Make Me a Map of the Valley: The Civil War Journal of Stonewall Jackson's Topographer, and: The Confederate Soldier (review)

184civil war history Make Me a Map of the Valley: The Civil War Journal of Stonewall Jacksons Topographer. Edited by Archie P. McDonald. (Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1973. Pp. xxxvii, 352. $12.50. ) The Confederate Soldier. By LeGrand J. Wilson. Edited by James W. Silver. (Memphis: Memphis State University Press, 1973. Pp. 213. $7.00. Reprint of 1902 edition.) Few civilians were more intimately involved in the daily workings of major Confederate commands than Jedediah Hotchkiss, the topographical engineer of "Stonewall" Jackson, Ewell, Early, and Lomax. R. E. Lee himself frequently utilized Hotchkiss' cartographic abilities. His responsible position at these major headquarters afforded knowledge of operations, insight into planning, and acquaintance with prominent officers. Such information he recorded in a diary, March 10, 1862-April 18, 1865. Almost daily entries recount his activities and those of his units and generals. Passages for early 1862, moreover, include his postwar commentary. Some entries are cursory; others are cryptic; but most are rich in the detail and substance one hopes to find in diaries written at high headquarters. The diary in manuscript is available in the Library of Congress and has been used by such scholars as Freeman and Vandiver. A small portion (August, 1864-May, 1865), moreover, was printed in the Official Records. But now the whole journal has been published to provide the greater circulation it deserves. To the text, Dr. McDonald adds an informative sketch of Hotchkiss' life, 1828-99. The editor also supplements the 265 pages of diary with 53 pages of footnotes. Such extensive annotation is praiseworthy, yet one regrets the several score factual errors the footnotes contain. The text, too, has occasional mistakes of typography and rendition. On balance, however, one must commend McDonald for bringing out this important source—and for publishing it unabridged. It is indispensable to most future studies of the war in the East. Far different is The Confederate Soldier by LeGrand Wilson, a company and medical officer in the 1st and 42nd Mississippi Infantry Regiments , 1861-65. He summarized his military experiences in a slender volume published in 1902. Now Dr. Silver has reissued the book, along with pictures and brief annotation. Wilson outlined his wartime service and sought also to generalize attitudes and experiences of Confederate soldiers (hence, the book's title). He, unfortunately, fell short on both counts. Failing memory and superficial narrative reduced the potential value of his reminiscences, though useful facts or anecdotes may occasionally still be gleaned. His generalizations on Southern soldiers are even more dubious. He obviously lacked data to summarize beyond his acquaintances in two regiments. But, then, he was not trying to describe real Confederate soldiers but, rather, idealized constructs conjured up in the old veteran's imagination : brave, chivalrous, undaunted, book reviews185 undefeated. As such, his book is less a contribution to knowledge of the war than a representative of postwar "Lost Cause" literature. Silver notes some resultant mistakes but disclaims intent "to follow up all the ramifications" of the book. More critical exploration and assessment of these "ramifications" would have enhanced the historical value of this marginal volume. The relatively few footnotes provided are adequate but not outstanding. The editor's principal contribution is to include frequent excerpts from the wartime diary of Wilson's friend, Major Robert Locke of the 42nd Mississippi. In comparing the two sources, one is tempted to state that Silver would have done better to simply annotate and publish Locke's diary and not bother reprinting Wilson's memoirs. Richard J. Sommers U. S. Army Military History Research Collection Par Cleburne, Confederate General: A Definitive Biography. By Howell and Elizabeth Purdue. (Hillsboro, Tex.: Hill Jr. College Press, 1973, Pp. xvi, 498. $10.50.) It is easy to imagine that the Purdues' Cleburne might be cooly received outside the pale of voracious and uncritical buffs of the Civil War. It is after all another biography of a minor military figure, and its authors are confessed and unabashed amateurs. In this instance, however , a hasty verdict would be unfortunate. In the first place, Patrick Ronayne Cleburne deserves to be remembered . While his pre-war career can scarcely be called outstanding, it was interesting and is instructive. As an...