Lee Lee Wounded?

Ham920

Cadet
Joined
Feb 9, 2018
I've been a avid Civil War buff for over 50 years. I recently received Bill O'Reilly's book, "Legends & Lies - The Civil War" as a gift from a cousin. While I'm not a big fan of Bill O'Reilly's the book is actually written by David Fisher. I usually read more sophisticated Civil War authors such as James McPherson, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Gordon Rea, David Blight, and of course, may they Rest In Peace, Bruce Catton and Shelby Foote, but I thought since this was a gift from my cousin, I'd give "Legends & Lies - The Civil War" a reading. While reading Legends & Lies I surprisingly came across a couple of things that I had never read before. The book is not well documented and I would have contacted the author, David Fisher, but when I Googled him I learned he had died about a year ago, so that's why I'm asking whether a couple of things I read in Legends and Lies are true or are they really, as the title indicates, legends or lies.

I read that about the time of 2nd Bull Run according to CSA Major Charles S. Venable Lee narrowly escaped death from a sharpshooter whose bullet cut a small cut in his check to which Lee stated, "A Yankee sharpshooter came near killing me just now."

Also, according to Legends & Lies Lee's famous lost Special Orders No. 191 had the Army of Northern Virginia "after completing their missions ...was to reassemble behind Antietam Creek, near the village of Sharpsburg, Maryland, where Lee waited with his remains forces." This passage does not ring true to me because I believe Lee collected his army along Antietam Creek only AFTER he learned that McClellan had a copy of his orders, not because the orders called for regrouping there. Lee original intentions were to invade into Pennsylvania and beyond if practical.

Finally, Legends &a Lies also states that during the Mexican War Lee and Jackson developed a "fast friendship" and Lee asked Jackson to be one of his seconds when Lee was challenged to a duel by another officer. I was unaware that Lee knew Jackson, much less developed a friendship with him at the time of the Mexican War.

I'm only half way through Legends & Lies, but I'm wondering if the book is more legends and lies than true history. Can anyone verify that 1) Lee was wounded, 2) that Lee intended on gathering his army behind Antietam Creek before McClellan had Special Orders No. 191, or that Lee and Stonewall were "fast friends"?
 
Lee and Jackson met during the Mexican War, according to this site. www.biography.com/people/stonewall-jackson-9351451. Somehow I cannot imagine that they would have become "fast" friends, especially as their paths diverged after that war. I would gather that their relationship was based on mutual respect and trust for the other's military capabilities rather than friendship, evidenced by Lee's tendency to be near Longstreet rather than Jackson when in camp. Jackson was not an easy person to be around.
 
Back
Top