body the best and worst characteristicsnof the Southern slaveholders as a socialnclass. And notwithstanding the grossncategories that currently obsess socialnhistorians, certain figures emerge asnrepresentative — as worthy of studynboth as impressive individuals and asnmen whose lives illuminate the coursenof Southern civilization.nJames Johnston Pettigrew, born intonthe elite of the North Carolina lowncountry and subsequently a resident ofnCharleston, was one of those representativenmen. Remembered primarily, if atnall, as a minor Confederate militaryncommander, he displayed exemplaryncourage at Cettysburg and elsewhere,nonly to have his reputation posthumouslynsullied by unfair criticism. Hendeserves to be remembered for muchnmore, including his marvelous (if virtuallynunread) book Notes on Spain andnthe Spaniards in the Summer of 1859,nwith a Glance at Sardinia (1861). Henwas barely 35 when he fell during anskirmish on the Potomac in 1863, butnduring his short life he made a decisivenISnTHE ROCKFORD INSTITUTEnIN YOUR WILL?nPerhaps a better question is:nDo you have a current will?nIf not, the laws of your particularnstate will determine what is to bendone with your estate upon yourndeath. What’s more, federal estatentaxes, unless there is proper planning,ncan claim up to 55% ofnyour property. If you would likento discuss elements of your estatenplanning, please write or call:nMICHAEL WARDERnLEGACY PROGRAMnTHE ROCKFORD INSTITUTEn934 N. MAIN STREETnROCKFORD, IL 61103n(815) 964-5811n34/CHRONICLESnimpact on the lives of all who knewnhim, including his kinsman James L.nPetigru, the celebrated intransigentnUnionist, who, as perhaps South Carolina’sngreatest lawyer, sponsored Pettigrew’snown legal career in Charleston.nYet, as Clyde Wilson demonstratesnin this first-rate study of the man, hisnworld, and his times, Pettigrew’s influencenfar transcended his eflbrts on thenbattlefield, in the courts and state legislature,nand as a writer. One of the morencurious, telling, and little appreciatednaspects of life in the Old South was thenintellectual vigor displayed by a generallynwell-educated slaveholding class. Ansurprising number of the most impressivenmembers of that class scorned thenlimelight and the lure of fame, which,nto be sure, attracted many others. Pettigrew,nlike no few of his peers, restrictednhis sphere of influence to those privy tonthe example set by his everyday life.nWilliam H. Trescot, another largelynforgotten man, though he is the fathernof American diplomatic history and anbrilliant scholar and theorist, said in hisneulogy that Pettigrew’s achievementsncould not begin to reveal the depth andnbreadth of his influence on his contemporaries:n”The influence was innhimself … He was a man who desirednto be, and not to seem.” Trescotncould easily have been describingnLangdon Cheves or any number ofnother Carolinians of the day.nPettigrew has had to wait a long timenfor a biographer, but he could not havenhoped to find a better one than ClydenWilson. A professor of history at thenUniversity of South Carolina, Wilsonnis best known to historians as thensuperb editor of the Papers of John C.nCalhoun (University of South CarolinanPress: 18 volumes, more coming) andnto the general public as a contributor tonChronicles and other journals, and asneditor of that stimulating manifesto ofnSouthern conservatism Why the SouthnWill Survive (University of GeorgianPress, 1981). A careful scholar who hasnthought hard and deep about his belovednSouth, he displays an unusuallynstrong feel for the society of the OldnSouth as it existed rather than as it isnpresented by historians who read thenconditions and perspectives of the laten19th and 20th centuries backwards intonit. Wilson is, in short, an exemplarynhistorian who, in this book, displays hisnformidable talent.nnnWilson writes gracefully and well,nunfolding, so far as possible, his narrativenin a manner that carries its ownninterpretation. But when, as happensnfrom time to time, an interpretivenset-piece is required, he rises to thenchallenge, as in his brief but strongndiscussions of the Southern conceptsnof chivalry and the gentleman, thennature of the much misunderstoodnSouthern Unionism, and the relationsnof planters to yeomen. For good measure,nhe provides an incisive analysis ofnthe psyche of this fascinating man. Innall, Wilson tells the story of an arrestingnlife and, in so doing, offers thenpublic an invaluable introduction tonessential aspects of life in the OldnSouth and offers specialists a no lessninvaluable consideration of long disputedntopics.nWilson recounts Pettigrew’s active ifnsadly foreshortened life as a product ofnone of North Carolina’s prominentnfamilies; as a young resident on anparticularly interesting plantation; as angifted student at the justiy celebratednBingham Academy and at the Universitynof North Carolina; as an observernof Charleston, where he practiced law;nas a state legislator who helped lead thenfight against the movement to reopennthe African slave trade; as a critic ofnRobert Barnwell Rhett and the fireeatersnand of the political legacy of thengreat Calhoun; as a Unionist whonfinally crossed over and supported secession;nand as a student, traveler, andnpenetrating observer in Europe. Inneach case Wilson unobtrusively delineatesnPettigrew’s unique qualities andnindividual performance in a mannernthat reveals the ways in which — andnthe extent to which — he deserves tonrank as a representative man. And inneach case Wilson sheds light on thensociety and the times: on educationnand religion, on ideological currentsnand political battles, on the legal professionnand the literary life.nAs a bonus, Wilson provides a wellcraftednexamination of Spain and thenSpaniards, a book that ought to benrepublished and studied carefully asnwell as read for pleasure. As Wilsonnshows, Pettigrew not only wrote ansplendid travelogue; he seized the opportunitynto reflect, more deeply thannmost men were capable of doing, onnthe strengths and weaknesses of Southernncivilization in relation to the diver-n