Stonewall's Lieutenant (The Life of General Elisha Franklin Paxton, Commander of the Stonewall Brigade)

Elisha Paxton's brief life was full of both achievement and contradictions. How did a volunteer soldier rise to command a brigade in less than two years? Why did Stonewall place such faith in a man he would not even speak with before the war? How could a devout Christian, who described slavery as "violation of god's law," become a fervent secessionist? The experiences of Elisha Paxton provide fascinating insight into the workings of the Confederate army and the mind of Stonewall Jackson. A dispassionate study of Paxton's writings leads to uncomfortable discussions about Paxton's personal morality and the greater political and social context of the Civil War. Author Gerald L. Maatman Jr. dives into all of the above in objective, scholarly, and comprehensive fashion in this sweeping biography of Brigadier General Elisha F. Paxton.