"[P]ortrait of Lee as a brilliant general, a devoted family man, and principled gentleman who disliked slavery and disagreed with secession, yet who refused command of the Union Army in 1861 because he could not "draw his sword" against his beloved Virginia. Well-rounded and realistic, Clouds of Glory analyzes Lee's command during the Civil War and explores his responsibility for the fatal stalemate at Antietam, his defeat at Gettysburg (as well the many troubling controversies still surrounding it) and ultimately, his failed strategy for winning the war. As Korda shows, Lee's dignity, courage, leadership, and modesty made him a hero on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line and a revered American icon who is recognized today as the nation's preeminent military leader" -- from publisher's web site.

The portent -- "Not heedless of the future" -- The education of a soldier -- The engineer : 1831-1846 -- The perfect warrior : Mexico, 1846-1848 -- A long peace : 1848-1860 -- 1861 : "The thunder of the captains and the shouting" -- The seven days : "The power of the sword" -- Triumph and tragedy : Second Manassas and Sharpsburg -- Glory : Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville -- Gettysburg : "If we do not whip him, he will whip us" -- Lee and Grant -- Apotheosis : 1865-1870.