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General Henry Lee (1756-1818), a.k.a. "Light-Horse" Harry for his swiftness and daring tactics, was a brilliant cavalry leader, close friend of George Washington, governor of Virginia, congressman, orator, and vigorous patriot. At age 22 he commanded the elite Lee's Legion and earned an enviable record: capturing the fort at Paulus Hook; distinguishing himself in the battles at Haw River, Guilford Courthouse, Eutaw Springs, and others; and helping in the siege of Yorktown. But by 1809 Lee's fortunes had tragically altered: he wrote these memoirs while jailed in a debtor's prison. Originally published in 1812 in two volumes as Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States, this third 1869 edition includes Robert E. Lee's biographical essay on his father, the only substantial piece of writing by the celebrated Confederate general.
Summary
At age twenty-two, General Henry Lee commanded the elite Lee's Legion and earned an enviable record: capturing the fort at Paulus Hook; distinguishing himself in the battles at Haw River, Guilford Courthouse, Eutaw Springs, and others; and helping in the siege of Yorktown. But by 1809 Lee's fortunes had tragically altered: He wrote these memoirs while jailed in a debtor's prison. Originally published in 1812 in two volumes as Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States, this third 1869 edition includes Robert E. Lee's biographical essay on his father, the only substantial piece of writing by the celebrated Confederate general. From Grant and Sherman to Eisenhower and De Gaulle, classic military accounts have emerged from the carnage of nearly every war; Lee's Memoirs are unique in that they are unrivaled in the history of the American Revolution.
