Author Description

This book is the first scholarly volume to delve into the story of one of John Singleton Mosby's most trusted and respected officers, Colonel William Henry Chapman. Presenting both military and personal perspectives of Chapman's life, the author offers an in-depth understanding of a man transformed by the shattering of his nation. This well researched account reveals a soldier and patriot whose convictions compelled him to battle fiercely for Southern independence; whose quest for greatness soured when faced with the brutal realities of warfare; and who sought to heal his wounded nation when the guns of war were silenced. In the end, Chapman's life is a study in contradictions: nationalism and reconciliation; slavery and liberty; and vengeance and chivalry.