"Riveting. . . . A thoughtful biography." —New York Times Book Review General Joseph E. Johnston was in command of Confederate forces at the South's first victory—Manassas in July 1861—and at its last—Bentonville in April 1965. Many of his contemporaries considered him the greatest southern field commander of the war; others ranked him second only to Robert E. Lee. But Johnston was an enigmatic man. His battlefield victories were never decisive. He failed to save Confederate forces under siege by Grant at Vicksburg, and he retreated into Georgia in the face of Sherman's march. His intense feud with Jefferson Davis ensured the collapse of the Confederacy's western campaign in 1864 and made Johnston the focus of a political schism within the government. Now in this rousing narrative of Johnston's dramatic career, Craig L. Symonds gives us the first rounded portrait of the general as a public and private man.

"Focusing on the period between mid-February and late May 1862, Newton examines in detail the high-level conferences in Richmond to set strategy and the relationship of the Peninsula campaign to operations in the Shenandoah Valley and the western Confederacy. By examining what [Joseph E.] Johnston actually accomplished rather than speculating on what he might have done, Newton shows that his overall conduct of the campaign holds up well under scrutiny". -- Jacket.

Originally published in 1956, this book is a full account of General Joseph E. Johnston (1807-1891), a career U.S. Army officer who served with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was one of the most senior general officers—second only to General Robert E. Lee—in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Although heartily disliked by Confederate president Jefferson Davis, who often criticized him for a lack of aggressiveness and took every opportunity to sully his opponent’s name, General Johnston’s patriotic devotion to the Southern cause prevented him from resigning, and he rose to gain enormous respect from his major opponents for his actions during a number of campaigns—including General Ulysses S. Grant and Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, who became close friends with Johnston in subsequent years. A leading text for Civil War enthusiasts. Illustrated with 6 detailed maps.

A biography of a famous general for the South during the Civil War and a representative from Virginia in the United States House of Representatives.

Worthy Opponents tells the parallel stories of Confederate general Joseph E. Johnston and Union general William Tecumseh Sherman. Their armies clashed repeatedly, so it was only natural for these two commanding offers to become adversaries. Yet, as the war continued, Johnston and Sherman came to respect each other, eventually becoming close friends. Edward G. Longacre masterfully investigates the entwined lives of these two celebrated generals, bringing to life their personalities, their military styles, and their friendship in this fascinating dual biography.