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Lee Lieutenants A Study in Command Vol 3 Douglas Southall Freeman 9780684101774 Books

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Lee Lieutenants A Study in Command Vol 3 Douglas Southall Freeman 9780684101774 Books

Douglas S. Freeman's (1886-1953) "Lee's Lieutenant's: A Study in Command, vol. 3 (first published in 1944 but available in an excellent new edition) is the final volume of his great study of the Army of Northern Virginia. It covers the Army from the Gettysburg Campaign, (June -- July, 1863) through the surrender at Appomatox in April, 1865.

This book is lengthy, (over 700 pages plus appendices) and I initially planned to read only the opening material on Gettysburg (about the first 200 pages) in which I have a special interest. I became fascinated with Freeman's writing and with his approach to the subject and had to finish the volume.

This book complements Freeman's earlier biography of Robert E. Lee, but its focus is on Lee's subordinates. Thus the long section on Gettysburg which opens the book considers in detail the actions and motivations of "Jeb" Stuart, Richard Ewell, and James Longstreet, three of Lee's chief Lieutenants. (A.P. Hill at Gettysburg gets less attention.) I had read materials critical of Freeman's account of Gettysburg before turning to his own writing. Even accepting much of the criticism, I was moved by Freeman's account of the Battle and I think I learned a great deal. Freeman is indeed critical of Longstreet but, in this late work, is much more measured and balanced than I had anticipated.

The book continues with excellent treatments of the War in the Eaastern theater following Gettysburg. Freeman offers eloquent and judicious comments on the importance of this Battle to the Confederate cause. He treats well the Mine Run campaign in the winter of 1863 and the campaign from the Wilderness to Appomatox under General Grant which doomed the Confederacy. Freeman also examines the detachment of James Longstreet's Corps from the Army of Northern Virgina following Gettysburg, and he is critical of Longstreet's leadership while serving in Tennessee.

One of the most important sections of this book is the introduction. In it Freeman gives a statement of his conclusions about the War and about the lessons he believes should be drawn from his study. There is also an excellent biographical prelude covering briefly each of the chief actors in Freeman's story. I found it useful to read the introduction first and return to it upon completing the book to focus on points Freeman was trying to make.

In addition to the treatment of Gettysburg, I found Freeman's treatment of the death of "Jeb" Stuart and his story of the final retreat to Appomatox particularly moving and well done.

Throughout the book, Freeman emphasises the toll combat took on the officer Corps of the Army. Stonewall Jackson's death at Chancellorsville was only the most severe blow to the leadership pool available to the Army. At Gettysburg and throughout the Wilderness Campaign beginning in 1864, the Confederacy lost heavily in gifted and able leaders that it could not adequately replace. The loss of command material, Freeman maintains, was a critical factor in the Confederate defeat.

The book is told almost entirely from the Confederate side of the line with little detailed consideration of the actions of the Union Army. Freeman obviously had a deep devotion to the South and to its cause in the Civil War. His book is still much more a work of history than of apologetics. His judgments of commanders and battles are fair and well stated. Freeman's study remains an indespensable source for understanding our country's greatest conflict.


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Lee Lieutenants A Study in Command Vol 3 Douglas Southall Freeman 9780684101774 Books Reviews

Great historical narrative on Lee's commanders. It's an abridged version of Freeman's work, but it is still a big read. Fascinating how the commanders interacted ... and on their perspectives.
Well pleased. very good condition
No one can beat Dr. Freeman in research. He devoted his life to researching Virginia history. If you want to know the subjects Dr. Freeman writes about- read his books and you will feel you have actually met the individuals he writes about, whether it's Geo. Washington, R.E. Lee, A.P. Hill, Jeb Stuart and Stonewall Jackson (just to name a few) you will come away knowing more about them as people- not just icons of history.

If there was a fan club for Dr. Freeman's books, I would want to be a member. He is truly one of the greatest historians ever!
The abridged volume of Lee's Lieutenants is an excellent title for anyone interested in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. I have looked at the original 3-volume series and the only difference as one earlier reviewer points out is that the footnotes have been taken out. Given that Douglas Freeman was the editor of a Richmond, Virginia newspaper, one would expect several pages of footnotes. However, the book's essence is still retained.

Freeman covers the army's life from the Seven Days' Campaign in early 1862 to the bitter end at Appamattox in April 1865. He mentions just enough detail of the battles for the reader to comprehend the importance and result of each engagement. The deeper focus is on the main officers in Lee's army and their relationship with Lee and each other.

The narrative is free flowing and is easy to read without being simplistic. Indeed, while the book is just over 800 pages, I found myself reading several pages on many occasions.

If you are looking for a book about the Confederate side of the Civil War's Eastern Theater, then this is your read! The only gripe I had was the few maps - there could have been more and could have been more detailed. However, there are plenty of books out there on specific engagements that can make up for the difference.

Read and enjoy. Highly recommended!
"Lee's Lieutenants A Study in Command" by Douglas S. Freeman and abridged by Stephen W. Sears

Serious Civil War students, amateur Civil War aficionados and casual readers alike will find this to be a splendid work. The list of its' positive aspects is too long to enumerate here but of the many good things to be said of it for all classes of readers, there are a few that really stand out.
The personalities of the Confederate leaders are shown to be "works in progress". That is a big improvement over so many writings that present the leaders as the same man at the end of the war as at the beginning.
The struggles with changing leadership clear to the company levels and the negative impact of constant change in leadership at all levels give the reader a much more accurate sense of why things often went wrong - or right - in the field operations.
The view of the Administrative side of the Confederate war efforts frees the reader from the tunnel-vision that so often misguides debates and assessments of leaders, battles and operations. Seeing the conditions and circumstances the leaders had to work within enables the reader to keep criticism or praise in a much truer and fairer perspective.
The "sketches" of the leaders' personalities actually give the reader a more accurate measure than all the pseudo-in-depth analyses (and taint) usually found in the biographies written by the "armchair analysts" and politically correct types.
It illustrates through the successes and failures of the leaders the astounding logistical complexity of warfare in that era.
In all, it is a fascinating look at an incredible group of men - every one of them as human as you and I - involved in one of the most incredible series of events imaginable
Douglas S. Freeman's (1886-1953) "Lee's Lieutenant's A Study in Command, vol. 3 (first published in 1944 but available in an excellent new edition) is the final volume of his great study of the Army of Northern Virginia. It covers the Army from the Gettysburg Campaign, (June -- July, 1863) through the surrender at Appomatox in April, 1865.

This book is lengthy, (over 700 pages plus appendices) and I initially planned to read only the opening material on Gettysburg (about the first 200 pages) in which I have a special interest. I became fascinated with Freeman's writing and with his approach to the subject and had to finish the volume.

This book complements Freeman's earlier biography of Robert E. Lee, but its focus is on Lee's subordinates. Thus the long section on Gettysburg which opens the book considers in detail the actions and motivations of "Jeb" Stuart, Richard Ewell, and James Longstreet, three of Lee's chief Lieutenants. (A.P. Hill at Gettysburg gets less attention.) I had read materials critical of Freeman's account of Gettysburg before turning to his own writing. Even accepting much of the criticism, I was moved by Freeman's account of the Battle and I think I learned a great deal. Freeman is indeed critical of Longstreet but, in this late work, is much more measured and balanced than I had anticipated.

The book continues with excellent treatments of the War in the Eaastern theater following Gettysburg. Freeman offers eloquent and judicious comments on the importance of this Battle to the Confederate cause. He treats well the Mine Run campaign in the winter of 1863 and the campaign from the Wilderness to Appomatox under General Grant which doomed the Confederacy. Freeman also examines the detachment of James Longstreet's Corps from the Army of Northern Virgina following Gettysburg, and he is critical of Longstreet's leadership while serving in Tennessee.

One of the most important sections of this book is the introduction. In it Freeman gives a statement of his conclusions about the War and about the lessons he believes should be drawn from his study. There is also an excellent biographical prelude covering briefly each of the chief actors in Freeman's story. I found it useful to read the introduction first and return to it upon completing the book to focus on points Freeman was trying to make.

In addition to the treatment of Gettysburg, I found Freeman's treatment of the death of "Jeb" Stuart and his story of the final retreat to Appomatox particularly moving and well done.

Throughout the book, Freeman emphasises the toll combat took on the officer Corps of the Army. Stonewall Jackson's death at Chancellorsville was only the most severe blow to the leadership pool available to the Army. At Gettysburg and throughout the Wilderness Campaign beginning in 1864, the Confederacy lost heavily in gifted and able leaders that it could not adequately replace. The loss of command material, Freeman maintains, was a critical factor in the Confederate defeat.

The book is told almost entirely from the Confederate side of the line with little detailed consideration of the actions of the Union Army. Freeman obviously had a deep devotion to the South and to its cause in the Civil War. His book is still much more a work of history than of apologetics. His judgments of commanders and battles are fair and well stated. Freeman's study remains an indespensable source for understanding our country's greatest conflict.