The Stonewall Brigade

By James I. Robertson Jr. and Jr. ROBERTSON, James I.

Book Overview

Here, seen through the eyes of the men themselves, is the story of the Confederacy's legendary Stonewall Brigade. Most Civil War accounts treat of battles and armies. The focus of this exciting account is sharper, narrower: a single brigade, the basic unit of attack of one of those armies.

The Stonewall Brigade and its first commander, Thomas J. Jackson, won their nickname at the bloody baptism of First Manassas. Over the next four years Jackson's foot cavalry achieved fame and sustained losses matched by few American military units before or since. There were some 2,600 men serving in the brigade at the start of the war. At Appomattox-thirty-nine engagements later-only 210 remained, none above the rank of captain. But these men from out of the Valley of Virginia had written their names upon the pages of history.

In The Stonewall Brigade the author, a distinguished scholar of the Civil War, has given equal billing with the immortal Jackson to such soldiers as Lieutenant David Barton, Captain Kyd Douglas, and Private John Casler. He has attempted to capture the camp life, the marches, the personal experiences in battle rather than concentrate on well-known strategy and familiar Confederate leaders. Similarly, descriptions of battles are written from within the ranks rather than from command posts. The result is a vivid and often moving account of courage and cowardice, triumph and heartbreak-and endurance perhaps without parallel.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0026Q2WIE
• ISBN13: 9780807103968
• Release Date: November 1977
• Publisher: LSU Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Robertson's first book

My favorite civil war author so far is James I. Robertson. He finished his PhD. at Emory University in 1959, wrote this book a few years later, published his first book in 1963. He's received many academic awards for his research and is considered the expert on Stonewall Jackson. He is currently a professor at Virginia Tech. This book is about Stonewall Jackson's legendary brigade which sent thousands of yanks fleeing for the other side of the Mason-Dixon line or so the legend goes. Reading this book made me feel as if I were on the trail with his troops, wondering where we'd wind up next and cursing Old Jack for all the trouble he'd put you through. Stonewall never told his staff where exactly they were heading. The brigade continued on even after Stonewall's death. The last chapters cover the remnants of the brigade's movements and travails the last years of the civil war. One soldier wrote, ""I venture to say that there is no military march on record, for distance and unfavorable conditions, equal to that march of the Second Regiment of Va. infantry! And very few equal to that march of the brigade!"" Another civil war treasure.

Stonewall Brigade

"The Stonewall Brigade" by James I. Robertson Jr.,is a readable book that all Civil War history buffs will enjoy."The Stonewall Brigade" is a book that examines in-depth one of the Civil War's most recognized and exceptional brigades.Robertson writes of the many hardships the soldiers endured while giving insight to command decisions that made these hardships nessesary.One can quickly see why the Stonewall Brigade was willing to go into the most harmful of situations for Old Jack.This is a honest representation of the Stonewall Brigade which gives many interesting facts to support both the excellance and shortcomings of the brigade.Overall,I recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated with the man known as Stonewall. A must for Stonewall Jasckson Fanatics!

An old-fashioned but still excellent history

This book makes it clear why the Stonewall Brigade was considered to be one of the premier fighting units of the Civil War. Primarily written in a narrative format, it is well written and will hold the attention of the non-specialist. I found that sometimes the author's narrow focus on the Stonewall Brigade made it hard to understand what was happening in the context of the war as a whole, even to the point of creating confusion as to which battle was taking place. I also suspect that more recent studies will have focused more on primary sources generated by the soldiers themselves and on issues of discipline and morale. Still, this is a classic work.