Jubal: The Life and Times of General Jubal A. Early, Csa, Defender of the Lost Cause

This well-written, comprehensive biography comes as close as is perhaps possible to a sympathetic treatment of the controversial Confederate (1816-1894). While acknowledging Early's post-Civil War role in creating the mythology of the ``lost cause,'' Time-Life Books editor Osborne focuses on his subject's military career. He depicts Early as an extremely competent brigade and division commander who proved only adequate at corps level and a failure as an independent commander in the Shenandoah Valley. Conceding that Union material superiority was so great by 1864 that no one was likely to have performed any more effectively than Early, Osborne stresses the general's egocentricity and bitter, sardonic personality, traits that increasingly sapped his confidence and diminished his capacity to work with both superiors and subordinates. Marred somewhat by an unconvincing conclusion--that Early's behavior was shaped by a ``deep fear of his softer side''--this is nevertheless likely to remain the definitive study of ``Old Jube.'' (Oct.)