Sailor’s Creek: Major General G.W. Custis Lee, Captured with Controversy
This is the author’s first published work and it focuses on who actually captured Robert E. Lee’s eldest son during the battle of Sailor’s Creek in the waning days of the war. What makes the book unique from other Civil War literature is that it is written in the style of a government commission report where each piece of evidence is sequentially presented as an exhibit followed by the author’s comment and analysis. At the end, he summarizes all those exhibits consisting of newspaper accounts, testimonial affidavits, photographic evidence and demonstrative items to lead the reader to the inexorable conclusion that his ancestor, David G. White of the 37th Massachusetts, was responsible for the feat. Until now, many historians have credited Harris S. Hawthorne of the 121st New York with the accolade for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor, but not without controversy. The author’s purpose here is to set the record straight once and for all and provide his ancestor with the honor denied him for so many years. The evidence is sometimes circumstantial and indirect, raising inferences that when pieced together form a mosaic of what might have occurred. For example, White discusses the relative locations of the regiments to show that the 37th Massachusetts was in the position for the capture of Custis Lee. He also notes that certain artifacts belonging to the general were housed in Massachusetts after the war. Other evidence is more direct. The prodigious detail also serves as good reference for the action around the Hillsman Farm for aficionados of the battle, irrespective of the author’s main purpose in writing the book. Additional paragraphing would have made the narrative more readable and easier to digest. Sometimes there are whole pages of text without any paragraphs to delineate major points. Was I convinced by the author’s proposition? I will defer to the individual reader rather than make my conclusion known here. After all, going through the process of critically evaluating the evidence is what this book is all about. More than a mere polemic, this offering takes the reader on an excursion through many diverse sources and provides an interesting stylistic slant on historical research. Reviewer: Frank Piatek graduated from Geneva College with a B.A. in history. He received his J.D. from Duquesne University in 1972. He is a member of several reenactment groups and past president of the Mahoning Valley Civil War Round Table. |
Illustrated, bibliography, index, softcover, 304 pp., 2008. Schroeder Publications, 131 Tanglewood Dr., Lynchburg, VA 24502, $30 plus shipping.