Destruction and Reconstruction: Personal Experiences of the Late War (Southern Classics Series)

Many contemporaries said Richard Taylor was one of the best soldiers of the war, but he is comparatively little known due to his posting to peripheral theaters. While he was a man of his time, the work with the exception of some of his Reconstruction writings is much less tainted by Lost Cause polemics than most Confederate memoirs. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Civil War, especially the operations in Trans-Mississippi Louisiana. At the time I write this review I am surprised to find there are only two others before me, and they are both from Louisiana, the state in which Richard Taylor resided at the outbreak of the war and which he so tirelessly strove to defend from Union depredations.

A complex man, Taylor could be a stern martinet one moment, and then wax eloquent, displaying an artistic appreciation of life the next. Early on we see him ordering the execution of two of Wheat's Tigers for insubordination. Later, we see him transfixed by a flying bluebird the morning of First Winchester. Taylor's memoir deserves to be preserved not just as an academic curiosity, but because it is the expression of a now extinct class of men who, regardless of their lofty status in society, considered it their personal responsibility to put themselves into harm's way, to lead from the front instead of sending young men out to die while they remain safely at home.

As a memoir of war Destruction and Reconstruction is non pareil, due to its flourishes of erudition and vivid accounts of the battles and personalities described therein. The biblical, mythological, historical and literary references are legion and display an education unlike any in the nineteenth century South. Some graduate student should make a project of cataloging and footnoting these references for an expanded edition.

Be sure to mention me in the acknowledgements. I strongly encourage anyone wanting to read Destruction and Reconstruction to first obtain and read Parrish's bio on Taylor, for a broader background in understanding Taylor and where he came from but also for the maps which are absent from the memoir. I've always wanted to know more about Richard Taylor, and how he became a Southern General, Can't think of a better way to learn than from his own personal experiences I highly recommend this book for those interested in the civil war and the behind the scene deals. The most interesting thing about this book is that you get to read a first hand account of the War between the States, from one of the greatest military heads of either the North or South.

And also a very cultured man. His culture comes out prominently, almost too much so. When one just wants to read about how it was, the War and the so-called Reconstruction, it becomes a little tiring to have to take in with it also all the references to European military history, ancient history et al. Those names of old generals and foreign politicians of by-gone times are just a bother to the reader.

And that brings me to -what I think is- the reason for the failing aspect of this book: It was meant for Taylor's contemporaries. It just feels from the start that the man is taking for granted that the reader knows much of the "story", and he is just telling another side to it: It is a readable book though, and entertaining, if you discount the pretension alluded to.

Destruction and Reconstruction

And it is a definite contribution to the South's take on the whole conflict and the times. Elegant, sad, and full of Southern sentiment. If your needing a really good review of Civil War history this is the book. From the beginning to the end of the Civil War and after. Tell's why the South fought and lost. Personal opinions of other southern generals are expressed by Taylor. Taylor would have taken New Orleans back! Taylor's love of the South and of Louisianan is put together marvelously.

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Amazon Music Stream millions of songs. A sugar farmer and gentleman politician with no military training before the war, General Richard Taylor--son of President Zachary Taylor--plays a major role in the Red River campaign. Out of print since Paperback , pages. Published March 21st by Da Capo Press first published To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Destruction And Reconstruction , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Destruction And Reconstruction. Lists with This Book.

Oct 24, Kent rated it really liked it Shelves: As Clyde Wilson says in the introduction, this is the best of the Confederate memoirs. Richard Taylor, son of president Zachary Taylor and brother-in-law to Jefferson Davis, stands quite clearly above most of his contemporaries in taste and judgement. In other words, he had a European education, with all the refinement and breadth of mind it could provide, but none of the skepticism and social alienation. An especially interesting aspect of the book, for me, is the picture of southern society tha As Clyde Wilson says in the introduction, this is the best of the Confederate memoirs.

An especially interesting aspect of the book, for me, is the picture of southern society that comes through incidentally in his narrative.

Anyone associated with the South feels it necessary, at some point, to repel the idea that it was all "moonlight and magnolias" before the War--as, assuredly, it was not, any more than it resembles the stereotype of trailer trash in the present dark days. Nevertheless, it was certainly more Edenic than our soured products of academia, or jaded offpsring of industrialism, can quite appreciate. I would offer quotes, but they are lengthy, depend on context, and are no substitute for reading the full book.

On a final note, I'm really enjoying reading his account of the Trans-Mississippi operations. Not because I remotely comprehend the bewildering array of manoeuvres, politics, and personages, but because Louisiana has great names. Atchafalaya, Thibideaux, Opelousas, Mouton. They are as classic, in a different way, as the ancient place names of Virginia and North Carolina: Richard Taylor was the embodiment of the Southern patrician planter.

He was the son of wealth and privilege literally, his father was President Zachary Taylor , and this comes through in his relation of his experiences and opinions. Taylor's coverage of the campaigns in which he participated is pretty good. As the Confederate commander during the Red River Campaign, he offers great insight and information on this lesser known but important campaign. His coverage of Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign is also often referenced in other works, and is a worthwhile read. I also found Taylor's criticism of the formation and use of Confederate cavalry particularly insightful.

While Taylor doesn't spare anyone criticism where he sees error and his criticisms often smack of hindsight , he is also surprisingly generous to many. General Benjamin Butler receives kind words, as do many other Union generals mentioned in the work. Grant before criticizing their military conduct. The likes of Generals William T. Sherman and Phillip Sheridan, of course, receive the normal treatment to be expected from the memoir of a notable Confederate.

The value of the book's narrative goes distinctly downhill when it moves along to Reconstruction. Taylor's anti-democratic political views and his racial views all get to be a but hard to swallow. Still, there is some value to be gained from insight into the views of Taylor and his planter set. Lastly, Taylor's writing style is very heavy on referencing historical events and figures.

It isn't absolutely necessary to be familiar with these things to understand Taylor, but it will help, and be more enjoyable if you have at least a passing knowledge of those subjects.

Destruction and Reconstruction: Personal Experiences of the Late War -

Alternatively, you might want to have Wikipedia open while reading this book especially if your copy is unannotated, like this free e-book. Apr 30, Sean Chick rated it really liked it. Can you like a book, even if you find its ideas repulsive?

After all, Taylor is an aristocrat who espoused the usual myths war was not over slavery, slaves loved their masters mixed with a Burkean conservatism that never ceases to underwhelm me. Taylor though is a fine writer and his descriptions of people, even when I think those descriptions are off, are first rate. Reformers who have tried to improve the morals of humanity, discoverers who have striven to alleviate its physical conditions, have suffered martyrdom at its hands. Years upon years have been found necessary to induce the masses to consider, much less adopt, schemes for their own advantage.

A government of numbers, then, is not one of virtue or intelligence, but of force, intangible, irresistible, irresponsible - resembling that of Caesar depicted by the great historian, which, covering the earth as a pall, reduced all to a common level of abject servitude. For many years scarce a descendant of the colonial gentry in the Eastern States has been elected to public office. To-day they have no existence even as a social force and example. Under the baleful influence of negro suffrage it is impossible to foretell the destiny of the South.

Small wonder that pure democracies have ever proved ready to exchange "Demos" for some other tyrant. The South's best take on the War between the States and its aftermath The most interesting thing about this book is that you get to read a first-hand account of the War between the States, from one of the greatest military heads of either the North or South. And also a very cultured man. His knowledge comes out prominently, almost too much so. When one just wants to read about how it was, the War and the so-called Reconstruction, it becomes a little tiring to have to take in with it also all the The South's best take on the War between the States and its aftermath The most interesting thing about this book is that you get to read a first-hand account of the War between the States, from one of the greatest military heads of either the North or South.

When one just wants to read about how it was, the War and the so-called Reconstruction, it becomes a little tiring to have to take in with it also all the references to European military history, ancient history et al. Those names of old generals and foreign politicians of by-gone eras are just a bother to the reader. And that brings me to -what I think is- the reason for the failing side of this book: It was meant for Taylor's contemporaries.