From Union Stars to Top Hat, A Biography of the Extraordinary General James Harrison Wilson (review)

book reviews359 among Catholics. Brownson came from fundamentalist Protestant stock, yet Gilhooley shows neither how his religious past influenced either his thought or his conversion to Catholicism. Some more careful study into Brownson's life might provide more understanding of his conservatism , explain why he actually converted, and demonstrate how the church helped to mold his views of the American "idea." Similarly, the needs of a society in flux over the rampant ideology of individualistic democracy was evident in such work as Hawthorne's Marble Faun and even Emerson's Essays. Who would study their views without studying the times and the personal biographies of those important figures? Professor Gilhooley has written a timely book. He has made Brownson more important to American political thought than earlier studies of that mercurial man. But his neglect of the nineteenth century's influence on other thinkers dulls rather than sharpens his study. Brownson 's views did not develop in a vacuum, nor is his changing thought understandable purely through an explication of his reviews and articles in magazines. Jon L. Wakelyn Catholic University From Union Stars to Top Hat, A Biography of the Extraordinary General James Harrison Wilson. By Edward G. Longacre. (Harrisburg: The Stackpole Company, 1972. Pp. 321. $10.00. ) James Harrison Wilson was one of the two most prominent "boy generals " of the Union. Only Custer has outshone him, at least in publicity. While Wilson's name was prominent in the days of the Civil War when he was establishing an outstanding reputation as a cavalry leader, he has fallen far behind the "hero" of the Little Big Horn in the historical hit parade. Wilson has long deserved a biography. Now we are supplied with a competent recounting of a remarkable life although the author is quite brief on his pre-war development. Bom in 1837 and a West Pointer at the right time, Wilson moved into the Civil War army with gusto and energy. Wilson served on perhaps as wide a range of fronts as any leading officer. In 1861-62 he was at Port Royal and Fort Pulaski and then at South Mountain and Antietam. Moving west, he served on Grant's staff and was in the Vicksburg Campaign , mainly as an engineer. Going from staff to field command, he was at Missionary Ridge and Knoxville before becoming Chief of the Cavalry Bureau in early 1864. Next he served under Grant and Sheridan in the Virginia Campaign of 1864 and in the Shenandoah. Grant sent him west as Chief of Cavalry in late 1864 and he fought at Franklin and Nashville. His best known independent command was his operation against Forrest as the war neared an end, resulting in the capture of Selma, Alabama, and other deep South cities. The author does recognize that, spectacular though the Selma raid was, it had little "material strategic" influence. 360CIVIL WAR HISTORY Longacre states that by war's end Wilson, at 27, was the country's most successful cavalry commander. Some may dispute that. Wilson lived until 1925 and had a long career in business before returning to the army to serve in the Spanish-American War and the Boxer Rebellion. A major attribute of this book is that it is no biased paean of unadulterated praise for Wilson. Longacre wisely recognizes him as a "gloryhunter ," egotistical, "blatantly ambitious, dedicated to succeeding at almost any cost." The author feels Wilson possessed considerable tactical and strategic ability, and that undoubtedly is correct. He concludes that Wilson overcame great handicaps of personality, with his life illustrating how a man with these flaws, "can significantly influence the political and social life of his era." Writing in a readable and lucid style, the author recites the story of this fascinating man in an engaging way. It is unfortunate that the summary -type footnotes at the end of the volume are inadequate for sufficient documentation. Manuscript sources used concentrate largely on Wilson and a few of those around him, and the book would benefit from a wider range of original sources. Good use is made of the Wilson Papers at the Library of Congress and the Delaware Historical Society. It is possible, though, that the author...