John Esten Cooke was a writer, not a fighter, and yet he enjoyed (in every sense of the word) a remarkable and extensive Civil War career that took him from John Brown’s raid to General Lee’s surrender and put him in close touch with some of the greatest commanders in American history, most notably his much-admired cousin-in-law, J. E. B. Stuart. Wearing of the Gray, published in 1867, contains Cooke’s best writing on the war―sparkling vignettes that display an excellent eye for local color and the picaresque, a wry sense of humor, and a quick grasp of character. It includes eleven vivid portraits of both famous figures―such as Stuart, Stonewall Jackson, P. G. T. Beauregard, John Singleton Mosby, and Jubal Early―and less famous, as well as stories and sketches based on Cooke’s experiences.
Though Cooke tends to romanticize the past―as evinced in his merry rendition of Stuart’s cavalry campaign in the summer of 1863, an event most participants remembered as nightmarish―he is equally capable, for example, of capturing with moving and stark simplicity what the surrender at Appomattox meant to the Confederates present there. In sum, Cook’s unique pairing of advantaged military perspective and authorial talent “give his wartime sketches a combination of validity and vitality almost unmatched in the literature of the Civil War” (Civil War History).
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
John Esten Cooke (1830–1886), a native of Virginia, earned more money than any other southern writer before 1870. He published twenty-nine books in his lifetime, including biographies of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson and numerous historical novels.
Emory M. Thomas is Regents Professor of History at the University of Georgia and the author of, among other works, Robert E. Lee: A Biography and Confederate State of Richmond: A Biography of the Capital.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Condition: New. Brand New! Not Overstocks or Low Quality Book Club Editions! Direct From the Publisher! We're not a giant, faceless warehouse organization! We're a small town bookstore that loves books and loves it's customers! Buy from Lakeside Books!. Seller Inventory # OTF-S-9780807122167
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 241538-n
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 004775
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # I-9780807122167
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: New. NEW. Seller Inventory # 17JUL1419
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780807122167
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 241538-n
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. reprint edition. 572 pages. 8.75x5.75x1.25 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # x-0807122165
Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 1.53. Seller Inventory # Q-0807122165
Book Description Condition: New. John Esten Cooke was a writer, not a soldier, yet his Civil War career took him from John Brown s raid, to General Lee s surrender and put him in touch with some of the greatest commanders in American history. This work first published in 1867, contains his. Seller Inventory # 898755007