KEYNOTE: ? An in-depth exploration of the story behind one of the most notorious blunders of the American Civil War No commander in the Army of Northern Virginia suffered more damage to his reputation at Gettysburg than did Georgia Brig. Gen. Alfred Holt Iverson. In little more than an hour during the early afternoon of July 1, 1863, much of his brigade (the 5th, 12th, 20th, and 23rd North Carolina regiments) was killed, wounded, or captured in front of a stone wall on Oak Ridge. Amidst widespread rumors that he was a drunk, a coward, and had slandered his own troops, Iverson was stripped of his command less than a week after the end of the battle. After months of internal feuding and behind-the-scenes political maneuvering, the survivors of Iverson's ill-fated brigade had no doubt about who to blame for their devastating losses. Almost to the man, they placed the fault directly on the failed leadership displayed by their former commanding general. What remains is the lingering question of how such a disaster could have happened. Drawing on a wealth of newly discovered and previously unpublished sources, Robert J. Wynstra's The Rashness of that Hour: Politics, Gettysburg, and the Downfall of Confederate Brigadier General Alfred Iverson explores the story behind one of the Civil War's most notorious blunders. An in-depth analysis of the events at Gettysburg is balanced with an insider's examination of a brigade that was in turmoil long before its final rendezvous with July 1 destiny. Wynstra's penetrating analysis paints, for the first time, a complete picture of a flawed general and the bitter internecine feuds that made his downfall nearly inevitable. AUTHOR: Robert J. Wynstra recently retired as a senior writer for the News and Public Affairs Office in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Studies at the University of Illinois. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in history and a Master's degree in journalism, all from the University of Illinois. Rob has been researching Alfred Iverson's role in the Civil War for more than ten years. ILLUSTRATIONS 32 photographs ,6 maps
