To some; Robert E. Lee is a beloved general; held in the highest regard. To others; he is one of history's most paradoxical heroes. He fought passionately to defend his homeland and was one of the nation's greatest soldiers; yet his name is often inextricably linked with slavery and secession. In 1861 Lee was Lincoln's first choice to lead the Union troops in the Civil War. But a strong loyalty to Virginia held Lee back. Instead he chose to become the commanding officer of the Confederacy. Lee had great success in battle by spitting his forces and unleashing suprise attacks. His victory at Chancellorville; where his troops soundly defeated an enemy twice their size; remains the most astonishing. However; only when he surrendered in 1865 did the nation understand the kind of man Robert E. Lee truly was. He was kind and loving; giving all of himself to a reconciliation between the North and the South. In this meticulously researched biography; James I. Robertson explores the life of one of the most revered -- and misunderstood -- Civil War Generals.
#1414641 in Books Free Press 2001-06-05 2001-06-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.44 x .50 x 5.50l; .62 #File Name: 0684872714208 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good overview into Napoleon's way of warBy Nicholas RobertsLuvaas did a decent job at trying to map out Napoleon's military thought. Luvaas has a difficult job; as he points out in the beginning of the book; since Napoleon never did write on his art of war like Frederick the Great did for instance. Therefore he is forced to rely on letters to different marshals; quotations and historical example to draw conclusions on Napoleon's thought. This is not an easy thing to do. The greatest military commander of the modern age is a tough nut to crack. Nevertheless he does a decent job of mapping out Napoleon's thoughts on numerous different military topics. The book is not too long; but you will learn something about the art of Napoleon's military mind. I would suggest also reading "Napoleon's Military Maxims" by Chandler as well as this book to get a more in depth understanding.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. ... of War Book Review at Georgia State Pullen Library excellent purchase.By Conigliara A. CooperNapoleon's art of War Book Review at Georgia State Pullen Library excellent purchase...0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Fills a much needed gapBy ModelBuilderAlmost every great captain (Sun Tzu; de Saxe; de Villars; Frederick II; Clausewitz; Jomini; among others) have written one of three things: 1) A memoir; recounting their perceptions of battles and campaigns; 2) Guides; or textbooks concerning their beliefs on the principles of tactic; logistic; and strategy; or 3) A history; a detailed analysis of specific battles; campaigns; and marches; with descriptions of the different officers and generals they had to work withNapoleon; despite being (in my opinion) the greatest military and civil ruler of all time; never wrote any of these things (unless you refer to excerpts from his diaries; which was posthumously printed and never intended to be read; or his proclamations; which were mostly inflated propaganda).However; in many of his diary entries; travel journals; and personal letters to his brothers that he placed on the throne of European countries; or his trusted 26 Marechals de France; he left gold jackpots of wisdom which are of use today. Thus the excellent historian Jay Luvaas (who also wrote "Frederick the Great on the Art of War") spent over 30 years poring through Napoleon's correspondances; and cut and pasted them together to form what would seem like a continuous and fluent book; 100% written in Napoleon's own words.Genius! A must have; and a must read for all Napoleonic; or just military fans everywhere.
