Robert E. Lee follows the Virginia officer from his West Point training and service in the Mexican-American War to command of the Army of Northern Virginia. It examines his decision to leave the United States Army, his major campaigns and the aggressive strategy that produced both striking victories and severe losses.
The biography considers Lee’s relationship to slavery, Confederate nationalism and civilian authority as well as his surrender at Appomattox. It also addresses his post-war presidency of Washington College and the powerful Lost Cause image that later obscured the political cause for which he fought.
