Jefferson Davis's Generals

by Gabor S. Boritt (Editor)

Overview

Provocative new essays on Confederate leadership and strategy are presented by eight leading Civil War historians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195120622
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/29/1999
Series:	Gettysburg Civil War Institute Books Series
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	1420L (what's this?)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Gabor S. Boritt is Director of the Civil War Institute and Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies at Gettysburg College. This is his seventh volume in the Gettysburg Civil War Institute Books series, published by Oxford University Press.

Editorial Reviews

Confederate President Davis either didn't get along with his generals or got along with them perhaps too well....There's enough provoking controversy in these pages to fuel an entire winter's debate.
— The State, Columbia, S.C.

William W. Starr

Jefferson Davis's Generals is a lively collection of essays by various historians that call into question the popular views on several key Confederate generals... paying close attention to the part each general's relationships with Confederate President Jefferson Davis played in the generals' success or failures.
—Greensboro Journal

David Rolfe

Jefferson Davis's Generals, a collection of essays from eight renowned Civil War historians that illustrates, primarily, how war affects personal relationships in the military sphere and how these relationships might have affected the outcome of the war. These historians examine the relationship and lives of five important generals, their wives, and their commander in chief, Jefferson Davis.

This collection is intended for the reader wishing to learn more about the interpersonal relationship of Davis and his top ranking military leaders.
— ForeWord Magazine

Kristin Putchinksi

"Jefferson Davis' Generals is indeed welcome. For the first time between two covers seasoned scholars consider carefully Jefferson Davis' relations with critically important generals, with essays on marriages of Davis and generals and image of Davis as commander-in-chief as added attractions. This volume adds measurably to understanding Davis as a war leader. Everyone interested in the Confederate war effort should read this book."—William J. Cooper, Jr., Boyd Professor, Louisiana State University

"The controversy over the generals appointed by Jefferson Davis, their abilities, their relations with him, and their impact on Confederate fortunes, began in 1861 as soon as the first battle was done, and the war of words has continued unabated ever since. In Jefferson Davis' Generals, eight of our most distinguished Civil War historians, under the baton editor Gabor S. Boritt, carry the debate to a new definition, in the process offering trenchant observations on the war, generalship, and the nature of executive leadership. Especially useful, the contributors take into account the political imperatives, so often otherwise ignored—that inevitably drive the army in a civil democracy. Jefferson Davis' Generals will not close the debate, surely, but it will mark one of the high points in a discussion that will likely have no end."—William C. Davis, author of Jefferson Davis: The Man and His Hour

"A worthy addition to Civil War historiography...Recommended for public and academic libraries."—Library Journal

"The book comes together as a very readable text...Boritt's work illuminates a fundamental aspect of the Civil War and presents a perspective that is well worth considering."—Historian

From the Publisher