ROBERT E. LEE

Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Appomattox. Any good biography of Robert E. Lee will inevitably cover a big slice of the Civil War and recreate one of the most dramatic tales in American history. Lee was the general who “led a revolution against a nation” and failed. Following his excellent Standing like a Stone Wall: The Life of General Thomas J. Jackson (2001), Robertson here offers a solid, if overly reverential, account of Lee, calling him “America’s most respected historical figure” next to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln—a questionable thesis. The lively prose style well matches the drama of the subject, and the volume is chock full of maps, archival photographs and illustrations. Formal footnotes and a solid bibliography are provided, though few sources for young readers are offered. Good for Civil War collections. (Nonfiction. 12+)