The editor of a newly released book on Confederate Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne will speak at the Sunday, Nov. 21 meeting of the Fayette County Historical Society.

Mauriel Phillips Joslyn, a native Georgian, is a contributor as well as editor of “A Meteor Shining Brightly: Essays on Irish-Confederate General Patrick R. Cleburne.” Released this fall, the book is a collection of nine scholarly essays on the “Stonewall of the West.”

Each essay covers a different period in Cleburne's life, from his early years in Ireland to his career in the Army of the Tennessee. The essays fit together like the chapters in a biography.

The book has received positive reviews for readability and scholarly content about the life of this British army officer-turned American lawyer who became a “warrior poet” and division commander of the Confederacy.

Included is the entire text of Cleburne's controversial proposal to enlist slaves to fight for the Confederacy, allowing readers an opportunity to examine the proposal themselves in weighing whether it should have warranted the damage done to Cleburne's career.

An essay also deals with the actions leading to the Battle of Franklin and the failure of the trap planned for the Union army by John Bell Hood. Of particular interest to Georgians will be the essay dealing with actions at Ringgold Gap and Pickett's Mill.

Joslyn has written extensively about the Civil War for more than 20 years. She was editor of “Charlotte's Boys: The Civil War Correspondence of the Branch Family of Savannah,” and “Valor and Lace: The Roles of Confederate Women 1861-1865.”

She is author of “Immortal Captives: The Story of 600 Confederate Officers an the United States Prisoner of War Policy.”

Joslyn serves on the editorial board of the Southern Heritage Press, publisher of The Journal of Confederate History Series. She is a graduate of Mary Washington College and a former librarian. She also is a popular lecturer about Civil War topics.

The Historical Society meets at 3 p.m. at its headquarters and research center on Lee Street in Fayetteville.

The public is invited. Joslyn will have her books available for purchase and autograph.

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