Lee

Robert E. Lee left his first biographical footprints at West Point. He graduated in 1829 and served in the U.S. Army for 32 years. His successes in the war with Mexico launched him into military ascendancy. When Lincoln asked him to lead the Union Army, Lee refused and raised an army for his state, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The challenge for the narrator arises from the book's eclectic makeup of language from letters, newspapers, and funeral orations. By smoothing the stodgy language, narrator William Dufris brings the parts together, acting as a guide to the sobering facts of the era. The educational nuggets in this audiobook include explanations of how Civil War armies were called up, trained, and led. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine