Uncertain Glory: Lee's Generalship Re-Examined
McKenzie, a contributor to Civil War magazine, reexamines General Robert E. Lee's military skills. MacKenzie's work is bound to stir up controversy, because he claims that Lee wasted lives with pointless attacks, created an inefficient staff structure, was unable to take a long-term strategic view of the war, and could not adapt to the changing military technologies. It is easy, some 130 years after the war, to criticize a general's performance under extraordinarily stressful conditions. Despite this, McKenzie presents his arguments forcefully and well in a number of short chapters that provide a glimpse into various aspects of Lee's generalship. Whether or not the reader will agree with the author's conclusions is something else again. For public libraries.?Robert A. Curtis, Taylor Memorial P.L., Cuyahoga Falls, OhioCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.