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by R. Lockwood Tower (Editor)
An eyewitness account of Lee's Civil War service
Of all those who served with Robert E. Lee in the headquarters of the Army of Northern Virginia, no one was as close to him as Walter Taylor. Twenty-two years old when hostilities broke out, Taylor served at Lee's side virtually without interruption during the entire Civil War.
The only officer who could lay claim to such a distinction, Taylor served first as aide-de-camp and subsequently as assistant adjutant general of the Army of Northern Virginia. Taylor traveled with Lee, ate at his mess, shielded him from a flood of administrative concerns, and on occasion delivered his battlefield orders. Taylor's personal correspondence, written without reserve as he enjoyed an unparalleled opportunity to observe Lee and his inner circle, constitutes a unique addition to the Civil War record.
The 110 letters compiled in Lee's Adjutant shed light on day-to-day life at Lee's headquarters and on the general himself. Written to Taylor's fiancée and family, the recount the Army of Northern Virginia's early triumphs, invasions of the North, defeat at Gettysburg, and final surrender.
To these revealing letters, R. Lockwood Tower adds a biographical sketch of the young adjutant that describes his role in helping Lee organize the Army of Virginia and--as an officer who lived to see the fiftieth anniversary of the war's end--in shaping Confederate memory.
Back Jacket
Of all those who served with Robert E. Lee in the headquarters of the Army of Northern Virginia, no one was as close to him as Walter Taylor. Twenty-two years old when hostilities broke out, Taylor served at Lee's side virtually without interruption during the entire Civil War. The only officer who could lay claim to such a distinction, Taylor served first as aide-de-camp and subsequently as assistant adjutant general of the Army of Northern Virginia. He traveled with Lee, ate at his mess, shielded him from a flood of administrative concerns, and on occasion delivered his battlefield orders to division and corps commanders. His personal correspondence, written without reserve as he enjoyed an unparalleled opportunity to observe Lee's inner circle, constitutes a unique addition to the Civil War record. The 110 letters compiled in Lee's Adjutant shed light on day-to-day life at Lee's headquarters and on the general himself. Written to Taylor's fiancee and family, these letters recount the Army of Northern Virginia's early triumphs, invasions of the North, defeat at Gettysburg, the bloody struggle in the Wilderness, the siege of Petersburg, and final surrender. In them the young officer testifies to the simplicity of Lee's lifestyle as well as the gentility of his demeanor. He describes the bond that developed between himself and the general, and he discusses the furloughs, reports, dispatches, petitions, and grievances that he handled as Lee's alter ego in administrative matters. In addition to offering an eyewitness account of Lee's Civil War service, Taylor's correspondence illumines social, religious, and military concerns of the period. To these revealing letters Lockwood Tower adds abiographical sketch of the young adjutant. Tower describes Taylor's role in helping Lee organize the Army of Virginia, his midnight wedding on the night that Richmond fell, and - as an officer who lived to see the fiftieth anniversary of the war's end - his role in shaping Confederate memory.
Author Biography
R. Lockwood Tower is editor of A Carolinian Goes to War: The Civil War Narrative of Arthur Middleton Manigault, Brigadier General, C.S.A. A dedicated Civil War historian and former trustee of the California Historical Society, Tower lives in Charleston, South Carolina.
