Gamaliel Bradford: 8 books

The distinguished historian Gamaliel Bradford, Jr.--author of Lee, the American and other acclaimed Civil War biographies--offers portraits of eight key leaders of the Confederacy. Bradford's skills at compiling concise profiles are at their finest in these compelling sketches of prominent figures...

Abigail Adams, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Emily Dickinson, and Louisa May Alcott are among the formidable females who inhabit this engaging collection of profiles, originally published in 1917-1919. Bradford draws on letters and the recollections of his subjects’ friends and families to bring to life these shapers of American history.

Mark Twain, Henry Adams, Henry James, Grover Cleveland, and James McNeill Whistler are among the contemporary figures striding through this winning collection of profiles, originally published in 1920-1922. “To judge what they accomplished,” writes Bradford, “it would be necessary to be expert in their different pursuits. But I am concerned with their souls...”

The author of a full-length biography of Robert E. Lee here portrays other men who challenged the Union. Coming under Bradford’s penetrating eye are J. E. B. Stuart, Joseph E. Johnston, James Longstreet, P.G.T. Beauregard , Judah Benjamin, and others. A dramatic recounting of the Battle of Gettysburg rounds out this collection of profiles from 1912-1914.

This 1912 biography was a popular success. Bradford psychologically analyzes Robert E. Lee, assessing both the general and the man to develop a full-blooded and sympathetic portrait of this American icon.

Originally published in 1913-1916, the pioneering American biographer followed up his Union Portraits with these profiles of some great women of world history. His subjects range from Jane Austen and Mrs. Samuel Pepys (Elizabeth Saint-Michel) to Whig salonista Elizabeth Vassall (the Lady Holland) and the diarist Eugénie de Guérin.

William T. Sherman, Joseph Hooker, George McClellan, William Seward, Charles Sumner, and others come to life in these1914-1916 psychological portraits. He wrote: “From the complex of fleeting experiences that make up the total of man’s or woman’s life [I or the author] endeavors to extricate those permanent habits of thought and action which constitute what we call character....”

Sympathetic portrait of an enigmatic man who was a model of decorum and honor, a moderate on the issue of secession, a fierce fighter in battle, and a chivalrous soldier — even in defeat. Exceptional sourcebook for students of American history, Civil War buffs, and admirers of the Southern general. 10 black-and-white illustrations.