Wade Hampton

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640 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 25 halftones, 22 maps, appends., notes, bibl., index

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4696-0680-4
Published: February 2013
E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-0-8078-8900-8
Published: November 2009
E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-7695-9
Published: November 2009

Civil War America

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Awards & distinctions

2008 Distinguished Book Award, Biography, Army Historical Foundation

2008 Mary Lawton Hodges Book Prize, Institute for Southern Studies, University of South Carolina

A 2008 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

One of the South's most illustrious military leaders, Wade Hampton III was for a time the commander of all Lee's cavalry and at the end of the war was the highest-ranking Confederate cavalry officer. Yet for all Hampton's military victories, he also suffered devastating losses in his family and personal life. Rod Andrew's critical biography sheds light on his central role during Reconstruction as a conservative white leader, governor, U.S. senator, and Redeemer; his heroic image in the minds of white southerners; and his positions and apparent contradictions on race and the role of African Americans in the New South. Andrew also shows that Hampton's tragic past explains how he emerged in his own day as a larger-than-life symbol--of national reconciliation as well as southern defiance.

About the Author

Rod Andrew Jr. is professor of history at Clemson University and a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He is author of Long Gray Lines: The Southern Military School Tradition, 1839-1915.
For more information about Rod Andrew Jr., visit the Author Page.

Reviews

"Hampton is one of those larger-than-life figures whose actions repay close attention and whose careers match pivotal moments in America's history. . . . Andrew . . . describes Hampton's wartime experience with special vividness."--Wall Street Journal

"The author accomplished his twofold mission of learning more about Hampton the man, and through his story, providing a better understanding of Southern paternalism, honor and chivalry, the motivation of Confederate soldiers, Reconstruction, racism and white supremacy, and the myth of the Lost Cause. . . . The pace of this book is brisk, and it is well organized. The transition between chapters and parts is smooth, and the writing is clear and concise. . . . Andrew has succeeded in producing a Hampton biography that is not only definitive, but also entertaining."--The Washington Times

"A compelling full biography notable for its scope, balance, and insight. . . . Andrew's insights and detailed attention to both Hampton's military career and his political odyssey makes this work stand out as the fullest and best."--Journal of Military History

"A meticulously researched and superbly written biography. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice

"Elucidates Hampton's critical role during Reconstruction as a conservative leader, governor, U.S. senator, and southern Redeemer."--Courier

"[A] splendid biography. . . . Adds significantly to the recent burst of scholarship on this long-overlooked leader. . . . Both sensitive and, when it is called for, unsparing."--Journal of American History

Multimedia & Links

Read: Andrew discusses South Carolina’s 1876 gubernatorial election and the six months that Democrat Wade Hampton and Republican Daniel Chamberlain simultaneously claimed victory. Read "When South Carolina Had Two Governors."

Read: Andrew explores Wade Hampton’s history as an unlikely Confederate stalwart. Read "Wade Hampton, One of the Last Confederate Generals to Surrender."