Synopses & Reviews
For the 200th anniversary of Robert E. Lees birth, a new portrait drawing on previously unpublished correspondence
Robert E. Lees war correspondence is well known, and here and there personal letters have found their way into print, but the great majority of his most intimate messages have never been made public. These letters reveal a far more complex and contradictory man than the one who comes most readily to the imagination, for it is with his family and his friends that Lee is at his most candid, most engaging, and most vulnerable. Over the past several years historian Elizabeth Brown Pryor has uncovered a rich trove of unpublished Lee materials that had been held in both private and public collections.
Her new book, a unique blend of analysis, narrative, and historiography, presents dozens of these letters in their entirety, most by Lee but a few by family members. Each letter becomes a departure point for an essay that shows what the letter uniquely reveals about Lees time or character. The material covers all aspects of Lees lifehis early years, West Point, his work as an engineer, his relationships with his children and his slaves, his decision to join the South, his thoughts on military strategy, and his disappointments after defeat in the Civil War. The result is perhaps the most intimate picture to date of Lee, one that deftly analyzes the meaning of his actions within the context of his personality, his relationships, and the social tenor of his times.
Review
An unorthodox, critical, and engaging biography [that] impressively captures Lees character and personality.
The Boston Globe
Pryor moves onto important historical and interpretive terrain with a far more discerning and critical eye than most of her scholarly or popular predecessors.
The New Republic
Synopsis
A tantalizing biography of the legendary Civil War hero--Winner of the Lincoln Prize
Watch for Elizabeth Brown Pryor's new book, Six Encounters with Lincoln: A President Confronts Democracy and its Demons, coming from Viking in February 2017
Robert E. Lee is remembered by history as a tragic figure, stoic and brave but distant and enigmatic. Using dozens of previously unpublished letters as departure points, Pryor produces a stunning personal account of Lee's military ability, shedding new light on every aspect of the complex and contradictory general's life story. Explained for the first time in the context of the young United States's tumultuous societal developments, Lee's actions reveal a man forced to play a leading role in the formation of the nation at the cost of his private happiness.
Synopsis
"Pryor's biography helps part with a lot of stupid out there about Lee - chiefly, that he was, somehow, 'anti-slavery.'" - Ta-Nehisi Coates, theatlantic.com An "unorthodox, critical, and engaging biography" (Boston Globe) - Winner of The Lincoln Prize
Robert E. Lee is remembered by history as a tragic figure, stoic and brave but distant and enigmatic. Using dozens of previously unpublished letters as departure points, Pryor produces a stunning personal account of Lee's military ability, shedding new light on every aspect of the complex and contradictory general's life story. Explained for the first time in the context of the young United States's tumultuous societal developments, Lee's actions reveal a man forced to play a leading role in the formation of the nation at the cost of his private happiness.
Synopsis
To most , Robert E. Lee is a beloved tragic figure of a bygone warremembered by history as stoic and brave but without a true emotional life. Recently, however, historian Elizabeth Brown Pryor uncovered important documents that provide a stunning personal account of Lees military ability, his beliefs, and his time. Using dozens of previously unpublished letters as departure points, 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 heros guarded soul will astonish and fascinate not only Civil War buffs, but anyone interested in this nations history.
About the Author
Elizabeth Brown Pryor is an award-winning historian as well as a senior diplomat in the American Foreign Service. She was most recently a senior advisor on European affairs to the U.S. House and Senate.