Lee and His Generals in War and Memory

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Summary: A CIVIL APPROACH
Review: Dr. Gallagher brings Civil War discussion into the modern era by using first rate scholarship and sound reasoning to evaluate many of the lingering controversies. Eschewing many of the ideologically driven, axe to grind efforts that often taint Civil War history, Gallagher has produced a balanced account of such topics as "Lost Cause" Historiography, the Longstreet blame game, and a candid assessment of Lee. Gallagher, a historian from the Univ. of Virginia, has attained one of those rare feats in historical writing by compiling a work that is congenial reading for both the academic and the layman. Seeking neither to glorify or desecrate some of the luminaries of the conflict, the author relies on the evidence, and letting such evidence speak for itself. There is also thoughtful commentary on the current state of historical sites, and the flood of film and print fiction works. The latter is particularly instructive, as it commends the likes of Burns and Shaara for promoting interest, while cautioning about the Eastern Theater biases contained in such productions. Teachers seeking an excellent supplemental reading to Civil War courses can do no better than LEE AND GENERALS. It is a masterful job of separating the fact from the fiction and should remain an enduring contribution to Civil War Historiography.

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Summary: Great Detail on Lee, worthy of Douglas Freeman
Review: Excellent book on Lee and his generals. Covers Lee's unique hands off style and his relationships with his senior staff with mini biographies. The best part of the book is how Lee deals with adversity particularly after Longstreet is shot down in the Wilderness, Ewell is relieved at Spotsylvania and Hill becomes bed ridden. Lee has to rise above it all and pick interim successors in a time of crisis with Grant bearing down. Lee has to make crucial personal decisions with limited experienced staff and take a greater role. One of Gallagher's best books.

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Summary: Interesting compilation of essays but it's got flaws
Review: Gary Gallagher has compiled 13 interesting essays on Robert E. Lee and his CSA Army and its generals. Each individual essay is very interesting, especially his concentration on Jubal Early and the development of the "Lost Cause" myth to explain the defeat of the CSA. Gallagher expertly details how Jubal Early and other early Civil War historians explicitly wanted to make sure that the soldiers of the CSA were portrayed in a positive light, sometimes, regardless of the facts.
Gallagher also attempts to rebuild the reputation of Early destroyed by his defeat in his campaign in the Valley. In doing so, Gallagher explains that a comparison between Early's lack of success and the success in the valley of "Stonewall" Jackson is inappropriate. Early inflicted as many casualties as he could on the forces opposing him, however he was faced with superior generals on the Union side than most of those that faced Jackson. In essance, Gallagher explains that Jackson's success must at least in part be attributed to the fact that he faced incompitent opponents, and Early did not.
There are a couple drawbacks to this book, and while they don't detract from the individual essays, they do detract a bit from the book in its entirety. First, much of the first third of the book, particularly the essays, "The Idol of His Soldiers and the Hope of His Country: Lee and the Confederate People" and "If the Enemy Is There, We Must Attack Him: Lee and the Second Day at Gettysburg" address larger issues than just Lee and his generals, they both seem to me they would have been more appropriately included in Gallagher's work "Lee and His Soldiers."
While the section on the "Lost Cause" and Jubal Early is very interesting, it also seems that it's misplaced in this book. It seems that it should belong in Gallagher and Nolan's book on the lost cause.
The last section in the book on "historical memory" which includes essays on Ken Burn's miniseries "The Civil War" as well as battlefields, seems also to be out of place in this book.
I'm not sure why Gallagher chose to title this work "Lee and His Generals in War and Memory" when so few of the essays included deal directly with the relationship between Lee and his lieutenants.
Another drawback is that the book doesn't have an epologue that attempts in any way to tie each essay together in a larger framework. Absent this, it really lacks a central focus as a book.

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Summary: Insightful essays about Lee and his subordinates
Review: I bought this book based on the fact that I consider Gary Gallagher one of the premiere Civil War historians today. Luckily, he did not disappoint me with this effort. Through a series of 13 essays, Dr. Gallagher takes a detailed look at General Lee and his subordinates performance during the Civil War, and how they have been portrayed by historians. More speficially, he details how the "Lost Cause" writers created some of the myth and legends about the South's best and worst leaders. Additionally, he looks at more recent works (both books and video) about the Civil War, and whether or not these historians bring a more balanced and better pespective on the war.

I really enjoyed this book because it offers so much fresh material on many popular Civil War leaders, and topics (like Ken Burns video collection). Also, I think that Gary Gallagher brings a very balanced approach to his research and analysis. In other words, I trust his opinion because he always supports his thoughts with detailed research from the latest sources available. Therefore, he can successfully weave together both the battles and politics of the war, and paint accurate pictures of the Southern leaders discussed in this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a fundamental understanding of the Civil War, and is looking for resources to develop a deeper analysis of this complex war. Learn from someone who is at the forefront of current research, and willing to put in the extra time and effort to get the story right.

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Summary: Thoughtful Essays on the Confederate War Effort
Review: Professor Gary Gallagher is a rarity among writers on the Civil War in his ability to appeal to both scholarly and lay audiences. He shares this ability with Professor James McPherson but with few others. Unlike Professor McPherson, Gallagher's writings concentrate on the Confederate war effort. He brings an obvious sympathy and understanding for his subject without overromanticizing of glorifying it. This is also highly unusual among writers on the Civil War. His essays are informed, through, balanced, and inspiring. They are a pleasure to read.

Professor Gallaher's "Lee and his Generals in War and Memory" (1998) consists of thirteen essays, most of which have been published elsewhere. I think the unifying theme of this collection is Professor Gallagher's attempt to find a middle ground between the "Lost Cause" interpretation of the Confederate war effort and recent, critical and revisionist accounts.

The "Lost Cause" school sees the Southern cause as entirely noble, tends to glorify Robert E. Lee and the valor of the Confederate troops, and attributes the defeat of the Confederacy almost entirely to the Federal's overwhelmingly superior resources and numbers. The revisionist school emphasizes the origins of the Civil War in the institution of slavery, tends to be critical of Lee and his aggressive and costly (in terms of casualties) approach to battle, and emphasizes Union skill and tenacity, among other factors, in finally winning the war.

The first section of Professor Gallagher's book consist of four essays on Lee which both explain the high regard in which he was held in the South while acknowledging mistakes and shortcomings. There is an introductory essay, "Lee and the Southern People" followed by essays on the Seven Days Battles against McClellan, Lee's actions on the second day of Gettysburg, and Lee's role in the Wilderness campaign of May, 1864.

The second part of the book, "Lee's Generals" includes a discussion of Stonewall Jackson's military reputation and how it was in large part deserved but also partly the result of chance and circumstance. In this regard, the section also includes an excellent essay comparing Jackson's 1862 Shenendoah Valley campaign, which was one of Jackson's great successes, with Early's 1864 campaign, generally regarded as a disaster. Professor Gallagher offers some unusual insights. This section also includes a thoughtful essay on A.P. Hill's and Richard Ewell's controversial roles during the first day of Gettysburg, as well as essays on Longstreet and John Magruder.

The third section of this book covers the history of Southern interpretations of the War, particularly the "Lost Cause" school of interpretation. Gallagher presents a well-balanced account of Jubal Early, whose writings became predominant in the "Lost Cause school" and a discussion of the Civil War letters frequently attributed to George Pickett -- of Pickett's charge on the third day of Gettysburg. Gallagher describes the history of these letters and concludes, in common with most scholars today, that they are in fact forgeries written by Pickett's wife.

A final section of the book offers a discussion of Ken Burns' "Civil War" series on public TV, which has much good to say about it, and Professor Gallagher's assessment of the continued importance of Civil War battlfield preservation to help educate the public about our Nation's history and about this seminal conflict.

I learned a great deal about the Civil War and about Confederate leadership from Professor Gallagher's fine collection of essays.