Book Review

" General John Bratton

Sumter to Appomattox - In Letters to His Wife "

Short Intro from the Author - Luke Austin

General John Bratton chronicles the military career of a young Confederate volunteer who was present at the War Between the States’ dramatic beginning at Fort Sumter and survived four years of active service to participate in its symbolic last act at Appomattox Court House.

Enlisting as a private in the Sixth South Carolina Infantry Regiment, Longstreet’s Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, Bratton quickly rose to its command in April, 1862. This unit saw action at the battles of Dranesville, Williamsburg and Seven Pines, where Bratton was wounded, captured and endured several months confined in a Union POW facility. Upon exchange, he experienced the carnage at Fredericksburg and participated in the siege of Suffolk before venturing west to fight for Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee. He returned to Virginia in the spring of 1864 and rose to the rank of brigadier general after the death of his commanding officer, General Micah Jenkins, at the battle of the Wilderness. Bratton went on to lead his South Carolina Brigade throughout the remainder of the war: at Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and the battles for Petersburg and Richmond. He surrendered the largest and most organized brigade at Appomattox Court House in April, 1865.

Based on a collection of intimate letters to his wife, General John Bratton vivifies our sense of the war with first-hand accounts. His words reveal the enormous physical and psychological hardships faced by those who joined the fight. With keen insight, he eloquently describes the horrors of combat, the deprivations of army life and the dread he feels for the safety of those back home.

The letters also expose Bratton’s private struggle against self-doubt as he rises through the ranks and confronts the daunting responsibilities and the inherent loneliness of higher command. General John Bratton presents the experience of the War Between the States from the perspective of one willing to risk all to fulfill his deepest personal convictions.

About The Author - J. Luke Austin received a B.A. in European History from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, and a master's degree in American History from the University of Wyoming. He has worked as a firefighter and smokejumper, and now teaches high school in Utah.

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