Thomas Mays on Law's Alabama Brigade in the War Between the Union and the Confederacy

Morris Penny, J. Gary Laine. Law's Alabama Brigade in the War Between the Union and the Confederacy. Shippensburg, Penn: White Mane Publishing, 1997. xxi + 458 pp. $37.50, paper, ISBN 978-1-57249-024-6. Reviewed by Thomas D. Mays Published on H-CivWar (August, 1997) Anyone with an interest in the battle of Get‐ number of good maps that trace the path of each tysburg is familiar with the famous stand taken regiment in the fghting. The authors also spice on Little Round Top on the second day by Joshua the narrative with letters from home and interest‐ Chamberlain's 20th Maine. Chamberlain's men ing stories of individual actions in the feld and and Colonel Strong Vincent's Union brigade saved camp, including the story of a duel fought behind the left fank of the Union army and may have in‐ the lines during the siege of Suffolk. fluenced the outcome of the battle. While the leg‐ Laine and Penny begin with a very brief in‐ end of the defenders of Little Round Top contin‐ troduction to the service of Evander McIver Law ues to grow in movies and books, little has been and the regiments that would later make up the written about their opponents on that day, includ‐ brigade. Law, a graduate of the South Carolina ing Evander Law's Alabama Brigade. In the short Military Academy (now known as the Citadel), time the brigade existed (1863-1865), Law's Al‐ had been working as an instructor at a military abamians participated in some of the most des‐ prep school in Alabama when the war began. The perate contests of the war. first regiments that would later make up part of The authors, J. Gary Laine and Morris M. Pen‐ the brigade were the 4th and 15th Alabama, ny, have a personal interest in the history of the formed in 1861. In 1862, Law rose to command brigade. Both are descendents of men who served the 4th and later the brigade in which it served. in its ranks. The work will be attractive to all stu‐ Several other regiments were raised in Alabama dents of Alabama Confederate history. Laine and during the spring of 1862. These men enlisted to Penny carefully follow the brigade through each avoid the Confederate Conscription Act and campaign from 1863 and give the reader a de‐ formed the 44th, 47th and 48th Alabama. The scat‐ tailed account of each regiment's role in battle. tered regiments were united in January 1863 to While some might fnd the battle narratives a bit form Law's Alabama Brigade of Hood's Division, confusing, they are supported with a generous Longstreet's Corps. H-Net Reviews Law's brigade saw its frst action as a unit Much of the study follows Law in his personal during James Longstreet's siege of Suffolk, Vir‐ spats with other Confederate general officers. Law ginia, in the winter and spring of 1863. Later, af‐ provides a perfect example of the petty jealousies ter John Bell Hood had been wounded in the bat‐ that plagued the southern command system tle of Gettysburg, Law assumed command of the throughout the war. Although the authors provide division and led the attack on Little Round Top. an enlightening account of Law's personal battles, The brigade then traveled with Longstreet to sup‐ many readers might disagree with their interpre‐ port Braxton Bragg's attack on the Federals at tation of his actions. When Longstreet attempted Chickamauga and continued on to Tennessee and to promote a senior brigadier (and one of Law's Longstreet's siege of Knoxville. In 1864, the personal rivals) Micah Jenkins to command of brigade returned to Virginia to take a major part Hood's division, Law became completely insubor‐ in the battle of the Wilderness. The unit spent the dinate. He thought the job should have been his. rest of the war suffering the hardships of the Rather than accept Longstreet's decision and do nearly ten-month siege of Petersburg. Upon his duty, Law tendered his resignation to Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, 973 of Longstreet and went to Richmond. the 6,260 men who had served with the brigade Instead of retiring from the service as he stat‐ were still with the colors. ed he would do when he resigned, Law began a While the book is a valuable addition to the personal campaign to discredit Lee's "Old War history of Civil War brigades, it has a few faws. Horse." Once at the capitol, Law conveniently lost One drawback to the study is its lack of a clear fo‐ track of his written resignation and began to pres‐ cus. The authors have attempted to tell two sepa‐ sure politicians and government officials to over‐ rate stories and complete neither one. The story of ride Longstreet's recommendation of Jenkins, or Evander Law and the history of the regiments at least to transfer the Alabama brigade. When that made up his brigade are both incomplete. To that did not work, Law worked to trump up begin with, when one hears mention of "Law's charges against Longstreet. Longstreet learned of Brigade," the frst question becomes, which one? this when he discovered a petition signed by some Law was wounded during the battle of First Man‐ of the officers from Law's brigade in which they assas and then rose to command a brigade that in‐ asked to be transferred out of the division. That cluded the 2nd and 11th Mississippi, 6th North was too much. Longstreet called for Law's arrest Carolina, and 4th Alabama. Under Law's com‐ and court-martial for having lost his resignation mand, this brigade distinguished itself during the and inspiring insubordination within the brigade. Peninsula campaign, Second Manassas, and at But Jefferson Davis and Confederate Inspector Antietam. But the authors narrow this story to General Samuel Cooper intervened and restored only a few paragraphs, which leaves the reader Law to his command over the objections of wanting much more. Law's Alabama Brigade was Longstreet and Lee. not formed until 1863, and even then Law was not When Law attempted to return to his com‐ in direct command of it for much of the time. In mand, Longstreet again ordered his arrest. fact, William Flake Perry commanded the brigade Longstreet explained that "to hold me at the head far longer than Law. Even during the last days of of command while encouraging mutinous con‐ the war, Law was not with the brigade; he was in duct in its ranks was beyond all laws and customs temporary command of Matthew C. Butler's South of war" (James Longstreet, From Manassas to Ap‐ Carolina cavalry brigade in North Carolina. pomattox [1969], p. 549). Longstreet gave Davis an ultimatum: Either hold Law for trial or relieve 2 H-Net Reviews Longstreet of his command. After a protracted units included Jackson's Stonewall Brigade, stand off, the situation was defused when Law Hood's Texans, and the Kentucky Orphan Brigade. was transferred out of the division. What is inter‐ The Federal army had a few well known units as esting about this is that the authors fnd little to well. The Iron Brigade, or Black Hats, and the blame in Law's conduct. In fact, they argue, the Irish Brigade both stand out. But these famous real culprits were the authorities in Richmond units are the exception. who acted far too slowly to resolve the spat be‐ The work has a few stylistic problems that tween Jenkins and Law over who would com‐ readers might fnd bothersome as well. In addi‐ mand Hood's division. Many readers may not fnd tion to some spelling and grammatical errors, the that argument a convincing excuse for Law's dis‐ authors constantly stop the fow of the narrative honesty and blatant insubordination. Not even during or after battle descriptions to discuss con‐ the greatest Longstreet detractors could condone flicting sources. It is rare when Civil War eyewit‐ such action. ness accounts agree on small or even large details, Another problem with the study can be seen and it is best to leave the discussion of primary in its treatment of the regiments in Law's Brigade. and secondary sources in the endnotes rather The 4th and 15th Alabama had been in the feld than in the narrative. For example, in the middle since 1861. The 4th earned a fghting reputation of their description of Gettysburg, the authors during the battle of First Manassas and later on note that the long standing argument over the Peninsula. The 15th became a member of Longstreet's actions on July 2nd is a subject that Thomas J. Jackson's legendary "foot cavalry" in has "been studied in considerable depth by Free‐ the Shenandoah Valley. Even the 44th, 47th, and man, Coddington, and Pfanz" (120). The problem 48th Alabama had fought at Cedar Mountain, Sec‐ with that statement is that none of those authors ond Manassas, and Antietam prior to the forma‐ is introduced in the text or even listed in the in‐ tion of the brigade. The difficulty here is that the dex. The reader is left to guess their identify. Un‐ authors confine the early war records of these less readers are familiar with Douglas S. Free‐ units to a few short paragraphs and really only man's Lee's Lieutenants (1942), Edwin B. Codding‐ begin their story in 1863, almost two years into ton's The Gettysburg Campaign (1968), and Harry the war. Perhaps the authors would have been W.

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