General John Buford: A Military Biography

Author - Edward G. Longacre ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from Da Capo Press was reviewed on 15-Oct-2008.

Search ISBN:0306812746 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. General John Buford: A Military Biography Reference Book. Classifications : General Civil War United States Historical Biographies & Memoirs Subjects Books General United States Historical Biographies & Memoirs Subjects Books United States Civil War Military Leaders & Notable . Click the following link to view the cover of General John Buford: A Military Biography.

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1) Paperback Book General John Buford: A Military Biography by Da Capo Press. This is a nice, solid military biography. It was very readable, and I was happy to see it had a strong thesis (Buford was "a true dragoon). I came away from the book admiring Buford a great deal. True, there could have been more information in here, but isn´t further information one of the purposes of an appendix?

I highly recommend this book to U.S. Civil War buffs and anyone interested in learning about someone who achieve success without playing many political games.¤

2) Paperback Book General John Buford: A Military Biography by Da Capo Press. as the author complains by lack of personal source material. Buford died during the war, had no surviving children, didn´t write any kind of memoirs etc... Longacre did a solid job of discussing the union cavalry command but many aspects of the book like sections on Gettysburg and West Point seemed rushed. Certainly many other commanders had nice things to say about Buford unfortunately Longacre only found 1 or 2 of them.¤

3) Paperback Book General John Buford: A Military Biography by Da Capo Press. John Buford is perhaps best known for his aggressive actions on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. However, he merits more consideration than for one day´s worth of sound generalship. This book does a good, solid job of introducing readers to General Buford.

Although born in Kentucky, he later moved to what was to become Rock Island, Illinois. In the late 1840s, he entered West Point and graduated in good standing. Some of those whom he came into contact with at "The Point" included Ambrose Burnside, George Stoneman, George Steuart, William Jones, John Tidball, and Hugh Ewing (William Tecumseh Sherman´s foster brother). In the "old Army," he was a trooper, including serving in "Bleeding Kansas" and into the Valley of the Saints, as the United States aimed to chastise the Mormons.

As the Civil War began, Buford was assigned to administration, although he wanted to be "in the saddle" as an active cavalry officer. After considerable frustration, he earned an active command. He did good service before Second Manassas/Bull Run, trying to alert General Pope of Longstreet´s advance through Thoroughfare Pass, threatening Pope´s flank. Alas! The significant intelligence never found its way to the right people. Indeed, this illustrates one of Buford´s strength--gathering and passing on crisp intelligence (one function of the cavalry was to serve as "the eyes" of the army). However, later, he was consigned once more to administrative work.

When Joe Hooker became commander of the Army of the Potomac, Buford´s luck changed again, as he was given an active command. After the debacle at Chancellorsville, General Robert E. Lee began his raid northward. Here, Buford played a key role. First, in gathering intelligence. Second, for his role at Brandy Station, when his cavalry put great pressure on one wing of JEB Stuart´s cavalry, beginning to tarnish the reputation of the irrepressible Stuart´s command.

Then, on to Gettysburg, where he arrived on June 30, assessed the land and the military features around the village, and decided to make a fight of it, fully realizing that his two cavalry brigades were facing Early´s corps moving south toward Gettysburg from Carlisle and York and Hill´s corps moving east along the Chambersburg Pike. As everyone knows, he held long enough for John Reynolds Union First and O. O. Howard´s 11th Corps to arrive and join the battle.

After, Buford continued his good work, although he would face reverses as he pursued Lee´s retreating army. Once the Army of the Potomac re-entered Virginia, he continued to play a role. However, illness cut short his career.

All in all, a useful biography of a figure who deserves to be better known. Indeed, the author originally refused the offer to write this book, because he did not think that there was enough information to do a competent biography. Readers ought to be appreciative that Longacre´s assessment was wrong.
¤

4) Paperback Book General John Buford: A Military Biography by Da Capo Press. Edward Longacre´s "General John Buford" is good summary of General Buford´s career. It is written in straight forward language and is therefore an easy read. Anyone who has a strong interest in the American Civil War probably is familiar with Gen. Buford through such works as the book "Killer Angels" and the movie "Gettysburg". Longacre´s book provides much desired pre-civil war and civil war background information. He does interpolate a certain amount of descriptive coloring, but as an attempt to get a feel for the subjective qualities of the man this is not necessarily a bad thing. One could always hope for more detail and information, but Longacre does an admirable job with the available resources.¤

5) Paperback Book General John Buford: A Military Biography by Da Capo Press. Yes, thank goodness for the movie, Gettysburg since without that movie, this fine and very needed biography on General John Buford may never been written or published. The movie brought forward General Buford´s finest day as a soldier and this biography bring forward the real man behind the Hollywood image.

Its appears that writing a biography on Buford may have been a problem due to lack of first hand material. Its appears that Buford was not a writer or many of it did not survived. But what comes out from Longacre´s book is story of a decent and highly motivated man who took the long road to Gettysburg. His premature death probably robbed him of greater Civil War fame since he have proved to be one of the best cavalry commanders within the Army of the Potomac by the time Gettysburg came about. What he could have done if he lived would be one of the great "what if" of Civil War trivia.

Longacre´s book is bit short on Buford´s early life, lacking material would be my guess on this short coming. But the author was successful in bring out Buford´s early military career, thus doing justice the subtitle of this book, "Military Biography".

Only part I am not sure on Longacre´s account was his take on where Buford and General John Reynold´s initially met on that first day of Gettysburg. Most well known and movie take would be at the Lutheran Seminary Cupola where that most quote "The Devil´s to Pay" came out. Although the actual words may be questioned, I don´t exactly buy the author´s contention that the first meeting came about in the town of Gettysburg. Why would Buford be there, away from a crucial battle? This was based on civilian eye witnesses, of course the same type of civilians even today who can´t tell the difference between a new born 2nd LT and a three star general!!

Other then that, this book proves to be quite readable, nicely researched and quite informative on the life of John Buford. This is the only biographical material I have read on Buford outside of that booklet I brought at Gettysburg back in 1995 written by Michael Phipps and John S. Peterson titled "The Devil´s To Pay".¤

6) Paperback Book General John Buford: A Military Biography by Da Capo Press.

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 12-Nov-2008, 03068127469780306812743, 850-460-220-860-180-800-8

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