From the award-winning historian and best-selling author ofGettysburg comes the definitive biography of Robert E. Lee. An intimate look atthe Confederate general in all his complexity—his hypocrisy and courage, hisinner turmoil and outward calm, his disloyalty and his honor.

Robert E. Lee is one of the most confounding figures inAmerican history. Lee betrayed his nation in order to defend his home state anduphold the slave system he claimed to oppose. He was a traitor to the countryhe swore to serve as an Army officer, and yet he was admired even by hisenemies for his composure and leadership. He considered slavery immoral, butbenefited from inherited slaves and fought to defend the institution. Andbehind his genteel demeanor and perfectionism lurked the insecurities of a manhaunted by the legacy of a father who stained the family name by declaringbankruptcy and who disappeared when Robert was just six years old.

In Robert E. Lee, the award-winning historian Allen Guelzohas written the definitive biography of the general, following him from hisrefined upbringing in Virginia high society, to his long career in the U.S.Army, his agonized decision to side with Virginia when it seceded from theUnion, and his leadership during the Civil War. Above all, Guelzo captures RobertE. Lee in all his complexity—his hypocrisy and courage, his outward calm andinner turmoil, his honor and his disloyalty.