Member Review William Styple's book on General Kearny

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Well, in 2024 I read Bud Robertson's biography of Stonewall Jackson and Andrew Roberts' biography of Churchill, both of which clocked in at about a thousand pages and both of which I absolutely loved.

A thousand pages on Churchill I understand. A thousand pages on Andrew Jackson I understand. Stonewall I have trouble fathoming as his period of importance was two years.

 

[JeffBrooks]

A thousand pages on Churchill I understand. A thousand pages on Andrew Jackson I understand. Stonewall I have trouble fathoming as his period of importance was two years.

I encourage you to read the Robertson bio. Yes, it is a big time commitment, but it is one of the best researched biographies of any historical figure I've ever read. It does just answer, "Who was Stonewall Jackson?", but answers the bigger question of, "What sort of man was Stonewall Jackson?"

 

[TallTallMan]

I don't have a problem with the book's, or any book's size. Its what inside that counts.

What if it's 800 pages of gunk? I've encountered that many a time

 

[TallTallMan]

A thousand pages on Churchill I understand. A thousand pages on Andrew Jackson I understand. Stonewall I have trouble fathoming as his period of importance was two years.

Robertson's is a monster with tiny text but somehow it didn't feel like "big reading". It is Stonewall Jackson, pure and simple. No "life and times" or anything.

 

[Cavalier]

@TallTallMan Well that would depend on the gunk. Your gunk might be my champagne. I know many people aren't interest in the same aspects of the Civil War that I am, and vice versa. I do know that some parts of Kearny's life that are only vaguely referred to I want to know much more about. You, on the other hand, might think "Who cares ?".

John

 

[Belfoured]

@TallTallMan Well that would depend on the gunk. Your gunk might be my champagne. I know many people aren't interest in the same aspects of the Civil War that I am, and vice versa. I do know that some parts of Kearny's life that are only vaguely referred to I want to know much more about. You, on the other hand, might think "Who cares ?".

John

Just to stay on track, Styple's book isn't in the "gunk" genre. As I tried to indicate, there are large chunks of primary sources included. That would be redundant "gunk" for guys like Grant, McClellan, etc whose papers are readily accessible. Not the case for somebody like Kearny.

 

[Belfoured]

@TallTallMan Well that would depend on the gunk. Your gunk might be my champagne. I know many people aren't interest in the same aspects of the Civil War that I am, and vice versa. I do know that some parts of Kearny's life that are only vaguely referred to I want to know much more about. You, on the other hand, might think "Who cares ?".

John

Just to stay on track, Styple's book isn't in the "gunk" genre. As I tried to indicate, there are large chunks of primary sources included. That would be redundant "gunk" for guys like Grant, McClellan, etc whose papers are readily accessible. Not the case for somebody like Kearny.

 

[Belfoured]

Just to stay on track, Styple's book isn't in the "gunk" genre. As I tried to indicate, there are large chunks of primary sources included. That would be redundant "gunk" for guys like Grant, McClellan, etc whose papers are readily accessible. Not the case for somebody like Kearny.

Double post because some of those glitches that finally disappeared seem to be poking around again.

 

[67th Tigers]

The conspiracy can be summarised thus:

1. An officer on Halleck's staff, Maj. John Key, was very pro-slavery and said some very disloyal things.
2. His brother, Col Thomas Key, was on McClellan's staff
3. In an accusatory fashion, Lincoln, who'd heard another garbled rumour from Baldy Smith's cousin about McClellan, Lincoln tried to get John Key to say McClellan shared his opinions. He didn't (and he didn't).

That is it. On Smith, in 1864 Lincoln sent to John G. Smith for evidence of McClellan being in a conspiracy for use in the election. Eventually he replied he'd gotten things completely wrong, and there never was a conspiracy...

 

[ScottRMcKinley]

I caught up with William Styple at Gettysburg in 2023 and bought the book. It's his life's work, which began with Kearny's Letters From The Peninsula back in 1988. It is the last word on Kearny, and worth it. Belle Grove books is his own company, and the books are built to last.