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Military Memoirs of a Confederate (1907)

by Edward Porter Alexander

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1423193,762 (4.38)None
First published in 1907, Military Memoirs of a Confederate is regarded by many historians as one of the most important and dispassionate first-hand general accounts of the American Civil War. Unlike some other Confederate memoirists, General Edward Porter Alexander had no use for bitter "Lost Cause" theories to explain the South's defeat. Alexander was willing to objectively evaluate and criticize prominent Confederate officers, including Robert E. Lee. The result is a clear-eyed assessment of the long, bloody conflict that forged a nation. The memoir opens with Alexander, recently graduated from West Point, heading to Utah to tamp down the hostile actions of Mormons who had refused to receive a territorial governor appointed by President Buchanan. A few years later, Alexander finds himself on the opposite side of a much larger rebellion--this time aligned with Confederates bent on secession from the Union. In the years that follow, he is involved in most of the major battles of the East, including Manassas, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga. Alexander describes each battle and battlefield in sharp detail. Few wartime narratives offer the insight and objectivity of Alexander's Military Memoirs of a Confederate . Civil war buffs and students of American history have much to learn from this superb personal narrative. Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.… (more)
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Alexander wrote two books: a personal memoir intended for his children, which remained unnoticed until 1989, when it was published to enormous critical acclaim as Fighting for the Confederacy; and this book, Military Memoirs of a Confederate, which was first published in 1907 and immediately recognized as a classic. Unlike Fighting for the Confederacy, which was based largely on Alexander's own recollections, Military Memoirs relies on a vast amount of research. It is undoubtedly the most accurate and most important firsthand general history of the Civil War.
  pakeurobooks | Oct 19, 2016 |
Terrific memoir of a respected middle-ranking officer of the Army of Northern Virginia. Colonel Alexander has produced a good story, relatively balanced, of what he experienced, which was the battles of the Army of Northern Virginia, and Longstreet's excursion to the West for Chickamauga and Knoxville. He does tend to inflate (or maybe not!) Confederate successes. There are times where later scholarship revised his account. Nonetheless, it is a required read for a serious student of the American Civil War. ( )
  RobertP | Mar 21, 2011 |
This is certainly the best study of the Army of Northern Virginia from the viewpoint of a participant. Unlike others, Alexander doesn't hesitate to criticize; nor does he waste time trying to defend himself. I've always especially appreciated his critique of the use (or misuse) of Confederate artillery at Gettysburg. And he was of course in command of this arm during Pickett's Charge. Readers may also be interested in Fighting for the Confederacy, essentially, an unedited -- or minimally edited -- version of Alexander's original manuscript. (I'll add, as a personal aside, one of my favorite ebay finds as a collector of manuscripts and postal history was an internal signature of Alexander's on an envelope to his wife. Unrecognized by the dealer or others during the 7-day auction, I got it for .99!!!!!!!!!!!)
  platodurham | Aug 2, 2008 |
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And, indeed, if a general may ever be justified in enumerating his poultry while the process of incubation is incomplete, this might be an occasion.
Everybody, from the smallest drummer boy up, seemed to be shouting to the full of his capacity.
There was a pause for some moments, and then, calmly, the last words, "Let us pass over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees."
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First published in 1907, Military Memoirs of a Confederate is regarded by many historians as one of the most important and dispassionate first-hand general accounts of the American Civil War. Unlike some other Confederate memoirists, General Edward Porter Alexander had no use for bitter "Lost Cause" theories to explain the South's defeat. Alexander was willing to objectively evaluate and criticize prominent Confederate officers, including Robert E. Lee. The result is a clear-eyed assessment of the long, bloody conflict that forged a nation. The memoir opens with Alexander, recently graduated from West Point, heading to Utah to tamp down the hostile actions of Mormons who had refused to receive a territorial governor appointed by President Buchanan. A few years later, Alexander finds himself on the opposite side of a much larger rebellion--this time aligned with Confederates bent on secession from the Union. In the years that follow, he is involved in most of the major battles of the East, including Manassas, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga. Alexander describes each battle and battlefield in sharp detail. Few wartime narratives offer the insight and objectivity of Alexander's Military Memoirs of a Confederate . Civil war buffs and students of American history have much to learn from this superb personal narrative. Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

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