Books on Robert E. Lee

[Mr King]

Book recommendations on Robert E. Lee

I would like to hear recommendations on a good book to purchase on Robert E. Lee. Not just about him in the great war but his whole life.

I read some reviews on a book Lee that was written by Douglas Southall Freeman and it's more like a idolatry than biography book. Idolatry is a sin and if the reviews are correct then I won't be purchasing this book.

I see this other book Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters by Elizabeth Brown Pryor. Is it true that she has criticized him? That she also mentioned that he was no worse than others but he was no better either?

I would like to purchase a book that doesn't have criticism nor trying to speculate and display him as being more than who he really was. I want a book on his whole life when he was born till he died. I would like for the book to tell the reader what he did during the reconstruction after the war too.

Thank you.

 

[Jules362]

Robert E. Lee

Mr. King:
The only book I have that comes close to be a biography of Lee is "The Making of Robert E. Lee," by Michael Fellman. So because I haven't read any other bios on General Lee, I can't say if this one is good, bad or indifferent. I've seen one online that claims to be his autobiography, don't recall the title, but from the description it sounds like it's mostly just his letters. I'm under the impression that Lee never wrote his memoirs, but I'm sure there's a gazillion bios floating around since he was such an admired person.

 

[Mr King]

Hello Jules 362. Thanks for the reply.

Robert Edward Lee was a very humbled man. When he was offered to command the Citizen Army of Virginia, he was humbled and said that he'd much rather the duty be given to a more abler man(can't remember the words specifically). But there weren't any other man more abler than Robert E. Lee himself and there's "Stonewall" Jackson.

After the war, there were book writers who offered him money if they could do a biography book on his life and he told them no. That he'd rather them spend the money to help the poor. Wow! He was indeed a great Christian gentleman.

I'm thinking that he didn't write much about the past including himself but rathered stay focused on the present and worked to build a better future along with working to unite the North and the South together but opposed to the federal government's involvement and power, I think.

I'll go check out the book you mentioned. Thank you.

 

[ole]

Don't base your purchase on only two responses, Mr. King. I've read only two biographies of Lee. One claimed to be his memoirs by A. L. Long and I read that so long ago that I have no recollection of it. Another was Alan Nolan's "Lee Considered." If you don't want a critical look at Lee, skip Nolan. I have Fellman's book, but I didn't like his treatment of Sherman so haven't read that one yet. There are about five others I haven't touched either. D.S. Freeman's four-volume biography is the seminal work. Although I wouldn't call it idolatry, Freeman wasn't one to look for warts.

The most recent one, based on his letters and correspondence might be the one you want. I have it around here somewhere, but I'm not about to tear the room apart to find it. I think it was ... Never mind. "Reading the Man," Elizabeth Brown Pryor ... found it. People who really like Lee hate it. If you ask how bad it could be if it just prints his letters, you get "They were cherry-picked to make him look bad." I've seen a few interviews with Ms. Pryor and she revealed no axe to grind. To me.

I guess with a near godlike figure, you're going to get one or the other. Too bad he never wrote his memoires. You get the same thing with Jackson, Grant and Sherman.

There is a one-volume abridgement of Freeman's work somewhere out there. It ought to be very inexpensive and probably in paperback if you'd prefer.

Tell 'ya what. PM me your snail mail and I'll send you my copy of A.L. Long's Memoires of R. E. Lee. That way, you can read for a month or two at no more than the cost of return postage.

ole

 

[ole]

I'm thinking that he didn't write much about the past including himself but rathered stay focused on the present and worked to build a better future along with working to unite the North and the South together but opposed to the federal government's involvement and power, I think.

And I'm thinking you've already read excerpts from Douglas Southall Freeman's biography. (The idolatrous one.)

He was every inch a gentleman, but he was not without faults.

ole

 

[Mr King]

Don't base your purchase on only two responses, Mr. King. I've read only two biographies of Lee. One claimed to be his memoirs by A. L. Long and I read that so long ago that I have no recollection of it. Another was Alan Nolan's "Lee Considered." If you don't want a critical look at Lee, skip Nolan. I have Fellman's book, but I didn't like his treatment of Sherman so haven't read that one yet. There are about five others I haven't touched either. D.S. Freeman's four-volume biography is the seminal work. Although I wouldn't call it idolatry, Freeman wasn't one to look for warts.

The most recent one, based on his letters and correspondence might be the one you want. I have it around here somewhere, but I'm not about to tear the room apart to find it. I think it was ... Never mind. "Reading the Man," Elizabeth Brown Pryor ... found it. People who really like Lee hate it. If you ask how bad it could be if it just prints his letters, you get "They were cherry-picked to make him look bad." I've seen a few interviews with Ms. Pryor and she revealed no axe to grind. To me.

I guess with a near godlike figure, you're going to get one or the other. Too bad he never wrote his memoires. You get the same thing with Jackson, Grant and Sherman.

There is a one-volume abridgement of Freeman's work somewhere out there. It ought to be very inexpensive and probably in paperback if you'd prefer.

Tell 'ya what. PM me your snail mail and I'll send you my copy of A.L. Long's Memoires of R. E. Lee. That way, you can read for a month or two at no more than the cost of return postage.

ole

Wow, I am touched and very grateful for your offer to allow me to read your copy of A.L. Long's Memoires of R. E. Lee. Well of course I would pay you extra for appreciation, gas ect... I'm going to keep looking around to see what else I can find. I'll look up for more info on this book. Then I'll let you know. Thank you ole.

 

[matthew mckeon]

I didn't like Fellman's either. Too much pop psychology. Pryor's book is pretty good. In no way is it a slam or debunking of Lee. It's actually a very informative look at Lee, and the world he lived in, as a professional soldier, engineer, Virginian, Confederate general, and college president. Nolan's "Lee Considered" is more critical than Pryor's.

Gary Gallangher has a couple of works on Lee, but they concentrate very much on his command of the Army of Northern Virginia.

 

[PvtClewell]

Like Matthew, I found Pryor's book 'Reading the Man' (2007) to be quite informative. I did not see it as a slam against Lee, but actually rather objective. It's 474 pages long with another 143 pages of footnotes.

Another good single volumn work is 'Robert E. Lee: A Biography' by Emory Thomas. This was published in 1995 and no doubt can be found on discount racks and eBay for next to nothing these days. Having said that, I thought it was well written, objective and informative. It's 417 pages and heavily footnoted and annotated.

I also have Fellman's book but found it to be rather tedious and nothing new.

Nolan's 'Lee Considered' is a much more critical view of Lee, but I keep it in my library for literary balance.

 

[Mr King]

Ole, have you read D.S. Freeman's four volume book set on Lee? I've been looking through the internet and man, they sure are expensive to purchase. Would you please tell us more about the four volume books?

 

[M E Wolf]

Dear List Members;

I do have the book written by Walter H. Taylor, Assistant Adjutant General to General R. E. Lee; called Four Years with General Lee; there are 'comments' about Lee added to the book, to include his character.

Recollections And Letters Of General Robert E. Lee
By His Son Captain Robert E. Lee

I believe it is better to let a relative tell the story of their father than some outside source other than military history; which I lean more towards Col. Taylor.

There are several light hearted and lovely reflections from Captain R. E. Lee.

As far as General Lee writing about himself, I think he left that for others to do. He was more interested in writing history of the CSA and to tell the story in that regard. Now, despite the best effort of Col. Taylor, Major Marshall and others; the vast amount of destroyed documents perhaps frustrated further efforts on Lee's part to write about history.

He passed away without writing much about himself. This alone has left for others to assume and or inject their slant on Lee but; pity Lee didn't write about himself or his thoughts for public consumption.

Duty, honor, humility, loyalty and truthfulness were words to live by for Lee. I think he did well.

Just some thoughts.

Respectfully submitted for consideration,
M. E. Wolf

 

[Mr King]

I just purchased a 4 volume book set on Robert E. Lee by D.S. Freeman from abebooks.com.

 

[gary]

Joseph Glatthaar makes some interesting comments about the marble man. He draws not only from other historians, but also from Charles Marshall, Walter Taylor and Lee's letters to his wife.

 

[OhCanada]

I have a limited selection here "North of the 48" but I received Robert E. Lee: A Life Portrait by David J Eicher one year for my birthday. It is more of a "coffee table" type book but good info and nice collection of pictures.
Happy reading,
Tara