Lee: The Last Years Paperback – September 2, 1998

Flood has produced a masterpiece that reveals the personality and character of Lee more than any book I've read. Lee's tremendous contribution to society after the war is presented in such an enjoyable, readable manner that each revelation unlocked about the inner man becomes a delight to the reader. I read this book in two sittings because I was so entranced by it. The author does not write from a hero-worship perspective but rather allows the facts and anecdotes of Lee's family life speak for themselves. It is for the reader to conclude that Lee had one of the most fully integrated characters a man can possess--honor, self-discipline, love of his Creator, humility, regard for all people, and an innate sense of fairness and reason. Lee lived only five years after the war but these years were spent performing maximum service to the South and to the US at large. It's a shame that so many books about Lee focus mainly on battle strategies and have the agenda of supporting the lost cause or revisionist view of why the South lost. If you are interested only in battle statistics and strategies, this book may not excite you, but if you want to really know the man himself, don't miss this treasure of a book.

I've long considered myself a student of Southern history and the Civil War. Heck, I've been a historian at museums so I think I have a pretty good knowledge of the Civil War era. Furthermore, I live in Virginia and have been to the campus of Washington and Lee University. However, nearly every page of Charles Bracelen Flood's work on Robert E. Lee's post-war years is full of information I've never heard about. Flood has used many differing sources to pull together a wonderful, highly readable account of Lee's years after the war, how he came to be President of Washington College, and his role in the reconstruction of this country. What jumps out off the pages is that for as much as Lee has been studied and idolized for his exploits on the battlefield, his postwar years as President of the college should get just as much press. While Lee did not think defending his native state was wrong, he did wish for both North and South to reconcile as quickly as possible. After reading the book, I still do not think Lee is the god that some people hold him up to be, but he does stand out as a good man who wanted to bring the nation back together while also helping his fellow Southerners get back on their feet. While Flood's writing can be unimaginative at times and I thought he threw in little stories and vignettes that he didn't need too, the book is excellent overall and should be a must read for anyone interested in Lee. However, the book is such an easy, good read that I think almost anyone should pick it up.

Very interesting view of the aftermath of the civil war. As states start tearing down confederate statues, it's good to see the perspective southern sentiment of their leaders. Good read, slow in some sections, but I came away with a different respect for the man and the times.

This book was well written and contained many sources such as letters Lee had written and second hand information from many who had actually known and were family, friends, and acquaintences. This book related how Lee, a religious and honorable man, was a strong force for good during Reconstruction after the Civil War. Lee emphasized to all his former soldiers that they should do their utmost to become law-abiding American citizens, honor the authority of the United States, and regain their citizenship and voting rights. The book pointed out that Lee opposed secession from the Union, the institution of slavery, and mistreatment of prisioners of war, all things I was not familiar with before reading this book. The book pointed out the reasons that Lee did not accept the offer of command of the Federal Army at the outbreak of the war; he could not oppose his home state, his family and friends, and above all could not lead an invading Army into Virginia. Had politicians on both sides worked towards compromise with real integrity and purpose, Lee thought that war could have been avoided. His organizational and administrative actions as a college president at Washington College were a template for other college presidents that followed him in both the South and the North.

I was taught about the Civil War in grade school in fairly simplistic terms. When I was 34, I learned from a business colleague that folks further South traditionally referred to that period as the War of Northern Aggression, the first I had heard that term. It was clear that there was more to the story I had learned.This book was the first I had read about that war since school. It is, quite simply, One of the best books I have read. Ever. I could not put it down. I encourage anyone with curiosity about our nations history or the war to read this book. Fascinating at so many levels and particularly illuminating with respect to General Lee, a giant of a man.

I have been reading books on the Civil War for 50 years, since my cadet days at West Point, and have a fairly extensive library. Yet I learned much I never knew about Lee's final years from this book. In this era when it's once more fashionable to bash Lee, this is a revealing look into his character. It humanizes him in a way far beyond any of his biographies I have read in the past. Well worth reading. A shame it will never be read by the ignorant mob trying to erase history to meet their own prejudices for political correctness.

I have finished reading Flood's biography of Lee only a few minutes ago. It's certainly one of the most significant works I've read on the entire American Civil War period, and should be read by anyone wishing to understand those times. Lee was more than a military leader, he was American aristocracy before the war, and after he was the lone voice of reason and forgiveness in a country still torn and angry. He is probably the most misunderstood and under-appreciated of all this country's hero's. When you finish the book, you may find yourself wishing he was with us today.