Confederate Portraits,
GAMALIEL BRADFORD was a partial invalid nearly all of his life, sometimes able to work only a few minutes a day. For years he futilely attempted to become novelist, poet, or playwright before finding success in biography. He is often referred to as the "Father of American Biographers." His biographies were unique in that he utilized "psychography," a new type of biographical writing that sought to portray the inner life of the subject by a skillful selection of important and interesting traits. Employing the psychography technique, Mr. Bradford has compiled insightful biographies of Joseph Johnston, JEB Stuart, P.G.T. Beauregard, James Longstreet, Judah Benjamin, Alexander H. Stephens, Robert Toombs, and Raphael Semmes. He also includes a short essay on the Battle of Gettysburg. Even if one has read other biographies of the men mentioned above, even the most devoted reader will profit from and enjoy Mr. Bradford's observations into the personalities and characters of those of whom he writes.