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Rating: 
Summary: Stonewall
Review: A very enjoyable, well written biography on the man they called "Stonewall". Without prior knowledge, the lack of maps makes it hard to get a full grasp on the 62 Valley Campaign and other battles. If not for this, it would have definately been rated at five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Crazy Ray's Review
Review: Burke Davis continues among my favorite Civil War authors. In this work, he introduces you to Jackson, the whole man. His triumphs, defeats, joys, sorrows,and last but not least his genius on the art of warfare. A must read. enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: A capable, though not outstanding, work on Jackson
Review: Certainly one of the most ingenious commanders of the Civil War, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson provides an interesting profile for a biographer. He was a brilliant commander, and led his troops on grinding marches for days at a time in order to secure gallant victories in the face of insurmountable odds. When he died Robert E. Lee lamented that he had lost his right arm, and indeed Jackson's loss was deeply felt by the Confederacy.
There was more to this man, however, than just the brilliant military strategist. He was also a devout man of God, humble and ever-willing to submit to the Divine will and give Him all the glory for his many victories. Behind General Jackson there was Jackson the believer, and the latter is just as much a part of Stonewall's history as the former.
Burke Davis does a decent job of narrating Jackson's life, though not extraordinary. The battle sequences are vague and difficult to follow, and the maps provide no assistance whatsoever. Davis frequently assumes he knows what Jackson was thinking, and often tells us just how Jackson felt about something. Sources are not cited, and we are left to wonder how much of the story is actually based on fact, and how much on speculation.
Davis's biography is satisfactory, but it does not do Stonewall's military actions justice. Some of the maneuvers he made and the victories he had were downright brilliant, and Davis leaves much to be desired in this respect. Still, the biography gives a decent portrait of Jackson's life. There are many biographies on Stonewall Jackson out there, and I would recommend this one only if one better is not available (as in my city's library).
Rating:
Summary: A capable, though not outstanding, work on Jackson
Review: Certainly one of the most ingenious commanders of the Civil War, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson provides an interesting profile for a biographer. He was a brilliant commander, and led his troops on grinding marches for days at a time in order to secure gallant victories in the face of insurmountable odds. When he died Robert E. Lee lamented that he had lost his right arm, and indeed Jackson's loss was deeply felt by the Confederacy.
There was more to this man, however, than just the brilliant military strategist. He was also a devout man of God, humble and ever-willing to submit to the Divine will and give Him all the glory for his many victories. Behind General Jackson there was Jackson the believer, and the latter is just as much a part of Stonewall's history as the former.
Burke Davis does a decent job of narrating Jackson's life, though not extraordinary. The battle sequences are vague and difficult to follow, and the maps provide no assistance whatsoever. Davis frequently assumes he knows what Jackson was thinking, and often tells us just how Jackson felt about something. Sources are not cited, and we are left to wonder how much of the story is actually based on fact, and how much on speculation.
Davis's biography is satisfactory, but it does not do Stonewall's military actions justice. Some of the maneuvers he made and the victories he had were downright brilliant, and Davis leaves much to be desired in this respect. Still, the biography gives a decent portrait of Jackson's life. There are many biographies on Stonewall Jackson out there, and I would recommend this one only if none of the others are available (as in my city's library).
Rating:
Summary: Great Read, few maps
Review: Davis' narrative make you feel as if you are on the field with Stonewall. The absence of detailed maps, however, means you will need a knowledge of the terrain to understand fully where you are. The first section dealing with the Valley Campaign creates a wonderful build-up to his background, rise, then untimely death.
Rating:
Summary: Mighty Stonewall.
Review: This book has come in for some criticism from other reviewers and many of their points are well taken. One has to remember however that this book was first published in 1954, a time when the cult of the lost cause was still very much alive and kicking. This is a prime example of civil war literature of that era. Davis actually shows a good deal of courage in that he did criticize the mighty Stonewall at all. No, this book does not compare favorably with some of the civil war studies that are available today, but it still has a place. In fact this would be an excellent book for someone with no background in civil war studies. For someone who has never heard of A.P. Hill or Richard Ewell this book offers an excellent introduction to the campaigns in Virginia. Davis has a pleasant writing style, which makes this an easy book to read. He sprinkles his narrative with amusing antidotes which add greatly to the book and he does not get bogged down in battle the battle details that derail so many books of this sort. The map of the valley campaign does allow the reader to get an idea of the relation of the significant points to each other but a few more maps sprinkled here and there would be of a great deal of help. Jackson of course wore his religion on his sleeve and Davis deals with that extensively. Calvin's influence is obvious although I found it interesting that while in Mexico the General flirted with the Roman Catholic Church. Some of Jackson's habits however cannot be explained by his religious beliefs and some of his behavior is frankly quite odd. Davis gets points for pointing out that Jackson absolutely refused to take any responsibility for failure, always looking for a scapegoat. This of course explains the long running feuds he had with some of his generals. In 1954 circles that criticism of the much revered Stonewall must have raised some eyebrows for as every southerner who is over 40 knows, Stonewall was always right and we would have won easily at Gettysburg if he had only been there. Every time we go to Gettysburg my wife points that out to me and thinks I am crazy because I don't necessarily agree with her. I do have a problem with the fact that Davis does not have the courage to take on the Jackson legend so far as to point out his failures during the Seven Days Battles. I realize that it would have been a hard sell in 1954 but Davis fails to do much more than point out that Jackson was unusually slow during this period and does not really even attempt to answer the questions raised by the General's behavior. In fact, had Jackson not failed so badly during this campaign the Union army might have been almost destroyed. After Jackson's failure below Richmond it is indeed almost a miracle that Lee would later have enough confidence in Jackson to give him command of a corps. A lot more detail would have helped in this area. Overall though, I found this to be an excellent biography. There is to be found here what was new information in 1954. This book in fact has been the foundation for many of the later and yes, better studies of Stonewall Jackson. This book has remained in print now for fifty years. That in itself should be a clear indicator that this is one of the all time classic studies of the civil war.
Rating:
Summary: Mighty Stonewall.
Review: This book has come in for some criticism from other reviewers and many of their points are well taken. One has to remember however that this book was first published in 1954, a time when the cult of the lost cause was still very much alive and kicking. This is a prime example of civil war literature of that era. Davis actually shows a good deal of courage in that he did criticize the mighty Stonewall at all. No, this book does not compare favorably with some of the civil war studies that are available today, but it still has a place. In fact this would be an excellent book for someone with no background in civil war studies. For someone who has never heard of A.P. Hill or Richard Ewell this book offers an excellent introduction to the campaigns in Virginia. Davis has a pleasant writing style, which makes this an easy book to read. He sprinkles his narrative with amusing antidotes which add greatly to the book and he does not get bogged down in battle the battle details that derail so many books of this sort. The map of the valley campaign does allow the reader to get an idea of the relation of the significant points to each other but a few more maps sprinkled here and there would be of a great deal of help. Jackson of course wore his religion on his sleeve and Davis deals with that extensively. Calvin's influence is obvious although I found it interesting that while in Mexico the General flirted with the Roman Catholic Church. Some of Jackson's habits however cannot be explained by his religious beliefs and some of his behavior is frankly quite odd. Davis gets points for pointing out that Jackson absolutely refused to take any responsibility for failure, always looking for a scapegoat. This of course explains the long running feuds he had with some of his generals. In 1954 circles that criticism of the much revered Stonewall must have raised some eyebrows for as every southerner who is over 40 knows, Stonewall was always right and we would have won easily at Gettysburg if he had only been there. Every time we go to Gettysburg my wife points that out to me and thinks I am crazy because I don't necessarily agree with her. I do have a problem with the fact that Davis does not have the courage to take on the Jackson legend so far as to point out his failures during the Seven Days Battles. I realize that it would have been a hard sell in 1954 but Davis fails to do much more than point out that Jackson was unusually slow during this period and does not really even attempt to answer the questions raised by the General's behavior. In fact, had Jackson not failed so badly during this campaign the Union army might have been almost destroyed. After Jackson's failure below Richmond it is indeed almost a miracle that Lee would later have enough confidence in Jackson to give him command of a corps. A lot more detail would have helped in this area. Overall though, I found this to be an excellent biography. There is to be found here what was new information in 1954. This book in fact has been the foundation for many of the later and yes, better studies of Stonewall Jackson. This book has remained in print now for fifty years. That in itself should be a clear indicator that this is one of the all time classic studies of the civil war.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Easy To Understand!
Review: This is a well written and easy to follow book on the life of "Stonewall" Jackson. The book not only covers Jackson's military genius, but probes into the mind of the man himself. You come away from this book with a deeper understanding of Jackson, his strong religious convictions, his military fierceness, his strict discipline and his gentle side as well.
Upon reading this book, one realizes that Jackson was a complex man. Highly recommended reading for all Civil War buffs!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Easy To Understand!
Review: This is a well written and easy to follow book on the life of "Stonewall" Jackson. The book not only covers Jackson's military genius, but probes into the mind of the man himself. You come away from this book with a deeper understanding of Jackson, his strong religious convictions, his military fierceness, his strict discipline and his gentle side as well.
Upon reading this book, one realizes that Jackson was a complex man. Highly recommended reading for all Civil War buffs!
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