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Overview
In this masterpiece of research, a splendid supplement to Ezra J. Warner's Generals in Gray, Bruce S. Allardice brings to light a neglected class of officers: the Confederacy's "other" generals—men who attained their rank outside the usual avenue of appointment by President Jefferson Davis and who had been virtually forgotten as a consequence. Explaining that the process of becoming a general was fraught with politics, lobbying, intrigue, accident, mismanagement, and chance, Allardice identifies six main categories of legitimate claimants to the rank of Confederate General—two more than historians have traditionally recognized. He presents a substantial biographical sketch of 137 generals not found in Warner's original and a short bibliography of each. For the vast majority, his is the first treatment ever published.About the Author:
Bruce S. Allardice is the author of Jeff Davis's Colonels and the coauthor of Texas Burial Sites of Civil War Notables. He has published articles in Civil War History, Civil War Times Illustrated, and North & South, and he teaches history at South Suburban College near Chicago.
This masterful study brings to light a class of officers never before covered in any book: the Confederacy's "other" generals. For each of the 137 generals profiled--including Raphael Semmes, Francis Bartow, Henry Kyd Douglas, and Tom Munford--Allardice presents a substantial biographical sketch and a short bibliography. 108 halftone photos.
Synopsis
In this masterpiece of research, a splendid supplement to Ezra J. Warner's Generals in Gray, Bruce S. Allardice brings to light a neglected class of officers: the Confederacy's "other" generals men who attained their rank outside the usual avenue of appointment by President Jefferson Davis and who had been virtually forgotten as a consequence. Explaining that the process of becoming a general was fraught with politics, lobbying, intrigue, accident, mismanagement, and chance, Allardice identifies six main categories of legitimate claimants to the rank of Confederate General two more than historians have traditionally recognized. He presents a substantial biographical sketch of 137 generals not found in Warner's original and a short bibliography of each. For the vast majority, his is the first treatment ever published.
About the Author:
Bruce S. Allardice is the author of Jeff Davis's Colonels and the coauthor of Texas Burial Sites of Civil War Notables. He has published articles in Civil War History, Civil War Times Illustrated, and North & South, and he teaches history at South Suburban College near Chicago.
Library Journal
Ezra J. Warner's Generals in Gray (1959), a landmark of Civil War scholarship, identified 425 men whose service as Confederate generals could be firmly documented. Applying Warner's rigorous criteria for qualification to the data generated by his own exhaustive research, Allardice, the secretary of the prestigious Chicago Civil War Roundtable, has concluded that another 137 soldiers should be recognized as Confederate generals. His work provides a detailed, well-documented biographical sketch for each officer, including a photograph, if available. An accompanying appendix lists another 132 candidates whose claims to general rank may yet be substantiated. This instant classic is a worthy companion to Warner's seminal work. It should be acquired by all libraries with an interest in Civil War history or Southern genealogy.-Lawrence E. Ellis, Newberry Coll., S.C.