THE HASKELL MEMORIES: The Personal Narrative of a Confederate Officer

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 29, 1960

Edited by the co-authors of Chattanooga Country and A Different Valor, this volume of Civil War memoirs, less well known than many similar books today being republished, was written 38 years after the war, when the author was 60; 40 years later they were used by Douglas Southall Freeman in his Lee's Lieutenants. Haskell, one of a dedicated family of South Carolinians, many of whom fought in the war, was 19 and without military experience when the war broke out. Enlisting at once, he was wounded many times, lost an arm in battle and gained distinction as a colonel of artillery. Holding his own opinions of many of his fellow officers, he gives an unflattering picture of Pickett at Gettysburg and of the battle itself says that ""from first to last each move was made just an hour too late""; admiring Lee but not all of his subordinates, he gives ""too many sheep officers"" as one reason for Confederate defeat. Vividly written and holding the freshness of contemporary record, his first-hand account of one Southerner's war will appeal to historians, students, and non-hero-worshipping Civil War buffs. It may also interest devotees of personal reminiscence who are inclined to shy from the word ""Gettysburg"".

Pub Date: April 29, 1960

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1960

Categories: NONFICTION