whether

 

Ryan Cole

Date:
1/16/2019 at 4:25 PM to 4:45 PM

Event Description

He was a dashing military hero who led the fight for America's independence.

His son would later become the general who almost tore America apart.


Henry Lee III, whose name “Light-Horse” came from his legendary exploits with mounted troops and skill in the saddle, was a dashing cavalry commander and hero of America’s War for Independence. By now, most Americans have forgotten about Light-Horse Harry Lee, the father of Confederate General Robert E. Lee; but this new biography reveals he may be one of the most fascinating figures in our nation's history. A daring military commander, Lee was also an early American statesman whose passionate argument in favor of national unity helped ratify the Constitution.

When President George Washington needed to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion, he sent an 13,000-strong army into western Pennsylvania with his old friend Light-Horse Harry Lee at its head. When Washington died, it was Lee who famously eulogized him as “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” With incredible stories about Light-Horse Harry Lee's relationships with famous men and women—including George and Martha Washington, Nathanael Greene, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr—this book paints a rich portrait of an under-appreciated and complex American character, and also provides unique new insight into the upbringing and motivations of Lee's infamous son, General Robert E. Lee.