Fitz Lee: A Military Biography of Major General Fitzhugh Lee, C.S.A. (Hardcover)

~ Edward Longacre (Author)
Key Phrases: valley cavalry, cavalry corps, rough service, Fitz Lee, Rooney Lee, West Point (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A solid biography of a renowned Civil War horse soldier." -- Civil War NewsJuly, 2005

"An interesting, well-written, and important biography of one of the more fascinating members of Virginia's most distinguished family." -- Virginia Quarterly ReviewSummer, 2005

"Both Civil War scholars and casual readers will enjoy this latest contribution." -- Journal of Southern History, November 2006

Review

"A solid biography of a renowned Civil War horse soldier."-Civil War News (Civil War News 20090929)

"An interesting, well-written, and important biography of one of the more fascinating members of Virginia's most distinguished family."-Virginia Quarterly Review (Virginia Quarterly Review 20090929)

"Both Civil War scholars and casual readers will enjoy this latest contribution."-Journal of Southern History (Journal of Southern History ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (December 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030681384X
• ISBN-13: 978-0306813849
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #881,072 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fitz Lee, December 27, 2004

By	M. Stuart "Mark" (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although I'm a fan of Mr. Longacre's previous works (The Cavalry at Gettysburg & Cavalry at Appomattox to name a few) I found this book lacking in objectivity. He starts the work praising Fitz Lee's service prior to the war but then does a "180" in throwing in what appears to be his own commentary and what he thinks Ftz Lee was thinking regarding his less than close relationships with John Mosby and, especially, Gen. Wade Hampton. All without footnotes or specific background information. He even states that M/Gen. "Jeb" Stuart was enraged and took him to task for an incident early in the war where Stuart was almost captured when waiting for Lee's regiment to meet him. I've read many books regarding that particular part of the war and this is the first I've heard of Stuart being "enraged" about that particular matter. No footnotes or background was presented by Longacre to support his belief. These type of comments are plentiful in the book, almost as if Mr. Longacre was there, which he wasn't. His previous works regarding cavalry operations are very well supported by documentation from the war. This one isn't and he throws around his assumptions and opinions as if they were facts. I'm afraid Mr. Longacre should stick to documenting civil war cavalry history where he can back up his writings with written accounts and facts. In "Fitz Lee" he doesn't hit the mark at all. It'll be a while before I read another of his "biographies".

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars He dined on shad at Five Forks, July 4, 2005

By	Colonel Moran - See all my reviews

Longacre provides the basic facts of the life of Fitzhugh Lee, who clearly benefitted from his name and relationship to his uncle Robert. His West Point career was nearly as unimpressive as those of George Pickett and George Custer. His Civil War performance, while sometimes solid, culminated in disaster. He left his post to join Pickett and Tom Rosser for a shad bake at Five Forks. While they were dining, and possibly drinking, Sheridan overran Confederate positions and doomed the Army of Northern Virginia. Worth reading to provide some useful information about this senior cavalry leader. But, one comes away less then awed by his actual record.