with over 150 Confederate cannons across the line firing incessantly at the Union line for nearly 2 hours. Unfortunately for Porter Alexander and the Confederates, the sheer number of cannons belched so much smoke that they had trouble gauging how effective the shells were. As it turned out, most of the artillery was overshooting the target, landing in the rear of the Union line. Reluctant to order the charge, Longstreet commanded Porter Alexander to order the timing for the charge. As Longstreet and Alexander anticipated, the charge was an utter disaster, incurring a nearly 50% casualty rate and failing to break the Union line.Porter Alexander would continue to serve under Longstreet's corps for most of the rest of the war, and he famously suggested to Lee at Appomattox that the Confederate army should disband and melt away instead of surrender. Porter Alexander would later regret the suggestion, and Lee scolded him for it anyway. Though he had served with distinction during the Civil War, it was Porter Alexander's memoirs that have kept his name alive today. While many prominent officers on both sides wrote memoirs, Porter Alexander's were among the most insightful and often considered by historians as the most evenhanded. With a sense of humor and a good narrative, Porter Alexander skillfully narrated the war, his service, and what he considered the successes and faults of others, including Lee, when he thought they had made good decisions or mistakes. As a result, historians continue to rely heavily on his memoirs as a source for Civil War history.

Memoirs of a Confederate Staff Officer

Memoirs of a Confederate Staff Officer PDF Author: Gilbert Moxley Sorrel
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 221

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Book Description
Sorrel's memoir, "Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer", was published posthumously, in 1905. Historian Douglas Southall Freeman deemed Sorrel's book one of the best accounts of the personalities of the major players in the Confederacy, characterized by "a hundred touches of humor and revealing strokes of swift characterization."

Memoirs of the Confederate War for Independence

Memoirs of the Confederate War for Independence PDF Author: Heros von Borcke
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description
DigiCat presents the Civil War Memories Series. This meticulous selection of the firsthand accounts, memoirs and diaries is specially comprised for Civil War enthusiasts and all people curious about the personal accounts and true life stories of the unknown soldiers, the well known commanders, politicians, nurses and civilians amidst the war. "Memoirs of the Confederate War for Independence" is one of the best accounts of the American Civil War written from the Confederate point of view. The book was written by Heros Von Borcke, a Prussian cavalry officer, who served in service in the cavalry of the army of Northern Virginia. He was a direct witness and a participant of many great battles of the American Civil War (Seven Pines, the Seven Days, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Brandy Station). Borcke's participation in the war ended in the early part of the Gettysburg campaign, when he was wounded.

Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer

Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer PDF Author: Gilbert Moxley Sorrel
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
Good Press presents the Civil War Memories Series. This meticulous selection of the firsthand accounts, memoirs and diaries is specially comprised for Civil War enthusiasts and all people curious about the personal accounts and true life stories of the unknown soldiers, the well known commanders, politicians, nurses and civilians amidst the war. Sorrel's memoir, "Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer", was published posthumously, in 1905. Historian Douglas Southall Freeman deemed Sorrel's book one of the best accounts of the personalities of the major players in the Confederacy, characterized by "a hundred touches of humor and revealing strokes of swift characterization."

Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer

Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer PDF Author: Gilbert Moxley Sorrel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Generals
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description
This memoir takes the reader inside the workings of the Confederate army staff. Sorrel was a relatively unknown officer who rose through the ranks to become General Longstreet's most trusted associate. Sorrel's memoir makes no claims to strategic analysis. It simply relates what he saw and the events of which he was a part. His vantage point was, however, in many ways unique. His service with Longstreet brought him into the thick of many of the war's decisive engagements.

Military Memoirs of a Confederate

Military Memoirs of a Confederate PDF Author: Edward Porter Alexander
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Confederate States of America
Languages : en
Pages : 652

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Book Description
First published in 1907, Military Memoirs of a Confederate is regarded by many historians as one of the most important and dispassionate first-hand general accounts of the American Civil War. Unlike some other Confederate memoirists, General Edward Porter Alexander had no use for bitter “Lost Cause” theories to explain the South’s defeat. Alexander was willing to objectively evaluate and criticize prominent Confederate officers, including Robert E. Lee. The result is a clear-eyed assessment of the long, bloody conflict that forged a nation. The memoir opens with Alexander, recently graduated from West Point, heading to Utah to tamp down the hostile actions of Mormons who had refused to receive a territorial governor appointed by President Buchanan. A few years later, Alexander finds himself on the opposite side of a much larger rebellion—this time aligned with Confederates bent on secession from the Union. In the years that follow, he is involved in most of the major battles of the East, including Manassas, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga. Alexander describes each battle and battlefield in sharp detail. Few wartime narratives offer the insight and objectivity of Alexander’s Military Memoirs of a Confederate . Civil war buffs and students of American history have much to learn from this superb personal narrative.

Military Memoirs of a Confederate

Military Memoirs of a Confederate PDF Author: E. P. Alex
Publisher: Forgotten Books
ISBN: 9780332575858
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 664

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Book Description
Excerpt from Military Memoirs of a Confederate: A Critical Narrative The Situation. Lee decides to Attack. The Attack to be on our Right. Longstreet's Flank March. Sickles's Advance. Meade foresees Sickles's Defeat. Progressive Type of Battle. Hood pro poses Flank Movement. Formation and Opening. Hood's Front Line. Fight on Little Round Top. Hood's Second Line. Mclaws badly Needed. Kershaw and Semmes. Artillery Fighting. Barksdale and Wofford. Anderson's Division. Wilcox's Brigade. Wilcox asks Help. Why NO Help was Given. Lang's Brigade. Wright's Brigade. Wright carries the Stone Wall. Wright's Retreat. Reenforcements for Sickles. Ayres's Division. Con federate Situation. The Artillery Engaged. Ten More Brigades in Sight. Crawford's Advance. Ewell's Cooperation. The Afternoon Cannonade. Johnson's Assault. Early's Attack. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

At the Right Hand of Longstreet

At the Right Hand of Longstreet PDF Author: Gilbert Moxley Sorrel
Publisher: Bison Books
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
As a young man in Georgia, G. Moxley Sorrel enlisted in a cavalry unit even before the Civil War erupted, so eager was he to serve his home state. During the war, as an aide-de-camp on Brigadier General James Longstreet's staff he fought in many battles, including those at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. He was at Longstreet's side when Longstreet was struck down in 1864. Sorrel's "rough jottings from memory" provide vivid and detailed descriptions of many of the war's chief participants and events. His military career was cut short when he was shot in the lungs at Hatcher's Run. Although he survived, the war ended before he could return to duty. In his declining years he wrote, "For my part, when the time comes to cross the river like the others, I shall be found asking at the gates above, 'Where is the Army of Northern Virginia? For there I make my camp.'" Introducer Peter Carmichael, a professor of history at Western Carolina University, is the author of Lee's Young Artillerist: William R. J. Pegram.