In late February 1942, the Norwegian novelist Sigrid Undset was staying at the home of Hudson Strode, the professor of creative writing at the University Of Alabama.1 During her visit, Hudson Strode would take her to the house of the three elderly sisters of the late Gen. William C. Gorgas, as they lived in one of the only two houses that still stood on the campus after the bluecoats burned the college to the ground.
While they were there, the Gorgas sisters were keen to learn more about the Nobel Prize winner and bonded over their shared trauma of having to flee in the wake of a vicious invading force, the Gorgas sisters fled Richmond in 1865, and Sigrid her home in Lillehammer, Norway in April of 1940.
During their conversation, Strode noted that “She had made a considerable study of the personalities of the War Between The States, partly because her eldest son Anders, whom the Nazis killed, revered Robert E. Lee as his favorite hero in all history.”2
Their conversation would go on to Jefferson Davis, and it was this very meeting that would cause the great Hudson Strode to write his incredible three-volume biography of President Jefferson Davis. That being said, we aren’t here for Strode. We are here for Anders, a Norwegian Second Lieutenant who would die fighting an aggressive expansionist neighbor. How was it that a young officer in Norway would come into contact with the memory of Robert E. Lee?
There are a few men to thank for this: Fremantle, Wolseley, but perhaps none is more to thank than Sir Fredrick Maurice. Specifically, for his military biography of Robert E. Lee titled, ‘Robert E. Lee: The Soldier.’ For it was this work that evangelized the capability and character of our beloved General to Europe and her sons.
About The Author
A short biography of the author is in order, as Sir Fredrick Maurice (1871-1951) was not an ordinary historian with an axe to grind against consensus, like so many court historians in our modern day. Rather, he was a Major-General of the British Army, was knighted by King George V, and made director of military operations during the Great War. However, his career was not to last, as there arose a public controversy between himself and the British Prime Minister Lloyd George over the strength of the British Army in France. At the time, he demanded a Courts-Martial to dig through the records, hoping to be vindicated for his claims, but was denied. Ultimately, he was forced to resign over this in 1918. After the war, he would ultimately be proven correct after later investigations.
Unlike many officers who are forced out of service for one reason or another, Maurice’s reputation remained untarnished, and he found a career writing as a military correspondent and as a historian of note in his era. I find this very encouraging, as his appraisal of Lee isn’t biased, as so many American authors are, but comes from an intense study of the source material and the unfamiliar eyes of a foreign military officer of high achievement.
Sir Fredrick Maurice knows war; he knows history, and he can approach this work with no preexisting attachment to Lee beyond their shared experience as Generals and soldiers. For this reason, I find his book so compelling. I am not alone in this appraisal, as the Bostonian biographer Gamaliel Bradford said of the book,
“The singular value of General Maurice’s book consists in his own large military experience, and above all in his bringing the most intimate observation and knowledge of the great European War to bear on Lee’s career and military achievements. It is really remarkable to see how the Southern leader anticipated the developments of fifty years later, how great were his versatility and originality, in short how thoroughly he was stamped with the mark of a genius in the art of war.” - Gamaliel Bradford, The Atlantic, June, 1925
Not to mention the endorsement of the great Virginian Douglas Southall Freeman (1886-1953), author of the seminal four-volume biography ‘Robert E. Lee.’
“He writes more authoritatively perhaps than any serious student of Lee’s campaign has ever written” - Douglas Southall Freeman, Virginia Quarterly Review, Summer, 1925
Scope
The title of the book is fitting, as the military career of Gen. Robert E. Lee is the primary focus of the work. Although there is a brief introduction to the General’s family and personal history at the beginning of the book, and again at the end, we find a very short overview of his postbellum activities. However, this is first and foremost a military appraisal of General Lee’s conduct in war, and of war. This includes scrutinizing his leadership, style of maneuver, disposition in combat, etc. With the aim of ultimately trying to appraise the quality of General Lee’s conduct and leadership at the head of The Army Of Northern Virginia, or as it is stated in the book, to see whether or not General Lee deserves a place among the great generals of history.
Style
The book, at times, can come off stiff; however, I found certain passages, such as the Seven Days and the Overland Campaign, to be riveting. In addition to this, there was more than one time when the biography deeply moved me, especially in the telling of Lee’s first message to the Armies of the Confederacy after becoming General-In-Chief in February of 1864.
“Let us then oppose constancy to adversity, fortitude to suffering, and courage to danger, with the firm assurance that He who gave freedom to our fathers will bless the efforts of their children to preserve it.” - General Robert E. Lee
Although I had a hard time getting through some dense passages that seemed to drag on endlessly at times concerning military details highlighted by a seasoned professional officer, I think the moments of brilliance in Maurice’s writing more than make up for the dry passages. Despite its short length, the section on the withdrawal of Gettysburg alone would make the book worth it for me. Especially as the author wasn’t trying to relitigate the battle, but rather, study Lee’s conduct in its wake.
Something else that I greatly appreciated about the book was the author’s reliance on source material. There were many quotations from a variety of sources and placed in such a way as to give the impression that he was truly speaking as an expert on the subject matter. In other words, no quotation was out of place.
Scholarship
One would be forgiven if one thought that this book lacked the nuance from a multiplicity of sources that modern research has made available to today’s military biographers. For that person would be mistaken about the scrutiny that Sir Fredrick Maurice put into his research in writing this book, as he cited over 85 volumes in the study for this book. That would be including the 52-volume ‘Official Records Of The Union And Confederate Armies.’ Reading the bibliography in the rear of the book is enough to convince any doubter that he did more than enough research to produce a thorough military history.
As the Judge and Historian Blanton Fortson (1882-1968) said of the work,
“The standing of the author, his evident fairness, his logical analysis, must insure the work a high place among the histories of the world’s great strategists.” - Blanton Fortson, Georgia Historical Quarterly, June 1926
Sir Fredrick Maurice doesn’t leave anything unsaid; he knows the material and simplifies it for the reader in the way that only an expert can. I would also argue that his proximity to the conflict was a strength rather than a weakness, as he would have been able to converse and study with those who were only a generation removed from The War Between The States.
This Edition
My copy of the book came from ‘Tall Men Books,’ and is a 2024 printing. It is a beautifully done reprint of a book that needed to be in circulation again. However, there are a few complaints that I have regarding the formatting of the included maps and photos, and a fair number of typographical errors. This being said, by no means does it make the book unreadable, and frankly, if you are intelligent enough to digest a book that breaks down campaign strategy and battle tactics, you should be able to read around these issues.
Conclusion
I would highly encourage you to pick up a copy. This book is a classic of military history and should be celebrated as such. If you are interested in reading this book, you can find it online here. You won’t regret it.
I am also aware of a few stores that carry this book, but the only one that comes to mind as I am writing this would be Crossroads Country Store in Harrisonburg, Va., if you prefer to buy things in person.
‘Tall Men Books’ is doing very important work in preserving out-of-print books like ‘Robert E. Lee: The Soldier’ and others, and making them available again. I highly encourage you to check out their website here and pick up a copy or ten.
And as always, If you would like to follow them on X, you can find them here.
Thanks for reading. God bless and Deo Vindice. — J.R. Dunmore
I would like to thank George Bagby, the CEO of ‘Tall Men Books,’ for sending this book to me for review, and even moreso, I would like to apologize to him for the delay in getting this review published. If you are reading this, God bless you, Mr. Bagby. More will follow this!
Roll Tide!
Hudson Strode, Jefferson Davis: American Patriot (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1955), [p. xi].
In addition to an excellent Saturday afternoon history read on a great American, it’s a recommendation for my next book - many thanks.