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OverviewReceived an Honorable Mention for the American Revolution Round Table of Richmond's 2014 Book Award Dominick Mazzagetti presents an engaging account of the life of Charles Lee, the forgotten man of the American Revolution. History has not been kind to Lee—for good reason. In this compelling biography, Mazzagetti compares Lee’s life and attributes to those of George Washington and offers significant observations omitted from previous Lee biographies, including extensive correspondence with British officers in 1777 that reflects Lee’s abandonment of the Patriots’ cause. Lee, a British officer, a veteran of the French and Indian War, and a critic of King George III, arrived in New York City in 1773 with an ego that knew no bounds and tolerated no rivals. A highly visible and newsworthy personality, he quickly took up the American cause and encouraged rebellion. As a result of this advocacy and his military skills, Lee was granted a commission as a major general in the Continental Army and soon became second-in-command to George Washington. He helped organize the defense of Boston, designed defenses for New York City, and commanded the force that repelled the British attack on Charleston. Upon his return to New York in 1776, Lee was considered by some leaders of the Revolution to be an alternative to George Washington, who was in full retreat from British forces. Lee’s capture by the British in December 1776 put an end to that possibility. Lee’s subsequent release in a prisoner exchange in 1778 and return to an American command led to a dramatic confrontation with Washington on the battlefield at Monmouth, New Jersey, in June 1778. Washington chastised Lee publicly for ordering an unnecessary retreat. Lee suffered the ignominy of a court-martial conviction for this blunder and spent the remaining years to his death in 1782 attacking Washington. Although few doubted Lee’s loyalty at the time, his actions at Monmouth fueled speculation that he switched sides during his imprisonment. A discovery years after his death completed Lee’s tale. In 1862, a researcher discovered “Mr. Lee’s Plan,” a detailed strategy for the defeat of the American rebels delivered to British General William Howe while Lee was held in captivity. This discovery sealed Lee’s historical record and ended all further discussion of his contributions to the American Revolution. Today, few people even realize that Fort Lee, on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge, was named in his honor. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Dominick MazzagettiPublisher: Rutgers University Press Imprint: Rutgers University Press Dimensions: Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 22.90cm Weight: 0.513kg ISBN: 9780813562377ISBN 10: 0813562376 Pages: 304 Publication Date: 01 October 2013 Audience: General/trade , General Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Out of stock  The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available. Table of Contents" Preface Acknowledgments 1. The Fateful Choice 2. Lee's ""American Expedition"" 3. Lee's European Experience 4. Personality and Political Philosophy 5. A ""Love Affair"" with America 6. Foreign Officers in Service to America 7. America's Soldier 8. Rejoining Washington 9. Captivity, Betrayal, Exchange 10. Monmouth 11. Court-Martial 12. Bitterness, Despair, and Death Epilogue: A Man Without a Country Appendix A: James Wilkinson, Memoirs of My Own Times (1816): The Capture of Charles Lee Appendix B: ""Mr. Lee's Plan--March 29, 1777"" Appendix C: Washington and Lee's Battlefield Confrontation Appendix D: Shades of Monmouth Notes Bibliography Index"ReviewsLee's story is one of those stranger than fiction tales, well told by Mazzagetti. It also illustrates the central role New Jersey played in the American Revolution. --Maxine N. Lurie editor of New Jersey: A History of the Garden State (02/18/2013) Lee's story is one of those stranger than fiction tales, well told by Mazzagetti. It also illustrates the central role New Jersey played in the American Revolution. <br>--Maxine N. Lurie editor of New Jersey: A History of the Garden State (02/18/2013) Lee's story is one of those stranger-than-fiction tales, well told by Mazzagetti. It also illustrates the central role New Jersey played in the American Revolution. --Maxine N. Lurie editor of New Jersey: A History of the Garden State (02/18/2013) Charles Lee, who died a year after Washington's victory at Yorktown, is likely to be the subject of controversy for as long as the Revolutionary War is studied. New slants will be presented and vague points emphasized as historians continue to dissect the strange behavior of Lee. It is unlikely that biographers will improve the work of Mazzagetti. Author InformationDOMINICK MAZZAGETTI is the author of True Jersey Blues: The Civil War Correspondence of Lucien A. Voorhees and William Mackenzie Thompson. A lawyer and banker with a fervent interest in American history, he has served as law secretary to the chief justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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