The Man Who Would Not Be Washington: Robert E. Lee's Civil War and His Decision That Changed American History

by Jonathan Horn

Hardcover, 2015

Status

Available

Genres

Collection

Jim Lindler and Maribeth Stephens Collection

Publication

Scribner, (2015)

Description

Biography & Autobiography. History. Military. Nonfiction. HTML:The "compelling...modern and readable perpective" (USA TODAY) of Robert E. Lee, the brilliant soldier bound by marriage to George Washington's family but turned by war against Washington's crowning achievement, the Union. On the eve of the Civil War, one soldier embodied the legacy of George Washington and the hopes of leaders across a divided land. Both North and South knew Robert E. Lee as the son of Washington's most famous eulogist and the son-in-law of Washington's adopted child. Each side sought his service for high command. Lee could choose only one. In The Man Who Would Not Be Washington, former White House speechwriter Jonathan Horn reveals how the officer most associated with Washington went to war against the union that Washington had forged. This extensively researched and gracefully written biography follows Lee through married life, military glory, and misfortune. The story that emerges is more complicated, more tragic, and more illuminating than the familiar tale. More complicated because the unresolved question of slavery�??the driver of disunion�??was among the personal legacies that Lee inherited from Washington. More tragic because the Civil War destroyed the people and places connecting Lee to Washington in agonizing and astonishing ways. More illuminating because the battle for Washington's legacy shaped the nation that America is today. As Washington was the man who would not be king, Lee was the man who would not be Washington. The choice was Lee's. The story is America's. A must-read for those passionate about history, The Man Who Would Not Be Washington introduces Jonathan Horn as a masterly voice in the… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member NickHowes

Robert E. Lee, related to George Washington slightly by blood, and more directly by marrying Washington's granddaughter, became the antithesis of the founder of the country. While Washington owed allegiance to the nation, Lee regarded his home state as his nation. That's the theme of this

interesting biography of Lee, with much of the content in Lee's own words. And like Jefferson, Lee accepts that slavery will end one day, but until then fully accepts the status quo, supporting only the proposition of leading by example to the extent that slaves be treated fairly. An interesting insight into Lee, the man, and his role. Similarly, Lee undertook leadership of the Southern cause, eclipsing even its president, before which he considered the Union indivisible, as the author points out. And, as Jonathan Horn writes, it assured that every child of lowly status had the chance to rise to become a Lincoln.

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LibraryThing member torrey23

This is a well written book. It illuminates the struggle Lee faced his entire life. This struggle led him to turn his back on the Union, even though he was opposed to secession, and fight for Virginia. There is very little bias shown for the north or the south. I would highly recommend this book.

LibraryThing member yukon92

A interesting book about R.E. Lee.... not necessarily as the legend he became, but as the man he was.

LibraryThing member tuckerresearch

A good, quick, no frills biography of Robert E. Lee through the lens of George Washington. Lee's life was inextricably linked to Washington's: his dad was one of Washington's right-hand-men, his dad famously eulogized and idolized Washington, he grew up in the same area as Washington, he married

Washington's step-great-grand-daughter (daughter of Mount Vernon denizen George Washington Parke Custis), he lived in a house built to enshrine Washington's relics, he lived in Washington's District of Columbia (before retrocession of the Virginia side in 1846/7), he was raised to idolize Washington, he was compared to Washington. In the end, author Jonathan Horn notes, Washington founded a new country and Lee did not successfully found his. Washington's legacy was for the USA and Lee's was against Washington's creation. Through the story, Washington's memory is invoked in little bits of Lee's biography. This culminates in Lee's post-Civil War appointment as president of Washington College, now tied together with Lee as Washington and Lee University (at least for now, in this politico-historical iconoclastic moment). It's an intriguing way to read Lee's life, and a good quick read. Maps, images, newfangled endnoting system by snippets instead of superscript numerals, selected bibliography, index.

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