One of Lee's Best Men - 2nd Edition by William W Hassler (Paperback)

About the Book

One of Lee's Best Men: The Civil War Letters of General William Dorsey Pender

Book Synopsis

On the day that Lincoln was inaugurated in 1861, twenty-seven-year-old William Dorsey Pender, en route to the provisional Confederate capital in Montgomery, Alabama, hurriedly scribbled a note to his wife, Fanny. So began a prolific correspondence between a rising Confederate officer and his cherished wife that would last until Pender was mortally wounded at Gettysburg.

First published by UNC Press in 1965, Pender's letters are filled with personal details, colorful descriptions, and candid opinions of such important figures as Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, J. E. B. Stuart, and A. P. Hill. His comments on his military activities and aspirations and the challenges of command, combined with his husbandly advice and affection, sketch an intimate and unvarnished portrait of the man who was perhaps the most distinguished North Carolina commander.

Review Quotes

A distinguished volume.

"Historian"

ÝHassler¨ is in all ways to be commended for introducing to the public this valuable sequence of letters.

"Virginia Magazine of History and Biography"

Well written and disarmingly candid, they provide a valuable insight into the mind of a wartime commander.

"Choice"

"Well written and disarmingly candid, they provide a valuable insight into the mind of a wartime commander.

"Choice""

[Hassler] is in all ways to be commended for introducing to the public this valuable sequence of letters.

"Virginia Magazine of History and Biography"

A valuable contribution to the history of the period.

"North Carolina Historical Review"

This book is an indispensable addition to the Civil War bookshelf.

"North Carolina Historical Review"

About the Author

The late William W. Hassler was president of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and author of biographies of A. P. Hill and John Pelham.