Booknotes: Confederate General Stephen Elliott

New Arrival:
• Confederate General Stephen Elliott: Beaufort Legend, Charleston Hero by D. Michael Thomas (Arcadia Pub & The Hist Press, 2020).

From the description: "General Stephen Elliott rose from captain of a militia artillery battery to command of an infantry brigade. His early war reputation as a daring raider and superb artilleryman grew to true hero status through his exemplary service at Fort Sumter. Handpicked to defend Sumter to the last extremity, Elliott performed so well that his Yankee foes saluted him by dipping the Union flag in recognition of his courage and steadfastness. Wounded on five separate occasions, Elliott exemplified courage and inspirational leadership that justified promotions advocated by Generals Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard and President Jefferson Davis. In the first in-depth study of Elliott, D. Michael Thomas presents the life of a renowned soldier with fresh, previously unpublished material."

This is the author's second Civil War book, the first being 2018's Wade Hampton's Iron Scouts (review), a brief study that I found well worthwhile. Coincidentally, Stephen Elliott also figures prominently in one of the books that I'm currently reading, Ron Roth's The Civil War in the South Carolina Lowcountry, with one half of the dual unit history covering the artillery company (Beaufort Artillery) first led by Elliott. Getting back to this book, the previously unpublished material referred to above appears to be a collection of wartime letters written by Elliott to his wife (at least that's what I gather from the author's preface).