This is a good work. Other than the Gettysburg charge, before reading this book I did not know George Picket very well. I only got glimpses of him from various readings: Chapultepec, the Penninsula Campaign, Bermuda Hundred, Five Forks, etc. And in those various readings never once did anyone take him to task, making him account for himself like Longacre does.

What we have here is a complex aristocrat, a fighter, whose personal attributes estranged the majority of his superiors (Lee and Jefferson Davis to name a few) but one whose loyalty and devotion to Confederate Independence made him indispensable to their efforts .

He is difficult to like. He deserts a son, is a heavy drinker, is a panderer and is a political maneuverer in the worst sense of the concept. But we also have a person who personifies loyalty, who serves to the very end, under privation, while absorbing every imaginable insult from his superiors along the way. He may have made some serious errors but he always obeyed orders, remained steadfast, even when he must have known he had been identified as expendable, and above all served, served, served.

Longacre does a remarkably good job of brining Picket to life. Even more important than Picket is the wonderful glimpse we get into the workings of the Confederate High Command. A very valuable additional plus is the myriad of interesting historical antidotes that will make the most serious student of the Civil War stop and say, "I didn't know that."

No Lost Cause apologia, here you get all the warts. This one is definitely worth the time.

Traces George Pickett's life from military school to Military Academy and on to his career in first the Union Army and then Confederate. As did many of Lee's Generals, Pickett saw service in Mexico with Scott and also tours in the Far West. Pickett's first assignment in the Confederate Army was to the Northern Neck of Virginia where his forces were mostly militia. He repeatedly complained that these forces and portion of Virginia failed to rally to the high standards of support for the Confederacy that he expected. When a more senior officer arrived in the area Pickett responsibilities were relegated to an even lesser position. Clearly this man was not a rising star but more of a place holder. In fact throughout his career he was constantly trying to position himself for higher visibility.

The author makes a careful analysis of Pickett's actions at Gettysburg and concludes that while they were nether heroic nor cowardly they were in keeping with the actions expected of someone in his position.

After the war Pickett had a difficult time "fitting in" and after several pursuits became a life insurance salesman in Richmond. Perhaps a testimonial to what he is best known for...leading (as directed) thousands of men to their slaughter.

I found this book to be well written and documented but a little disjointed at times.

Growing up in the south I always held the same general opinion of Pickett that most southerners and indeed most Americans hold. The playboy image seen in the movie "Gettysburg" has always been what came to mind at the mention of General Pickett. Thanks to this book I see that the well known image is false.

Pickett does indeed seem to have been a glory hound and playboy but he was also a brave soilder who exposed himself to deadly fire in the Mexican War and was wounded early in the Civil War. Longacre handles the fact that Pickett didn't actually lead his men to the angle at Gettysburg in just the way he should have handled it.

I found most interesting Pickett's work at Petersburg to hold that city until Beauregard and then Lee could arrive on the scene. Pickett is not in general given his due for Petersburg probably because after the war the "cult of the lost cause" was so protective of General Lee that they kept to a minimum Pickett's role. In fact, Lee made a mistake and Pickett and then Beauregard saved the day. Without Pickett's contribution at Petersburg the war might have ended several months sooner. Richmond simply could not have been held without Petersburg.

A great book that puts a new and interesting face on George Pickett. It belongs in any Civil War library.

If ever there was a man who followed Christ's example it was Robert E. Lee. This book illustrates such a man. This book illustrates the sort of gentleman that is lacking in our society today, lacking even in our churches. Truly an example for all to follow. Well done Reverend Wilkins.

Three cheers for a great read AND a great life - once you've read this book, you'll understand why Gen. Robert E. Lee still stands today as the most beloved and respected military leader of all time. The simple truth is the man was motivated by honor, duty and most important of all, faith, and everything he did was premeditated by him with those ideas in mind. How refreshing a story after one has been bombarded today with stories of those our children look up to who are motivated by greed and ego and talk about somebody "disrespecting" them - it is very difficult to respect someone spouting obscenities, covered with tatoos, hair dyed eye-popping colors, and sporting metal earrings dangling from various parts of their face! They say "I'm not a role model." I think that is a cop-out spoken by someone who decided he wanted all the glory and money and fame without living up to the responsibility that goes along with it. It's too bad strong and moral leaders, men who stood up for what was right and were willing to pay whatever price that cost, who knew they were role models and did their utmost to be good ones, whose stories we've read about in history class about men down through the years from earliest history through the colonies and the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, seem also to be "Gone With the Wind".

Whether or not Mr. Wilkins is a "revisionist historian" or not, (is complete objectivity really possible?) this book depicts a man who stands head and shoulders above military professionals throughout U. S. history. Nowhere have I read about a man of such faith, honor, integrity and humility than Robert E. Lee. Lee's greatness cannot be separated from his faith, because his character flowed from his faith. Trying to understand such a man apart from his relationship with his creator is impossible. Mr. Wilkins need not apoligize for focusing on Lee's faith, for I believe General Lee would have wanted it no other way. I wish every newly commissioned officer in the U. S. military were required to read this book.