ROBERT E. LEE
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| Robert Edward Lee (1807-1870) |
In which we use this episode to give a short biography of Robert E. Lee, up to April 1861 when he resigned his commission in the U.S. Army and accepted command of Virginia’s military forces.
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| This portrait of Robert E. Lee, by William E. West, was painted in 1838 when Lee was 31 years old. |
Our book recommendation this time is Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters by Elizabeth Brown Pryor.
“To most, Robert E. Lee is a beloved tragic figure of a bygone war- remembered by history as stoic and brave but without a true emotional life. Using dozens of previously unpublished letters as a departure point, Pryor sheds new light on every aspect of this complex and contradictory general, and questions our own understanding of loyalty and patriotism. This tantalizing glimpse of a legendary hero’s guarded soul will astonish and fascinate not only Civil War buffs, but anyone interested in this nation’s history.”
Listen to Episode 40: RobertELee