Robert E. Lee: A Biography"The best and most balanced of the Lee biographies."—New York Review of Books The life of Robert E. Lee is a story not of defeat but of triumph—triumph in clearing his family name, triumph in marrying properly, triumph over the mighty Mississippi in his work as an engineer, and triumph over all other military men to become the towering figure who commanded the Confederate army in the American Civil War. But late in life Lee confessed that he "was always wanting something."In this probing and personal biography, Emory Thomas reveals more than the man himself did. Robert E. Lee has been, and continues to be, a symbol and hero in the American story. But in life, Thomas writes, Lee was both more and less than his legend. Here is the man behind the legend. |
Contents
| 11 | |
| 13 | |
| 17 | |
| 23 | |
| 30 | |
2 How Can I Live Without Robert? | 38 |
3 The Marble Model | 47 |
4 As Bold as a Sheep | 56 |
Illustrations follow | 224 |
19 The Federal Army Should Have Been Destroyed | 230 |
20 We Cannot Afford to Be Idle | 245 |
21 It Is Well That War Is So Terrible | 264 |
22 From Such a SceneMenRose to the Dignity of Gods | 275 |
23 Too Bad Too Bad OH TOO BAD | 287 |
24 I Was Influenced by the Bribe | 304 |
25 We Must Never Let Them Pass Us Again | 317 |
5 Happy as a Clam in High Water | 67 |
6 I Must Get Away from Here | 76 |
7 They Wanted a Skillful Engineerand Sent Me | 86 |
8 You Are Right in My Interest in the Pretty Women | 101 |
9 I Have Done No Good | 113 |
10 The Gallant Indefatigable Captain Lee | 125 |
11 I Am Fond of Independence | 143 |
12 The Climate Is as Harsh to Me as My Duties | 153 |
13 The Question Which I Have Staved Off for 20 Tears | 163 |
14 How Hard It Is to Get Contentment | 175 |
15 Can Anybody Say They Know His Brother? | 191 |
16 Never Fought a BattlePious Horror of GuerrillasExtreme Tenderness of Blood | 201 |
17 LowCountry Gentlemen Curse Lee | 211 |
18 Lee Is Audacity Personified | 218 |
26 I Go to Petersburg | 334 |
27 Ah But He Is a Queer Old Genius | 341 |
28 I Would Rather Die a Thousand Deaths | 355 |
29 After Four Years of Arduous Service | 367 |
30 I Am Considered Now Such a Monster | 380 |
31 We Have But One Rule Here | 393 |
32 I Will Give That Sum | 402 |
Apotheosis | 416 |
Notes | 419 |
Bibliography | 449 |
| 459 | |
Back Cover | 473 |
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A. P. Hill Agnes Andrew Talcott April Arlington Army of Northern artillery attack August battle Beauregard began cadets Camp campaign Carter Lee cavalry command Confederate corps Custis Lee D. H. Hill Davis duty enemy Engineer Ewell father February Federal field fight fighting find fire first five flank Fort Monroe Fredericksburg Freeman friends Gettysburg Grant Harry Lee Headquarters Henry Hill Hill’s horse House ibid J. E. B. Stuart Jackson James Johnston July June knew Lee Family Papers Lee Papers Lee to Mary Lee wrote Lee’s Lexington Lieutenant Longstreet Louis March Markie Mary Lee McClellan Memoirs Mexican Mexico Mildred military Monroe Northern Virginia October officers ofiicers P. G. T. Beauregard Petersburg Potomac President Recollections and Letters returned Richmond River Robert E Robert Lee Rooney Scott September significant soldiers South Southern Stratford Stuart Talcott Taylor tion troops vols Wartime Papers Washington College West Point wife William York young