Uncertain glory

Robert E. Lee emerged as the most renowned military commander of the American Civil War. Rarely has a leader been so revered by both his supporters and his opponents. Unlike many of his contemporaries who became embroiled in endless controversies, Lee died soon after the war, which served to enhance his legendary status. As a veritable icon, Lee's actual strengths and weaknesses came to be above serious discussion, not only in the South, but frequently in the North as well.

Specialists have occasionally challenged Robert E. Lee's military reputation, but John D. McKenzie, in this well-written, well-researched and provocative book, seriously opens the question of Lee's generalship to a broader audience for the first time.

The author is unsparing in his critique of Lee's battlefield tactics, strategic vision, command system, staff organization and logistic planning. Lee's own shortcomings are put in the context of restrictions placed on him by Confederate government interference and weaknesses in the senior levels of Confederate command. While most senior Southern leaders are strongly criticized, the author makes a solid case that Stonewall Jackson was Lee's ablest lieutenant and the Confederacy's most irreplaceable loss.

. While the personal traits and individual experiences of Lee and his contemporaries are given due consideration, the author supports his fascinating narrative with strong statistical evidence: comparing military reputations with hard facts and figures about the troop strengths and casualties that made some Civil War results almost inevitable.