Fear was not in him

"Brought together for the first time, one of the most important collections of Civil War letters is that of Francis Channing Barlow. A young intellectual from Massachusetts, Barlow was a successful lawyer in New York City and friends with such people as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Winslow Homer's family when he went off to war. Leaving his wife hours after their marriage, Barlow probably never contemplated the conversion he would undergo." "Originally commissioned a lieutenant and untrained in military science, he ended the war as one of the North's premier combat generals. Though Barlow entered the service with nascent leadership qualities, he left it with a honed sense of his own authority. More importantly, Barlow had transformed from a contemplative man of society to a vigorous figure engaged with life and politics. Barlow's letters, covering the period from 1861 to 1864, not only provide a rich description of battle experiences, but also offer insight into an intellectual civilian learning the realities of war and the burdens of command." "Barlow suffered many privations, including two battlefield wounds and an exhaustive collapse following the death of his wife while she nursed Federal soldiers. Barlow played a critical role in the Peninsula Campaign and in delivering a decisive charge at Antietam, sustaining a grievous wound that ensured his promotion to brigadier general. At Gettysburg - his first battle in command of a division - Barlow deployed his men in an exposed position, a controversial decision that cost him another wound and the defeat of his troops. After he recuperated, Barlow led a division through the 1864 campaign toward Richmond, earning a reputation for being a strict disciplinarian and leading his soldiers in the famous charge against the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania."--BOOK JACKET.