Clouds of Glory is a very interesting introduction to Robert E. Lee. While I've read a number of books about the Civil War and Biographies of various Union notables, this was the first Bio I've read about Lee.
The book provides a preliminary basis of Lee's youth and military career up to the Mexican American War. The section dealing with the Mexican American War was absolutely phenomenal. I've read several good books on that war (A Wicked War, So Far from God, and A Glorious Defeat and the synopsis contained herein was one of the best one's I've encountered. Of course, this book put Lee at the forefront of the Mexican American War. This actually helped explain a lot of issues unanswered in other books. The other books mention that Lee garnered great fame and accumen during the war, but didn't really explain his exploits. Other books on the Mexican American War make leaps which make more sense when you understand Lee's role. This section alone makes the book worthwhile.
The book then explores the period between the Mexican American War and Civil War. Again this period was very interesting as it helped to explain Lee's persona and why he ended up fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
The last half of the book deals primarily with the Civil War. Excellent synopsis. Korda attempts to explain why/how Lee became so idolized in American Culture. Despite losing the War, he became an American hero. In both the North and South he was idolized. Korda tries to explain this phenomenon without falling into apparent idolization himself, but sometimes he fails.
I do have a literary gripe with the book: The author sometimes uses the same phrases over and over again. After talking about what other historians have said (pro or con), he would often say, "And there is some truth to this." Another frequently used phrase was after talking about a battle plan, "a quick glance at a map" would prove/disprove the logic of the plan.
The book provides a preliminary basis of Lee's youth and military career up to the Mexican American War. The section dealing with the Mexican American War was absolutely phenomenal. I've read several good books on that war (A Wicked War, So Far from God, and A Glorious Defeat and the synopsis contained herein was one of the best one's I've encountered. Of course, this book put Lee at the forefront of the Mexican American War. This actually helped explain a lot of issues unanswered in other books. The other books mention that Lee garnered great fame and accumen during the war, but didn't really explain his exploits. Other books on the Mexican American War make leaps which make more sense when you understand Lee's role. This section alone makes the book worthwhile.
The book then explores the period between the Mexican American War and Civil War. Again this period was very interesting as it helped to explain Lee's persona and why he ended up fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
The last half of the book deals primarily with the Civil War. Excellent synopsis. Korda attempts to explain why/how Lee became so idolized in American Culture. Despite losing the War, he became an American hero. In both the North and South he was idolized. Korda tries to explain this phenomenon without falling into apparent idolization himself, but sometimes he fails.
I do have a literary gripe with the book: The author sometimes uses the same phrases over and over again. After talking about what other historians have said (pro or con), he would often say, "And there is some truth to this." Another frequently used phrase was after talking about a battle plan, "a quick glance at a map" would prove/disprove the logic of the plan.