DirectX and Matrix confusion   

What I am trying to do is build a function that draws a wall out of blocks. 
I have a function that can do this easily as long as no rotationn takes 
place.  I pass it the bottom/left X,Y,Z, width, height.  I can then use two 
for loops to iterate through the blocks and build the wall.

Okay, now I'm trying to modify this function to be able to biuld the wall in 
any arbitrary rotation.

So I also pass it a X,Y,Z rotation in degrees.  My thinking is, okay, if I 
have one corner of the wall, I know it's width and it's height and how it's 
rotated, I should be able to build it.  And this is where I"m getting 
stumped.  I first tried to figure out some 3d math but that didn't get me 
far, so I thought about matrixes (someone suggested to me actually) so this 
is what I'm trying.

With no rotation things work out, but that's to be expected, since no 
rotation is simply multiplying by 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f and nothing is changed. 
But when I multiply in the rotation matrix the wall shoots over into lala 
land, although it is a wall with the correct dimentions and rotation facing.

So this is what I"im attempting:

1. Build a matrix based on the starting postion and ending position
2. Build a matrix based on the rotation (rotation x,y,z).
3. Determine the block number (0 to block height).  Then I try to transform 
by the matrix where this block is to take place and it's not working out. 
:The problem with showing code is the DirectX calls are wrapped in a 3rd 
party library and so won't be native DX.

Here is soem code if you can make sense of it (which isn't working 
correctly, the wall is in the wrong location)

void DrawWall( const VEC3& P1, float Width, float Height, const VEC3& 
Rotate )
{
    Reset_Matrix();
    Translate( P1.x + Width, P1.y + Height, P1.z );
    MATRIX TranslateMat = Get_Built_Transform();

    Reset_Matrix();
    RotateX( Rotate.x );
    RotateY( Rotate.y );
    RotateZ( Rotate.z );
    MATRIX RotateMat = Get_Built_Transform();

    // At this point, if I attempt to use thes two matrixes to draw 
somethign to see whree
   // it is in 3d space, it's in the wrong location.

    // If I do it this way:
    Transform_Matrix( RotateMat * TranslateMat );
    Draw_Model( &SmallSphere, 0, NULL, true );
    // it is not rotated at all, acts as if rotation was 0.

   // if I do it this way:
    Transform_Matrix( TranslateMat * RotateMat );
    Draw_Model( &SmallSphere, 0, NULL, true );

   // Then its off into lala land, either far to the right or far to the 
left
   // depending on the rotation I'm experimenting with 90 or -90

}

Anyone have a clue as to how I could do this?  It doesn't matter to me if I 
have to give differnet parameters to the function.  I at first thought of 
pasing one corner X,Y,Z and the opostie corner X,Y,Z but it coudl be rotated 
any direction between those points (take a piece of paper, hold it by 
opposite corners, you can keep yoru fingers in place yet rotate the paper 
around).

date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 23:42:27 -0800   author:   Jim Langston