Robert E. Lee Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio essays research paper

Robert E. lee(prenominal)IntroductionFew episodes in history are more painful to Americans than the Civil War,fought between the northmost and the South. This biography, Great American Generals- Robert E. Lee, by Ian Hogg, takes the reader through the life of one of thegreatest heroes of that struggle, Robert E. Lee. It is a thorough, in depth recordof the life of Lee and begins with a detailed account of his family history andhis birth, through his college years, military experience and his work in laterlife to his death on October 12, 1870. The first few pages curing the scene bylisting a substantial amount of facts about the names and backgrounds of hisparents Harry and Ann and Lees wife, Mary Custis, with some reference to hisfathers army career and policy-making life. After Lees early years, the readerwill learn of his schooling at the Military Academy, West Point, followed by hislife in the Army before and after the Civil War. The biography ends in thelatter pages with an account of his work after his military career came to anend, and finally, with his death after a prolonged period of ill-health, conceptionto be stress induced.Author Ian Hogg is a prolific writer in the field of defense andmilitary technology. He is a weapons expert, having written galore(postnominal) a(prenominal) books on alltypes of rifles, shotguns and small arms, such as Modern Rifles, Shotguns andPistols, and Modern Small Arms. He is an acknowledged expert on infantryweapons and is thought to be the worlds leading expert on this and artillerystrategies. He is a well known author of military history, and works as aweapons evaluator in addition to his writing.Robert E. Lee was born in Stratford, Virginia on January 19, 1807. Hisfather, heat content Lee, had achieved fame with Washingtons army as LighthorseHarry,and it was a fame that rested not only on his cavalry exploits besides uponsound strategic and tactical ability. A significant portion of his fame wascredited to hi m for beating off a surprise British attack at shell out Eagle Tavernin January, 1778. Unfortunately Harry was egotistical and had a high opinion ofhis own abilities. Although he achieved the rank of lieutenant-colonel, he feltthat he deserved more. When the war ended and he had not advanced in rank heresigned from the army to pursue a career in politics. Henry decided to run forthe position... ...nd thecircumstances into which he was born on January 19, 1807, and ends with hisdeath on October 12, 1870.Hogg relates the intervening years in an extremely interesting fashion,providing many fascinating and detailed pieces of information. The story ispresented in a way that keeps the interest of the reader, and is not boring,even when giving statistics of the various campaigns that Lee undertook. Thebook appeals not merely to Lee fans, but to all history students.The pages are filled with numerous detailed maps, and colorful picturesthat enhance the view of Lee and his life. Military students will racket inthe descriptions of the war, while students of Lees character are rewarded byfascinating facts of his and his parents lives.Hogg presents this painful episode in Americas history in a balanced,non-judgemental way. He portrays Lee as a man of great integrity and honor, atrue Southern gentleman, and casts no slurs concerning the fact that Lee was onthe losing side of a war in which there were no winners.This is an exciting and informative book and is one of the moreenjoyable books which are required reading for this course.