The Long Arm of Lee - by Jennings Cropper Wise (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Originally published in 1915, when Jennings Cropper Wise was commandant of the Virginia Military Institute, The Long Arm of Lee has never been surpassed as an authoritative study of the Confederate artillery in the Civil War. Volume 1 described the organization and tactics of the field batteries of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia from the time of the Battle of Bull Run through the Maryland invasion. Volume 2, beginning with an account of the Chancellorsville campaign, includes a close look at the Battle of Gettysburg, in which tactical errors made by the Confederate side are reassessed. There was heroism aplenty, not only from generals like J.E.B. Stuart and Stonewall Jackson but also from ordinary artillerymen who fought doggedly and resignedly until the end.

From the Back Cover

Originally published in 1915, when Jennings Cropper Wise was commandant of the Virginia Military Institute, The Long Arm of Lee has never been surpassed as an authoritative study of the Confederate artillery in the Civil War. Volume 1 described the organization and tactics of the field batteries of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia from the time of the Battle of Bull Run through the Maryland invasion. Volume 2, beginning with an account of the Chancellorsville campaign, includes a close look at the Battle of Gettysburg, in which tactical errors made by the Confederate side are reassessed.

Review Quotes

"A most informative study. . . [that] contains many photographs not to be found elsewhere."--Douglas Southall Freeman, The South to Posterity: An Introduction to the Writing of Confederate History

"A requisite for all general students of the Civil War. . . . [Lee's artillerymen] and their war deeds might be forgotten were it not for this wonderful account."--Civil War History

"An exhaustive, valuable study, often consulted and widely quoted."--James I. Robertson, Jr., Civil War Books: A Critical Bibliography

"This basic book of Civil War history is an indispensable addition to the personal collection of the student of that war."--Military Affairs