Four Years With General Lee - Couverture rigide

Taylor, Walter

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0253330718 ISBN 13 : 9780253330710

Editeur : Indiana University Press, 2000

Synopsis

Walter Taylor was 'first to last the closest' of all staff officers to General Robert E. Lee, and his intimate relationship with his commander gives Taylor's writings signal importance in any study of Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. Taylor devoted a considerable portion of his postwar years to settling controversies relative to Lee's command. Rarely are his conclusions disputed, because he possessed a memory known to be both cohesive and accurate. He became in effect 'an unofficial court of last resort' in the arguments that abounded in the half-century after Appomattox. A recognized classic, "Four Years with General Lee" first appeared in 1877 and was a collector's item by the turn of the century. For many years a standard authority on Confederate history, it is the source for dozens of incidents that have now become a part of every biography of Lee. This annotated edition, first published in 1962, was prepared by noted Civil War historian James I. Robertson, Jr., who has provided a new introduction for his paperback reissue.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

With the exception of George Washington, perhaps the most famous general in American history is Robert E. Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870), despite the fact he led the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia against the Union in the Civil War. As the son of U.S. Revolutionary War hero Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee III, and a relative of Martha Custis Washington, Lee was imbued with a strong sense of honor and duty from the beginning. And as a top graduate of West Point, Lee had distinguished himself so well before the Civil War that President Lincoln asked him to command the entire Union Army. Lee famously declined, serving his home state of Virginia instead after it seceded.

Lee is remembered today for constantly defeating the Union’s Army of the Potomac in the Eastern theater from 1862-1865, considerably frustrating Lincoln and his generals. His leadership of his army led to him being deified after the war by some of his former subordinates, especially Virginians, and he came to personify the Lost Cause’s ideal Southern soldier. His reputation was secured in the decades after the war as a general who brilliantly led his men to amazing victories against all odds.

Despite his successes and his legacy, Lee wasn’t perfect. And of all the battles Lee fought in, he was most criticized for Gettysburg, particularly his order of Pickett’s Charge on the third and final day of the war. Despite the fact his principle subordinate and corps leader, General James Longstreet, advised against the charge, Lee went ahead with it, ending the army’s defeat at Gettysburg with a violent climax that left half of the men who charged killed or wounded.

Four Years with General Lee, being a summary of the more important events touching the career of General Robert E. Lee, in the war between the States: together with an authoritative statement of the strength of the army which he commanded in the field , is a great look into Lee during the Civil War, written by his staff-officer Walter Taylor.

Présentation de l'éditeur

The Shelf2Life American Civil War Collection is a unique and exciting collection of pre-1923 titles focusing on the American Civil War and the people and events surrounding it. From memoirs and biographies of notable military figures to firsthand accounts of famous battles and in-depth discussions of slavery, this collection is a remarkable opportunity for scholars and historians to rediscover the experience and impact of the Civil War. The volumes contained in the collection were all written within 60 years of the end of the war, which means that most authors had living memory of it and were facing the effects of the war while writing. These firsthand accounts allow the modern reader to more fully understand the culture of both the Union and Confederacy, the politics that governed the escalation and end of the war, the personal experience of life during the Civil War, and the most difficult and polarizing question in the history of the United States: slavery. The American Civil War Collection allows new readers access to the contemporary arguments and accounts surrounding the war, and is a vital new tool in understanding this important and pivotal chapter in American history.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Indiana University Press
• Date d'édition: 2000
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0253330718
• ISBN 13: 9780253330710
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 222
• Éditeur: Robertson James
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible