Average customer rating:
- Weak Writing, Strong Research
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Confederate General R.S. Ewell: Robert E. Lee's Hesitant Commander
Paul D. Casdorph
Manufacturer: University Press of Kentucky
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Lee, Robert E.
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ASIN: 0813123054 |
Book Description
Richard Stoddert Ewell is best known as the Confederate General selected by Robert E. Lee to replace "Stonewall" Jackson as chief of the Second Corps in the Army of Northern Virginia. Ewell is also remembered as the general who failed to drive Federal troops from the high ground of Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill during the Battle of Gettysburg. Many historians believe that Ewell's inaction cost the Confederates a victory in this seminal battle and, ultimately, cost the Civil War.
During his long military career, Ewell was never an aggressive warrior. He graduated from West Point and served in the Indian wars in Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, and Arizona. In 1861 he resigned his commission in the U.S. Army and rushed to the Confederate standard. Ewell saw action at First Manassas and took up divisional command under Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign and in the Seven Days' Battles around Richmond.
A crippling wound and a leg amputation soon compounded the persistent manic-depressive disorder that had hindered his ability to make difficult decisions on the battlefield. When Lee reorganized the Army of Northern Virginia in May of 1863, Ewell was promoted to lieutenant general. At the same time he married a widowed first cousin who came to dominate his life—often to the disgust of his subordinate officers—and he became heavily influenced by the wave of religious fervor that was then sweeping through the Confederate Army.
In Confederate General R.S. Ewell, Paul D. Casdorph offers a fresh portrait of a major—but deeply flawed—figure in the Confederate war effort, examining the pattern of hesitancy and indecisiveness that characterized Ewell's entire military career. This definitive biography probes the crucial question of why Lee selected such an obviously inconsistent and unreliable commander to lead one-third of his army on the eve of the Gettysburg Campaign.
Casdorph's describes Ewell's intriguing life and career with penetrating insights into his loyalty to the Confederate cause and the Virginia ties that kept him in Lee's favor for much of the war. Complete with riveting descriptions of key battles, Ewell's biography is essential reading for Civil War historians.
Customer Reviews:
Weak Writing, Strong Research.......2005-04-20
The amount of time and research that went into this book is hard to fathom as archives from many parts of the South have been scoured for material. Paul Casdorph would in fact be the perfect choice to teach graduate research seminars because he is so adept in this area. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the best researchers are not always the best writers. There is much information and insight into the life of General Richard Ewell to be found in this book but sometimes it is very hard to extract.
The author's thesis is that General Ewell just didn't have the personality to be an aggressive field commander and that may well have been the case but this often contradictory book falls far short of proving that point. The cases where Ewell was aggressive are hardly noted although they did exist and actually Ewell was sometimes more apt to attack than Stonewall Jackson. It is a comparison with Jackson that in fact makes up most of the author's argument. Again however incidents that contradict the author's theory are just brushed aside. For example, Jackson's extreme lethargy during the Seven Days battles is hardly dealt with at all.
Ewell's poor performance at Gettysburg seems to be the cornerstone of Casdorph's argument but alas it is also the weakest part of his argument. The reader is hit constantly with what Jackson might have done at Gettysburg, which is something we will never know. He might well have leaned up against a tree and took another nap. The author also brings up the old canard about Longstreet's late attack on July 2nd. I would be willing to bet that the author couldn't take a comparable number of men and make it from where Longstreet's men were at 11:00 PM on July 1st to where the attack is supposed to have come from in less than seven hours either. It would be especially unlikely with a guide that ended up costing Longstreet several hours.
Another problem rests with the writing style the author employs. There were places in this book that left me feeling as if I was trudging through knee deep mud. The writing does improve as the book goes along but there are places that are just mercilessly dull. He also misspells General Cleburne's name, which is a mistake that one shouldn't find in this type of scholarly work.
Still, Casdorph does make one very clear and astute point. Robert E. Lee had a blind spot for Virginia and Virginians and that seems to be the only real reason Ewell ever rose to corps command. Although there is no clear argument made in this text as to who might have been a better choice.
Overall the writing and thesis of this book are weak at best but there is still a lot of information to be found here. The author has presented several important facts and one can learn quite a bit about General Ewell and the Army of Northern Virginia in this book. If Mr. Casdorph was willing to do all of this research the least the reader can do is pick through the dull areas in order to access the information.
Average customer rating:
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Confederate General R. S. Ewell--Robert E. Lee's Hesitant Commander.(Book Review): An article from: Armor
Dale Murray
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
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ASIN: B000BKSPD8
Release Date: 2005-09-27 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Armor, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 773 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Confederate General R. S. Ewell--Robert E. Lee's Hesitant Commander.(Book Review)
Author: Dale Murray
Publication:
Armor (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 114
Issue: 5
Page: 51(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Parameters, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2005. The length of the article is 1078 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Confederate General R. S. Ewell: Robert E. Lee's Hesitant Commander.(book by Paul D. Casdorph)(Book Review)
Author: Ethan S. Rafuse
Publication:
Parameters (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 35
Issue: 2
Page: 160(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2005. The length of the article is 671 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Confederate General R. S. Ewell: Robert E. Lee's Hesitant Commander.(Book Review)
Author: Peter S. Carmichael
Publication:
Journal of Southern History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 71
Issue: 4
Page: 901(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
Seymour Hersh has been a legendary investigative reporter since 1969 when he broke the My Lai story in Vietnam. His considerable skill and well-placed sources inside the government, intelligence community, military, and the diplomatic corps have allowed him access to a wide range of information unavailable to most reporters. Chain of Command is packed with specific details and thoughtful analysis of events since the attacks of September 11, 2001, including intelligence failures prior to 9/11; postwar planning regarding Afghanistan and Iraq; the corruption of the Saudi family; Pakistan's nuclear program, which spread nuclear technology via the black market (and admitted as such); influence peddling at the highest levels; and the torture scandal at Abu Ghraib prison, among other topics. The book collects and elaborates on stories Hersh wrote for The New Yorker, and includes an introduction by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, on Hersh's background and his sources.
Part of Hersh's skill lies in uncovering official reports that have been buried because government or military leaders find them too revealing or embarrassing. Chain of Command is filled with such stories, particularly regarding the manner in which sensitive intelligence was gathered and disseminated within the Bush administration. Hersh details how serious decisions were made in secret by a small handful of people, often based on selective information. Part of the problem was, and remains, a lack of human intelligence in critical parts of the Middle East, but it also has much to do with the considerable infighting within the administration by those trying to make intelligence fit preconceived conclusions. A prime example of this is the story about the files that surfaced allegedly detailing how Iraq had purchased uranium from Niger in order to build nuclear weapons. Though the files were soon proven to be forgeries, the Bush administration still used them as evidence against Saddam Hussein and therefore part of the reason for invading Iraq. In these pages, Hersh offers readers a clearer understanding of what has happened since September 11, and what we might expect in the future. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
Since September 11, 2001, Seymour M. Hersh has riveted readers -- and outraged the Bush Administration -- with his stories in
The New Yorker, including his breakthrough pieces on the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Now, in
Chain of Command, he brings together this reporting, along with new revelations, to answer the critical question of the last three years: how did America get from the clear morning when hijackers crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to a divisive and dirty war in Iraq?
Hersh established himself at the forefront of investigative journalism thirty-five years ago when he broke the news of the massacre at My Lai, Vietnam, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. Ever since, he's challenged America's power elite by publishing the stories that others can't, or won't, tell. In exposés on subjects ranging from Saudi corruption to nuclear black marketeers and -- months ahead of other journalists -- the White House's false claims about weapons of mass destruction, Hersh has cemented his reputation as the indispensable reporter of our time.
In
Chain of Command, Hersh takes an unflinching look behind the public story of President Bush's "war on terror" and into the lies and obsessions that led America into Iraq. He reveals the connections between early missteps in the hunt for Al Qaeda and disasters on the ground in Iraq. The book includes a new account of Hersh's pursuit of the Abu Ghraib story and of where, he believes, responsibility for the scandal ultimately lies. Hersh draws on sources at the highest levels of the American government and intelligence community, in foreign capitals, and on the battlefield for an unparalleled view of a crucial chapter in America's recent history. With an introduction by
The New Yorker's editor, David Remnick,
Chain of Command is a devastating portrait of an Administration blinded by ideology and of a President whose decisions have made the world a more dangerous place for America.
Download Description
"
Since September 11, 2001, Seymour M. Hersh has riveted readers -- and outraged the Bush Administration -- with his stories in
The New Yorker, including his breakthrough pieces on the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Now, in
Chain of Command, he brings together this reporting, along with new revelations, to answer the critical question of the last three years: how did America get from the clear morning when hijackers crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to a divisive and dirty war in Iraq?
Hersh established himself at the forefront of investigative journalism thirty-five years ago when he broke the news of the massacre at My Lai, Vietnam, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. Ever since, he's challenged America's power elite by publishing the stories that others can't, or won't, tell. In exposés on subjects ranging from Saudi corruption to nuclear black marketeers and -- months ahead of other journalists -- the White House's false claims about weapons of mass destruction, Hersh has cemented his reputation as the indispensable reporter of our time.
In
Chain of Command, Hersh takes an unflinching look behind the public story of President Bush's ""war on terror"" and into the lies and obsessions that led America into Iraq. He reveals the connections between early missteps in the hunt for Al Qaeda and disasters on the ground in Iraq. The book includes a new account of Hersh's pursuit of the Abu Ghraib story and of where, he believes, responsibility for the scandal ultimately lies. Hersh draws on sources at the highest levels of the American government and intelligence community, in foreign capitals, and on the battlefield for an unparalleled view of a crucial chapter in America's recent history. With an introduction by
The New Yorker's editor, David Remnick,
Chain of Command is a devastating portrait of an Administration blinded by ideology and of a President whose decisions have made the world a more dangerous place for America.
"
Customer Reviews:
Exposing a war built on lies and the failures of US foreign policy.......2007-07-13
Seymour Hersh demonstrates that even 30 years after the establishment of his reputation as a skilled investigative journalist, there is plenty of fire left inside him when it comes to revealing the corruption within government, including the executive branch. Chain of Command depicts the sad state of affairs that America has been pushed into since 9/11 by the Bush administration, and how a small group of individuals were basically able to hijack US foreign policy, mismanage two wars along with the Global War on Terrorism, and commit human rights blunders while minimizing public responsibility for their actions.
The ever-present theme to Chain of Command is that major problems, ranging from Abu Graib to poor intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq, were ignored by top leadership officials in an effort to either conceal unwanted truths or to plot a set course using a hypothesis and selectively use facts to confirm it (rather than taking the more logical approach of gathering the appropriate information and making an educated decision based on those findings).
Hersh covers a lot of ground, and the reader will certainly walk away with a much clearer understanding of how we got to where we are today. Highly recommended.
Peerless Hersh .......2007-01-28
Yes, its true that this book is "out of date" to a great extent. What is amazing is how much is discussed in the book and yet so little has reach the "main stream media." I consider myself a pretty "aware" person, but I was shocked to read the depths of depravity at Abu Ghraib. Hersh's reporting on the foundations of this war were also illuminating: I had an inkling of different parts, but in Chain of Command, it is all put together in a much clearer picture.
For those hestitating as to whether to pick this book up because of its age, my recommendation is: don't wait. I read this before reading Fiasco and found the two worked well together to give me a sense of the war from its inception (and "pre-inception") to early 2006. Of course, so much has happened in the last year, that even more recent books like Fiasco or State of Denial cover increasingly shrinking time periods of this war-without-end.
Great book - Now (10/19/2006) Out of Date.......2006-10-20
That's the problem with these "up to the moment" books: they quickly get out of date. This was a book that has been on my list for a while. The book was excellent, but now--2 years later--we know so much more about this foul war and the fould things that have come from this war.
I recommend this book--for what that's worth--with one caveat: know that it's now 2+ years post publication. If you're a news-hound, you already know everything within its pages.
The JUICE is IN the WHITE HOUSE!.......2006-06-21
Now let me see.....
1) Violent unthinking murderous rage! ....accompanied by
2) Non-sequitorious banal justifications and Lies ....in the context of
3) A nobbled and ineffectual judicial process
.....now where have I seen THAT before??
Hersh is a REAL journalist.......2006-03-21
This book should be required reading for every American. Hersh lays out the incompetency of this administration for all to see. Only those who have drank the Kool-Aid would argue that the Bush administration should not be thrown out of office before it's too late.
Book Description
Since September 11, 2001, Seymour M. Hersh has riveted readers -- and outraged the Bush Administration -- with his stories in
The New Yorker magazine, including his breakthrough pieces on the Abu Gharaib prison scandal. Now, in
Chain of Command, he brings together this reporting, along with new revelations, to answer the critical question of the last three years: how did America get from the clear morning when hijacked airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to a divisive and dirty war in Iraq?
Hersh established himself at the forefront of investigative journalism thirty-five years ago when he broke the news of the massacre in My Lai, Vietnam, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. Ever since, he's challenged America's power elite by publishing the stories that others can't or won't tell.
In
Chain of Command, Hersh takes an unflinching look behind the public story of President Bush's "war on terror" and into the lies and obsessions that led America into Iraq. With an introduction by
The New Yorker's editor, David Remnick,
Chain of Command is a devastating portrait of an Administration blinded by ideology and of a President whose decisions have made the world a more dangerous place for America.
Read by Peter Friedman
Average customer rating:
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Obediencia Debida/chain of Command: Del 11-s a Las Torturas De Abu Ghraib/the Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib
Seymour M. Hersh
Manufacturer: Aguilar S.A. de Ediciones-Grupo Santillana
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 9707700548 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Middle East Policy, published by Middle East Policy Council on December 22, 2004. The length of the article is 2486 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib.(Book Review)
Author: Michael Rubner
Publication:
Middle East Policy (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 2004
Publisher: Middle East Policy Council
Volume: 11
Issue: 4
Page: 129(5)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Naval War College Review, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2006. The length of the article is 733 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Hersh, Seymour. Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib.(Book Review)
Author: Ron Ratlcliff
Publication:
Naval War College Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 59
Issue: 1
Page: 152(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
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Bird Life at Chincoteague and the Virginia Barrier Islands
Brooke Meanley
Manufacturer: Tidewater Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0870332570 |
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