GDG- Book Question

[Chet Diestel]

Esteemed GDG Member Bob McCune Contributes:

    General's In Bronze author William B. Styple was on CSPAN Sunday.  The 
story of Artist James E. Kelly and his interviews with famous ACW Generals 
seemed interesting.  I am looking for a recommendation/opinions from members 
who may have read this book.
    Regards,
      Bob McCune

    Generals in Bronze is simply a wonderful book chock full of primary 
source information that is guaranteed to shed new light on how many events 
and personalities of the war now will be viewed. The section on Hancock 
which includes everything from the war council on the evening of July 2 to 
what he was wearing during at Gettysburg proved extremely interesting 
reading.
    James Kelly was first and foremost a highly inquisitive and observant 
journalist/artist with an eye and an ear for pertinent details. His raw 
notes, carefully and caringly edited by Styple,  reflect his abilities to 
put his subjects at ease thus making for a series of highly frank 
discussions and his instinct for putting down in words and economic shifting 
of the historical wheat from the chaff.
    One of the elements which Styple brings out in the book is Kelly ability 
to do follow up interviews in which former officers being interviewed are 
given the chance to wade in on statements made by other ex-generals. It 
makes for some very interesting historical perspective.
    Styple accomplished his function as a highly competent editor in 
bringing Kelley's various interviews into an engaging chronicle with a light 
but deft hand in which he lets the book remain the domain of Kelly and his 
subjects, which is how it should be, but fails to be in so many ham-handed 
editing endeavors.
   With regards,
             Chet