Robert E. Lee: Lessons in Leadership (Great Generals)

By Noah Andre Trudeau

Book Overview

General Robert E. Lee was a complicated man and military figure. From his birth as the son of a celebrated and tragic Revolutionary War hero, to his career after the Civil War when he led by example to heal the terrible wounds of the conflict, there is much to learn from this celebrated general. In just three years of service, he directed the Confederacy's most renowned fighting force, the famed Army of Northern Virginia, through a series of battles, including Second Manassas, Antietam, and Gettysburg, which have since come to define combat in the Civil War. Here, for the first time, Noah Andre Trudeau follows the general's Civil War path with a special emphasis on Lee's changing set of personal values as the conflict wended through four bloody years and explores his famous skills as a crafty and daring tactician. An insightful new account, "Robert E. Lee" delivers a fresh perspective that leads to a greater understanding of one of the most studied and yet enigmatic military figures in American history.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0230613667
• ISBN13: 9780230613669
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent short biography

Robert E. Lee by Noah Andre Trudeau is an excellent short biography of the career and leadership of one of the war's finest gentleman warriors. While not heavy in detail, it provides some details and analysis left out of many longer biographies, putting the pieces together, from a non-traditional viewpoint, that of the South. Many biographies and civil war histories are written from the perspective of the North. Trudeau tells Lee's story, with a balanced approach neither painting Lee with the unreasonable strokes of pure genius, nor paying undue attention to his failures. Lee is portrayed as an exceptionally charismatic leader capable of inspiring great confidence and great heroism in his men, but one who also possesses occasional weaknesses and is capable of errors in judgment. Lee is also portrayed as a man of great integrity, forced to choose between competing loyalties. I found this particular biography to be a great pleasure to read, and highly recommend it as additional reading along with longer and more detailed writings.