The Stonewall Brigade, and: Gaines' Mill to Appomattox: Waco & McLennan County in Hood's Texas Brigade (review)

BOOK REVIEWS105 The Stonewall Brigade. By James I. Robertson, Jr. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963. Pp. xiii, 271. $6.00.) Gaines' Mill to Appomattox: Waco b- McLennan County in Hood's Texas Brigade. By Harold B. Simpson. (Waco: Texian Press, 1963. Pp. xii, 294. $7.50. ) In the years immediately following the Civil War a number of unit histories, written largely by the participants themselves, emerged. While these works had a certain charm and freshness, they represented in most instances simply the reminiscences of one or more individuak written without any overview of the whole conflict. Even with the outpouring of twentieth century literature on the war there have been few satisfactory modem studies of the military units whose names became legendary. Therefore, the present works relating to two of the most famous Confederate brigades are particularly welcome. They represent a genuine contribution to an understanding of the military phase of the war. James I. Robertson, executive director of the U.S. Civil War Centennial Commission, has presented a model of conciseness, thoroughness, and judiciousness in tracing the history of the Stonewall Brigade. Originally designated as Virginia's First Brigade, the unit and its initial commander, Thomas J. Jackson, received their nicknames at First Manassas, where they "stood like a stone wall." From Manassas dirough Spotsylvania the Stonewall Brigade was in the thick of the most savage fighting. Of die eight men who commanded the unit only three—Andrew Grigsby, "Stonewall Jim" Walker, and William Terry—survived die war. So heavy were the losses at Spotsylvania that die brigade was consolidated with remnants of three other brigades and served the last year of the war in relative obscurity. Although the men of the Stonewall Brigade were renowned for their aggressiveness, courage, and audacity, they were not without fault, and, as Dr. Robertson so skillfully points out, could grumble, sulk, despair, and become just plain bored like all soldiers. They were especially suspicious of new commanders, but once convinced that a general "was bold in battle" the men of the Stonewall Brigade would give their complete allegiance and support. Air Force Colonel Harold B. Simpson has directed his study to Company E of the 4th Texas Infantry. Organized in July, 1861, the company was recruited in and around Waco and as a part of Hood's Texas Brigade its members gained a reputation as aggressive fighters and were used by General Lee in the most crucial moments of combat. And like the Stonewall Brigade, its losses were heavy; Company E sustained over 60 per cent casualties in the war and was commanded by a sergeant when surrender came at Appomattox. Both works are well-written and competently organized, although Colonel Simpson's attempt to bring in the story of domestic affairs in McLennan County during the conflict, while laudable in itself, detracts from his central theme. Both books are carefully researched but not without some curious omissions; for example, Dr. Robertson cites several biographies of Stonewall Jackson but fails to list Lenoir Chambers' excellent volumes. Colonel Simpson, 106C I VIL WA R HI S TO R Y who makes thorough use of several hitherto untapped manuscript sources for military accounts, especially the diary of Sergeant Oscar J. Downs, relies too heavily upon weak secondary materiak for his early chapters and faik to exploit John P. Dyer's Galhnt Hood, still one of the finest studies of the gaunt Texan. And unfortunately there are several spelling errors and index omissions which detract from Simpson's spirited narrative. On the whole, however, The Stonewall Brigade and Gaines' Mill to Appomattox are sound works and may open the door to further investigation of important units that served in the Civil War. Ralph A. Wooster Lamar State College of Technology General Leónidas Polk, C.S.A.: The Fighting Bishop. By Joseph H. Parks. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1962. Pp. x, 408. $7.50.) Judged by antebellum standards, Leónidas Polk was a remarkably versatile man—planter, bishop, and general. He practiced all of the most honored Southern professions except law and politics. Almost immediately after graduation from West Point in 1827 he resigned his commission to prepare for the Epkcopal...