Military Memoirs of a Confederate

By: Edward Porter Alexander

Narrated by: Traber Burns

One of the most important and objective firsthand accounts of the Civil War

Unlike some other Confederate memoirists, General Edward Porter Alexander objectively evaluated and criticized prominent Confederate officers, including Robert E. Lee. The result is a clear-eyed assessment of the bloody conflict that divided but subsequently united the nation.

The memoir starts with Alexander heading to Utah to suppress the hostility of Mormons who had refused to establish a municipal government approved by President Buchanan. Only a few years later, Alexander found himself on the opposite side of a much larger rebellion of Confederates wanting to secede from the Union. In the years that follow, he is involved in most major battles including Manassas, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga.

Alexander describes each battle and battlefield with a keen eye for detail. Few wartime narratives offer such insight and critical perspective as Alexander’s memoir.

Public Domain (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

The best account of the Confederate war!

this is by far the best Southern account of the Civil War that I have ever read! E. P. Alexander that's a whole lot of detail on each battle and the movements of the armies. also at the end of each chapter, he lists the casualties on both sides which is very accurate. You owe if to yourself to read his book here!

Civil war

In this first hand account of the various battles of the Civil War you will find detailed information. If you are unfamiliar with battles or commanders names it may be a little confusing. Overall I'd say good as you can still learn from this book.

A great first hand account

Thoughs who are interested should be aware this is very much a military history narrative and the author goes into great details about battle movement. He is also speaking to a audience in his time where at times he is making an argument against how events were perceived. This includes criticism and if only scenarios on how things could have gone for better or worse.

The General does his homework and is less about his personal experience and more of an oversight of the war. For those who study the Civil War, this is a must read.

Thousand does not end with a “T”

Generally a good read. While Alexander is a confederate, he does a good job of critiquing the actions of both sides fairly.

As for the presentation, it was good but, as the article headline addresses, the word is “thousand” not “thousant”. If the word only occurs a few times, I could overlook the mispronunciation, but it is repeated many many times and is quite a distraction.

Great account of the war

General Porter's memoirs shines as a thorough understanding of the Army of Northern Virginia. Excellent for research and a true historian.

Best Civil War book on Audible

Every part of this book is on point. You cannot go wothis book on any capacity.

Best Said by Others

I can't say it better then they can. Hands down the best book of personal experiences of the Civil War!!

raised by Douglas Southall Freeman as "altogether the best critique of the operations of the Army of Northern Virginia."

Alexander eschewed the bitter Lost Cause theories of why the South was doomed to fail, given the overwhelming superiority of the North. He was willing to express in writing his criticisms of prominent Confederate officers, including General Lee himself. Many historians regard Alexander's memoirs as among the most objective and sharpest sources produced by a Civil War combatant. David Eicher called Fighting for the Confederacy "a superb personal narrative with a good deal of analysis of Lee's operations ... Dramatic and revealing, an important source on the general, his fellow officers, and the Army of Northern Virginia."

Very dry.

All facts; nothing makes you feel or experience the war. I became bored very quickly

The first one I may exchange

I am a civil war nerd. And it’s hard to criticize memoirs or field reports. They are what they are. But this book gets insufferable for me because so much of it is a recitation of casualty reports by division etc. I love the fact that he honors the men in this way. But listening to it is tough. Especially after the first few battles.

His insights are the gold nuggets. I wish there was more of that. But they get drowned out in casualty reports. At least for me. I can’t ever see reading this again, unlike the many others I’ve gotten from Audible.