James I. Robertson Random House, New York, 1987 $24.95 Few of Lee's lieutenants have stood in greater need of a new biography than has Ambrose Powell Hill. This is all the more true because his III Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia, unlike his Light Division, has suffered unjustified neglect. While researching this useful, clearly written volume, Robertson had the good fortune to locate valuable papers held by the family of his subject. These documents cast new light on the general's unreliable health, revealed to be a prostatitis consequent upon a bout of venereal disease contracted by Cadet Hill during his years at West Point. Hill was the son of a gentleman farmer and a hypochondriac mother. The general imitated his father's genial manner, which he combined with a Southern gentleman's touchiness about honor. He reacted against his mother's extreme religiosity by becoming impatient of public displays of piety, including the overt religiosity of "Stonewall" Jackson. Hill entered West Point to secure an inexpensive education, and he graduated with a lack-luster record. Service in the Mexican War and in various garrisons made him. potentially useful to Virginia when it seceded from the Union. Hill hoped for a general's commission, but he had to be content with command of a regiment. The new colonel soon earned promotion to brigadier, and Joseph Johnson assigned him a makeshift division. Hill was able to weld diverse brigades into his Light Division, which compiled an outstanding combat record in the course of the war. The Seven Days Battles revealed Hill's strengths and weaknesses as a combat commander. His quickness of decision and aggressive style became apparent. So, too was the general's inability to read terrain at a glance, which cost the Light Division dearly at Beaver Dam Creek. Hill's later actions as a division commander continued to reflect these traits. At Gaine's Mill, Cedar Mountain, Antietam, and Chancellorsville, the Light Division struck decisive blows. At Second Bull Run and Fredericksburg, however, Hill was careless in the establishment of defensive positions. In the latter case, this lapse was compounded by bad health and depression, leaving the Light Division almost leaderless when Meade's Pennsylvania Reserves struck the weak spot in Hill's line. Hill's value to Lee was diminished by his contentious streak. Aside from a minor feud with Longstreet, this led to a major confrontation with Jackson. The two differed on issues of communication and chain of command, as well as over religious issues. Neither commander was shown to advantage in this case. Jackson was secretive and intolerant of human frailty; but Hill refused to let old feuds die. One does not envy Lee his mediating role in such quarrels. Nonetheless, when Jackson was shot by his own men at Chancellorsville, these commanders were reconciled. After Jackson's death, Ewell and Hill were promoted to corps command. Neither rose to the challenge. Hill often lost sight of larger concerns and reverted to the role of division commander. His judgement of terrain remained poor, permitting him to overlook the presence of an entire army corps on the field at Bristoe Station. Furthermore, Hill's health continued to deteriorate, forcing him to relinquish command of III Corps after the Battle of the Wilderness. During the siege of Petersburg, Hill resumed command and his performance improved. III Corps fought with great success in a series of small battles against Grant's besieging host. For reasons of health and pride, Hill may have sought the death he met during the final rupture of the Petersburg defenses. Robertson's account of Hill's career is clear, well argued, and well documented. His narrative usually adds to our knowledge of the battles in which Hill fought. Robertson is not inclined to favor his subject excessively. Although occasionally he speculates beyond the bounds of the evidence, the main fault of the book is the insufficient attention to the administrative aspects of Hill's duties. Robertson's research usually confirms opinions earlier put forth by Douglas Southall Freeman, but even in doing so, his book adds to our knowledge of the relationship of human frailty to the conduct of warfare. This is a solid addition to the too often spotty ranks of military biographies related to the Civil War. Pages Book Reviews General A.P. Hill: the Story of a Confederate Warrior reviewed by Thomas M. Izbicki Dragons at War and Team Yankee reviewed by Bill Gibbs Back to Table of Contents: CounterAttack # 3 To CounterAttack List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by Pacific Rim Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com