The Boy General : The Life and Careers of Francis Channing Barlow

The biography of an ambitious Civil War soldier Drawing heavily on primary-source material, The Boy General is the first full-length account of Francis Channing Barlow, one of the most successful combat officers in the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. Although his clean-shaven, youthful appearance earned him the nickname the Boy General, his fighting capabilities resulted in frequent promotions and greater responsibilities. Born in October 1834 in Brooklyn, New York, Barlows professional, military, and political careers were all in the service of his native state. Intelligent, ambitious, and confident, Barlow graduated as valedictorian of the 1855 Harvard class and launched a legal career in New York. When Lincoln sent out a call for volunteers following the bombardment of Fort Sumter, Barlow dropped his practice and entered the U.S. Army as a private. He transformed himself from a privileged young lawyer into one of the most formidable combat leaders produced by either side during the Civil War. Rising from private to major general, Barlow served in most major operations in Virginia and was increasingly entrusted with assignments of crucial importance to the success of Federal arms. He cleared out the deadly sunken road at Antietam, where he was badly wounded, and led a division at Gettysburg, where he suffered another serious wound. He and his men often spearheaded the Army of the Potomacs assaults during Grants bloody Overland campaign. Following the war, Barlow resumed his law practice and entered the political arena. He served as New York attorney general in 1871 and as Grants personal representative in the Florida recount following the contentious 1876 election. This book will be welcomed by Civil War historians and buffs alike. "This is the first full-length account of one of the most aggressive, dynamic, and successful combat leaders produced by either side in the Civil War. Based heavily on primary source material, the work chronicles the transformation of the self-assured son of a broken Bosten Brahmin family from a young, militarily inexperienced lawyer into a formidable warrior.". "Born into the Unitarian-Transcendentalist circle, which dominated New England intellectual and cultural life before the Civil War, Barlow attended the school run by the famous Brook Farm commune. From an early age he was noted for fearlessness in both speech and action - two characteristics that marked his conduct and affected his later careers. Barlow's unquestioning sense of his own intellectual and moral superiority was the source of his success as a combat officer during the war. He trained and drove his men hard, and they became one of the army's elite units in the process. Barlow's steadfast belief in himself led him to command from the front, winning respect of his troops, recognition from his superiors, public acclaim, and, often, success for his cause. Possessing innate self-confidence and almost heedless bravery in equal measure, Barlow rose from private to major general. He was heavily engaged in almost all the major battles of the Army of the Potomac beginning as a regimental colonel on the Peninsula in 1862 and finishing his career as commander of the first division in the vaunted II Corps during Grant's campaigns against Richmond in 1864. Throughout his military career, Barlow carved out a record as a fighting man that few could match and none could excel.". "Twice wounded, first at Antietam and then Gettysburg, Barlow consistently took his men into the hottest spots in most pivotal actions during Grant's bloody campaign against Lee.". "After the war, Barlow alternated a legal career with service in New York State government. As New York's attorney general he initiated suits against the Tweed Ring and other corrupt malefactors. Barlow's unfiltered forthrightness and unyielding ethics placed him at a disadvantage in the rough-and-tumble democratic politics of the late nineteenth century. His candid report exposing corruption involved in the successful Republican campaign to win the White House for Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876 cost him whatever hopes he had for a further political career. Barlow returned to private life, pursued a successful legal career, and died relatively unknown in 1896."--BOOK JACKET.

barlow (1834-96), Who Acquired His Nickname From His Youthful Appearance, Is One Of The Many Us Soldiers Lauded As Heros Of The Civil War During Their Own Time Who Have Faded From The Consciousness Of All But Specialists And Enthusiasts. Welch (america And Irish History And Western Civilization, Long Island U.) Traces How He Rose Through The Ranks And Took Part In Almost All The Major Operations In Virginia Between 1862 And 1865. Distributed In The Us By Associated University Presses. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, Or

Drawing on primary-source material, this is an account of Francis Channing Barlow, one of the most successful combat officers in the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. Although his youthful appearance earned him the nickname "" Boy General,"" his fighting capabilities resulted in frequent promotions and greater responsibilities.