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Walter Heron Taylor And His Era, Emanuel Meyer

History Theses & Dissertations

This biography examines Colonel Walter Herron Taylor’s involvement in the development of Norfolk, Virginia, into a modern urban seaport. Although this thesis depicts Taylor’s role as Robert E. Lee’s adjutant and Civil War historian, it clearly demonstrates that his civic accomplishments in the post-war era considerably outweighed his efforts for the Confederacy.

Colonel Taylor's lifetime career in banking and commerce reflected the changing society of the South from a backward province into a modern industrial and sophisticated section. The author illustrates the Colonel’s participation in Norfolk's growth from the stormy Reconstruction period to the eve of World War I. Throughout …