Light-Horse Harry

Light-Horse Harry
Author: Noel B Gerson
Publisher: Sapere Books
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2021-06-14
Genre:
ISBN: 9781800552470

An engrossing biography of Washington's great cavalryman. General Henry Lee was an accomplished soldier and statesman, recognised for his heroic cavalry exploits during the American Revolutionary War. Ideal reading for those who have enjoyed the books of H. W. Brands, Craig L. Symonds and Nathaniel Philbrick. Henry Lee learnt to ride before he was 5, joined Washington's Army upon the outbreak of the American Revolution at 19, and was appointed Captain of the Fifth Troop of Virginia Dragoons at 20. At 22 Colonel Lee took command of a mixed cavalry and infantry unit known as "Lee's Legion" - the finest offensive team in the entire Continental Army. Nicknamed "Light-Horse Harry" for his lightning raids on British supply wagons, the young Virginian quickly earned a reputation for horsemanship and distinguished himself as one of the most skilled and courageous cavalry officers of the American Revolution. "No man sits a saddle more firmly" said General George Washington of Henry Lee. After the war Lee served in the Virginia legislature, in the Congress under the Articles of Confederation, in the Virginia Convention of 1788 that ratified the federal Constitution, and as governor of the state between 1791 and 1794. His political career was interrupted while he commanded the Army to put down the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. From 1799 to 1801 he served in the United States House of Representatives. George Washington's personal confidant and friend, on the President's death in 1799 Lee delivered the immortal lines: "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Noel B. Gerson charts the triumphs and tragedies of one of the nation's most distinguished citizens, whose rapid rise to fame was overshadowed by bankruptcy, imprisonment and the injuries he received from an angry mob in later life. Drawing on a wealth of contemporary sources, including private correspondence and Lee's own published memoirs, Gerson masterfully portrays a dedicated patriot and natural-born soldier, a trait he passed on to his even more renowned son, General Robert E. Lee. "a lively and interesting account of the life and military career of General Henry Lee." The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography Light-Horse Harry is the history of a quintessential Virginia cavalryman and gallant Revolutionary war hero whose political accomplishments helped pave the way for American independence.

Light-Horse Harry

Light-Horse Harry
Author: Noel Bertram Gerson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 280
Release: 1966
Genre: Generals
ISBN:

The life story of George Washington's great cavalryman and the father of Robert E. Lee.

Light-Horse Harry Lee

Light-Horse Harry Lee
Author: Ryan Cole
Publisher: Regnery History
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2019-01-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1621576973

"It would be hard to write a dull book on Light-Horse Harry, and Mr. Cole's is far from it.... [The book] contains passages of considerable eloquence."— WALL STREET JOURNAL book review "Light-Horse Harry blazes across the pages of Ryan Cole's narrative like a meteor—and his final crash is as destructive. Cole tells his story with care, sympathy, and where necessary, sternness. This book is a great, and sometimes harrowing read." —Richard Brookhiser, senior editor at National Review and author of Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington Who was "Light-Horse Harry" Lee? Gallant Revolutionary War hero. Quintessential Virginia cavalryman. George Washington’s trusted subordinate and immortal eulogist. Robert E. Lee’s beloved father. Founding father who shepherded the Constitution through the Virginia Ratifying Convention. But Light-Horse Harry Lee was also a con man. A beachcomber. Imprisoned for debt. Caught up in sordid squabbles over squalid land deals. Maimed for life by an angry political mob. Light-Horse Harry Lee’s life was tragic, glorious, and dramatic, but perhaps because of its sad, ignominious conclusion historians have rarely given him his due—until now. Now historian Ryan Cole presents this soldier and statesman of the founding generation with all the vim and vigor that typified Lee himself. Scouring hundreds of contemporary documents and reading his way into Lee’s life, political philosophy, and character, Cole gives us the most intimate picture to date of this greatly awed but hugely talented man whose influence has reverberated from the founding of the United States to the present day.

Light-Horse Harry Lee and the Legacy of the American Revolution

Light-Horse Harry Lee and the Legacy of the American Revolution
Author: Charles Royster
Publisher: LSU Press
Total Pages: 340
Release: 1994-07-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780807119105

In Light-Horse Harry Lee and the Legacy of the American Revolution, Charles Royster takes an ingenious, creative approach in his consideration of the life of one of the American Revolution’s heroes. Having fought valiantly to bring about a victory for the colonies, Henry (“Light-Horse Harry”) Lee (1756–1818) envisioned the new country as a virtuous and prosperous classical republic and eventually aligned himself with the Federalist party. He served as governor of Virginia and as a congressman, but he grew increasingly isolated, disillusioned, and bitter as the nation moved in a direction more in line with the Jeffersonian democratic principles. After going bankrupt and then suffering an attack by an angry mob, Lee exiled himself to the West Indies to escape his debts and save his family’s honor (including that of his son, the future General Robert E. Lee) and returned to the United States only several weeks before his death. Royster argues that Lee’s tragic life was different only in degree from those of many other patriots of the Revolution who viewed the peacetime fruits of their efforts with disappointment. How Lee, and others like him, shaped the American Revolution and were shaped by it is the theme of this provocative character study.

Light-Horse Harry Lee

Light-Horse Harry Lee
Author: Charles Royster
Publisher: Knopf
Total Pages: 351
Release: 2013-08-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 0307828921

In Light Horse Harry Lee, Charles Royster tells the story of a man whose career embodies the visionary promises that inspired the American Revolution, as well as the inability of the revolutionary generation to put all its ideals into practice. The man is Henry Lee—soldier (nicknamed “Light-Horse Harry Lee”), statesmen, landowner, historian of the young republic, member of one of the oldest and most eminent families of Virginia—who throughout his life endeavored to realize his dream of a free and prosperous America. Brilliantly examining Lee’s ambitions and achievements, Mr. Royster makes us see how, both during the war and afterward, Lee continually risked himself in the service of his vision and how again and again he failed to win the victories he sought. He shows us Lee as a young officer in the Revolution, fighting valorously and skillfully, earning renown as a patriot and a military genius—but leaving the Continental Army before the war’s end, sickened by the violence of battle and disheartened by his helplessness to mitigate it. After the war, we see Lee determined to play a central role in the new nation’s peaceful growth—serving in Congress and as governor of Virginia, promoting expansion and development through his own private business ventures. And we watch as Lee’s desperate pursuit of wealth and order for America ends tragically: in his political defeat, bankruptcy, and exile from the land he fought to free. Tracing Lee’s struggles and reverses in his efforts to implement the promises of the Revolution—in his defense of the union, his opposition to Jeffersonian Republicans, his investments in land, his repeated warnings against war—Mr. Royster shows how, in extreme form, Lee exemplified in his strivings the public aspirations of America’s most politically creative era, as well as his generations collective failure to attain its vision of national grandeur and individual happiness. And it is this failure and the resultant disappointment, Mr. Royster argues, that in large part opened the way to disagreements over the nature of the Union, culminating, finally, in the Civil War—in which the South was led by Light-Horse Harry Lee’s son, Robert E. Lee.

The Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Early American Republic, 1783–1812 [3 volumes]

The Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Early American Republic, 1783–1812 [3 volumes]
Author: Spencer C. Tucker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 1134
Release: 2014-06-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1598841572

Relatively little attention has been paid to American military history between 1783 and 1812—arguably the most formative years of the United States. This encyclopedia fills the void in existing literature and provides greater understanding of how the nation evolved during this era. This encyclopedia offers a comprehensive examination of U.S. military history from the beginning of the republic in 1783 up to the eve of war with Great Britain in 1812. It enables a detailed study of the Early Republic, during which ideological and political divisions occurred over the fledgling U.S. military. The entries cover all the important battles, key individuals, weapons, Indian nations, and treaties, as well as numerous social, political, cultural, and economic developments during this period. The contents of the work will enable readers at the high school, college, university, and even graduate level to comprehend how political parties emerged, and how ideological differences over the organization, size, and use of the military developed. Larger global developments, including Anglo-American and Franco-American interactions, relations between Middle Eastern states and the United States, and relations and warfare between the U.S. government and various Indian nations are also detailed. The extensive and detailed bibliographies will be immensely helpful to learners at all levels.

American Military Leaders

American Military Leaders
Author: John C. Fredriksen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 943
Release: 1999-06-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 1576074692

A comprehensive collection of biographies of the most prominent military leaders in American history. American Military Leaders contains over 400 A–Z biographies of individuals such as Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, who ended hundreds of years of tradition by allowing women to serve on Navy ships; and, Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, whose rules of clandestine warfare are still followed by the U.S. Special Forces. Coverage centers on the outstanding generals, sergeants, fighter aces, militiamen, theorists, doctors, and nurses who make up America's military history. This volume presents their backgrounds, contributions, and significance to America's fortunes in war. This title also cites works for further research, includes a list of leaders organized by their military titles, and a comprehensive index.

Light-Horse Harry Lee

Light-Horse Harry Lee
Author: Ryan Cole
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2019-01-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1621578607

"Light-Horse Harry blazes across the pages of Ryan Cole's narrative like a meteor—and his final crash is as destructive. Cole tells his story with care, sympathy, and where necessary, sternness. This book is a great, and sometimes harrowing read." —Richard Brookhiser, senior editor at National Review and author of Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington Who was "Light-Horse Harry" Lee? Gallant Revolutionary War hero. Quintessential Virginia cavalryman. George Washington’s trusted subordinate and immortal eulogist. Robert E. Lee’s beloved father. Founding father who shepherded the Constitution through the Virginia Ratifying Convention. But Light-Horse Harry Lee was also a con man. A beachcomber. Imprisoned for debt. Caught up in sordid squabbles over squalid land deals. Maimed for life by an angry political mob. Light-Horse Harry Lee’s life was tragic, glorious, and dramatic, but perhaps because of its sad, ignominious conclusion historians have rarely given him his due—until now. Now historian Ryan Cole presents this soldier and statesman of the founding generation with all the vim and vigor that typified Lee himself. Scouring hundreds of contemporary documents and reading his way into Lee’s life, political philosophy, and character, Cole gives us the most intimate picture to date of this greatly awed but hugely talented man whose influence has reverberated from the founding of the United States to the present day.