Gentleman and Soldier is the first biography in more than 50 years of Wade Hampton III, a Confederate general whose remarkable life provides sweeping insight into the entire history of the Civil War in teh South. Hampton was a leading citizen of South Carolina before the War, the highest ranking cavalry leader during the War, fought in a remarkable number of battles from Gettysburg to Bentonville, and was South Carolina governor and U.S. Senator after the War. When he left the Army of Northern Virginia to defend South Carolina against William T. Sherman, Lee said that Hampton's departure made the surrender at Appomattox inevitable. He condemned violence and abhorred dueling, but he personally killed more opponents in battle than any other general. He "redeemed" South Carolina from Reconstruction, but he then extended more political benefits to African Americans than any other Democratic governor in the postwar South. For more than forty years he gave selflessly of himself to his state and his community, not only when wealthy but also when teetering on the abyss of poverty.

"I will sacrifice everything but principle and honor." -- "The legion is to serve wherever ordered" -- "In the face of the enemy" -- "Remarkable coolness, promptness and ability" -- "Theirs was the sleepless watch and the petite guerre." -- "We have stirred up the Yankees greatly" -- "A veritable good war" -- "Charge them, my brave boys" -- "A vast difference between the old and new" -- "I propose to fight" -- "Sherman can be destroyed" -- "My reputation is the only thing I have left" -- "God Bless all my people, black and white." -- Notes, bibliography, index.