audiobook Gentleman and Soldier: A Biography of Wade Hampton III by Edward G. Longacre in History

Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Terribly PoignantBy Michael E. FitzgeraldIf you are interested in the life of a man who struggles tremendously against long odds; loses and spends the balance of his life coping admirably with the results of his earlier labors then you have found a very good work indeed.What makes an exemplary combat soldier? I am not talking about West Point trained people like Robert E. Lee or Ulysses S. Grant. Given their background; it is much easier to understand their rise to prominence. I am talking about men like Nathan Bedford Forrest; Joshua Lawrence Chamberlin; John B. Gordon; Benjamin Grierson; and Wade Hampton. At the start of the war; none of these men had any military training. Forrest was a slave trader. Chamberlain was a professor. Gordon was a lawyer; Grierson a musician and Hampton was a planter. Hampton was a slave owner; a plantation owner whose wealth made him the richest man in antebellum South Carolina. There was no real need for him to fight. He easily could have left that job to others. But fight he did. During the course of the American Civil War he became one of the finest combat officers produced by either side and Edward Longacre does an absolutely excellent job of detailing his life experiences.In 1861 Wade Hampton raised a combat brigade and personally financed all of its weapons. It consisted of of six companies of infantry; four companies of cavalry; and one battery of artillery. His initial fight was at Bull Run. Wounded for the first of five times during the war; he led a charge against a federal artillery position and is given credit for turning the tide of battle in the Confederates favor. Subsequently promoted to brigadier general; he was severely wounded at Seven Pines; returning to duty in time to lead a brigade at the end of the Seven Days.After Malvern Hill; Robert E. Lee reorganized his cavalry into a division under J.E.B. Stuart who selected Hampton as his senior subordinate. Hampton led a series of raids during Fredericksburg but he saw no action at Chancellorsville. During the Gettysburg Campaign; he was slightly wounded at Brandy Station. His brigade participated in Stuart's misadventure; losing contact with Lee; but reached Gettysburg late on July 2; 1863 where he was yet again wounded. Part of Lee's pincer movement with Pickett; he collided with Custer 6 miles north of Gettysburg and his mission failed in its intended support of Pickett's Charge. Wounded multiple times in this action he returns to Virginia in the same ambulance as John Bell Hood.His wounds from Gettysburg were slow in healing but he returned in time to participate in the Overland Campaign of 1864. When J.E.B. Stuart was killed at Yellow Tavern Hampton succeeded to overall command of the Army of Northern Virginia's Cavalry Corps. He distinguished himself at Trevilian Station; defeating Sheridan in detail and would not lose an engagement for the remainder of the war. In January 1865; Hampton returned to South Carolina to recruit additional soldiers. Promoted to lieutenant general he was eventually surrendered with Joe Johnston's army at Durham; North Carolina.At war's end he was understandably bitter. He had sacrificed his wealth; land; a son and his body in the South's bid for independence. His battle wounds would never completely heal. His home had been burned by Sherman's soldiers; much of his fortune had been depleted; and his slaves were now free men. He would later lose his second wife and go bankrupt. Times were very tough indeed. Hampton was especially angry upon the arrival of black troops for occupation duty and he would lead the resistance against the Radical Republicans' plans for the South's Reconstruction. Entering politics he would twice be elected Governor of South Carolina and serve 12 years as South Carolina's Senator in Washington; DC.His was an amazing life. A man who continually strove to succeed against all odds; he was a man who never stopped fighting. And while much of what he fought for during the Civil War was the right to own other men; after the war he espoused black suffrage. This is a most interesting biography; clearly written with a passion for its subject; and a work which will make you stop and think about what strength of character really is.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Definitely AdequateBy JeffsonFairly objective; not an apologia as some may have presumed. I would have prefered to see a good timeline or method to track his activities in detail. Even though chronological; the pure text format makes it difficult to follow. On the other hand; this work provides fairly good insight into Hampton's thinking and views. Better than average coverage of a complicated person and history.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy cynthiameadows1Great reading for those who love this period of history.