Profiles the Confederate general who led the suicidal charge at Gettysburg George Pickett will forever be associated with the charge at Gettysburg that bears his name. Yet "Pickett's Charge" is a misleading label, and so is much of what we know about Pickett himself. Gordon (history, Univ. of Akron) explores both the man and the stories about him, many of which were woven by his wife, LaSalle Corbett Pickett. George proved to be a mediocre Civil War commander; his personal life was marked by tragedy only partially obscured by LaSalle's efforts. Her emphasis on her husband's heroism, romanticism, and gallantry, so typical of Lost Cause mythmaking, required her to pass over less glorious episodes, including his execution of turncoat Confederate prisoners and his inept generalship at Five Forks, which won him Robert E. Lee's scorn. Although little in Gordon's rather thin account is new aside from the detailed reconstruction of the Picketts' relationship, readers looking for a concise biography will find this book rewarding.?Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State Univ., Tempe Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. A unique look at one of the most famous Confederate generals, and at how his wife built and controlled his memory after his death. Gordon (History/Univ. of Akron) looks carefully at the early years of General Pickett, leader of the most famous failed attack in American history (his charge at Gettysburg), and goes on to look at his career on the western frontier and his decision to serve in the Confederate army. Picketts career was solid but not stellar, and Gordon covers it in balanced detail. The story gathers momentum with Picketts marriage in 1864 to his third wife, LaSalle, and his command at Gettysburg. Following the war, the financially ruined couple fled to Canada to escape prosecution for war crimes, and Pickett was forced to lobby his West Point classmate Ulysses S. Grant for a pardon. After Pickett's death in 1875, LaSalle toured the country on the lecture circuit, portraying herself as a southern belle and her husband as the embodiment of all of the ideals southern masculinity and published Pickett and his Men. Gordon analyzes the sub-surface forces that shaped popular images of the Civil War in the years following it and looks at how LaSalle created a career for herself as a Confederate widow; she managed to make a living at it until 1931. Arguably, she shaped the manner in which Picketts career will forever be viewed by ``creating'' a cache of letters that offer a vision of the soldier that was far greater than his actual persona. Gordons analysis of Lasalle is cutting and offers a close-up of a major figure of the Civil War. (photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. "Gordon's fascinating book examines not only Pickett's life but also the central role that Sallie played during and after his lifetime (she outlived him by five decades). The author does not simplify the two characters, rather she shows just how their needs and faults intersected, as she gives us a three-dimensional portrait of the duo." -- The State, Columbia, SC "In Gordon's graceful portrait, George and Sallie Pickett evoke a tragic love story that probes deeply beneath the surface of the glittering persona of the swashbuckling cavalier and his teenage wartime bride. . . . Thanks to Lesley Gordon's wide-ranging research, her scrupulous analysis and her felicitous writing, the Picketts together provide a realistic picture--often poignant yet sometimes sharply grotesque--of the bittersweet fortunes typical of so many white elite Southerners who lived, struggled, fought and often died as captives to a cultural belief in the power and permanence of their own social superiority." -- The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC "Lesley Gordon's meticulous and often innovative research has produced the most complete portrait yet published. Insightful and judicious, sometimes unconventional, and combining a clear narrative thread with a persuasive analysis of available evidence, her biography is a convincing assessment of George Pickett's place in Confederate history, an intriguing examination of his--and LaSalle's--character and personality, and a valuable look at the Pickett of legend." -- Civil War History, Vol. 45, # 3 In this excellent study, Gordon ably demonstrates Picketts accomplishments and failures, and she corrects the numerous misconceptions about his life, many of them created by LaSalle. -- Choice This biography of Confederate General George Pickett moves beyond earlier studies to show how his wife LaSalle controlled his historical image during her five decades of widowhood. This biography of Confederate General George Pickett moves beyond earlier studies to show how his wife LaSalle controlled his historical image during her five decades of widowhood. Lesley J. Gordon is associate professor of history at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. Used Book in Good Condition