Synopses & Reviews
On the day that Lincoln was inaugurated in 1861, twenty-seven-year-old William Dorsey Pender, en route to the provisional Confederate capital in Montgomery, Alabama, hurriedly scribbled a note to his wife, Fanny. So began a prolific correspondence between a rising Confederate officer and his cherished wife that would last until Pender was mortally wounded at Gettysburg.
First published by UNC Press in 1965, Pender's letters are filled with personal details, colorful descriptions, and candid opinions of such important figures as Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, J. E. B. Stuart, and A. P. Hill. His comments on his military activities and aspirations and the challenges of command, combined with his husbandly advice and affection, sketch an intimate and unvarnished portrait of the man who was perhaps the most distinguished North Carolina commander.
Review
This book is an indispensable addition to the Civil War bookshelf.
North Carolina Historical Review
Review
Well written and disarmingly candid, they provide a valuable insight into the mind of a wartime commander.
Choice
Review
A distinguished volume.
Historian
Review
A valuable contribution to the history of the period.
North Carolina Historical Review
Review
[Hassler] is in all ways to be commended for introducing to the public this valuable sequence of letters.
Virginia Magazine of History and Biography
Synopsis
The Civil War letters of Confederate officer William Dorsey Perder to his wife provide a valuable portrait of the most distinguished North Carolina commander.
Synopsis
This book is an indispensable addition to the Civil War bookshelf.
North Carolina Historical Review Well written and disarmingly candid, they provide a valuable insight into the mind of a wartime commander.
Choice A distinguished volume.
Historian [Hassler] is in all ways to be commended for introducing to the public this valuable sequence of letters.
Virginia Magazine of History and Biography A valuable contribution to the history of the period.
North Carolina Historical Review
About the Author
The late William W. Hassler was president of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and author of biographies of A. P. Hill and John Pelham.