 For People With An Active Interest in the Civil War Today |
|
Use these links to navigate on CWN's web site Home/
Calendar/
News/ News
Archive/Opinion/ Book
Reviews/Living History
|
|
|
Book Reviews These are some reviews from a recent issue of
The Civil War News:
|
|
Shanks: The Life and Wars of General Nathan George Evans, C.S.A.
by Jason H. Silverman, Samuel N. Thomas Jr., and Beverly D. Evans IV.
Illustrated, endnotes, bibliography, index, 216 pp., 2002. Da Capo Press, Perseus Books Group, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02141, $26 plus shipping.
Two South Carolina historians, Jason Silverman and Samuel Thomas, teamed up with the late Beverly Evans to produce a thoroughly enjoyable biography of Confederate Brig. General Nathan Evans of South Carolina, a relatively obscure but important figure in the early years of the Civil War. The strength of the book lies in the authors’ skillful use of the private papers of General Evans that his descen-dant, Beverly Evans, had carefully conserved and made available to his two co-authors. Rather than foisting their own interpretations of Evans on the reader, the authors allow the general to speak for himself, mainly through his previously unpublished family letters as well as his military correspondence. The picture of Evans that emerges from the book, his first full- length biography, is at odds with the common perception of him as an impetuous, brawling brigadier with a taste for strong drink. Evans was born in 1824 into a prominent Marion, S.C., family of planters, lawyers and politicians. He grew up wanting to be a soldier. Nicknamed “Shanks” by his West Point classmates because of his spindly legs, Evans graduated near the bottom of his class in 1848. Commissioned into the dragoons, the young officer spent the prewar years on the western frontier, winning acclaim as an intrepid Indian fighter. Shortly after the secession of South Carolina, Evans resigned his commission in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry and offered his services to his native state. Evans was not long in distinguishing himself. At First Manassas, Evans’s initiative saved the Confederate left, allowing the South to win the battle. After his brigade routed the Federals at Ball’s Bluff, Evans received the thanks of the Confederate congress and promotion to brigadier general, although some Confederate officers grumbled about Evans’s decision to attack a superior force in contravention of orders. Evans also played a pivotal role in the Confederate victory at Secessionville in June 1862, the largest battle fought in South Carolina during the war, and he performed creditably at Second Ma-nassas and Sharpsburg. Despite his early successes, Evans failed to obtain a coveted promotion to major general. His undoing came not on the battlefield, but through a series of running disputes with his fellow officers. Early in 1863, personal rancor between Evans and two colonels in his brigade escalated into a formal charge, countercharges, and a court martial. No doubt aware that Evans was not abstemious, Evans’s accusers took aim at his weak spot, charging him with drunkenness while on duty. Though acquitted of all charges against him, Evans’s public reputation was damaged. Later in 1863, Evans fell out with Brig. Gen. Roswell Ripley over comparatively minor matters, and Ripley had Evans arrested for disobeying orders. A court martial vindicated Evans of the charges, but Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, perhaps still sore that Evans had won acclaim at First Manassas and Ball’s Bluff despite not complying with Beauregard’s orders, effectively refused to recognize the acquittal and complained to Jefferson Davis of Evans’s lack of competence. Richmond ultimately sided with Evans and in March 1864 ordered his return to active command. However, an accidental head injury a month later incapacitated Evans for about six months. Evans managed to return to duty in the fall, but he never resumed his command. After the war, Evans struggled in his transition to private life. His old head injury apparently contributed to the general’s death in 1868 at the age of 44. Very well written and rounded in sound primary and secondary research, Shanks also benefits from some previously unpublished photographs of the general and his family. The book is devoid of maps, however, making some of the battle descriptions difficult to follow. Better editing at Da Capo also would have avoided some of the typos and small errors that crop up in the text. Despite these few blemishes, Shanks is a solid book that sheds new, positive light on its subject. Readers with an interest in South Carolina, or in the early war in the East, will especially enjoy Shanks
by C. Michael Harrington
C. Michael Harrington is a member of the Houston Civil War Roundtable and Civil War Aficionados. He has written articles on two officers in Evans' Brigade. A practicing lawyer, he has degrees in economics from Yale and Cambridge and a law degree from Harv
|
|
| Use these links to navigate on CWN's web site Home / Calendar / News
/ Opinion / Civil
War on the Internet |
|