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History
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Title: Shelby Foote, RIP
Source: Booktv.org
URL Source: http://booktv.org/Feature/index.asp?segID=1679&schedID=374
Published: Jul 4, 2005
Author: Shelby Foote
Post Date: 2005-07-04 12:14:09 by Arator
Ping List: *Restore the Republic*     Subscribe to *Restore the Republic*
Keywords: Shelby, Foote,
Views: 206
Comments: 40

Shelby Foote died recently. If you've never read his three volume near-life's work, "The Civil War: A Narrative," do. One cannot understand America without also understanding what happened here between 1861 and 1865 and how it changed us. And there is no better way to understand it than to live it vicariously through Shelby Foote's powerful prose.

A man of the Mississippi Delta, Shelby Foote speaks with a drawl as thick as mollasses. He represents to my mind the quintessence of what it means to be a Southerner. Though I live in the benighted North, and my family's Southern heritage had been rendered a faint echo from a conquered land no longer my own, I rediscovered my Southern soul largely thanks to the life and writings of this good man.

To recover something of our American past that regrettably passes on when men like Shelby Foote leave us, watch/listen to the three hour in depth call-in interwiew of Shelby Foote done in September of 2001 on C-SPAN's Book TV. You'll be glad you did.

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#1. To: Arator (#0)

Have you read the book?

Itisa1mosttoolate  posted on  2005-07-04   12:18:46 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Have you read the book?

Yep. It's three large volumes and close to 3000 words, but not a word is wasted. You literally live the war vicariously while reading it. It may take six months to finish, but you'll not regret a single minute. For me, it was a life-altering, mind-expanding and paradigm-shifting experience.

Arator  posted on  2005-07-04   12:24:25 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

What did you think about Stonewall Jackson's part in the war?

TaZ  posted on  2005-07-04   12:36:22 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

What did you think about Stonewall Jackson's part in the war?

I know you didn't ask me but he was the architect of the Pa. invasion which led to Gettysburg.

He wanted the rail yards in Harrisburg to cut-off coal supplies to the Union's blockade fleet.

Grumble Jones  posted on  2005-07-04   14:49:10 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

An excellent biography on Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson is "Stonewall Jackson; Portrait of a Soldier".

It was THE book that opened my eyes to the Second War of Independence (a.k.a. The Civil War)...if Jackson HAD survived to Gettysburg, things would have turned-out MUCH differently.

Lee was lost without Jackson, and while Lee was a GREAT stateman & organizational military leader, it was Jackson that WAS the BRAINS of the Confederate's Military.

In fact, the German tactic "Blitzkrieg" was derived from Jackson's exploits.

Excerpt from the book:

Still, Jackson sensed what others only glimpsed and were too exhausted to act upon. McDowell was thoroughly beaten and there was no Federal defense between Manassas and the US Capital. He could end the war. The war was over if they acted now...He said to Beauregard, to Johnson, to Stuart, to all who could move - "Let me take my brigade and I'll be in Washington tonight. We'll take the White House. We'll end it all and have no more bloodshed".

Of course, the Confederates as usual wimped-out when it came to going for the jugular, too bad because later they would learn that's exactly what the Feds would do.

Stonewall Jackson, the man that constantly defeated the best Lincoln could throw at him (sometimes while outnumbered 7 to 1), saved Lee's bacon at Chancellorsville by defeating Hooker from the rear (talk about apt analogies), only to be shot by a Confederate moron.

IMHO the story of Free-America can be told in his life, as it also ended with it.

TaZ  posted on  2005-07-04   15:38:37 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

if Jackson HAD survived to Gettysburg, things would have turned-out MUCH differently.

Foote agreed to a point. Apparently the Union army had expected to lose Cemetery Ridge, and were in fact beginning to fall back some 12 miles North where they had always expected to fight the battle of Gettysburg. Lee's blunder - Pickett's Charge - made the point moot. The Army of Tennessee had a causality rate of 70%, and never recovered. .

Jethro Tull  posted on  2005-07-04   16:18:22 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Lee's blunder - Pickett's Charge

Pickett's Charge was just a diversion for Lee's overall battle plan for the day. Lee reenforced Ewells Corps at Culp's Hill from 4 Brigades to 7. Lee concentrated all of the calvary N.E. of Gettyburg. Lee's plan was to send Pickett et al as a diversion while Stuart attacked up the Baltimore Pike when the cannonade stopped. Ewell was supposed to keep attacking Culps Hill. Had the calvary not been stopped by Custer because of a chance sighting by O.O. Howard the South would have most likely won on the third day. Stuart was to send 6,000 towards the Angle from in back of Union Lines and attack the union line from the back. Another 1000 mounted Infantry were to dismount and attack the west Slope of Culp's Hill. That would have split the Union Army. Lee's overall plan was brilliant but Custer thwarted it and Longstreet's Assault has gone down in infamy as a result.

Grumble Jones  posted on  2005-07-04   17:17:17 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Ewell

Had it been Jackson, rather than Ewell, the first days battle would have been a Southern rout.

Jethro Tull  posted on  2005-07-04   17:48:20 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Had it been Jackson, rather than Ewell, the first days battle would have been a Southern rout.

I agree. Jackson would have stormed Cemetary Hill. Even Trimble who didn't even have a command (but he was there) at Gettysburg bitched to Lee about Ewell not attacking. Lee should have given Jackson's command to Trimble instead of Ewell.

I took a college course on Gettysburg about 8 years ago but the Prof wouldn't buy that. That was brought up several times but he wouldn't agree.

Grumble Jones  posted on  2005-07-04   18:00:35 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Jackson would have stormed Cemetary Hill.

If Jackson had been there he would have either flanked the position, or snuck around from the rear - Frontal assaults are suicide and Jackson knew this.

That's why his foot soldiers could move quickly into positions the enemy wouldn't expect them to be...

Another point greater than Jackson's battlefield prowess was his effect on the men he commanded, they would follow him into Hell with full expectation of defeating Satan himself if Stonewall led them ;-)

His loss had more a psychological effect than most people realize.

TaZ  posted on  2005-07-04   18:08:49 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

That's right...Jackson was the master of the 'end-around.' It certainly worked well at Chancellorsville.

Grumble Jones  posted on  2005-07-04   18:51:14 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

It certainly worked well at Chancellorsville.

Do you know how Jackson could find those hidden "off-the-map" paths during battle?

TaZ  posted on  2005-07-04   19:00:12 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Do you know how Jackson could find those hidden "off-the-map" paths during battle?

No......I'd be interested to find out. But he went way the hell around there. I forget how many miles it was,something like 15. He had some strange superstitions too.

Grumble Jones  posted on  2005-07-04   19:04:47 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

When he was given the job of defending Western Virginia from Federal occupation one of the first things he did was find someone that had extensive knowledge of back-country roads/paths, I forgot the guys name, but he MANY times knew of avenues of escape/attack that weren't on any maps & in most cases offered heavy vegetation to cover Jackson's troop movements.

It was just one of Jackson's brilliant tactical endeavors that I'm sure would have been employed at Gettysberg had he lived ;-)

TaZ  posted on  2005-07-04   19:14:33 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

I think Lee's mapmakers name was Hotchkiss or something like that. I wonder if Jackson had the same one?

Grumble Jones  posted on  2005-07-04   19:24:41 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

I think Lee's mapmakers name was Hotchkiss or something like that. I wonder if Jackson had the same one?

Yeppers, it was him.

Hotchkiss closed his school in June 1861 and began his military career drawing maps for Confederate General Robert Garnett in western Virginia. In 1862, he secured an appointment on Jackson's staff. "I want you to make me a map of the Valley, from Harpers Ferry to Lexington," Jackson ordered Hotchkiss, "showing all the points of offence and defence in those places." There were very few maps for Hotchkiss to use as a base for his own work, and he usually rode out on horseback to survey the land himself. The Hotchkiss-Jackson combination bred success, for the general's lightning strikes depended heavily on making the most of the terrain. After Jackson's death in 1863, Hotchkiss continued as a topographical engineer with the Confederate forces, traveling with General Richard Ewell to Gettysburg and then, back in Virginia, serving under General Jubal Early. It was one of Hotchkiss' maps that enabled Early to surprise the Federals at Cedar Creek in October 1864.

After the war ended in 1865, Hotchkiss returned to the Shenandoah Valley, opening an engineering firm and teaching school in Staunton, Virginia. In 1867, he wrote a book with a friend, Jackson's former chief of ordnance William Allen, entitled The Battlefields of Virginia: Chancellorsville. Hotchkiss died in January 1899 after a successful post-war career as a geologist and engineer.

Somehow I don't think Hotchkiss was employed at Gettysberg with the same in-depth use that Jackson got from him, then again Jackson could formulate battle strategy in his head that 4-5 other Generals couldn't dream of...Lee didn't have that ability. After all, Lee's background was battlefield engineering and corps management, while Jackson's was artillery and infantry techniques, which he perfected while at VMI.

TaZ  posted on  2005-07-04   19:34:32 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Jackson's was artillery and infantry techniques, which he perfected while at VMI.

Hell yeah!! He even taught it!

Good stuff BTW.

The reason I wondered if it was Hotchkiss was because I watched an interview by an author who just wrote a new book about the third day's battle at Gettysburg.

He found a somewhat unknown map of Gettysburg by Hotchkiss in the National Archives.. That led to more research and his new book will change a lot of what is know about Lee's plans for July 3rd. Lee's plan was actually brilliant but Custer thwarted it. I'm going to the book store tomorrow to see if they have it. I can't wait to read it.

“Lost Triumph: Lee’s Real Plan at Gettysburg and Why It Failed” by Tom Carhart

Grumble Jones  posted on  2005-07-04   19:43:41 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

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