Overview

Confederate General Rufus Barringer and the North Carolina Cavalry Brigade. Rufus Barringer fought on horseback during the Civil War with General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, and rose to lead the North Carolina Cavalry Brigade in some of the war's most difficult combats. Now in paperback, Fighting for General Lee: Confederate General Rufus Barringer and the North Carolina Cavalry Brigade details his entire history for the first time. AUTHOR: Sheridan R. Butch Barringer lives with his wife, Pam, in Newport News, Virginia. He graduated from Virginia Tech and worked as a mechanical engineer and project manager for nearly four decades with NASA. Butch's interests include studying Civil War history, with an emphasis on the cavalry, and physics and cosmology. Butch has two other books under contract with Savas Beatie: a biography of General Thomas L. Rosser, and an edited memoir written by Rosser. He is currently at work on a biography of Colonel Thomas T. Munford. 21 images, 10 maps

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9781611213850

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Fighting for General Lee may be an obvious labor of love for Sheridan Barringer, but it is also a serious biography that ably captures the life of a Tar Heel cavalry general whose account has long been neglected. Rufus Barringer fought at the head of a regiment, was wounded at Brandy Station, and ended the war as a brigadier general in Rooney Lee's division. Captured by Custer's cavalry near Namozine Church on April 3, 1865, Barringer became the first Confederate general taken prisoner during the final campaign of the war in Virginia. Sent back to City Point near Petersburg, the general's chance meeting with Abraham Lincoln exemplifies the healing the president would show toward the North's former enemies. --Chris Calkins, author and historian, Petersburg, Virginia, and author of The Petersburg Campaign General Rufus Barringer was a major figure in Confederate military history and enjoyed a colorful postwar career, but this is the first full biography of the soldier and the man. The undeserved historical neglect has been ably redressed in this volume, which relies to a large extent on primary research sources. It will be of interest to all Civil War enthusiasts, especially fans of Confederate cavalry operations and personalities--Edward G. Longacre, retired historian for the Department of Defense and author of numerous books, including Lee's Cavalrymen, Lincoln's Cavalrymen, and The Cavalry at Gettysburg Comrades described him as 'a most excellent officer' who displayed 'great skill and valor' in battle, and as 'one of the best organizers and disciplinarians in the service, ' but until now, General Rufus Barringer escaped the attention of serious biographers. It fell to Sheridan 'Butch' Barringer, a cousin of the Tar Heel cavalryman, to pen this welcome and deeply researched biography. Fighting for General Lee ably fills a gap in the historiography of North Carolina's contribution to the war that will surely stand as the definitive word on General Barringer. --Chris Hartley, author of Stuart's Tarheels: James B. Gordon and His North Carolina Cavalry in the Civil War Although General Rufus Barringer was a capable and accomplished commander of cavalry, for a variety of reasons he remains one of the least well-known of the Confederate mounted leaders. The very capable Barringer was involved in battles large and small. Mix in the fact that he was Stonewall Jackson's brother-in-law of, and his story becomes even more interesting. The author, a relative of the general, spent many years documenting the general's life and service to produce this well-written and deeply researched biography of his ancestor. It is a must-read for any student of Confederate cavalry operations in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War. --Eric J. Wittenberg, historian and author of numerous books, including One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863, and Out Flew the Sabers: The Battle of Brandy Station, June 9, 1863

General Rufus Barringer was a major figure in Confederate military history and enjoyed a colorful postwar career, but this is the first full biography of the soldier and the man. The undeserved historical neglect has been ably redressed in this volume, which relies to a large extent on primary research sources. It will be of interest to all Civil War enthusiasts, especially fans of Confederate cavalry operations and personalities--Edward G. Longacre, retired historian for the Department of Defense and author of numerous books, including Lee's Cavalrymen, Lincoln's Cavalrymen, and The Cavalry at Gettysburg Comrades described him as 'a most excellent officer' who displayed 'great skill and valor' in battle, and as 'one of the best organizers and disciplinarians in the service, ' but until now, General Rufus Barringer escaped the attention of serious biographers. It fell to Sheridan 'Butch' Barringer, a cousin of the Tar Heel cavalryman, to pen this welcome and deeply researched biography. Fighting for General Lee ably fills a gap in the historiography of North Carolina's contribution to the war that will surely stand as the definitive word on General Barringer. --Chris Hartley, author of Stuart's Tarheels: James B. Gordon and His North Carolina Cavalry in the Civil War Although General Rufus Barringer was a capable and accomplished commander of cavalry, for a variety of reasons he remains one of the least well-known of the Confederate mounted leaders. The very capable Barringer was involved in battles large and small. Mix in the fact that he was Stonewall Jackson's brother-in-law of, and his story becomes even more interesting. The author, a relative of the general, spent many years documenting the general's life and service to produce this well-written and deeply researched biography of his ancestor. It is a must-read for any student of Confederate cavalry operations in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War. --Eric J. Wittenberg, historian and author of numerous books, including One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863, and Out Flew the Sabers: The Battle of Brandy Station, June 9, 1863 Fighting for General Lee may be an obvious labor of love for Sheridan Barringer, but it is also a serious biography that ably captures the life of a Tar Heel cavalry general whose account has long been neglected. Rufus Barringer fought at the head of a regiment, was wounded at Brandy Station, and ended the war as a brigadier general in Rooney Lee's division. Captured by Custer's cavalry near Namozine Church on April 3, 1865, Barringer became the first Confederate general taken prisoner during the final campaign of the war in Virginia. Sent back to City Point near Petersburg, the general's chance meeting with Abraham Lincoln exemplifies the healing the president would show toward the North's former enemies. --Chris Calkins, author and historian, Petersburg, Virginia, and author of The Petersburg Campaign

Author Information

Sheridan R. Butch Barringer lives with his wife, Pam, in Newport News, Virginia. He graduated from Virginia Tech and worked as a mechanical engineer and project manager for nearly four decades with NASA. Butch's interests include studying Civil War history, with an emphasis on the cavalry, and physics and cosmology. Butch has two other books under contract with Savas Beatie: a biography of General Thomas L. Rosser, and an edited memoir written by Rosser. He is currently at work on a biography of Colonel Thomas T. Munford.

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