Richard Taylor (1826-1879), son of President Zachary Taylor and brother-in-law of Jefferson Davis, was a planter, politician, and general. Taylor's memoir of his Civil War and Reconstruction experiences is regarded as one of the best-written of the period. His recollections focus on his service in Virginia under Stonewall Jackson and later as commander of the department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana.
This highly literate account by the son of President Zachary Taylor follows the author's Confederate commands in all three major theatres of the war, and provides a unique view of the Reconstruction period. "Taylor possessed literary art that approached the first rank."-Douglas Southall Freeman.