Few figures in U.S. military history are as divisive as General Robert E. Lee (1807-70). Adored by some for his heroic leadership of the Confederacy during the Civil War – to such a degree that countless statues still commemorate him in the American South – and resented or loathed by others for the southern cause that he promulgated, Lee continues to court endless fascination. This episode of PBS’s AMERICAN EXPERIENCE documentary series explores Lee’s life, accomplishments and reputation, with a particularly strong emphasis on his string of military victories and the idolization surrounding Lee in the 140 years that followed his death. [Read more…]

Few figures in U.S. military history are as divisive as General Robert E. Lee (1807-70). Adored by some for his heroic leadership of the Confederacy during the Civil War – to such a degree that countless statues still commemorate him in the American South – and resented or loathed by others for the southern cause that he promulgated, Lee continues to court endless fascination. This episode of PBS’s AMERICAN EXPERIENCE documentary series explores Lee’s life, accomplishments and reputation, with a particularly strong emphasis on his string of military victories and the idolization surrounding Lee in the 140 years that followed his death. [Read more…]