Leaders of the Lost Cause: New Perspectives on the Confederate High Command

by Gary W. Gallagher (Editor), Joseph T. Glatthaar (Editor)

Two well-known historians of the American Civil War collect new essays on eight major military commanders of the Confederacy. Serving as both character studies and strategic analyses, these lively pieces come from some of the preeminent names in Civil War history, including William C. Davis, Charles Roland, and James I. Robertson. Taken together, they form a fascinating portrait of the Confederate command. Includes essays on P.G. T. Beauregard, Braxton Bragg, Samuel Cooper, John Bell Hood, Albert Sidney Johnston, Joseph E. Johnston, Robert E. Lee, and Edmund Kirby Smith.

Genres: American Civil War, Civil War, History, Military History, Biography

294 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

Gary W. Gallagher, the John L. Nau III Professor of History at the University of Virginia, is the author or editor of many books in the field of Civil War history, including The Confederate War; Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War; and The Union War.

Reviews

[Joseph]

A brief look at eight of the Confederacy's most notable leaders, this collection of essays fills a valuable gap in Civil War historiography. What we end up with is a nuanced and often critical look at the contributions these generals made to the Confederate war effort. A very good read.

[Gerry]

These eight leaders are the men who achieved the grade of “full” (“four-star”) general. Seven of them commanded armies, and, in doing so, could greatly affect the course of the war in their areas of operation. Editors Gary W. Gallagher and Joseph T. Glatthaar collected essays on each one from writers who hadn’t written on them before, the sole exception being Dr. Gallagher who has written extensively on Bobby Lee. The idea is to present a fresh perspective on each one (and justify the subtitle “New Perspectives on the Confederate High Command”).

Leading the charge is (St.) Robert of Lee, covered by Dr. Gallagher. The fresh perspective here is the impact he had on the Southern people, which impact continues today. “We had heard of God, but here was General Lee!"

The others weren’t so successful, but had their ups and downs. We find that Generals Beauregard and Joe Johnston could all too often be their own worst enemies, despite some good performances now and then. Of General Bragg, the late James I. Robertson Jr. can find little good to say save at Buena Vista; he merely reports the results of his campaigns and battles. A heroic death in combat can redeem a lot of shortcomings; such is Stephen D. Engle’s findings on Albert Sidney Johnston. Joseph T. Glatthaar and Keith S. Bohannon tell us Edmund Kirby Smith and John Bell Hood, respectively, were promoted beyond their abilities.

Most interesting to me, mainly because much of the essay was about someone I had read little about, was Samuel Cooper, the senior ranking general of the Confederate army. Because President Davis reserved the strategic conduct of the war to himself, Cooper found himself in charge of the bureaucracy. This he ran as competently as he could, but, in essayist William C. Davis’ words, “…flair is the one quality that history has never demanded of a bureaucrat.”

All of the articles have extensive biographies (for essays) on their subjects. How familiar they are to the reader are in direct proportion to how much he or she has read on Our Hero. This will also govern how the reader views the writers’ findings. This reader is interested in Civil War leadership and doesn’t believe unfortunate generals were that way because they were idiots. There are reasons for less than stellar performances of duty and this book informs.

[Rick Lynch]

An excellent resource

If your looking for a detailed but manageable bio on each of the highest ranking Generals in the confederacy, this flowing narrative provides it.

[Relstuart]

It's been a while since I read anything about several of these leaders. Good reminders. Short chapters on each person with analysis on their strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, the South struggled to find enough good leaders and that impacted their ability to succeed.

[Avis Black]

For the most part, these are disappointing and superficial essays that add little to the general knowledge about these generals.