Synopses & Reviews
The Edge of Mosbyand#8217;s Sword is the first scholarly volume to delve into the story of one of John Singleton Mosbyand#8217;s most trusted and respected officers, Colonel William Henry Chapman. Presenting both military and personal perspectives of Chapmanand#8217;s life, Gordon B. Bonan offers an in-depth understanding of a man transformed by the shattering of his nation. This painstakingly researched account exposes a soldier and patriot whose convictions compelled him to battle fiercely for Southern independence; whose quest for greatness soured when faced with the brutal realities of warfare; and who sought to heal his wounded nation when the guns of war were silenced.and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Born into a wealthy slave-owning family, Chapman was a student of the fiery secessionist rhetoric of antebellum Virginia who eagerly sought glory and adventure on the battlefields of the Civil War. Bonan traces Chapmanand#8217;s evolution from an impassioned student at the University of Virginia to an experienced warrior and leader, providing new insight into the officerand#8217;s numerous military accomplishments. Explored here are Chapmanand#8217;s previously overlooked endeavors as a student warrior, leader of the Dixie Artillery, and as second-in-command to Mosby, including his participation in the capture of Harpers Ferry, the battering of Union forces at Second Manassas, and his ferocious raids during the 1864 Shenandoah Valley campaign. Bonan reveals fresh perspectives on the intrepid maneuvers of Mosbyand#8217;s Rangers, the hardships of war, and Chapmanand#8217;s crucial role as the right hand of the and#147;Gray Ghost.and#8221; But while Mosby recognized him for his bravery and daring, the fame Chapman sought always eluded him. Instead, with his honors and successes came disillusionment and sorrow, as he watched comrades and civilians alike succumb to the terrible toll of the war.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; The end of the struggle between North and South saw Chapman accept defeat with dignity, leading the Rangers to their official surrender and parole at Winchester. With the horrors of the war behind him, he quickly moved to embrace the rebuilding of his country, joining the Republican party and beginning a forty-two-year career at the IRS enforcing Federal law throughout the South.and#160;In the end, Chapmanand#8217;s life is a study in contradictions: nationalism and reconciliation; slavery and liberty; vengeance and chivalry.
Review
and#147;Entertaining and exhaustively researched, this is the first book on John S. Mosbyand#8217;s second-in-command William Chapman. Gordon B. Bonan provides new details and new insights into Mosbyand#8217;s against-the-odds victory at Miskeland#8217;s farm and other cavalry skirmishes. . . . Chapman comes alive and speaks for himself through the Civil War and afterward.and#8221;and#151;James A. Ramage, author of Gray Ghost: The Life of Col. John Singleton Mosby
Review
"Few Confederates were willing to pursue the tactics of guerrilla warfare that William Chapman and his comrades in Mosbyand#8217;s Rangers perfected against Federal armies in Virginia.and#160;Gordon Bonan has done a masterful job of chronicling Chapmanand#8217;s exploits as a Confederate partisan without sacrificing the deeper political and social meaning of a military career that was filled with high drama and daring exploits."
-Peter S. Carmichael, Eberly Professor of History, West Virginia University and the author of The Last Generation: Young Virginian in Peace, War, and Reunion
Review
Review
"Few Confederates were willing to pursue the tactics of guerrilla warfare t
About the Author
Gordon B. Bonan is a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. The author of three books on ecology and climatology, Bonan has also published more than one hundred scholarly articles in various scientific periodicals and reports. He is a descendant of William Henry Chapman.