Robert E. Lee: Icon for a Nation

Robert E. Lee: Icon for a Nation

One of the most impressive monuments to an American military hero is found in Richmond, Virginia. Weighing twelve tons and standing almost sixty-two feet high, this great marble statue depicts Gen. Robert E. Lee on horseback. It projects an air of defiance as well as celebration, implying that, despite the tragic outcome of the Civil War for the South, this general was not defeated. By the time this monumental icon was unveiled in 1890, twenty years after Leeâ€™s death, the apotheosis of the great Confederate leaderâ€™s life and career was well underway. He came to symbolize the great lost causeâ€“the unfulfilled, idealized achievements that were central to the romanticized imagery that quickly enveloped the Old South after the war.
In this in-depth examination of the career of Gen. Robert E. Lee, noted historian Brian Holden Reid looks beyond the legend to arrive at an objective assessment of the man and his military career. Holden Reid argues that Leeâ€™s qualities as a general do not require any exaggeration or embellishment. Tracing the military campaigns of the Civil War, he shows that Leeâ€™s short period of field command, just under three years, was marked by imagination, decisiveness, stamina, and a determination to win the war against the better-equipped union army, rather than just avoid losing it.
Some historians have criticized Leeâ€™s offensive strategy as an error that became ultimately self-defeating. By contrast, Holden Reid asserts that it was the only realistic way for the Confederacy to win its independence. Nonetheless, he acknowledges that Lee exhibited occasional overconfidence, sometimes underestimated his enemy, and failed to develop his staff in any modern sense.
As a British historian, Holden Reid brings a fresh, detached eye to his evaluation of Gen. Lee, and in the end he presents an authoritative and balanced assessment of a great American commander.
Marked by clarity of style and filled with fascinating historical details, this new reconsideration of a legendary southern general will be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of Civil War enthusiasts as well as students and scholars of American history and military history.
Country USA
Brand Prometheus
Manufacturer Prometheus
Binding Paperback
ReleaseDate 2007-09-30
UnitCount 1
Format Illustrated
EANs 9781591025856

Country	USA
Brand	Prometheus
Manufacturer	Prometheus
Binding	Paperback
ReleaseDate	2007-09-30
UnitCount	1
Format	Illustrated
EANs	9781591025856

Robert E. Lee: Icon for a Nation

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