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Rating: 
Summary: FILLS A VOID
Review: "Happiness Is Not My Companion" The Life of Gouverneur K Warren by David M. Jordan (Insiana University Press, 2001) is a welcome addition to Civil War literature, filling a void in the biographies of key players in the North's bid for victory. G. K. Warren, a graduate of West point, served in the Corps of Topographical Engineers and then taught mathematics at the Point until he was named lieutenant colonel of volunteers of the Fifth New York regiment. The high point of his career occurred on July 2, 1863, at Gettysburg, when he recognized that the unoccupied Little Round Top was the key to the Federal's defense and quickly positiond troops on its summit and backside to prevent the Confederates from taking that hill and possibly destroying the entire Federal line. As Jordan tells the rest of the story, Warren's subsequent service was characterized by arrogance, depression, a quick, sulphurous temper, and a bad habit of second-guessing his superior's orders. Just days before Lee's surrender, Warren's superior, General Phil Sheridan, relieved him of duty, casting a shadow of disgrace upon Warren's career and courage. Unable to persuade General U S Gant to give him a court of hearing, Warren had to wait 15 years before the commanding general William T Sherman approved his application. By the time the inquiry was completed and the findings released (findings which at least partially exonerated him)Warren was dead. The only other significant biography of Warren was published by his family in 1932, an apology vindicating the General and arguing his place in Civil War history. Jordan's research includes the vast collection of papers which the General himself had arranged for his defense, but it is not for that reason one-sided or uncritical in its presentation of the General's personality, career, or place in history. Everyone who today climbs to the crest of Little Round Top sees the larger than life statue of G. K. Warren, erected by the survivors of his first command. Few visitors, however, know that he was wounded there on that hot July afternoon, that he later was responsible for a meticulously exact map of the battlefield, that in spite of his sccess in Pennsylvania he was relieved of duty at Five Forks, Virginia, less than two years later and spent the remainder of his life trying to salvage his good name. Jordan's book is an honest and revealing look at one of the lesser known but nonetheless significant military leaders of the war. The author's background as an attorney does influence his presentation,providing some analysis that readers may or may not accept. But this book does sit well along side his other Civil war biography on General Winfield Scott Hancock.
Rating:
Summary: FILLS A VOID
Review: "Happiness Is Not My Companion" by David Jordan is a welcome addition to Civil War literature, filling a void in the biographies of key players in the North's bid for victory. Gouverneur Kemble Warren, a graduate of West Point, served in the Corps of Topographical Engineers and then taught mathematics at The Point until the rebellion began and he was named lieutenant colonel of volunteers of the Fifth New York regiment. The apex of his military career occurred on July 2, 1863, at Gettysburg, when he recognized that the unoccupied Little Round Top was the key to the Federal's position and quickly summoned troops to prevent the Confederates' taking the hill and possibly destroying the Federal line. As Jordan tells the rest of the story, Warren is a complex character and his subsequent service is characterized by moments of arrogance, fits of depression, a quick, sulphurous temper, sometimes overly cautious responses, and a bad habit of second-guessing his superiors' orders. Just days before Lee's surrender Warren was summarily relieved of command by General Phil Sheridan, casting the shadow of disgrace upon Warren's career and courage. Unable to persuade U. S. Grant to give him a court of hearing, Warren had to wait 15 years before commanding general William Tecumseh Sherman approved his application. By the time the inquiry was completed and the findings at least partially exonerating him were publishd, Warren was dead. The only other significant biography of Warren was published by his family in 1932, an apology vindicating the General and arguing his place in Civil War history. Jordan's research included the large collection of papers which Warren himself had amassed for his legal defense, but his biography is not for that reason one-sided or uncritical in its presentation of the General's personality, career, or place in history. Everyone who climbs to the summit of Little Round Top sees the larger-than-life statue of G. K. Warren erected by the survivors of his first command. Few visitors, however, know that Warren was wounded there during the battle, that he later was responsible for a meticulously exact map of the Gettysburg battlefield, or that he spent his post-war years trying to salvage his good name. Jordan's book is an honest and insightful look at one of the lesser known but nonetheless significant military leaders of the Civil War period.
Rating:
Summary: FILLS A VOID
Review: "Happiness Is Not My Companion" The Life of Gouverneur K Warren by David M. Jordan (Insiana University Press, 2001) is a welcome addition to Civil War literature, filling a void in the biographies of key players in the North's bid for victory. G. K. Warren, a graduate of West point, served in the Corps of Topographical Engineers and then taught mathematics at the Point until he was named lieutenant colonel of volunteers of the Fifth New York regiment. The high point of his career occurred on July 2, 1863, at Gettysburg, when he recognized that the unoccupied Little Round Top was the key to the Federal's defense and quickly positiond troops on its summit and backside to prevent the Confederates from taking that hill and possibly destroying the entire Federal line. As Jordan tells the rest of the story, Warren's subsequent service was characterized by arrogance, depression, a quick, sulphurous temper, and a bad habit of second-guessing his superior's orders. Just days before Lee's surrender, Warren's superior, General Phil Sheridan, relieved him of duty, casting a shadow of disgrace upon Warren's career and courage. Unable to persuade General U S Gant to give him a court of hearing, Warren had to wait 15 years before the commanding general William T Sherman approved his application. By the time the inquiry was completed and the findings released (findings which at least partially exonerated him)Warren was dead. The only other significant biography of Warren was published by his family in 1932, an apology vindicating the General and arguing his place in Civil War history. Jordan's research includes the vast collection of papers which the General himself had arranged for his defense, but it is not for that reason one-sided or uncritical in its presentation of the General's personality, career, or place in history. Everyone who today climbs to the crest of Little Round Top sees the larger than life statue of G. K. Warren, erected by the survivors of his first command. Few visitors, however, know that he was wounded there on that hot July afternoon, that he later was responsible for a meticulously exact map of the battlefield, that in spite of his sccess in Pennsylvania he was relieved of duty at Five Forks, Virginia, less than two years later and spent the remainder of his life trying to salvage his good name. Jordan's book is an honest and revealing look at one of the lesser known but nonetheless significant military leaders of the war. The author's background as an attorney does influence his presentation,providing some analysis that readers may or may not accept. But this book does sit well along side his other Civil war biography on General Winfield Scott Hancock.
Rating:
Summary: An apt title for an outstanding biography!
Review: Having just finished David M. Jordan's "Happiness in Not My Companion", a well researched biography of General G. K. Warren, I wish to congratulate the author for his thorough and readable account of the general's life, and to recommend this book to anyone interested in civil war history, american military history, or biography of an individual who should be remembered in human as well as historical terms. The first half of Warren's story, describing his civil and military achievements, including his significant role at Gettysburg, through the Army of the Potamac's campaign of 1864, describes a man of ability and leadership, although Mr. Jordan plants the seeds of his future tangles with those in military authority. His relief from command by Sheridan near the end of the war and subsequent history is described with honesty and compassion, ending with Warren's death while attempting to clear his name via a military Court of Inquiry some 18 years after the fact. Mr. Jordan's research is exhaustive and heretofore unplumbed. His extensive use of quotations advances the narrative in an organized and readable style that had this reader unable to put the book down, especially after the battle at Five Forks. The author is to be commended for his research, his objectivity, and his highly readable style.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Book
Review: I first learned about Warren while I was researching the civil war records of my great grandfather, a private who served with the 187th NY Regiment from the summer of 1864 through Appomattox. This was part of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Division of the 5th Corps of the Army of The Potomac. At this time the Brigade was under the Command of both Gregory and Joshua Chamberlain, the Division was commanded by General Griffith, and the Corps. for the most part by Warren. I was very fortunate to be able to read the extensive writings of Joshua Chamberlain who described in detail the movement of the Brigades, the Divisions, and the Corps. during the many battles from late 1864 through Appomattox. He wrote very highly of General Warren. From Chamberlain's books I formed a very high opinion of the officers, including Warren, that my Great-Grandfather served under.
Like the author I have also noticed that the mention of Warren appears in all the Civil War Books that dealt with Eastern battles. To me Warren had a peculiar genius that even his enemies in both the Union and Confederate Armies recognized. He could spot danger at an instance on a battlefield. When I visited Gettysburg and looked at the little knob in a distance called Little Round Top I was not that impressed. When I was on it I was astounded as to the commanding view it had of the battlefield. I am convinced that Warren, due to his engineering background looked at terrain in three D. He had the gift of seeing more than just what the eye could see which gave him the ability to continually question what lay behind terrain features.
Recently I was researching some Nelson ancestors who had settled in Duchess County across from present day West Point. I was reading a section on the Nelson/Warren families included in The Journal Of The Reverend Silas Constant which was written by an Emily Warren in 1903. I then came across a mention of General Warren and was surprised to find that both I and the General share Nelson ancestors from the Colonial Times. I decided to read more about General Warren which led me to this Biography.
Focusing just on Warren the book gives an amazing description of his accomplishments as an explorer and map maker, collector of artifacts, his many accomplishments in the Civil War, and the tremendous Engineering feats he did after the war. His Civil War exploits are what readers will likely be interested in. Actually I learned a lot of Civil War history reading this book as I was unaware Warren was in the war from the start until ten days before its end. The author does a good job of capturing the key points of each battle, and the circumstances which led to the final results. Whether Warren would have been more valuable to the Army of The Potomac as the Chief of Staff for Meade as Chamberlain argues or as a Corps Commander is not that significant to me. Warren saved the Union Army's rear end so many times in this war it is incredible. His finding Little Round Top at Gettysburg unoccupied and the actions that he took to secure it makes Warren spot in history secure. This is just one of many such occurrences. Personally I don't think the author or other historians give Warren and the 5th Corps the proper credit for what they did at North Anne in 1864. This battlefield had the potential to have delivered a fatal blow to the Union Army, but Warren and the 5th Corps smelled out the now famous trap Lee had set for the Union Army and they were able to sneak away before they were hit.
In my opinion Warren was destined for failure under Grant. Grant's strategy of picking the worst of all terrain to fight his battles, waiting for the enemy to entrench, and then mounting frontal attacks was effective but atrocious for running up casualties. The more I read about Grant the less impressed I am with his military abilities. I might change my mind after reading more about Vicksburg. However by 1864 the public just wanted the war over and Grant and Meade ended the war. Grant secured his place in history as the victorious General of the Union Army. As a descendant from one of their privates I appreciate the actions of the Fifth Corps Generals like Warren who tried to take their objectives with the least possible loss of life. There are a lot of people not alive today because Sheridan's Calvary blocked Warren's race to Spotsylvania. In this book the author thoroughly examines Sheridan's relief of Warren at Five Oaks, describes in detail all facets of this battle based on the facts established in the Warren Court of Inquiry, discusses the animosity that existed between the Union Armies of the West and East and the political forces that shaped the command structure of the Union Army.
Irony surrounds the history of the characters in this book. Warren secured his honor and glory spot in history not from the Warren Court but from the Statue erected of him at the top of Little Round Top in Gettysburg. Millions of visitors to Gettysburg can see and are told that it was "the eye of Warren" which saw that this hill was unoccupied, took steps to secure it, and this as much as anything led to the Union Army winning arguably the most important battle ever fought by the US Military. Warren and the 5th Corps are also treated very favorably in the writings of Joshua Chamberlain, whose Civil War stature has been lionized by his writings and heroic portrayal made of him in movie classics such as Gettysburg. Grant, Warren's nemesis is more remembered as one of the more ineffective Presidents of the US than then the Great Northern Civil War General. Sheridan, if remembered or not confused with Sherman has arguably less recognition to the public as a Civil War leader than the Brigade Commander Chamberlain he met the day of the Battle at Five Forks. The cruelest history goes to General Custer. A true Civil War Hero and responsible for many of Sheridan's successes such as the killing of Confederate Calvary Leader Jeb Stuart, he will always remembered by the fiasco of Little Big Horn. Perhaps Sheridan was remiss in not properly training his protégé with Warren like traits of caution on the battlefield such as continuing evaluating the strength and location of the enemy, and paying attention to critical details of protecting your flanks in battle.
I recommend this book for anyone interested in reading about the personalities and feuds among the Leaders of the Union Army, someone who is interested in gaining a summary of the major battles of the Civil War, or someone who is interested in the military history and can appreciate Warren's ability to sence danger on a battlefield. Spotting the weakness of an unoccupied Little Round Top was just one of Warren's many accomplishments during the Civil War. He was in it from start to ten days from its finish and was continuingly spotting weaknesses and dangers which saved the Union Army from disaster. The author sides with Grant and Meade, but covers in detail Warren's many accomplishments.
Rating:
Summary: An apt title for an outstanding biography!
Review: This biography has the ring of truth and the happy tone of justice done at last. G.K.Warren, born upstate New York 1830, West Point class of '50, brevet Major General in the Union Army, brilliant strategist at Gettysburg, later commander of the Fifth Corps, died in 1883 awaiting the results of hearings he had instigated to clear his reputation. Following one of the last Civil War battles, a Union victory at Five Forks, VA to which he had contributed, Warren was fired by General Sheridan with U. S. Grant's prior approval. With little else of interest to do for the next 18 years, Warren focussed ever more intently on restoring his good name , marching in place while his personal demon, Grant, occupied the White House. Shaara (Killer Angels) did most of the heavy lifting to unearth Warren and Joshua L. Chamberlain, letting Chamberlain stand as The Hero of Little Roundtop. Jordan, more subtle, leaves him as A Hero of Little Roundtop. (Moreover, Jordan's narrative recital of this and other battles is exceptionally coherent.) Warren is a puzzle: was he a depressive personality? an adult-onset diabetic? a Democrat-for-McClellan sore loser? just one more brilliant, touchy, odd-ball Civil War general? Jordan wisely declines any one conclusive answer and gives detailed evidence for several. The hearing commission's report published after Warren's death "cut both ways", as a lawyer (such as the author) might say. To his credit, Jordan lets the report pretty much speak for itself. If you have no stomach for ambiguity, stop with Killer Angels. Otherwise, read "Happiness is Not My Companion...."
Rating:
Summary: Justice Delayed
Review: This biography has the ring of truth and the happy tone of justice done at last. G.K.Warren, born upstate New York 1830, West Point class of '50, brevet Major General in the Union Army, brilliant strategist at Gettysburg, later commander of the Fifth Corps, died in 1883 awaiting the results of hearings he had instigated to clear his reputation. Following one of the last Civil War battles, a Union victory at Five Forks, VA to which he had contributed, Warren was fired by General Sheridan with U. S. Grant's prior approval. With little else of interest to do for the next 18 years, Warren focussed ever more intently on restoring his good name , marching in place while his personal demon, Grant, occupied the White House. Shaara (Killer Angels) did most of the heavy lifting to unearth Warren and Joshua L. Chamberlain, letting Chamberlain stand as The Hero of Little Roundtop. Jordan, more subtle, leaves him as A Hero of Little Roundtop. (Moreover, Jordan's narrative recital of this and other battles is exceptionally coherent.) Warren is a puzzle: was he a depressive personality? an adult-onset diabetic? a Democrat-for-McClellan sore loser? just one more brilliant, touchy, odd-ball Civil War general? Jordan wisely declines any one conclusive answer and gives detailed evidence for several. The hearing commission's report published after Warren's death "cut both ways", as a lawyer (such as the author) might say. To his credit, Jordan lets the report pretty much speak for itself. If you have no stomach for ambiguity, stop with Killer Angels. Otherwise, read "Happiness is Not My Companion...."
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