Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Few Civil War military figures have inspired as much negative comment as Union general John Pope (1822—1892). A prominent commander in the Western Theater before taking charge of the Army of Virginia in the summer of 1862, Pope is best known for suffering ignominious defeat at the battle of Second Bull Run and being exiled shortly thereafter to suppress a Sioux uprising on the Minnesota frontier. Peter Cozzens examined an impressive body of evidence in writing what is easily the best and most detailed biography of Pope. Moving well beyond common caricatures of Pope as a vainglorious failure, Cozzens deals effectively with the intensely political context within which his subject, a rare Republican among top Northern military leaders, operated in Virginia. The narrative deals bluntly with Pope's failings but also underscores his talents, which showed to best advantage during his long postwar career on the Western frontier. With this biography, Cozzens has closed one of the few gaps in the military historiography of the Civil War. Whether his admirable efforts will change many minds about John Pope is another matter." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Synopsis
Ambitious and outspoken, John Pope was one of the most controversial figures to hold high command during the Civil War, Reconstruction, and in the American West. This book is the first full biography of this much-maligned figure who played crucial roles in both the Eastern and Western Theaters of the Civil War. 22 photos. 8 maps.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 385-403) and index.