'Light Horse Harry' Lee In the War for Independence - Hardcover

Jim Piecuch; John Beakes

3.57

7 ratings by Goodreads

9781877853739: 'Light Horse Harry' Lee In the War for Independence

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1877853739 ISBN 13: 9781877853739

Publisher: Nautical & Aviation Pub Co of Amer, 2013

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"Light Horse Harry" Lee of Virginia was one of George Washington's handpicked young officers and advisers in the field. Later, he became a lifelong friend.

With his superb leadership instincts, George Washington used the best capabilities of men as different as Lee and John Eager Howard. His troop commanders were highly effective throughout the Revolutionary War, extracting victory from the jaws of defeat.

Lee's career as a Revolutionary War Cavalryman is a story of daring raids, brilliant exploits, and constant danger. Congress awarded Lee a Gold medal in 1779, the only such award for an officer below the rank of General during the war.

His Legion of Cavalry formed the vanguard of the impenetrable screen, which enabled the Southern Army to elude the British in the Race to the Dan in 1781; he was constantly in the saddle during the Southern Campaigns of 1780-1781. Lee's bold strokes were reflected in the unrivaled, aggressive maneuvers that his son, Robert E. Lee, would execute during the Civil War. His flamboyant style in combat was quite different from the first subject of this series - the stoic, taciturn infantry commander, John Eager Howard.

Colonel Lee was elected to the Continental Congress when the war was over, then as Governor of Virginia, and finally to the United States Congress. He was selected by Congress to write and deliver the funeral oration for George Washington, even though most of the founding fathers were still alive. In it, he coined the famous phrase, 'First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.'

The brilliant man, who had served his nation so well, died a pauper. However, he was cared for, then buried by General Nathanael Greene's daughter on her father's plantation in Georgia. He was later reburied with his son, Robert E. Lee, at Lexington, Virginia.

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Review:

"Henry Lee III (January 29,1756-March, 1818), also known as Light-Horse Harry Lee, was an early American patriot who served as the ninth Governor of Virginia and as the Virginia Representative to the United States Congress..."'Light Horse Harry' Lee in the War for Independence" is an informed and informative, 268 page biography that provides a detailed and documented history of Lee's military exploits. Of special note is the concluding chapter focusing on Lee's personal life after the end of the American Revolutionary War. Enhanced with a two page section of illustration, and appendix (The Lees of Virginia), an extensive ten page bibliography, and a comprehensive index, "'Light Horse Harry' Lee in the The War for Independence" is a work of impeccable scholarship and highly recommended for both academic and community library American Biography reference collections, as well as to the attention of non-specialist general readers with an interest in the American Revolution in general, and "Light Horse Harry' Lee in particular. --The Midwest Book Review

"...,"'Light Horse Harry' Lee In the War for Independence" is an excellent, concise and otherwise thorough work of scholarship as it pertains to Lee's Revolutionary War record, and so far, along with Cecere's biography, is easily the most praiseworthy, reliable, and useful book length treatment yet on the same." --William Thomas Sherman, author of Calendar and Record of the Revolutionary War in the South: 1780-1781

"As this is the second of the series on George Washington's best officers, I am very much inclined to pick up the first one on John Eager Howard and the succeeding ones to follow. The easy read and respect for the reader makes this a great addition to the library and a reference source that you can return to time and again." --P. Jeffrey Lambert, Executive Director of the General Society Sons of the Revolution

"In 'Light Horse Harry Lee in the War for Independence, Jim Piecuch and John Beakes deliver a lively narrative of Henry Lee's military service...As a member of the elite and a friend of Washington's, Lee's connections afforded him greater privilege and access to the commanding general than virtually any other company or field-grade officer in the Continental Army. The authors, however, argue that merit, not privilege, was the reason for Lee's advancement." --Ricardo A. Herrera, U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

"Piecuch and Beakes have tapped into a prodigious trove of original documents to produce this beautifully written, small gem of a book. It is, however, primarily for buffs, who will savor not only the minute details of every battle described, but also the elegant military terms of the day, like 'abatis' and 'fascine,' and the often brilliantly phrased communication between commanders that took place over long distances and through bloody fighting.
"Piecuch's and Beakes' intent is to shed light on Henry Lee's military activities, instead of his long political career and economic woes, which have been dealt with by other biographers. In this they have succeeded mightily, leaving those interested in our country's armed struggle for independence hungry for another installment." --Rosemary Michaud, The Post and Courier --William Thomas Sherman, Calendar and Record of the Revolutionary War in the South

P. Jeffrey Lambert, Executive Director of the General Society Sons of the Revolution

"Piecuch and Beakes have tapped into a prodigious trove of original documents to produce this beautifully written, small gem of a book. It is, however, primarily for buffs, who will savor not only the minute details of every battle described, but also the elegant military terms of the day, like 'abatis' and 'fascine,' and the often brilliantly phrased communication between commanders that took place over --P. Jeffrey Lambert, Executive Director of the General Society Sons of the Revolution

"As this is the second of the series on George Washington's best officers, I am very much inclined to pick up the first one on John Eager Howard and the succeeding ones to follow. The easy read and respect for the reader makes this a great addition to the library and a reference source that you can return to time and again." --P. Jeffrey Lambert, Executive Director of the General Society Sons of the Revolution

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