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| Major
General Lafayette McLaws |
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| Major
General Lafayette McLaws (1821-1897) served under and alongside
such famous officers as Robert E. Lee, Joseph E. Johnston, James
Longstreet, and John B. Hood during his service in the Confederate
army. He played a significant role in some of the most crucial
battles of the Civil War, including Harpers Ferry, Antietam,
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. A prolific
letter writer, McLaws left behind a wealth of handwritten material
documenting his experiences before, during, and after the War.
Despite all this, no biography of McLaws or history of his division
has ever been published. In effect, the public has all but forgotten
one of the first major generals appointed in the Army of Northern
Virginia. |
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| A
Soldier's General: The Civil War Letters of Major General Lafayette
McLaws gathers ninety-five letters written by McLaws
to his wife and other family members between 1858 and 1865,
making these rich sources available to a wide audience for the
first time. The letters, transcribed from McLaws's notoriously
poor handwriting, contain a wealth of opinion and information
about life and morale in the Confederate army, Civil War-era
politics, the impact of war on the Confederate home front, the
Southern press, and a man's efforts to advise and remain connected
with his wife and children while engaged in a distant conflict.
Among the fascinating threads woven through the letters is the
story of McLaws's fractured relationship with childhood friend
Longstreet, who had McLaws relieved of command in 1863. (McLaws
ultimately demanded a court-martial to restore his honor.) |
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An
extensive introduction traces McLaws's life from his beginnings
in Augusta, Georgia, through his days at West Point, his experiences
in the U.S. Army and the War with Mexico, his marriage to
Emily Taylor (a niece of former president Zachary Taylor),
his Civil War exploits, and his postwar years.
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"In
the final analysis, the men who served under Lafayette
McLaws began to shape how history would view their
commander. His engraved tombstone in Savannah's
Laurel Grove Cemetery reads, 'He knew when to
lead us in, and he always brought us out.' His
troops knew him for what he was — a soldier's
general." (1)
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| (1)
ASG, 3. |
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