Chris J. Hartley

History and in particular American History has become one of my favorite subjects and usually I really enjoy eeadi f and learning more. So I was excited when I was selected to read this for the early reviews. Unfortunately it turned into a labor of hate, and I had to, in one of the first times with a history book, force myself to finish this one simply so I could write a review.

I have no doubt the author did his research. So the fault does not lie there. But the information is presented in manner that just drones on and on and it became such a painfull experience, I wanted to stab myself with a fork. The author simply regurgitates fact after fact, and there seems to be no writing style. I guess I am used to the style of an Ambrose or a McCollough or an Ellis and that may not be fair to this author.

To sum up everything, the research seems to ve well done, the subject is one that deserves to be told, but the manner in which it is told is just to painful to recommend.… (more)

In this, the second edition of Chris Hartley's book originally published in 1996, we find an updated version of this biography. This edition, like the first, is well-researched and very detailed using the wealth of original documentation the author was able to find. The main subject of this book is James B. Gordon of North Carolina. The author begins with James Gordon's family history and his life before the American Civil War and gives the reader a glimpse of the man that we will be following.

James B. Gordon was a successful business man and farmer who did his duty when North Carolina was not allowed too maintain neutrality in the war between the states. As he starts his military career in North Carolina Regulars we can see his dedication too his men as he uses his own funds when able to supply them. We also see his self-reasoning that made him seek transfer to what would become the 1st Cavalry of North Carolina leaving behind the infantry unit he helped too establish. His rapid rise too command of all North Carolina cavalrymen in the Army of Northern Virginia is well chronicled.

The author covers such details of the units formation as the acquisition and disbursement of supplies, drills and even days off rest. This level of detail will be used in the rest of the book as read detail actions of minor skirmishes and battles that took place on the periphery of more well known engagements and therefore are often overlooked. The author at times is able too detail engagements down too the company level and at other times leaves out details on battles where Gordon's participation was critical. The author does provide the reader with some maps he has drawn himself. But at times his detail narrative of engagements or maneuverings, though well written, are not identifiable on the maps he has drawn.

The book could have used more time in the hands of a diligent editor as some references too his family is confusing as is the addition of the author's own opinion which should be foot noted or not included at all in a book considered a history book. A good one-third of the book has a detailed rooster of the 9th Regiment North Carolina State Troops. Or as we know them; 1st North Carolina Calvary Regiment. This rooster alone is an amazing feat.

The author has given the reader an enjoyable read that takes us into the life of Jame B. Gordon and through him a glimpse of North Carolina's cavalry. A book that is easy too read and informative. If you have any interest at all in the part of U.S. history I do recommend this book.… (more)

Chris Hartley’s revised edition of Stuart’s Tarheels: James B. Gordon and his North Carolina Cavalry in the Civil War has two strengths. First is a nearly 150-page roster of the 1st NC Cavalry, which makes the book a necessity for anyone with a vested interest in that regiment. Second is the book’s penultimate chapter about Sheridan’s Yellow Tavern raid and Gordon’s role in the Confederate response to it; most writers focus – and understandably so – on the actual Yellow Tavern fight and mortal wounding of Stuart, with just a passing reference to Gordon’s North Carolina brigade nipping at Sheridan’s heels while the majority of the Federals engaged Stuart’s two brigades. Hartley outlines Gordon’s movements and the running engagement with David Gregg’s horsemen along Mountain Road, putting it in proper context with Stuart’s and Fitz Lee’s fight at Yellow Tavern. He continues this narrative to the following day with the fight at Brook Church and Meadow Bridge just north of Richmond – which proved to be Gordon’s last fight – another part of the Yellow Tavern raid that is seldom treated in any great detail.

Maps and photographs are adequate, although more of both would be welcome additions (although the maps themselves are somewhat lacking in detail). Many of the engagements described are not covered in any great detail, even when Gordon’s command played an important role. References to what Gordon or others saw or were thinking, which cannot be documented, are numerous.

While the author’s writing style can be trying at times, the information contained is useful, especially for those with an interest in Stuart’s North Carolina brigade. For cavalry aficionados or historians of North Carolina in the war, Stuart’s Tarheels is essential.… (more)

James B. Gordon (not to be confused with John B. Gordon, which did then and still does happen) was a North Carolinian from Wilkes County who formed a regiment at the beginning of the war—without any military experience whatsoever—and rose to command of the entire North Carolina battalion before his death. Wounded at Yellow Tavern on May 11, 1864, Gordon developed an infection and died a few days later.

Hartley first published this biography fifteen years ago: This is the second edition, issued in 2011, and this reviewer received a free copy through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program. In it, Hartley describes a pro-secession slave-owner, successful farmer, and businessman who, as he saw it, took up arms to defend his country. Well-researched and very detailed, the book includes maps drawn by Hartley himself. Over 140 of the book’s 435 pages are devoted to a roster of Gordon’s own 1st Cavalry, which Hartley also compiled himself—and the roster is an impressive accomplishment in its own right. One of the book’s strengths is Hartley’s detailed (down to regimental, and sometimes company level) battle descriptions, some of the best in print. Hartley’s maps also are better than many in the Civil War canon, but he can spend several paragraphs describing events at locations that are not marked on the map, which is frustrating.

There are stylistic and editorial problems which make bits of the book somewhat hard going: Hartley’s writing voice is Victorian, arguably appropriate to his subject matter, which is to say he is wordy, redundant, and overly fond of dramatic (not to say heavy-handed) foreshadowing. Generally, of course, given his subject, he writes from the Rebel point of view, but there are places in the text where he briefly refers to the Confederates as “the enemy”, lending additional confusion to an already bewildering battlefield scene. A couple of times he uses “ancestor” for “descendant”, which makes sorting complex Southern genealogies even more difficult than would normally be the case. He occasionally ventures guesses as to what people “might” have been thinking or feeling in the absence of supporting evidence. There are 26 pages of notes, however, so other than these rare lapses, the book is meticulously sourced. (The reader might wish for more effort to resolve the odd conflict between sources, but as this issue does not arise over crucial points, this is a minor gripe.)

On the whole, it’s an enjoyable book —an entertaining as well as an informative read. Hartley brings Gordon to life, portraying an engaging and sympathetic historical figure who, if it weren’t for this book, we would probably never have heard of.… (more)