Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee

by Michael Korda

Overview

New York Times Bestseller

"Lively, approachable, and captivating. Like Lee himself, everything about Clouds of Glory is on a grand scale." —Boston Globe

Michael Korda, the acclaimed biographer of Ulysses S. Grant and the bestsellers Ike and Hero, offers a brilliant, balanced, single-volume biography of Robert E. Lee, the first major study in a generation

Korda paints a vivid and admiring portrait of Lee as a general and a devoted family man who, though he disliked slavery and was not in favor of secession, turned down command of the Union army in 1861 because he could not "draw his sword" against his own children, his neighbors, and his beloved Virginia. He was surely America's preeminent military leader, as calm, dignified, and commanding a presence in defeat as he was in victory. Lee's reputation has only grown in the 150 years since the Civil War, and Korda covers in groundbreaking detail all of Lee's battles and traces the making of a great man's undeniable reputation on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, positioning him finally as the symbolic martyr-hero of the Southern Cause.

Clouds of Glory features dozens of stunning illustrations, some never before seen, including eight pages of color images, sixteen pages of black-and-white images, and nearly fifty battle maps.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062116314
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/13/2014
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	848
Sales rank:	387,963
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Michael Korda is the author of Ulysses S. Grant, Ike, Hero, and Charmed Lives. Educated at Le Rosey in Switzerland and at Magdalen College, Oxford, he served in the Royal Air Force. He took part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and on its fiftieth anniversary was awarded the Order of Merit of the People's Republic of Hungary. He and his wife, Margaret, make their home in Dutchess County, New York.

Table of Contents

List of Maps xiii

Preface The Portent xv

Chapter 1 "Not Heedless of the Future" 1

Chapter 2 The Education of a Soldier 27

Chapter 3 The Engineer-1831-1846 59

Chapter 4 The Perfect Warrior-Mexico, 1846-1848 103

Chapter 5 A Long Peace-1848-1860 157

Chapter 6 1861-"The Thunder of the Captains and the Shouting" 211

Chapter 7 The Seven Days-"The Power of the Sword" 291

Chapter 8 Thiumph and Tragedy-Second Manassas and Sharpsburg 397

Chapter 9 Glory-Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville 487

Chapter 10 Gettysburg-"If We Do Not Whip Him, He Will Whip Us" 523

Chapter 11 Lee and Grant 603

Chapter 12 Apotheosis-1865-1870 671

Acknowledgments 695

Notes 697

Bibliography 737

Map and Art Credits 747

Index 751

Editorial Reviews

12/01/2013
Best-selling author Korda offers an excellent companion to his Ulysses S. Grant. With a 150,000-copy first printing.

Library Journal

★ 04/28/2014
In this exhaustive study, former Simon & Schuster editor-in-chief Korda (Ulysses S. Grant) examines the life of Robert E. Lee from start to finish, illuminating not just the man, but his extended family and the society which produced him. While Korda's treatment verges on hero worship, he explores Lee's qualities and contradictions thoroughly, approaching him first and foremost as a state patriot, loyal to Virginia before any other cause. He further presents Lee as a military genius, a brilliant engineer (Lee re-channeled the Mississippi River near St. Louis), a spiritual descendant of George Washington, an embodiment of Napoleonic tactics, and a living legend in his own time. History has supported most of these claims; Korda backs up the rest with an accessible and authoritative account of Lee's career. Naturally, while Lee's schooling and early service are covered, the bulk of this book is reserved for the events of the Civil War. The size of this tome is intimidating but fitting, given its subject: Lee, the famed American general whose legend still looms long after the end of the Civil War. If not the gold standard for Lee biographies, this is a superbly engaging offering. Agent: Lynn Nesbit, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Korda clearly has command of his subject...[Clouds of Glory] is well-considered and amply documented. Military buffs will find much to feast on.” — Christian Science Monitor

“Masterful...Korda delivers the goods.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Superbly engaging.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Monumental.” — BookPage

“Lively, approachable, and captivating…Llike Lee himself, everything about Clouds of Glory is on a grand scale.” — Boston Globe

From the Publisher

Monumental.

BookPage

Lively, approachable, and captivating…Llike Lee himself, everything about Clouds of Glory is on a grand scale.

Boston Globe

Korda clearly has command of his subject...[Clouds of Glory] is well-considered and amply documented. Military buffs will find much to feast on.

Christian Science Monitor

Korda’s long, detailed biography of Robert E. Lee, with emphasis on the Civil War years, reveals Lee to be America’s greatest tragic hero. Jack Garrett’s strong voice, expressiveness, and vigorous pacing give his narration energy and hold the listener’s interest. He does well matching his tone to the text’s sense, conveying the book’s sympathy and admiration for Lee while avoiding hero worship or hagiography. He has a slight tendency to read with too much emphasis and emotion—more performance than narration—but doesn’t go far enough to become distracting. Korda’s text and Garrett’s narration provide listeners with a good opportunity to know Lee’s story. W.M. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2014 - AudioFile

Korda’s long, detailed biography of Robert E. Lee, with emphasis on the Civil War years, reveals Lee to be America’s greatest tragic hero. Jack Garrett’s strong voice, expressiveness, and vigorous pacing give his narration energy and hold the listener’s interest. He does well matching his tone to the text’s sense, conveying the book’s sympathy and admiration for Lee while avoiding hero worship or hagiography. He has a slight tendency to read with too much emphasis and emotion—more performance than narration—but doesn’t go far enough to become distracting. Korda’s text and Garrett’s narration provide listeners with a good opportunity to know Lee’s story. W.M. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2014 - AudioFile

2014-03-30
A masterful biography of the beloved Civil War general. Former Simon & Schuster editor in chief and acclaimed biographer Korda (Hero: Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia, 2010) is well-acquainted with heroes of the ages and has learned to present his subjects as true human beings with foibles, faults and failures. Robert E. Lee's (1807-1870) days at West Point showed him to be a master engineer and master of maneuvers, talents borne out in the Mexican-American War and in the making of St. Louis as an important port on the Mississippi River. Those abilities came into play throughout the Civil War, as he built the defenses for Northern Virginia that protected it when all seemed lost. George Washington was Lee's idol, and during his schooling, he discovered the writings of Napoleon, which he applied throughout his life—especially the use of speed, audacity and élan to defeat an army twice the size of his forces. Lee was a member of one of Virginia's oldest families, and his devotion was to his state, family and country, in that order. He felt that secession was unmerited and that slavery should not be extended but be allowed to dwindle away. Korda's clear descriptions of Lee's battles illuminate his closest subordinates, especially Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet, his curious methods of leading and his incredible patience. The author also points out that, as a gentleman, Lee would never raise his voice in anger, and he avoided confrontation and gave his orders as "if practicable"—unfortunately, that became a way out for those who disagreed with his strategies and "knew better." It was Lee who kept the South going as his barefoot army starved and froze but followed him with unqualified devotion. Lee is a man for the ages, and Korda delivers the goods with this heart-wrenching story of the man and his state. Readers with the stamina for long biographies should follow this book with S. G. Gwynne's biography of Stonewall Jackson, Rebel Yell, to publish in September.< BR>★

Kirkus Reviews