New Book: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters

[SouthernByGrace]

Many of you have read my posts where I talked about the trunks found in a bank vault in Virginia containing 10,000+ private letters and documents of Robert E. Lee. Below is a description of the book. Below that is a link where you can watch the author's review of the book. In this review, she explains how she came about being the only researcher allowed to even look at, let alone study this remarkable treasure. The video takes place at the Library of Congress, Manuscript Room. It is about 1 hour long, but WELL WORTH the time to watch it. The author takes questions from the audience afterward. You come away with a much deeper understanding of the man Lee was before the war and who he became because of it.
The video is part of the Library's Web Cast section, and IMO it is a MUST SEE. I recommend viewing it in Full Screen mode.
Enjoy !!


TITLE: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters

SPEAKER: Elizabeth Brown Pryor
EVENT DATE: 06/12/2007
RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes


DESCRIPTION:

Robert E. Lee was a more complex and contradictory man than his iconic image suggests. In her new biography, historian Elizabeth Brown Pryor presents dozens of previously unpublished letters to draw a new portrait of Lee's beliefs, his military ability and the times he lived in.
Pryor discussed and signed "Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters," in a program sponsored by the Center for the Book.

Pryor uses Lee's newly discovered family letters as departure points for a series of surprising "historical excursions," telling his life story through an innovative blend of analysis, historiography and rich period detail. She looks into Lee's troubled childhood, the hardening of his anti-abolitionist views, his decision to join the South, his celebrated but controversial battlefield performance and his final wrenching years.

The author also delves into lesser-known aspects of Lee's life, such as his pioneering role in engineering science, the fluctuation in his religious beliefs and the way he shaped his own leadership style.

Speaker Biography: Elizabeth Brown Pryor has combined careers as an award-winning historian and a senior diplomat in the American Foreign Service, most recently as senior advisor to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe of the U.S. Congress. Her 1987 biography, "Clara Barton, Professional Angel," is considered the authoritative work on the founder of the American Red Cross.

http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4083

[Dee]

I will have to take a look at it. I am at present completely remodeling a room in the house in between working. My wife continually catches me here.

[Ga.windbreak]

Dang, another book to buy and read!! It's a hard life guys!

[SouthernByGrace]

Gw, if you watch this lady discussing this book, I'll guarantee that by the time the video is over, you'll be scrambling to find this book on Ebay or Amazon or somewhere... it's that good. Or I could loan you mine when I'm finished with it...

As you already know, this is the type of documentation I'm most fond of anyway.
You can't GET a better source than the man's OWN words, in his OWN handwriting !
Immagine, over 10,000 documents, and being allowed to sift through them with permission from the Lee family, EXCLUSIVELY studying them for as long as is needed... And you're the first person to even see these letters for at least 100+ years ?!?!
Nobody even knew this treasure existed until 2007 !

Good God-a-mighty !!!

I'm about to lose my breath just thinking about it... mmm, mmm, mmm.

P.S. And that doesn't take into consideration that there were several letters in the collection written by George Washington (yes, the 1st President !) The Lee family was related to the Washingtons.

[Ga.windbreak]

Yes I know just what you mean. Speaking of the Lees and Washington, in Davis' book it is pointed out that Samuel Davis, Jeff's Dad, fought with and for RELee's daddy and under Washington. What A small world it turned out to be.

I had to come back just to thank you for the link, a truly fascinating video. Thanks, Ron

[littlecanoe]

GW,

That link to the Patriotic Fathers is just what I've been trying to bring us back to!!  Awesome!  In our thinking and consideration of this period of history we too often forget or minimize the effect that this had on these men and their thinking.  They were of that lineage.  They inherited that legacy.  They desired to preserve it for their POSTERITY!  US!

I've gotta catch up with where you fellas have been going the last few days.  I've not been able to keep up with the reading. 

[Ga.windbreak]

Thanks to the kindness of SBG I'm now reading this book. Wow, one more look into the life and times of people I've admired all my life. What a great way to spend Christmas day.

Thank you so very much Johnny. Again a very Merry Christmas to you and yours.