CONFEDERATE GENERAL WILLIAM " EXTRA BILLY " SMITH From Virginia's Statehuse to Gettysburg Scapegoat

MINGUS, Scott L., Sr.

ISBN 10: 1611211298 / ISBN 13: 9781611211290

Published by Savas Beatie ( 2013 ), El Dorado Hills, CA, 2013

About this Item

Octavo; xiii, 418 pages, black cloth Signed with "Best Wishes" on the title-page. "This book is sure to be a classic." - Ted Alexander, Chief Historian, Antietam National Battlefield.

Seller Inventory # 20220198

Bibliographic Details

• Title: CONFEDERATE GENERAL WILLIAM " EXTRA BILLY " SMITH From Virginia's Statehuse to Gettysburg Scapegoat
• Publisher: Savas Beatie ( 2013 ), El Dorado Hills, CA
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1611211298
• ISBN 13: 9781611211290
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Printing.
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • gettysburg
  • general william smith c.s.a.
  • american civil war
  • biography

About this title

Synopsis

William “Extra Billy” Smith, the oldest and one of the most controversial Confederate generals on the field at Gettysburg, was also one of the most colourful and charismatic characters of the Civil War and the antebellum Old South. Despite a life full of drama, politics, and adventure, until now no full-length biography of this former general, governor, and attorney existed

Known nationally as “Extra Billy” because of his prewar penchant for finding loopholes in government postal contracts to gain extra money for his stagecoach lines, Smith served as Virginia’s governor during both the War with Mexico and the Civil War, served five terms in the U.S. Congress, and was one of Virginia’s leading spokesmen for slavery and States’ Rights. Extra Billy’s extra-long speeches and wry sense of humor were legendary among his peers. A lawyer during the heady Gold Rush days, Smith made a fortune in California and, like his income earned from stagecoaches, quickly lost it.

Despite his advanced age Smith took the field and fought well at First Manassas, was wounded at Seven Pines and again at Sharpsburg, and marched with Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania. There, on the first day at Gettysburg, Smith’s frantic messages about a possible Union flanking attack remain a matter of controversy to this day. Did his aging eyes see distant fence-lines that he interpreted as approaching enemy soldiers―mere phantoms of his imagination?―or did his prompt action stave off a looming Confederate disaster? What we do know is that his calls for support diverted limited Confederate manpower away from attacks against Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill that might have turned the tide of Southern fortunes.

Mingus’s biography draws upon a wide array of newspapers, diaries, letters, and other firsthand accounts to paint a broad, deep, and colorful portrait of one of the South’s most interesting leaders and devoted sons. Complete with original maps and photos, Extra Billy Smith will satisfy anyone who loves politics, war, and a great story well told.

About the Author

Scott L. Mingus, Sr. is a scientist and executive in the paper and printing industry. He maintains a popular blog on the Civil War history of his home of York County, PA, for the York Daily Record (www.yorkblog.com/cannonball), and is a sanctioned Civil War tour guide for the York County Heritage Trust. Scott is the author of five scenario books on wargaming and together with his wife Debi, publishes CHARGE!, the leading international magazine for Civil War miniature wargaming.