Robert Edward Lee was born to be a military leader. His father was leader of Washington's Light Cavalry in the War of Independence and Robert himself a prize pupil at West Point. After successes in the Mexican war he became commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and then led it to both success and ultimate failure during the testing campaigns of the Civil War. If Chancellorsville was his finest achievement then Gettysburg was his downfall. His masterful tactical mind and strength of will may have been sometimes dulled by his occasional lack of firmness with middle ranking officers but he contributed magnificently to the Confederate cause despite overt personal ambition. This empathetic study of Lee's military life can be used in companion with Brain Murphy's forthcoming 'In Focus' volume on Grant.