Overview

Joseph Eggleston Johnston was one of the original five full generals of the Confederacy. He graduated West Point in the same 1829 class as Robert E. Lee and served in the War with Mexico, the Seminole Wars in Florida, and in Texas and Kansas. By 1860 he was widely looked upon as one of America's finest military officers. Yet, Johnston remains an enigma. Richard McMurry's masterful The Civil Wars of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston: Volume 1: Virginia to Mississippi, 1861-1863 unlocks Johnston the general and represents a lifetime of study and thinking about the officer, his military career, and his simultaneous battles with the government in Richmond in general, and with President Jefferson Davis in particular. This first installment opens with secession and the beginning of the war and continues through his appointment as full general, his role at Manassas, his literary duel with Davis, and stewardship at the helm of the Confederacy's primary army in Virginia. After Johnston is forced back to the gates of Richmond and wounded at Fair Oaks/Seven Pines, McMurry carries his subject through recovery and into the Western Theater, where Johnston tries and fails to rescue the trapped Confederate garrison at Vicksburg, Mississippi. This installment ends on the eve of Johnston's command with the Army of Tennessee in North Georgia. Dr. McMurry weaves hundreds of primary sources, many previously unused, into an elegant prose that captures Johnston in a way that has never been accomplished. In elegant fashion, McMurry also sheds fresh light on old controversies and examines Johnston's relationships and their impact on the course of the war. Here, finally, is the definitive biography of Joe Johnston. AUTHOR: Richard M. McMurry earned his Ph.D. at Emory University in Atlanta studying under Bell Wiley and was a professor of history at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including the award-winning John Bell Hood and the War for Southern Independence (1982), Two Great Rebel Armies: An Essay in Confederate Military History (1989), and Atlanta 1864: Last Chance for the Confederacy (2000). He makes his home in Georgia outside Atlanta. 10 images, 6 maps

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9781611215922

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"""This is a well-researched and provocative study, fast paced and well written, from which both scholars and armchair historians will gain much.""-- ""The NYMAS Review"" ""In this meticulously researched and thought-provoking study, McMurry argues that the most dangerous enemy the Confederacy faced was not the Federal army, but the discord within its own military high command. Central to this allegation is General Joseph E. Johnston, who led armies in both the Eastern and Western theaters. His relationship with Jefferson Davis, among others, was poisonous to any chance of a Confederate victory. In Volume I of a two-volume set, covering the years 1861-1863, McMurry provides convincing evidence that suggests this volatile situation had a great deal to do with dooming the Confederacy to failure.""--Dr. Anne J. Bailey, author of The Chessboard of War ""It is as though Richard McMurry spent years personally interviewing General Joseph E. Johnston, partly as critical historian and partly as understanding friend, and he is now emerging to share with all of us the results of his interaction. You may know the facts of Johnston's life, but you won't know Johnston until you read McMurry. This work stands as a stunning lifetime achievement from one of America's foremost Civil War historians.""--Larry J. Daniel, author of Conquered: Why the Army of Tennessee Failed ""McMurry's conversational account of Joe Johnston and his role in the Civil War is built on decades of study and contemplation. Until now, his complexities and enigmas have never been fully explored or deeply explained even though the general was one of the war's most significant uniformed Confederates, second perhaps only to Robert E. Lee in influence and importance to the war's ultimate outcome. The Civil Wars of General Joseph E. Johnston will surely be viewed as the definitive book on the subject, and Richard McMurry's magnum opus.""--David A. Powell, author of the award-winning trilogy on The Chickamauga Campaign ""Richard McMurry is a national treasure. His prose keeps us turning pages, and his analysis makes us see the conflict of the 1860s in ways we had never envisioned before. He is so convincing, we feel as though we must always have known it was true.""--Steven E. Woodworth, author of Nothing but Victory ""This is the book Richard McMurry was born to write. For 50 years, he has been one of the most incisive commentators on the Civil War in the Western Theater and the most forthright. In taking on the Confederacy's most controversial commander, McMurry demonstrates his holistic grasp of a major commander's duties, from logistics and supply to command relationships and a general's responsibilities--and limitations--in a constitutional democracy. If the Confederacy ever had a chance of winning its independence, Joseph E. Johnston probably did more than any other man in uniform to lose it, and McMurry gives overwhelming evidence of why. This is a milestone Civil War biography.""--William C. Davis, author of The Whartons' War"

"""McMurry offers a balanced analysis of the relationship between Johnston, Davis, and Lee as he discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each individual. For those wanting to develop a better understanding of Johnston's decision-making process and his relationship with the Confederate administration, this is an important read.""-- ""Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era"" ""Thought-provoking and debatable... learned and judicious.""-- ""Civil War News"" ""This is a well-researched and provocative study, fast paced and well written, from which both scholars and armchair historians will gain much.""-- ""The NYMAS Review"" ""In this meticulously researched and thought-provoking study, McMurry argues that the most dangerous enemy the Confederacy faced was not the Federal army, but the discord within its own military high command. Central to this allegation is General Joseph E. Johnston, who led armies in both the Eastern and Western theaters. His relationship with Jefferson Davis, among others, was poisonous to any chance of a Confederate victory. In Volume I of a two-volume set, covering the years 1861-1863, McMurry provides convincing evidence that suggests this volatile situation had a great deal to do with dooming the Confederacy to failure.""--Dr. Anne J. Bailey, author of The Chessboard of War ""It is as though Richard McMurry spent years personally interviewing General Joseph E. Johnston, partly as critical historian and partly as understanding friend, and he is now emerging to share with all of us the results of his interaction. You may know the facts of Johnston's life, but you won't know Johnston until you read McMurry. This work stands as a stunning lifetime achievement from one of America's foremost Civil War historians.""--Larry J. Daniel, author of Conquered: Why the Army of Tennessee Failed ""McMurry's conversational account of Joe Johnston and his role in the Civil War is built on decades of study and contemplation. Until now, his complexities and enigmas have never been fully explored or deeply explained even though the general was one of the war's most significant uniformed Confederates, second perhaps only to Robert E. Lee in influence and importance to the war's ultimate outcome. The Civil Wars of General Joseph E. Johnston will surely be viewed as the definitive book on the subject, and Richard McMurry's magnum opus.""--David A. Powell, author of the award-winning trilogy on The Chickamauga Campaign ""Richard McMurry is a national treasure. His prose keeps us turning pages, and his analysis makes us see the conflict of the 1860s in ways we had never envisioned before. He is so convincing, we feel as though we must always have known it was true.""--Steven E. Woodworth, author of Nothing but Victory ""This is the book Richard McMurry was born to write. For 50 years, he has been one of the most incisive commentators on the Civil War in the Western Theater and the most forthright. In taking on the Confederacy's most controversial commander, McMurry demonstrates his holistic grasp of a major commander's duties, from logistics and supply to command relationships and a general's responsibilities--and limitations--in a constitutional democracy. If the Confederacy ever had a chance of winning its independence, Joseph E. Johnston probably did more than any other man in uniform to lose it, and McMurry gives overwhelming evidence of why. This is a milestone Civil War biography.""--William C. Davis, author of The Whartons' War"

"""In this meticulously researched and thought-provoking study, McMurry argues that the most dangerous enemy the Confederacy faced was not the Federal army, but the discord within its own military high command. Central to this allegation is General Joseph E. Johnston, who led armies in both the Eastern and Western theaters. His relationship with Jefferson Davis, among others, was poisonous to any chance of a Confederate victory. In Volume I of a two-volume set, covering the years 1861-1863, McMurry provides convincing evidence that suggests this volatile situation had a great deal to do with dooming the Confederacy to failure.""--Dr. Anne J. Bailey, author of The Chessboard of War ""It is as though Richard McMurry spent years personally interviewing General Joseph E. Johnston, partly as critical historian and partly as understanding friend, and he is now emerging to share with all of us the results of his interaction. You may know the facts of Johnston's life, but you won't know Johnston until you read McMurry. This work stands as a stunning lifetime achievement from one of America's foremost Civil War historians.""--Larry J. Daniel, author of Conquered: Why the Army of Tennessee Failed ""McMurry's conversational account of Joe Johnston and his role in the Civil War is built on decades of study and contemplation. Until now, his complexities and enigmas have never been fully explored or deeply explained even though the general was one of the war's most significant uniformed Confederates, second perhaps only to Robert E. Lee in influence and importance to the war's ultimate outcome. The Civil Wars of General Joseph E. Johnston will surely be viewed as the definitive book on the subject, and Richard McMurry's magnum opus.""--David A. Powell, author of the award-winning trilogy on The Chickamauga Campaign ""Richard McMurry is a national treasure. His prose keeps us turning pages, and his analysis makes us see the conflict of the 1860s in ways we had never envisioned before. He is so convincing, we feel as though we must always have known it was true.""--Steven E. Woodworth, author of Nothing but Victory ""This is the book Richard McMurry was born to write. For 50 years, he has been one of the most incisive commentators on the Civil War in the Western Theater and the most forthright. In taking on the Confederacy's most controversial commander, McMurry demonstrates his holistic grasp of a major commander's duties, from logistics and supply to command relationships and a general's responsibilities--and limitations--in a constitutional democracy. If the Confederacy ever had a chance of winning its independence, Joseph E. Johnston probably did more than any other man in uniform to lose it, and McMurry gives overwhelming evidence of why. This is a milestone Civil War biography.""--William C. Davis, author of The Whartons' War"

In this meticulously researched and thought-provoking study, McMurry argues that the most dangerous enemy the Confederacy faced was not the Federal army, but the discord within its own military high command. Central to this allegation is General Joseph E. Johnston, who led armies in both the Eastern and Western theaters. His relationship with Jefferson Davis, among others, was poisonous to any chance of a Confederate victory. In Volume I of a two-volume set, covering the years 1861-1863, McMurry provides convincing evidence that suggests this volatile situation had a great deal to do with dooming the Confederacy to failure. --Dr. Anne J. Bailey, author of The Chessboard of War It is as though Richard McMurry spent years personally interviewing General Joseph E. Johnston, partly as critical historian and partly as understanding friend, and he is now emerging to share with all of us the results of his interaction. You may know the facts of Johnston's life, but you won't know Johnston until you read McMurry. This work stands as a stunning lifetime achievement from one of America's foremost Civil War historians. --Larry J. Daniel, author of Conquered: Why the Army of Tennessee Failed McMurry's conversational account of Joe Johnston and his role in the Civil War is built on decades of study and contemplation. Until now, his complexities and enigmas have never been fully explored or deeply explained even though the general was one of the war's most significant uniformed Confederates, second perhaps only to Robert E. Lee in influence and importance to the war's ultimate outcome. The Civil Wars of General Joseph E. Johnston will surely be viewed as the definitive book on the subject, and Richard McMurry's magnum opus. --David A. Powell, author of the award-winning trilogy on The Chickamauga Campaign Richard McMurry is a national treasure. His prose keeps us turning pages, and his analysis makes us see the conflict of the 1860s in ways we had never envisioned before. He is so convincing, we feel as though we must always have known it was true. --Steven E. Woodworth, author of Nothing but Victory This is the book Richard McMurry was born to write. For 50 years, he has been one of the most incisive commentators on the Civil War in the Western Theater and the most forthright. In taking on the Confederacy's most controversial commander, McMurry demonstrates his holistic grasp of a major commander's duties, from logistics and supply to command relationships and a general's responsibilities--and limitations--in a constitutional democracy. If the Confederacy ever had a chance of winning its independence, Joseph E. Johnston probably did more than any other man in uniform to lose it, and McMurry gives overwhelming evidence of why. This is a milestone Civil War biography. --William C. Davis, author of The Whartons' War

Author Information

Richard M. McMurry earned his Ph.D. at Emory University in Atlanta studying under Bell Wiley and was a professor of history at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including the award-winning John Bell Hood and the War for Southern Independence (1982), Two Great Rebel Armies: An Essay in Confederate Military History (1989), and Atlanta 1864: Last Chance for the Confederacy (2000). He makes his home in Georgia outside Atlanta.

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