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Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee Hardcover – May 13, 2014
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Our Civil War anointed at least one secular saint in Abraham Lincoln. Another strong candidate, despite fighting for the losing and morally questionable cause, is Robert E. Lee. One hundred and forty-four years after his death, Lee is still widely revered in both North and South for his tactical military brilliance and his personal qualities of courage, honor, and kindness. Korda, the former editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster and an acclaimed biographer, has no intention of knocking Lee off his pedestal in this excellent and generally laudatory biography. Korda stresses Lee’s accomplishments even before the Civil War as a brilliant, visionary engineer and an expert at military maneuvers. His personal characteristics endeared him to his subordinates, both officers and those of lesser ranks. Despite a hot temper, he exercised patience, courtesy, and honesty. Yet Korda does not shrink from noting Lee’s flaws and failures. His orders to his officers during the Civil War were often vague and open to misinterpretation, especially during the Gettysburg campaign. Despite his tactical brilliance, he lacked an overall, effective strategic vision for victory once he faced a relentless opponent in Grant. Still, this masterful and comprehensive single-volume biography is a worthy tribute to an icon whose greatness still shines brightly. --Jay Freeman
Review
“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)
“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)
More About the Author
Michael Korda is the New York Times bestselling author of Horse People,
Country Matters, Ulysses S. Grant, Cat People, Journey to a Revolution, and Ike.
He lives with his wife, Margaret, in Dutchess County, New York.
Country Matters, Ulysses S. Grant, Cat People, Journey to a Revolution, and Ike.
He lives with his wife, Margaret, in Dutchess County, New York.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
72 of 85 people found the following review helpful
By
C. M Mills
TOP 1000 REVIEWER on May 20, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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17 Comments
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Robert Edward Lee (1807-1870) was one of the great military captains of all times. Lee was a man of honor whose eventful life is well served by Michael Korda in this excellent new biography. Korda is the author of such biographies as those dealing with U.S.
Grant'; T.E. Lawrence of Arabia and Dwight D. Eisenhower Michael Korda is not a trained Civil War historian so he adds a fresh look at Lee from the perspective of an author who has done his research to produce the best Lee biography in years.
Robert E. Lee was the son of Light Horse Harry Lee the American Revolutionary War hero, Governor of Virginia and scion of old Virginia. Light Horse Harry was also a man burdened by scandal who became bankrupt dying in disgrace. R. E. Lee cared for his invalid mother. Lee graduated from West Point in 1829 graduating second in his class. He wed a wealthy woman and was enabled to live at Arlington. Lee was in awe of George Washington his beau ideal of a soldier and leader. Lee and Mary had seven children. Three of them were boys'; all served in the Confederate Army.
Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1, 1862. In short order Lee led his outnumbered troops in battle winning victory at the Seven Days near Richmond'; Second Manassas, Antietam (a draw against the Army of the Potomac under the sluggish leadership of George B. McClellan) Fredricksburg and Chancellorsville (it was at this battle that Lee lost Stonewall Jackson who died on May 10, 1863 after he had been wounded by his own men). Lee and his troops met defeat at Gettysburg but continued to fight to the bitter end against Grant in the Overland Campaign which ended with surrender on April 9, 1865.
All of these facts are well know to historians.Read more ›
Grant'; T.E. Lawrence of Arabia and Dwight D. Eisenhower Michael Korda is not a trained Civil War historian so he adds a fresh look at Lee from the perspective of an author who has done his research to produce the best Lee biography in years.
Robert E. Lee was the son of Light Horse Harry Lee the American Revolutionary War hero, Governor of Virginia and scion of old Virginia. Light Horse Harry was also a man burdened by scandal who became bankrupt dying in disgrace. R. E. Lee cared for his invalid mother. Lee graduated from West Point in 1829 graduating second in his class. He wed a wealthy woman and was enabled to live at Arlington. Lee was in awe of George Washington his beau ideal of a soldier and leader. Lee and Mary had seven children. Three of them were boys'; all served in the Confederate Army.
Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1, 1862. In short order Lee led his outnumbered troops in battle winning victory at the Seven Days near Richmond'; Second Manassas, Antietam (a draw against the Army of the Potomac under the sluggish leadership of George B. McClellan) Fredricksburg and Chancellorsville (it was at this battle that Lee lost Stonewall Jackson who died on May 10, 1863 after he had been wounded by his own men). Lee and his troops met defeat at Gettysburg but continued to fight to the bitter end against Grant in the Overland Campaign which ended with surrender on April 9, 1865.
All of these facts are well know to historians.Read more ›
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By
Henry Spencer
on June 10, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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A very enjoyable book on a fascinating man, respected and admired even by his opponents. I learned quite a bit from it (with the caveat that I'm not really a serious student of the US Civil War in general or Lee in particular, so I might not catch factual errors). The author has some minor quirks but nothing too objectionable, and his ideas about why Lee failed at crucial points are plausible.
My one serious complaint is that the book shares a problem that seems to plague Civil War books: the maps are lousy. It's not clear just where they are from -- each one is accompanied by a credit to the Freeman biography, even one or two which clearly didn't come from there (!), and there is no further explanation (at least not in the Kindle edition) -- but they don't fit this book well. In particular, they frequently violate the basic rule that any place or feature which is mentioned in the text *should be on the map*, so the reader is often left guessing about the details of the action. Not as bad as some I've seen, but not great. The limitations of the Kindle format don't help, either: some of the maps and images are too small, and enlarging them doesn't help because they were digitized at too low a resolution.
(And speaking of limitations of the Kindle, endnotes that aren't properly linked to the text are a tremendous pain to use, given that the page numbers are meaningless and it's difficult to quickly flip back and forth between text and notes. Including an apology for this isn't a substitute for fixing it.)
My one serious complaint is that the book shares a problem that seems to plague Civil War books: the maps are lousy. It's not clear just where they are from -- each one is accompanied by a credit to the Freeman biography, even one or two which clearly didn't come from there (!), and there is no further explanation (at least not in the Kindle edition) -- but they don't fit this book well. In particular, they frequently violate the basic rule that any place or feature which is mentioned in the text *should be on the map*, so the reader is often left guessing about the details of the action. Not as bad as some I've seen, but not great. The limitations of the Kindle format don't help, either: some of the maps and images are too small, and enlarging them doesn't help because they were digitized at too low a resolution.
(And speaking of limitations of the Kindle, endnotes that aren't properly linked to the text are a tremendous pain to use, given that the page numbers are meaningless and it's difficult to quickly flip back and forth between text and notes. Including an apology for this isn't a substitute for fixing it.)
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35 of 42 people found the following review helpful
By
A. Hill
on May 22, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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I love Michael Korda's books for their lucid language and entertaining prose, no matter what his subject may be. Great story-telling. With obvious pleasure in his subject, he explores Lee, the man, with a depth of research to support his instincts. Lee's colorful contemporaries play supporting roles. Battles and horses, too! All against the background of a very very interesting era. Maps in the text are a really nice bonus. A long book, yes, but never, ever tedious. Loved it.
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48 of 60 people found the following review helpful
By
E. Evans
on June 20, 2014
Format: Hardcover
53 Comments
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CLOUDS OF GLORY: THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF ROBERT E LEE, by Michael Korda is a good biography and worth the read, but it does not quite hit the mark.
Robert E. Lee is a difficult subject for any biographer committed to being objective. Where does the man end and the legend begin? Perhaps no American has been mythologized to the degree Lee has. Perhaps no American has had such an effective and dedicated group of partisans creating, protecting and defending his legend as does Lee. As Mr. Korda writes in a chapter with the apropos title "Apotheosis" there is an, "...increasing and systemized transformation of Lee into a flawless, faultless symbol, in which the real man was rapidly overshadowed by the gleaming marble image." This apotheosis started well before Lee's death and has continued to this day.
Mr. Korda does make an attempt to present to his reader with an objective view point, and he succeeds to a greater degree than many of Lee's other biographers. But there are also large swaths of CLOUDS OF GLORY where objectivity seems lacking.
The narrative around Harper's Ferry and Lee's role in subduing John Brown was one of the strongest portions of the book. However it was plucked form the middle of Lee's life and made into a preface. After finishing the Preface I wondered what would be left to tell about Harper's Ferry and, indeed there was nothing, Mr. Korda never addresses it within the context of Lee's life. The reader is deprived of seeing in close proximity Lee the suppressor of rebellion and Lee the leader of rebellion.
The strongest part of the book is the chapter which deals with Gettysburg and not coincidentally it is the chapter that is most objective. Gettysburg seems to be the fulcrum of the book (and why not?). Because of the way Mr.Read more ›
Robert E. Lee is a difficult subject for any biographer committed to being objective. Where does the man end and the legend begin? Perhaps no American has been mythologized to the degree Lee has. Perhaps no American has had such an effective and dedicated group of partisans creating, protecting and defending his legend as does Lee. As Mr. Korda writes in a chapter with the apropos title "Apotheosis" there is an, "...increasing and systemized transformation of Lee into a flawless, faultless symbol, in which the real man was rapidly overshadowed by the gleaming marble image." This apotheosis started well before Lee's death and has continued to this day.
Mr. Korda does make an attempt to present to his reader with an objective view point, and he succeeds to a greater degree than many of Lee's other biographers. But there are also large swaths of CLOUDS OF GLORY where objectivity seems lacking.
The narrative around Harper's Ferry and Lee's role in subduing John Brown was one of the strongest portions of the book. However it was plucked form the middle of Lee's life and made into a preface. After finishing the Preface I wondered what would be left to tell about Harper's Ferry and, indeed there was nothing, Mr. Korda never addresses it within the context of Lee's life. The reader is deprived of seeing in close proximity Lee the suppressor of rebellion and Lee the leader of rebellion.
The strongest part of the book is the chapter which deals with Gettysburg and not coincidentally it is the chapter that is most objective. Gettysburg seems to be the fulcrum of the book (and why not?). Because of the way Mr.Read more ›
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