A dynamic figure in the pages of history, Major General William Bull Nelson played a formative role in the Union s success in Kentucky and the Western theater of the Civil War. Now, Donald A. Clark presents a long-overdue examination of this irascible officer, his numerous accomplishments, and his grim fate. More popularly known for his temper than his intrepid endeavors on behalf of the North, Nelson nevertheless dedicated much of his life to his nation and the preservation of the Union.

The child of a privileged family, Nelson was one of the first officers to graduate from the newly...