Mostly cheerful and optimistic in tone, these missives include sketches of the battles in which Huger participated and fair and honest opinions of his superiors and fellow soldiers, including harsh criticism of generals Braxton Bragg and James Longstreet. Huger also declares his frustration with technical artillery problems and his appetite for the charms of young women at home. The colonel’s correspondence offers insights into the day-to-day life of an artillery man in Virginia and Tennessee and reveals the trials and triumphs of one patriotic family during wartime. An informative introduction details his family background, his education at West Point, and his postwar career as a railroad executive.

The late Frank Huger was a Confederate officer who served as a railroad executive in his postwar years.

Thomas K. Tate is the author of two Civil War biographies and numerous articles. He lives in Orefield, Pennsylvania.

Frank Huger

Edited by Thomas K. Tate

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 214
Bibliographic Info: 8 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6330-5
Imprint: McFarland

Preface and Acknowledgments      1
Introduction      3

1. Frank and His Family      7
2. West Point      22
3. The War Letters      38
4. Letters from the Trans-Mississippi      114
5. Postwar Letters      127
6. Benjamin Huger      149

Appendix I: Technical Developments at Harpers Ferry      165
Appendix II: Supplemental Letters      173
Appendix III: Ordnance Chief Colonel Henry Knox Craig on Civilian Superintendents of the National Armories      184
Appendix IV: Men at West Point When Frank Huger Attended      188
Appendix V: Report of the 1840 Board of Ordnance      192
Chapter Notes      195
Bibliography      199
Index    203