Lee's Cavalrymen

by Longacre, Edward G.

• ISBN13: 9780806142302
• ISBN10: 0806142308
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-02-20
• Publisher: Univ of Oklahoma Pr

Summary

Since the first histories of the Civil War appeared after Appomattox, the cavalry has received intermittent, uneven, and even romanticized coverage. Historian Edward G. Longacre has corrected this oversight. Lee's Cavalrymen, not only details the organizational and operational history of the mounted arm of the Army of Northern Virginia but also examines the personal experiences of officers and men. Longacre chronicles the salient characteristics of the regiments, brigades, and divisions, and explores the evolution of cavalry leadership, with emphasis on the personalities, interpersonal relationships, and operational styles of J. E. B. Stuart, Wade Hampton, Fitzhugh Lee, and other influential commanders. He has consulted dozens of collections of letters, diaries, and memoirs by cavalrymen of all ranks, and his careful study of North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia newspapers unearthed rare cavalry-specific dispatches. Longacre also makes extensive use of an unpublished memoir of Gen. Wade Hampton, Stuart's second-in-command. A provocative analysis of the mounted army's organization, leadership, and tactics, Lee's Cavalrymenis a study that no Civil War enthusiast will want to miss.

Author Biography

Edward G. Longacre is the author of numerous articles and twenty-four books on the Civil War, including Lincolns Cavalrymen: A History of the Mounted Forces of the Army of the Potomac, The Cavalry at Gettysburg, winner of the Eletcher Pratt Award for best nonfiction book on the Civil War, and Gentleman and Soldier: A Biography of Wade Hampton III, winner of the Douglas Southall Freeman History Award.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Oklahoma Edition	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
ôLook Out for the Damned Virginia Horsemen!"	p. 1
Stirring Events	p. 15
If You Want to Smell Hell	p. 25
An Uneven Fight	p. 37
Holding the Alexandria Line	p. 51
Descent to the Peninsula	p. 63
A Feather of the Tallest Sort	p. 77
Everywhere Victorious	p. 95
Making the Yankees Pay	p. 109
The Confederate Rubicon Crossed	p. 125
Romance and Real Life	p. 139
Unquiet on the Rappahannock	p. 151
Wilderness Outing	p. 167
From the Heights to the Valley	p. 185
Sabers Dazzling in the Sun	p. 203
"Carry Me Back to Old Va.'s Shore"	p. 223
Hairbreadth Escape	p. 237
Up the Hill and Then Down Again	p. 253
The Ball Begins	p. 269
"Do Your Duty as I've Done Mine"	p. 283
Under New Management	p. 299
No Surrender	p. 319
Afterword	p. 335
Notes	p. 339
Bibliography	p. 393
Index	p. 445
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.