Book Review- Lee: A Life of Virtue by John Perry

A new release from Thomas Nelson's "The Generals" series, John Perry, author of the New York Times' bestseller, Letters to God, crafts a biography that highlights the virtues of Robert E. Lee. Drawing from his previous work on the life of Robert E. Lee's wife, Mary Custis Lee (Lady of Arlington), Perry sets about to defend the memory of the great Confederate general. For example, Perry notes on the back cover, "Lee considered slavery a moral outrage" and in the book's introduction, he notes that Lee "probably never owned a slave in his life". However, Perry also shares that Lee's wife (and Lee by marriage) inherited nearly 200 slaves from her father upon his death; there were always slaves serving in the Lee family home at Arlington; and a "servant" who had served the Lees at Arlington was alongside Lee throughout the Civil War. So while Lee may technically have never owned a slave, it is difficult to determine from the facts of his life that he considered slavery a "moral outrage".

This work, as well as the George Patton book in the Generals series, attempts to characterize and highlight the nature of both men as deeply spiritual. Yet in each book, the information the authors share is not entirely convincing. It's as if the authors desire to present the men as without fault. Also, in several portions of the book, the author comes across as an apologist for the causes of the Confederacy. This, in addition to the lack of historical notes or a significant bibliography, make this short volume a disappointment.

I reviewed this book in conjunction with Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program, was not compensated for this review and the opinions expressed are solely mine.