The Civil War Letters of General Frank Bull Paxton, CSA, A Lieutenant of Lee and Jackson, are the war time letters of this great general of the legendary Stonewall Brigade and his wife. General Frank Bull Paxton, a good and honest man who rose up in the ranks in the early part of the Civil War was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia in 1828, and was also cousin to Texas General and Governor Sam Houston. After graduating from Washington College (later renamed Washington and Lee), Yale University and the University of Virginia Law School, he was a land speculator in Ohio. He returned to Virginia in 1854 and opened a law office in Lexington and became a good friend to Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson. Bull Paxton was an ardent secessionist and when the war started he was elected a lieutenant in the Rockbridge Rifles (later Company B, 5th Virginia Infantry Regiment). Fighting at First Bull Run (Manassas) he rose in the ranks to be a part of General Jacksons staff and was later appointed as Major in the 7th Virginia Infantry Regiment. Later he became Chief of Staff for General Jackson. Recommended by Jackson, Paxton later was appointed as Brigadier General. He was killed on May 3, 1863 leading his regiment at the Battle of Chancellorsville. In this book, edited by his son, General Paxton wrote loving letters to his wife of his convictions of loving his state (Virginia) and swearing fidelity to his new country (Confederate States of America), he believed strongly that the United States Constitution allowed individual states to secede and he believed this at an early age. General Paxton was a strong Christian Gentleman who was always a kind and thoughtful man admired by his soldiers, peers, and the leaders of the Army of Northern Virginia. To be recommended as Brigadier General by Stonewall Jackson, shows the character and beliefs of this great gentleman from Virginia. He expresses his thoughts in great spirit and conviction to his wife and children and he has an excellent prose in expressing his beliefs, the everyday life as an officer in the Army of Northern Virginia, the brief descriptions of his actions in battle, and his thoughts of his men and superiors. This General was a good man and had a premonition of death, telling one of his officers that he would die in battle the next day. Years after the war, General Paxtons son John Gallantin Paxton would collect his fathers letters and privately publish them. General Paxtons grandson Dick Paxton, submitted the privately published book about his grandfather to Hill College Press, the great publishing press of Civil War books, and this excellent book was first published in 1978. The introduction of the book is by the famous modern historian of Hoods Texas Brigade, the late Colonel Harold B. Simpson (USAF Ret), and introduces the life of General Paxton in fascinating prose. In the closing chapters of this short read (102 pages), the official correspondence of General Paxtons death is given as well as the official correspondence of General Paxton to his superiors (General Jackson and General Lee). This is an excellent book of this great general. Reading this has given this reader a greater insight of the life of a General in the famous Stonewall Brigade, why he fought against his former country, and his religious beliefs. This was a man who loved his family, his fellow soldiers, and he was a great leader of men who died as so many other soldiers did, way to young and had so much more leadership and inspiration to give his men. Thus is the tragedy of war. A great read that is highly recommended to anyone interested in the Army of Northern Virginia, the Stonewall Brigade, the eastern theater of the Civil War, and Civil War history.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 01:27:08 +0000
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