Letters from Lee's Army

By Charles Minor Blackford, Susan Leigh Blackford, Susan Leigh (Colston) Blackford

Book Overview

Charles Minor Blackford was a Virginia aristocrat who fought for the Confederacy as much out of obligation to his class and region as for political reasons. Letters from Lee's Army presents the correspondence between Captain Blackford and his wife, Susan Leigh Blackford, during the war. While Captain Blackford writes of the rigors of campaigning--the dramatically bad food, the constant dysentery, the cold and wet--we see the stoic Susan Blackford gradually relying less and less on her husband to make decisions. During the course of the war Susan Blackford lost her home, three children, and her belongings to the struggle, all without the camaraderie and sustaining sense of purpose known to the soldier. These letters emphasize the stresses that war and separation can place on a marriage. Blackford enlisted in the Second Virginia Cavalry at the outset of the war and in 1863 was posted to Longstreet's Corps. Most of his service was in northern Virginia around the Rappahannock and the Rapidan Rivers, in the Shenandoah Valley, and with Lee's army at Gettysburg. In 1864 Blackford went west with Longstreet's army to Chattanooga, and he returned with Longstreet for the war's final days.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803261497
• ISBN13: 9780803261495
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A Family Endures the War

A better bargain than this smashing little paperback will be hard to find. The blended letters of Susan and Charles Blackford, two erudite, observant members of the Virginian gentry, tell the story of one family's Civil War struggle in the frontlines and on the homefront beautifully. Susan describes the loss of children, the battle to feed family, and the "impression" she made in front of her husband's unit plunging headfirst into a mudpile. Charles observes the war from the vantages of both the line and the staff, and supplies some incredible character studies ranging from Jeff Davis to Lee and Jackson, down to the private soldier (with the impudence of a town cow). A collection of letters from someone who wrote on a warmed frying pan to keep his hand from freezing probably deserves reading regardless! My third reading...

Letter's from Lee's Army

My Uncle Minor was the author of this book. It was first published 40 years ago.We would sit on his front porch and he would talk about his work. He told me how proud he was that when it went out of print and became a library issue that he would get a phone call about once a year from a college student challenging him on one General he misquoted the name. My Uncle is deceased now but going through the house after his death I accidently found a stack of unpublished manuscripts that would headed for the dumpster as no one knew about them. I salveged them and working on getting them in print as they are wonderful cival war historical novels. The first one is named Cry Liberty as is centered around Lychburg and Col Lynch and the war. I am sure he would be proud that I saved his work so many can enjoy it in print.