Lee's Lieutenants: A Study in Command by Douglas Southhall Freeman, First Edition, Three Volume Set, 1942

Freeman, Douglas Southall. Lee’s Lieutenants: A Study in Command. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1942, 1943, 1944. First edition. Three volume set. Rebound in ¼  black leather and cloth, with raised bands, gilt tooling and titles to the spine, and an archival slipcase. 

Presented is a first edition, three volume set of Lee’s Lieutenants by Douglas Southall Freeman. The three volumes were published in 1942, 1943, and 1944 and discuss the various leaders of the Army of Northern Virginia serving under Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War. The volumes have been beautifully rebound in ¼ black leather and cloth boards, with raised bands, gilt tooling, and gilt titles to the spine, and new marbled endpapers, and a custom archival slipcase to match.

Each book begins with a photograph and a short narrative on the figures before setting the multiple biographies against the backdrop of the Civil War. Volume I begins with Beauregard’s orders to Virginia and Volume III ends with the collapse of southern military power and Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. The set also includes a large fold out map detailing the battle sites at the end of the index. 

The Army of Northern Virginia was arguably the most influential force in the Confederacy during the Civil War. Robert E. Lee took over command of the army in June 1863 and with his command came many battle victories. The Army of Northern Virginia is considered the most successful of the Confederate armies having fought at many of the war’s most famous battles, including the Second Battle of Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. Made up of mostly Virginians, the army also included soldiers from all Confederate states despite the name “Army of Northern Virginia” used by Lee.

Lee was known to be an effective general, but was not adept at telling his men and lieutenants what to do. He granted his commanders wide-ranging freedom to make their own military choices, a strategy that occasionally backfired. The Army of Northern Virginia, with its various military leaders, played a major role in the Confederate successes and failures in the Civil War. When the army was defeated and surrendered to the Union General Grant in April of 1965, the war was effectively considered over even though President Johnson would not declare a formal end to the conflict for another 16 months. The Army of Northern Virginia was greatly influential to the American Civil War and Freeman’s work details the leadership that allowed it to function as it did. 

CONDITION:

Overall good condition. Three volumes. Rebound in ¼  black leather and cloth, with raised bands, gilt tooling and titles to the spine. New marbled endpapers. Interior pages are good and healthy, with only light toning and minimal foxing throughout. New custom archival slipcase. Slipcase is fitted with a ribbon for easy access to books without damaging them. The slipcase is decorated with a photograph of Robert E. Lee inlaid on the front. 

Book Dimensions: 9 5/8" H x 6 1/2" W x 2 1/8" D each. Slipcase Dimensions: 9 11/16" H x 7 1/8" W x 7 3/16" D.