This story is as relevant today as it was in the 1860s. How do you deal with politics and generals? How do you train raw recruits and officers when most have never thought of fighting in the military? How do you raise a family of three sons and a daughter when you are never home? How do you advise your wife on family finances and options when the mail can easily be disrupted? How do you correct your commanding officer when he is wrong and lies to you? These questions and many more are dealt with by Lafayette and Emily McLaws in his letters home. Lafayette McLaws has receded into history due in large part to his poor penmanship. His July 7, 1863 letter to Emily, Zachary Taylors niece, is perhaps the most cited McLaws comment on the War. He takes James Longstreet, his boyhood friend and West Point classmate, to task for his mismanagement of the July 2 attack at Gettysburg. This site will help orient you to who McLaws was, why he was important, and what the future holds. A Soldiers General is also a working research site. A biography is in the research stage with the goal of using new primary research to tell the story. McLaws led a division whose four brigade commanders were pre-War civilians, something few other commanders were challenged with. Yet his men and officers fought well and many continued to be promoted, even after McLaws left the Army of Northern Virginia. The site provides useful information on his life, family, commands, and men. It will continually be updated as new information is uncovered. You can add to this by joining in discussions and chats, referring new information to the editor, and helping to uncover the stories of McLaws and his division.
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