An edition of A politician goes to war (1995)

A politician goes to war

the Civil War letters of John White Geary

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Last edited by MARC Bot
July 16, 2024 | History
An edition of A politician goes to war (1995)

A politician goes to war

the Civil War letters of John White Geary

This last known work of noted historian Bell Irvin Wiley reveals the private mind of John White Geary, a Union general from Pennsylvania, through his Civil War letters to his wife, Mary. Wiley had selected these roughly 200 letters for publication, but the unfinished manuscript lay undiscovered for twelve years after the historian's death. The letters provide a rare glimpse of the two main theaters of war through the eyes of a general officer.

Geary saw action at Cedar Mountain and Gettysburg in the Virginia theater and in the major campaigns in the west - from lifting the siege at Chattanooga to marching with William T. Sherman through Georgia and the Carolinas.

.

The fascination Geary's letters held for Wiley, the quintessential scholar of the common person, is clear: the letters of an uncommon man reveal ordinary concerns about children, money, home, and religion that linked Geary to many on both sides of the war. These letters reveal contrasts between attitudes of soldiers of the eastern and western armies and how early intense battle was waged in northern Virginia.

Readers can also glimpse pieces of life on the northern homefront and the ways that relationships between men and women changed during the course of the war.

Geary's letters also show another side of the officer, that of the consummate politician who knew that military service provided capital for future political campaigns.

Through intense self-promotion, he had fashioned a reputation that served him well in gaining respected political posts both before and after the war: he fought in the Mexican War and served as the first mayor of San Francisco and as territorial governor of Kansas during the period known as "Bloody Kansas," in addition to winning two terms as governor of Pennsylvania after the war.

Ultimately, the letters of John White Geary show how a political general plied his trade. They reveal the complexities of any historical figure, for Geary had both the admirable qualities of loyalty to the Union and the less attractive need to exaggerate his abilities to enhance his career.

Publish Date
Language
English
Pages
259

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: A politician goes to war
A politician goes to war: the Civil War letters of John White Geary
1995, Pennsylvania State University Press
Hardcover in English

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Book Details


Table of Contents

Preface / William Alan Blair
Introduction / Bell Irvin Wiley
Guarding the Potomac, July 1861-February 1862
Into enemy territory, March-December 1862
To Gettysburg and back, January-September 1863
Transfer to the West, October 1863-March 1864
The Atlanta campaign, March-September 1864
Through Georgia and the Carolinas, September 1864-April 1865

Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Published in
University Park, Penn

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
978.1/02/092
Library of Congress
E467.1.G29 A4 1995, E467.1.G29A4 1995

The Physical Object

Format
Hardcover
Pagination
xxv, 259 p.
Number of pages
259
Dimensions
24 x x centimeters

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL1082870M
Internet Archive
politiciangoesto0000gear
ISBN 10
0271013389
ISBN 13
9780271013381
LCCN
94006497
OCLC/WorldCat
30028785
Library Thing
1549874
Goodreads
2704521

Work Description

This last known work of noted historian Bell Irvin Wiley reveals the private mind of John White Geary, a Union general from Pennsylvania, through his Civil War letters to his wife, Mary. Wiley had selected these roughly 200 letters for publication, but the unfinished manuscript lay undiscovered for twelve years after the historian's death. The letters provide a rare glimpse of the two main theaters of war through the eyes of a general officer. Geary saw action at Cedar Mountain and Gettysburg in the Virginia theater and in the major campaigns in the west - from lifting the siege at Chattanooga to marching with William T. Sherman through Georgia and the Carolinas. The fascination Geary's letters held for Wiley, the quintessential scholar of the common person, is clear: the letters of an uncommon man reveal ordinary concerns about children, money, home, and religion that linked Geary to many on both sides of the war. These letters reveal contrasts between attitudes of soldiers of the eastern and western armies and how early intense battle was waged in northern Virginia. Readers can also glimpse pieces of life on the northern homefront and the ways that relationships between men and women changed during the course of the war. Geary's letters also show another side of the officer, that of the consummate politician who knew that military service provided capital for future political campaigns. Through intense self-promotion, he had fashioned a reputation that served him well in gaining respected political posts both before and after the war: he fought in the Mexican War and served as the first mayor of San Francisco and as territorial governor of Kansas during the period known as "Bloody Kansas," in addition to winning two terms as governor of Pennsylvania after the war. Ultimately, the letters of John White Geary show how a political general plied his trade. They reveal the complexities of any historical figure, for Geary had both the admirable qualities of loyalty to the Union and the less attractive need to exaggerate his abilities to enhance his career. - Jacket flap.

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July 16, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
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