The Dragon and the Phoenix by Lesley Sims

The Dragon and the Phoenix by Lesley Sims

The relationship between war and religion is nothing new. For millennia, humankind has waged war over religion and derived religion from war. It is not surprising, then, that military leadership and religious conviction frequently coincide. This study documents the long tradition of the religious warrior in Western history and literature, with a special focus on Civil War general Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson. It also provides a general survey of the religious antecedents of Jackson and other more modern American military heroes. The book begins with an introduction to the Confederate general, largely from the perspective of those who lived with and served under him, whose testimonies attest to his courage, initiative, innate tactical talent, deep religious faith, and eccentric personal habits. The author analyzes the extent to which Jackson's national zeal has elevated him to the status of a religious martyr, remembered today within an epic frame of sainthood and heroism. Concise comparisons are drawn between Jackson and his Old World predecessors, including Ulrich Zwingli, John Knox and Oliver Cromwell. Similar associations are made between Jackson and such Civil War contemporaries as William Dorsey Pender and Oliver Otis Howard. A chapter addressing the representation of Stonewall in modern Civil War literature and film, particularly in the novel and subsequent motion picture Gods and Generals, provides an insightful juxtaposition of Jackson's status among the gods of the Civil War and his own reverence for the God of his Presbyterian faith.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780746091326
ISBN 10	074609132X
Title	The Dragon and the Phoenix
Author	Lesley Sims
Series	First Reading Level 2
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Usborne Publishing Ltd
Year published	2009-12-31
Number of pages	32
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.