States Rights Gist: A South Carolina General of the Civil War (First Edition Library)
An excellent biography of a lesser-known Confederate general. Gist, nicknamed "States Rights" for his father's political beliefs, was one of the few non-West Point graduates to become a general in the Confederate Army. Trained as a lawyer, he gained a political appointment due to family connections and had worked his way up to Adjutant General of the state of South Carolina by the time of secession. Given the rank of brigadier general, he commanded small units in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia until his unit was transferred to the Army of Tennessee. He participated in the Battles of Chickamauga, Chattanooga, the Atlanta campaign, and the Battle of Franklin, where he was killed. The book gives us an interesting overview of how an untrained politician becomes an effective military leader. Recommended for specialized collections of Civil War military history and regional history collections. History Book Club selection.- W. Walter Wick er, Louisiana Tech Univ., RustonCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.