A candidate for the title of “unsung hero” among the Union generals of the Civil War, Alpheus Williams, “Old Pap” to his men, wrote as frequently as he could to his family in Detroit of his successes, achievements and battles during that terrible period of strife. In this engaging collection of his correspondence he recounts the part he played in the battles both East and West at Second Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Atlanta and the Savannah campaign. A kind hearted man, he was deeply affected by the hardships suffered by the common soldiers under his command who he treated with great care and often sorrow at the awful casualties they suffered. Warmly recommended. “Superb war letters. . . . Old ‘Pap’ Williams possessed an unconscious literary flair that gives simple style and force to his letters. . . . Milo Quaife has added annotation that will enlighten the casual reader and satisfy the scholar.”—New York Times Book Review “Civil War scholars are always grateful for a volume of letters written by a high-ranking officer who held important commands in pivotal engagements. . . . A superior collection. . . . Especially useful to students of the war are his keen, detailed accounts of Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg.”—American Historical Review

A well-researched biography of General Alpheus S. Williams, a prominent Union officer during the Civil War. With a focus on his leadership at key battles such as Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, this book offers valuable insights into the strategy and tactics of the Union Army. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

With vivid battlefield accounts based on extensive primary research, award-winning author Jack Dempsey's masterful biography tells the amazing story of an unsung hero. Detroit's Alpheus Starkey Williams never tired in service to his city or his country. A veteran of the Mexican-American War, he was a preeminent military figure in Michigan before the Civil War. He was key to the Lost Order, the Battle of Gettysburg, the March to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign. His generalship at Antietam made possible the Emancipation Proclamation, and Meade and Sherman relied on his unshakable leadership. A steady hand in wartime and in peacetime, Williams was a Yale graduate, lawyer, judge, editor, municipal official, militia officer, diplomat and congressman who stood on principle over party.

Excerpt from General Alpheus S. Williams This article sketches the public life of a soldier. This soldier rose to high command during the war of 1861-65, the highest attained by any of the 90,119 courageous, patriotic and capable men who went from Michigan to serve in the armies of the republic. This soldier had under his direction a larger force than the army George Washington was able to muster and command in the several campaigns of our great struggle for independence. None of our generals in the war of 1812, among whom may be named Macomb at Plattsburg and Jackson at New Orleans - directed in battle so large a number of men as did our Michigan soldier. Scott and Taylor won their victories in Mexico with armies less numerous. These references to American history are intended to make plainer the fact that the ability to command great armies requires genius of a high degree. In any nation during the stress of war few commanders prove by their success the possession of superior qualities. The long roll of history names many warriors, but the list of generals really great is sufficiently meager. A Notable Soldier. The great captains, the conquerors of the world, may be listed in a few lines. It would be inconsistent to include our soldier among them. He is, however, entitled to appear among that meritorious class of officers whom the great captains relied on to carry out intelligently and valorously a part of the work. The result of campaigns and the safety of armies largely rests on men of high capacity. Sifted down by trial in war not many soldiers possessing this quality - an insufficient number, at least - has been forthcoming. It is no little glory to the State that Michigan produced one soldier who fulfilled the higher conditions of generalship; and demonstrated his worth on many fields throughout a war whose magnitude is one of the most stupendous in the annals of internecine strife. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Engaging Correspondence Of This Michigan General In The Union Army During The American Civil War, Recounting The Battles Of Second Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, And Gettysburg, As Well As The Atlanta And Savannah Campaigns.

Fifty-one years old when the Civil War broke out, Alpheus S. Williams was commissioned brigadier general of volunteers in the Army of the Potomac. These letters to his daughters, written in the most rigorous wartime circumstances, reveal the high-ranking officer's views on events from Bull Run to Georgia and the Carolinas to Gettysburg. He characterizes McClellan, Sherman, Hooker, and Meade; scorns a system of promotion that rewards grandstanders and press-kissers; and explodes in fury at the contractors whose graft cheats the soldiers of blankets and shoes in midwinter. He pities the people and animals thrust in the path of the cannon and is acutely attuned to the weather and landscape. Every line by Williams is stamped with intelligence and sensibility, and his combatant's view of the battle at Antietam is the most stirring in Civil War literature.

When America faced its greatest internal crisis, Michigan answered the call with over ninety thousand troops. The story of that sacrifice is preserved in the state's rich collection of Civil War monuments, markers, forts, cemeteries, reenactments, museums and exhibits. Discover how General George A. Custer and the famed Michigan Cavalry Brigade "saved the Union." Visit the chair that President Lincoln was assassinated in at Ford's Theatre, and view the grave of the last African American Union veteran. With a foreword by Civil War historian Jack Dempsey, this work is the first of its kind to chronicle the many Civil War landmarks in the Wolverine State. Book jacket.