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Robert E. Lee: The Story of the Great Confederate General
Southern General Robert E. Lee felt that it was a mistake for the South to fight in the U.S. Civil War. In spite of his doubts, he led his men to victory in several important battles. But eventually the South lost the war, and Lee had to surrender. Join him as he recalls the biggest battles of the war and teaches his men that they can have dignity even in defeat.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2011
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Terry Collins
189 books27 followersI write. I teach. I teach writing. I write about teaching. I read about writing and write about reading and teach about both when not dealing with the paperwork being a high school educator demands in our current political clime. I'm National Board Certified in my discipline (English).
I've won awards, published constantly since 1989, and just wrapped up a two-year tenure as the editor and designer of Pine Whispers (the newsletter for the North Carolina Poetry Society).
I make time for reflection, which comes in handy with all of the hats I wear. I also buy, sell and collect pop culture items ... from books and comics, to lunch boxes and action figures.
And if you've read this far, please accept my humble thanks.
I've won awards, published constantly since 1989, and just wrapped up a two-year tenure as the editor and designer of Pine Whispers (the newsletter for the North Carolina Poetry Society).
I make time for reflection, which comes in handy with all of the hats I wear. I also buy, sell and collect pop culture items ... from books and comics, to lunch boxes and action figures.
And if you've read this far, please accept my humble thanks.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 12, 2025
“You should never wish to do less." ~ Robert E. Lee
✏️REVIEW✏️ “The Story of the Great Confederate General!
Don’t be fooled by who you think the confederates are, Don’t give into the Lies.
Southern General Robert E. Lee leads his men into several important battles! Join as he leads his men to victory!
🎖CHARACTERS🎖
Mentions of “Stonewall Jackson”
Quote: "He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right arm." This was said by General Robert E. Lee upon learning of Stonewall Jackson's wounded arm, which was amputated after Jackson was accidentally shot during the Battle of Chancellorsville. Later telling when he died May 10th, 1863.
No other “Main Characters mentioned”.
Language: None.
Blood/ Gore: None. Minor battle scenes.
Age range: 12 & up.
Headquarters, Army of Northern Virginia, 10th April 1865.
General Order No. 9
After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources.
I need not tell the survivors of so many hard fought battles, who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented to the result from no distrust of them.
But feeling that valour and devotion could accomplish nothing that could compensate for the loss that must have attended the continuance of the contest, I have determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen.
By the terms of the agreement, officers and men can return to their homes and remain until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to you his blessing and protection.
With an unceasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your Country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration for myself, I bid you an affectionate farewell.
— R. E. Lee, General, General Order No. 9
🏅Robert E. Lee will always be respected and recognized as a true General for his bravery and valour!

Born: January 19, 1807
Died: October 12, 1870.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5
✏️REVIEW✏️ “The Story of the Great Confederate General!
Don’t be fooled by who you think the confederates are, Don’t give into the Lies.
Southern General Robert E. Lee leads his men into several important battles! Join as he leads his men to victory!
🎖CHARACTERS🎖
Mentions of “Stonewall Jackson”
Quote: "He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right arm." This was said by General Robert E. Lee upon learning of Stonewall Jackson's wounded arm, which was amputated after Jackson was accidentally shot during the Battle of Chancellorsville. Later telling when he died May 10th, 1863.
No other “Main Characters mentioned”.
Language: None.
Blood/ Gore: None. Minor battle scenes.
Age range: 12 & up.
Headquarters, Army of Northern Virginia, 10th April 1865.
General Order No. 9
After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources.
I need not tell the survivors of so many hard fought battles, who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented to the result from no distrust of them.
But feeling that valour and devotion could accomplish nothing that could compensate for the loss that must have attended the continuance of the contest, I have determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen.
By the terms of the agreement, officers and men can return to their homes and remain until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to you his blessing and protection.
With an unceasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your Country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration for myself, I bid you an affectionate farewell.
— R. E. Lee, General, General Order No. 9
🏅Robert E. Lee will always be respected and recognized as a true General for his bravery and valour!

Born: January 19, 1807
Died: October 12, 1870.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5
September 16, 2023
Robert E. Lee: The Story Of The Great Confederate General, by Terry Collins, illustrated by Christian Mallea
If you were constructing a minimal book of Robert E. Lee, in which you included only the smallest amount of material you could while still making it clear why one thought that the man was a great general, this book approaches the lower limit that one could conceive of. It is striking that this book is part of a short series of very minimal historical biographies, all of them illustrated, which include such historical figures as Houdini, Malcom X, Elvis, Babe Ruth, and Chief Joseph of the Nez Pierce. This is a strange collection of people, to be sure, but perhaps one thing that all of them share is that their fame can be condensed into a small presentation and they were most notable for their behavior during a short period of time, so that one does not need to worry about such tedious elements as backstory or coming to the end of the life of one's figure. Conventional biographers have a tough task when they are faced by someone who lived a long life but whose period of fame was fleeting, but the authors in this series have it easy, they can just illustrate the exciting bits and leave the rest for others to struggle about.
This particular book is a short one, barely reaching 30 pages of illustrated material, which is hardly enough to get any sort of context about a man who lived more than 60 years, most of that as a career engineer of low officer rank in a not particularly exciting peacetime American army. This book contains only six incidents from the entire life of Robert E. Lee, and all of them occur between 1861 and 1865. The book begins with Lee's decision to surrender at Appomattox Court House, predictably enough, and then flashes back through his time as an adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis and only four of his battles, Seven Days, Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. It is not as if the author and illustrator are ignorant of his larger life story--there is a decent if abbreviated chronology at the end of the book that gives at least some of the many details that are not included in this work--it is just that they choose to deliver the bare minimum of what one can deliver for a life as long as that of Robert E. Lee, and it is telling that they choose battles in which Lee could be considered most an underdog and not the victories at Second Bull Run where he had a manpower advantage or Fredericksburg where he held a nearly impregnable position behind Marye's Heights, or the brutal fighting of the Overland and Petersburg campaigns where Lee was unable to maneuver.
I must admit that this book is aimed at a vastly lower level of reader than I am, but I was surprised at just how basic the dialogue included in this book is. The illustrations are certainly good, though, and capture Lee in a sense where one can understand his popularity as well as his enduring value as a general. It would be interesting to see if the authors could do a companion volume about Grant, but the material may be too long for what they would intend, as it would be hard to include only four Grant battles and get a sense of his superiority as a General even if he largely beat the inferior Confederate generals in the West for most of the war. Indeed, if Grant and Lee appear to be natural as a contrast in military approaches as well as being joined by their most famous moments that have allowed them to endure in history, Grant appears nowhere in this book except briefly at Appomattox, and there as a generous if rather unkempt victor. It must be admitted, though, that few people end up appearing in this book other than Lee, most notably Davis, Stonewall Jackson, and J.E.B. Stuart, along with a brief cameo by Joseph Johnston, Lee's retreat-minded predecessor as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. If that doesn't show how bare the cupboard of higher leadership was in the Confederacy, it is hard to imagine what would.
If you were constructing a minimal book of Robert E. Lee, in which you included only the smallest amount of material you could while still making it clear why one thought that the man was a great general, this book approaches the lower limit that one could conceive of. It is striking that this book is part of a short series of very minimal historical biographies, all of them illustrated, which include such historical figures as Houdini, Malcom X, Elvis, Babe Ruth, and Chief Joseph of the Nez Pierce. This is a strange collection of people, to be sure, but perhaps one thing that all of them share is that their fame can be condensed into a small presentation and they were most notable for their behavior during a short period of time, so that one does not need to worry about such tedious elements as backstory or coming to the end of the life of one's figure. Conventional biographers have a tough task when they are faced by someone who lived a long life but whose period of fame was fleeting, but the authors in this series have it easy, they can just illustrate the exciting bits and leave the rest for others to struggle about.
This particular book is a short one, barely reaching 30 pages of illustrated material, which is hardly enough to get any sort of context about a man who lived more than 60 years, most of that as a career engineer of low officer rank in a not particularly exciting peacetime American army. This book contains only six incidents from the entire life of Robert E. Lee, and all of them occur between 1861 and 1865. The book begins with Lee's decision to surrender at Appomattox Court House, predictably enough, and then flashes back through his time as an adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis and only four of his battles, Seven Days, Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. It is not as if the author and illustrator are ignorant of his larger life story--there is a decent if abbreviated chronology at the end of the book that gives at least some of the many details that are not included in this work--it is just that they choose to deliver the bare minimum of what one can deliver for a life as long as that of Robert E. Lee, and it is telling that they choose battles in which Lee could be considered most an underdog and not the victories at Second Bull Run where he had a manpower advantage or Fredericksburg where he held a nearly impregnable position behind Marye's Heights, or the brutal fighting of the Overland and Petersburg campaigns where Lee was unable to maneuver.
I must admit that this book is aimed at a vastly lower level of reader than I am, but I was surprised at just how basic the dialogue included in this book is. The illustrations are certainly good, though, and capture Lee in a sense where one can understand his popularity as well as his enduring value as a general. It would be interesting to see if the authors could do a companion volume about Grant, but the material may be too long for what they would intend, as it would be hard to include only four Grant battles and get a sense of his superiority as a General even if he largely beat the inferior Confederate generals in the West for most of the war. Indeed, if Grant and Lee appear to be natural as a contrast in military approaches as well as being joined by their most famous moments that have allowed them to endure in history, Grant appears nowhere in this book except briefly at Appomattox, and there as a generous if rather unkempt victor. It must be admitted, though, that few people end up appearing in this book other than Lee, most notably Davis, Stonewall Jackson, and J.E.B. Stuart, along with a brief cameo by Joseph Johnston, Lee's retreat-minded predecessor as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. If that doesn't show how bare the cupboard of higher leadership was in the Confederacy, it is hard to imagine what would.
January 13, 2019
I am an elementary school librarian. My kids love graphic novels. This book has been checked out quite a few times because it is a graphic novel-type nonfiction work.
December 31, 2020
Very devoted to the story of the lost cause. I will see that my library’s copy will be weeded. Two star only because there is a little military history.
February 26, 2014
Robert E. Lee: The Story of the Great Confederate General
by Terry Collins
Text-to-Self:
This book is about the Civil War. I think everyone at least knows of someone who is or was in the military. I have some friends in the military, as well as some uncles who were in the military. To connect this book text-to-self, I would ask my students if they have anyone that they are close to in the military and tell them that it is important to thank them for the services they do. Their services allow us to have freedoms.
Text-to-Text:
I could connect this book text-to-text by talking about previous social studies lessons. I would give my students a brief history lesson on the Civil War and what the outcome was. I will talk about what the Union was fighting for and what the Confederacy was fighting for. I can bring up the important generals who were in the war, such as Robert E. Lee.
Text-to-World:
To connect this book text-to-world, I would discuss with my students the current wars taking place throughout the world. There are some countries that are at war with themselves, such as Sudan, just like the United States was during the Civil War. By talking about what's going on in the world, my students will be more culturally aware.
by Terry Collins
Text-to-Self:
This book is about the Civil War. I think everyone at least knows of someone who is or was in the military. I have some friends in the military, as well as some uncles who were in the military. To connect this book text-to-self, I would ask my students if they have anyone that they are close to in the military and tell them that it is important to thank them for the services they do. Their services allow us to have freedoms.
Text-to-Text:
I could connect this book text-to-text by talking about previous social studies lessons. I would give my students a brief history lesson on the Civil War and what the outcome was. I will talk about what the Union was fighting for and what the Confederacy was fighting for. I can bring up the important generals who were in the war, such as Robert E. Lee.
Text-to-World:
To connect this book text-to-world, I would discuss with my students the current wars taking place throughout the world. There are some countries that are at war with themselves, such as Sudan, just like the United States was during the Civil War. By talking about what's going on in the world, my students will be more culturally aware.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews