Fighting for the Confederacy: The Personal Recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander

xxvii, 664 pp. A memoir by the Confederate general, originally written only to be shared with family and close friends. Editor Gary Gallagher, after gaining access to Alexander's papers, published it for the first time over eighty years later. Alexander was involved in nearly all of the great battles of the East, from First Manassas through Appomattox, and his duties brought him into frequent contact with most of the high command of the Army of Northern Virginia, including Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and James Longstreet. No other Civil War veteran of his stature matched Alexander's ability to discuss operations in penetrating detail—this is especially true of his description of Gettysburg. His narrative is also remarkable for its utterly candid appraisals of leaders on both sides.