Four Years with General Lee – Walter H. Taylor – 1877 | First Edition Confederate Memoir

Following the Civil War, a number of biographical works on the lives of Union and Confederate generals were published; however, none were more popular than those on Robert E. Lee. Walter Taylor’s ‘Four Years with General Lee’ was a first-hand account of the military commands of Lee from an “adjutant to Lee throughout the war” (Eicher).

Lee and Taylor worked closely with each other at some of the most famous battles including Gettysburg, Mannassas, and Sharpsburg – all of which are discussed in this book.

According to Nevins, this work is “A basic, valuable source on the character of Lee and the strength of the army of Northern Virginia.”

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Four Years with General Lee; Being a Summary of the More Important Events Touching the Career of General Robert E. Lee, in the War Between the States
• Author(s): Walter Herron Taylor
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s):
• Publisher: New York: D. Appleton
• Edition: First edition, 1877
• Format: (8vo), single volume
• Binding: Hardcover, green cloth
• Size:  9.5in X 6.25in (23.5cm x 15.5cm)
• Collation: 199, [1] pp
• Illustrations: Engraved portrait frontispiece of Robert E. Lee
• Contents Include:
  • Campaign narrative of the Army of Northern Virginia
  • Firsthand material on Gettysburg, Manassas, and Sharpsburg
  • Observations from Lee’s adjutant
• Provenance: bookplate – J.D. Coles, Chatham.
• Reference(s): Nevins I, 167; Howes T 74; Dornbusch II, 2961; Eicher 323

Condition:

Very Good. Bound in publisher’s green cloth with gilt spine titling. Binding secure, spine and corners show rubbing, boards with light wear. Text block complete, portrait frontispiece intact, pages generally clean with mild toning.

Why Collect This?

• Early first edition Confederate memoir
• Authored by Lee’s assistant with direct battlefield knowledge
• Cited in Nevins, Howes, Dornbusch, and Eicher

Item Number: # 29292