Robert E.Lee’s a Civil War

Robert E. Lee's Civil War

Bevin Alexander

Alexander, Bevin. Robert E. Lee's Civil War. Holbrook, MA: Adams Media Corporation, 1998. 1-338.

Bevin Alexander is a renowned author of books on American military history. He is most well known for his books on the Civil War, including How Hitler Could Have Won World War II and Lost Victories. He lives in Bremo Bluff, Virginia, and he is still a contributor

to the Civil War book collections. He has also written battle studies of the Korean War. His studies can be seen in the National Archives.

Robert E. Lee's Civil War mostly follows General Lee's army from the battle of Seven Pines all the way to his surrender at Appomattox. It also talks about new battle techniques and technology updates, as well as explaining a few other battles with Stonewall Jackson and others. Even though Lee fights against the United States, Alexander views him as a war hero. When Jefferson Davis put Lee in command of the Confederate Army in the spring of 1862, Lee is put up against the superior Union Army. After Lee is appointed General, he attacks General McClellan's Union Army for seven days, known as the “Seven Days.” Even though vastly outnumbered, Lee manages to push the Union army to the James River over the course of the seven days. Alexander outlines Lee and Jackson's struggle with John Pope's Army. Jackson's Army blockades Pope's frontal attacks, and Jackson expects a flank from Lee. Lee waits too long before he flanks, and it gives Pope a chance to retreat to Bull Run. Alexander outlines a few more battles at Antietam, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. Lee's original plans were to head straight into Pennsylvania, but when he gets to Carlisle, he decides to turn back south to Gettysburg in order to cut off General Meade. Lee makes the decision to turn Gettysburg into a southern offensive rather than a defensive. Meade turns down the offensive and ends Lee's invasion of the North. In March of 1865 Lee's Army is stationed at Petersburg, where all their supplies are. Lee's Army was in a stalemate with Grant's Union Army, and Lee's Army was slowly deteriorating. Finally in April, Lee retreated to Appomattox, where he surrendered to Grant's Army.

Bevin Alexander is a great writer, and Robert E. Lee's Civil War is an interesting book. It is interesting the way Alexander goes about analyzing Lee's actions throughout the Civil War. He displays Lee's military genius, but at the same time he outlines Lee's flaws. Lee was a powerful leader of the Confederate Army, but