Robert E. Lee: An Album

Plot

It is our good fortune that the life of Robert E. Lee, hero of the Confederacy and a giant in American history, coincided with the early years of photography. It is thus possible for Emory M. Thomas, author of the highly acclaimed recent biography of Lee, to assemble a wealth of images that, with engaging and extended captions, give us a picture of the man and his times impossible to render with words alone. Lee as commander of the Southern army is an imposing vision held by most Americans. Far less known are his childhood years; his family and home life; his early career as a civil engineer, redirecting the flow of the Mississippi River in St. Louis; his stint in the Mexican War; and his tenure as superintendent of West Point. After the Civil War Lee had a third career as president of Washington College (which would become Washington and Lee). Here are the people, places, objects, and events that intersected with Lee's life, a full and fascinating pictorial biography.