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| American Civil War The American Civil War. |
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16 Apr 12, 09:54
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,708
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Biographies of Robert E. Lee
Have there been any good bios of R.E. Lee in the last ten or so years? And what is the "current view" of Lee - was he a flawed and overrated engineer, or a virtuous military genius (or has anyone taken a middle ground)?
Thanks,
Jon
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"There are only two professions in the world in which the amateur excels the professional. One, military strategy, and, two, prostitution."-- Maj. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
(Avatar: Commodore Edwin Ward Moore, Republic of Texas Navy)
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16 Apr 12, 13:03
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Charlotte
Posts: 587
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Jordan
Have there been any good bios of R.E. Lee in the last ten or so years? And what is the "current view" of Lee - was he a flawed and overrated engineer, or a virtuous military genius (or has anyone taken a middle ground)?
Thanks,
Jon
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Jon,
There has not been a good "traditional" biography written of Lee. The Emory Thomas biography of Lee which appeared in the mid 90s is disappointing. There have been some good specialized studies of Lee though.
Edit: In my opinion the last great traditional biography was D.S. Freeman's 4 volume biography. It was well researched, written and exhaustive. However, Freeman's Lee did very little wrong and the book lacks balance (understandable to a certain degree considering the times and Freeman's background).
Last edited by cici; 16 Apr 12 at 13:32..
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16 Apr 12, 13:24
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: east of eden
Posts: 17
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Some scholars seem to think that since Lee has been written about so much that little is untouched with regards to new material. An older publication may suit your needs just fine. I found a free copy of Lee and Grant which is a dual biography and found it to be a good read. Good luck on your quest, you've picked an interesting subject.
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16 Apr 12, 13:41
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Barron Colliers Land
Posts: 8,606
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are exhaustive biographies exhausting?
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16 Apr 12, 13:49
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Real Name: Eric J. Wittenberg
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 3,233
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KICK
are exhaustive biographies exhausting?
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I don't know, Mike, but some of the people who insist on beating dead horses or who spout nonsense trying to sound like they know what they're talking about certainly are.....
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"If you want to have some fun, jine the cavalry"
Maj. Gen. James Ewell Brown Stuart
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16 Apr 12, 13:51
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Anywhere South
Posts: 2,034
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Wittenberg
I don't know, Mike, but some of the people who insist on beating dead horses or who spout nonsense trying to sound like they know what they're talking about certainly are.....
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Amen, my friend. Amen!! |
16 Apr 12, 14:34
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Charlotte
Posts: 587
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KICK
are exhaustive biographies exhausting?
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Only if you are out of shape. |
16 Apr 12, 14:36
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Charlotte
Posts: 587
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Wittenberg
I don't know, Mike, but some of the people who insist on beating dead horses or who spout nonsense trying to sound like they know what they're talking about certainly are.....
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Eric,
Was someone beating a dead horse here? |
16 Apr 12, 15:04
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Real Name: Eric J. Wittenberg
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 3,233
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cici
Eric,
Was someone beating a dead horse here?
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In this thread? No. But we certainly get plenty of that going on elsewhere. And it grows very wearisome.
Fear not. I was not referring to you.
__________________
"If you want to have some fun, jine the cavalry"
Maj. Gen. James Ewell Brown Stuart
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17 Apr 12, 13:02
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Barron Colliers Land
Posts: 8,606
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Wittenberg
I don't know, Mike, but some of the people who insist on beating dead horses or who spout nonsense trying to sound like they know what they're talking about certainly are.....
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Eric, since I'm not trying to sound like I know what I am talking about
who would you be referring to? 
I'm in over my head on this forum and I freely admit it.. |
17 Apr 12, 14:20
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Real Name: Eric J. Wittenberg
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 3,233
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KICK
Eric, since I'm not trying to sound like I know what I am talking about
who would you be referring to?
I'm in over my head on this forum and I freely admit it.. |
Be assured that you were not whom I had in mind when I wrote that, Mike.
__________________
"If you want to have some fun, jine the cavalry"
Maj. Gen. James Ewell Brown Stuart
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17 Apr 12, 14:26
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Barron Colliers Land
Posts: 8,606
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OK..... RE Lee.... Famous son from a famous American family who picked the wrong side..
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17 Apr 12, 14:52
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Eastern US
Posts: 7,251
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I have some biographies of Lee, but nothing recent to make a recommendation on. In the realm of speculation it would have been, at the very least, incredibly interesting to see what he would have said in an autobiography.
It would definitely have rivaled Grant's at a bare minimum.
Best regards,
Dennis
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