The Long Roll

by Mary Johnston, George Garrett (Foreword)

Before Gone with the Wind exploded into print, Mary Johnston's The Long Roll was one of the definitive novels about the Civil War. Johnston peels away some of the historical romance of the cavalry and shows how vital artillery was in the battles, while paying close attention to the importance of planning and patience, and the role of roads, rail, horse,and boat, mixing all of these elements with descriptions of raw courage and reckless abandon. "The two rode on. To left and right were lighted streets of tents, visited here and there by substantial cabins. Soldiers were everywhere, dimly seen within the tents where the door-flap was fastened back, about the camp-fires in open places, clustering like bees in the small squares, everywhere apparent in the foreground and divined in the distance. From somewhere came the strains of 'Yankee Doodle.' A gust of wind blew out the folds of the stars and stripes, fastened above some regimental headquarters. The city of tents and of frame structures hasty and crude, of fires in open places, of Butlers' shops and canteens and booths of strolling players, of chapels and hospitals, of fluttering flags and wandering music, of restless blue soldiers, oscillating like motes in some searchlight of the giants, persisted for a long distance. At last it died away; there came a quiet field or two, then the old Maryland town of Frederick."from The Long Roll Before Gone with the Wind exploded into print, Mary Johnston's The Long Roll was one of the definitive novels about the Civil War. Unlike Mitchell's novel of Southern aristocracy, however, Johnston sets her tale among the fighting armies. The Long Roll begins with secession and ends with the funeral of Stonewall Jackson. Our protagonists are Richard Cleave of Virginia, and General Jackson himself, who begins the novel as a major. Cleaves' action in the Confederate artillery alternates with Jackson's cavalry maneuvers to show a wide range of battle experience and combat effectiveness. Johnston peels away some of the historical romance of the cavalry and shows how vital artillery was in the battles. No less significant, she pays close attention to the importance of planning and patience, and the role of roads, rail, horse, and boat, mixing all of these elements with descriptions of raw courage and reckless abandon. As the narrative follows Cleave and Jackson, we are led through the most decisive engagements in the years of Confederate Manassas, The Seven Days, Fredericksburg, Malvern Hill, and Sharpsburg. The Long Roll brings alive the differing motives for secession and war, and eerily evokes the suspicion and battered consciences of both North and South.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Classics, Fiction, Civil War, Historical, Southern, War

668 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1911

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

The daughter of an American Civil War soldier who became a successful lawyer, Mary Johnston was born in the small town of Buchanan, Virginia. A small and frail girl, she was educated at home by family and tutors. She grew up with a love of books and was financially independent enough to devote herself to writing.

Johnston wrote historical books and novels that often combined romance with history. Her novels were bestsellers in America, Canada and England.

During her long career, in addition to twenty-three novels, Johnston wrote a number of short stories, one drama, and two long narrative poems. She used her fame to advocate women's rights, strongly supporting the women's suffrage movement.

Reviews

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible! I found it hard to believe that it was written by a woman; it seemed more like a first-hand account in many ways. But Miss Johnston was the daughter of a Confederate soldier, and her father's cousin was General Joseph E. Johnston. So of course she grew up in "an atmosphere of war stories, of continued reference to the men and to the deeds of that gigantic struggle."

Her portrayal of Stonewall Jackson, however, was denounced by many Southerners, including his widow. He certainly is shown as rather "stiff", almost fanatical at times. His men at first think he's crazy, but soon come to respect him and before too long, they practically adore him. It certainly gave me a lot of respect for him, nevertheless! But the story isn't just about Jackson. It follows the experiences of several men from the Shenandoah Valley, as well as the truly heroic parts played by the women and children. My family lived for 4 years in the Valley, so all the mountains and towns were quite familiar and made me a little homesick! I loved Richard Cleave and Judith Cary as I love few other book characters (and I love many!). There was something so beautiful and noble about them both. But this is far from being a romanticized depiction of the war. The battlefield scenes are quite horrific.

One thing I found extremely interesting was the frequent references to the works of Sir Walter Scott. It seemed like everybody read him and loved him! One of my favorite scenes was when Richard Cleave urged his horse to go faster by singing a Scottish ballad in his ear! I've been doing some research lately about Scott's influence on American literature and came across a quote from Mark Twain, (who of course despises anything romantic and with it all my favorite authors!🙄) in which he goes so far as to blame Scott for the Civil War! According to him, Scott set the whole world, (but especially the South) "in love with dreams and phantoms; with decayed and swinish forms of religion; with decayed and degraded systems of government; with the sillinesses and emptinesses, sham grandeurs, sham gauds, and sham chivalries of a brainless and worthless long-vanished society." What nonsense! I wonder though, if rather, Scott was responsible for much of the honor and chivalry that was shown on both sides? Food for thought, anyway. 😊

The Long Roll ends with the death of Stonewall Jackson but leaves the fate of many of the other characters still in the balance. I am really looking forward to reading the sequel!

[ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truth reported. The history of a soldier of God,and Virginia.

This is a story that few will ever read,because it takes time and an open mind to understand the struggle of this warrior, and his fellow soldiers of the south. There is a picture that becomes vivid in my mind as this story is told. Take a breath and see the past in your eyes.

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I generally prefer horror, I decided to check out this classic Civil War novel, categorized as historical fiction, and after completing the narrative, have found that by wandering to this story, I have strayed very little from my favored genre of horror. It should be noted that although Johnston was female, she had family that participated in the war that readily shared their experiences in service to the republic.

Clearly shared from a Southern Rebel point of view, the battles are shared in horrific detail by mixing the fictionalized accounts of fictional people with the biographical facts of historical figures in actual places. The realistic horrors of war are gruesomely communicated in a way that makes evident that someone witnessed these events and was transformed by them. Although her depiction of Stonewall Jackson as a single-minded warrior was panned as erroneous, I think it is a fair characterization.

There is a lot of melodrama here mixed with truths and events. The aura of battles and the sounds of war are resident in every page. The book is a little long-winded. It is in fact only the first part of a story that continues in Cease Firing (a novel equally as long - more than 500 pages.) Undoubtedly, a classic novel with unforgettable scenes.

[Kit Masters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book, thanks to goodreads for the recommendation!
Ostensibly a love story about Confederate Richard Cleave, it is really an account of the campaigns of Stonewall Jackson.
Very interesting reading from someone not living long after the war.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

gargantuan in size, severely outdated as it defends The Confederacy, violent descriptions of war, and it reads more like a textbook in American History 101 than a novel. I give credit for the massive amount of research to write such a sweeping book, but there really isn't much plot intertwined with the meticulous historical detail. the language is from 1911 so if you do attempt it, be prepared to trip up and do not let the cover of the paperback editions fool you: This is most definitely NOT a "bodice ripper" or a romance novel.

[Ralph Boroughs · Rating 3 out of 5]

History comes to life

Mary Johnston tells a great story. Her old fashioned prose is sometimes hard to wade through, so I found my self just skimming certain passages, to get on with the story. This was particularly true where she was waxing poetic or painting a picture with words. Or overusing metaphors from Greek or Roman history and legend.

But it’s well worth the effort.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read

If you enjoy a bit of history, military, southern life description and account of one of true military genius Generals.

[Sherron]

Kindle freebie

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work of nonfiction follows Stonewall Jackson and the Stonewall Brigade thru the first two years of the American Civil War. Fictional characters are added to make room for personal storylines about how the Civil War effected everyday Southerners. Now, while this is a book of fiction, the author has an extensive knowledge of the American Civil War and the Stonewall Brigade’s role in that conflict. You won’t find discrepancies between actual historical facts and the events chronicled in this book. The author, who was a cousin of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, is certainly knowledgeable about all of Stonewall Jackson’s idiosyncrasies. She does not paint him as an entirely heroic figure, but as the man he actually was. She also provides vivid and extensive descriptions of the areas where the story takes place. She paints a clear picture of the natural beauty in the geography as well as the homes and people in this story. The fictional characters experience some of the good things in life, but mostly they experience the difficulties and problems brought on by the war. It is a compelling story that really brings to life the time period and the people who lived through that war. A possible critique of her writing would be that she paints a picture of life in the South before the war that seems too ideal. The life of the Southern people, their customs and families come off as too good and too nice to be wholly believable. In addition, she portrays slaves as being at least content with their lives and loyal “servants”, if not actually happy with their situation. Since this book was first published in 1911, the author may be recalling a bit too nostalgically the “good old days” before the Civil War.

[Francis X DuFour · Rating 5 out of 5]

before Gone With the Wind

“The Long Roll” is an historical novel which follows the lives of a handful of men from Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley” up thru the battle of Chancellorsville. The battle scenes are well described and give a real sense of individual combat experience. The details and the flowery language add to a feeling of realism and harken to the lush writing of the Civil War period. Definitely biased in favor of the South, this paen to the confederacy’s “Lost Cause” must have been popular with the war’s aging veterans of the South.

[Ron Murrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Language is dated. A pretty tough read but worthwhile.

[L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wordgirl is back!

Or is she?

I've read Mary Johnston before so I know what to expect from her out-of-control pen, but there's something different about this novel of the Civil War. It's like Mary gets to the point, especially with the battle scenes. No one is giving a speech that lasts three pages and utilizes obsolete words. Did she finally get herself an editor? Did she have herself a ghost writer, a veteran who was an actual eyewitness? This just doesn't read like the Mary I know.

[Mike Brannick]

Well written novel folowing a Virginia family through the first three years of the Civil War with a strong emphasis on the Valley Campaign under Stonewall Jackson. Ms. Johnston somewhat romanticizes the Confederacy