W. R. (William R.) Bond

W. R. Bond, identified by Project Gutenberg as W. R. (William R.) Bond, 1839–1922, is known for Pickett or Pettigrew? An Historical Essay. The book first appeared in the late 1800s and takes up one of the best-known arguments about the Battle of Gettysburg: whether the famous assault of July 3, 1863, should be remembered mainly through George Pickett or with fuller credit to Johnston Pettigrew and the men who fought alongside him.

Bond wrote with a clear purpose. Rather than offering a detached battlefield summary, he set out to challenge what he saw as an unfair version of history and to defend the reputation of Confederate soldiers from North Carolina. That gives his writing a strong point of view, but also helps explain why readers interested in Civil War memory and postwar historical debate still seek it out.

Reliable biographical details about Bond himself are limited in the sources I could confirm here, beyond his full name as listed, his birth year of 1839, his death year of 1922, and his authorship of this Gettysburg essay. I wasn't able to confirm a suitable portrait from the pages I checked, so none is included.