Born February 27, 1831
Albemarle County, Virginia
Died December 12, 1872
Lynchburg, Virginia

Editor of the Richmond Examiner

Early historian of the Confederacy

"Morning broke on a scene never to be forgotten. . . . The smoke and glare of fire mingled with the golden beams of the rising sun. . . ."

Edward A. Pollard emerged as one of the South's best known commentators on Confederate leadership and military strategy during the Civil War. As the editorial page editor of the Richmond Examiner, Pollard's harsh criticism of Confederate president Jefferson Davis (1808–1889; see entry) and other political leaders turned him into one of the South's most controversial writers. In addition, he published an annual series of books during the Civil War in which he provided his own interpretations of the war's progress. These volumes, which also attracted a lot of attention, made Pollard one of the first historians of the Confederacy.

Born Into Virginia Aristocracy