Stonewall Jackson: Portrait of a Soldier

If you listen to any review, listen to this one. I have read many CW books, and this one is very enjoyable. Good: Easy to read Bad: No Maps The book is about Stonewall as a Soldier and how he relates to people and situations. There isn't a lot of detail over battles. Actually, most battle sections in the book are about 2 pages once the fighting starts. Read this book for an enjoyable read on the mind and heart of Stonewall. But if you want a book that shows Infantry X attacked here, and Infantry Y attacked there then this isn't it. That is a good thing..............

John Bowers has written an eloquent account of Jackson, one of the South's most colorful and enigmatic generals. The author approaches the material with a sensitivity that is often lacking in Civil War literature. He does not attempt to hide behind a facade of objectivity, but rather tells us from the get go that he's a Southerner, with family ties to both sides of the fraternal conflict. I could identify with Bowers reluctance to draw near "that deep hole of obsession from which few Civil War buffs return." I have a grandmother who is supposed to have been from the South. From that point on I became hooked into reading the work with a kind of amused detachment. What emerged for me was a vivid image of the War Between the States "true eccentric"(Shelby Foote). On a more abstract level, I found myself entertaining the notion that there must be some value in eccentricity, as illustrated by the general's military genius. After all, wasn't eccentricity the heart of Romanticism? a popular movement throughout the culture of the South and the Civil War era. The kind of individualism that Jackson champions in his "ideal Rebel" state, seems to have all the ear marks of a great Romantic quest. The archetypal warrior (and we are all warriors on some level as readers) must view the world in terms of vision rather than as a kind of soul less empirical truth. At the risk of being completely misunderstood, I can't help believing there was more at stake in this "eccentricity" than the antiquated racial theories the General and his supporters defended. This book certainly facilitated my thinking about a very important chapter in American history. It is for me a highly commendable biography.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is a biography, but it is by no means boring. I read it as a senior in high school. I was never a bookworm, but I began reading this book and couldn't put it down. I took it with me to every class and read it when I got home. My grades took a plunge, but it was well worth it!

John Bowers' interpatation of the life of Stonewall Jackson is well researched and has a very interesting narative style. The license he takes with his descriptions I found novel and enjoyable, particularly his takes on Stonewall's early life and his time at VMI prior to the war. Coupeling imagination with history Bowers has produced a Shelby Footesque story about one of the most famous American military men. I highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys the stories of the Civil War.