mary chestnut first met robert e. lee just before the war at white seltzer springs in west virginia. his wife was plagued by rheumatoid arthritis, they came to you like silver springs to benefit from her baiting in the hot springs there. one of the few things that could give her a relief from the march of that disease. mary chestnut -- of course one of the famous diary papers of the confederacy, remembered that a man riding a beautiful horse joined us, wearing a hat with, somehow, a military look to it. and she said, she sat his horse gracefully and he looks so distinguished at all points that i very much regretted not catching the main. mary chestnut was intrigued by this man. who was he? we or did he come from? it was explained to her that he was robert edward lee. chestnut marveled. everything about him, she said, we so fine looking that the word had come unbidden. her mind was, not perfection. she said there was no fault to be found even if you hunted for one. and yet, mary chestnut was not entirely enchanted with

always like mary chestnut discovered. always the question mark. that, if anything, is the symbol of robert e. lee. sgla i have several questions from the audience who are wondering if we talk about his pre-war experience and getting into the civil war. let's take a pause in that moment where lee decides to resign his army and i'll say when i started reading this book, i didn't realize russia under which that happened he comes from the officer. he's been hungering for promotion for years. he talks about who he talks to. what his thinking was? >> lee himself never lays out in a complete and comprehensive fashion. lee looked back on this. did he have to resign from the army? he believe he did. if he turned down that offer of command of the federal forces, turning that down was tantment to refusing an order. they resign their commissions but don't do anything else. they stay neutral during the war. for a variety of reasons. they would back off and remain neutral. that's the first step lee takes. he takes that step after consulting with his cousin. lee

all slaves like mary chestnut discover, always? . that if anything is the symbol of robert e lee. >> let's get into one of the good?'s, i have several good questions from the audience . there wondering if we can talk about the, he talked about his prewar experience and getting into the civil war but let's take a pause in that moment how that could have gone differently. when he decides to resign his army commission and when reading this book i didn't understand the question under which that happened where he comes fromthe office . some sumner. he doesn't accept the command of the confederate army but in reality there are a lot of steps. so one question is do we have any insight for lee in his own words and himself about his thought process during this time and did he consult with anyone about his monumental decisions to leave the u.s. army because as you say he had been hunting for a promotion for years. the army was an absolute snail's pace at that time. in what have been what he was excited for and yet he gives it up so can you tal

mary chestnut was not entirely enchanted with robert e. lee, or at least not as much as some others were. she wrote in her diary, i like smith lee better. what she meant was robert e. lee's older brother, sydney smith lee, officer in u.s. navy and why? well, because robert was a mystery. i know smith lee well, chestnut wrote in her diary, but can anyone say they know his brother? i doubt it. he looks so cold and quiet and grand. now that, surprisingly, was the judgment that many people who met robert e. lee came to. both during and before the american civil war. and chestnut came nearer to the mark when she talked about lee and perfection, than she might have realized. because perfection was one of robert e. lee's abiding goals in life. not because he was sort of super naturally blessed with ability that perfection was within his easy reach, but because he demanded so much of it from himself and from others. there was, in other words, a great deal more to this man than people caught on the surface. and not all of it could be easily reckone

mary chestnut first met robert edward lee just before the war. at the white sol fur springs in western virginia where lee brought his wife who was plagued by rheumatoid arthritis they came to the white sulfur springs to benefit from her baight in hot springs one of the few thing that could give her relief from steady march of that terrible disease. mary chestnut -- , of course, one of the most famous diary keepers of the confederacy remembered that a man riding beautiful horse joined us wearing hat with somehow a military look to it. as he said, he sat his horse gracefully and he was so distinguished that all points that i very much regretted not catching the name. mary chestnut was intrigued by this man who was he? where did he come from? well, it was explained to her he was robert edward lee. chestnut -- everything about him she said so fine looking that the word which came to her mind was perfection. she said there was no fault to be found even if you hunted for one. and yet -- mary chestnut was not entirely enchanted with robert e. lee or at

lee and the contradictions and, always like mary chestnut, discovered, it was a? in that if anything was the symbol of robert e. lee. >> and begs the question of how several questions from the audience and if we can talk about this, his experience and then let's take a point in a moment where this could have gone differently where robert e. lee decides to find his army connections. where he comes from summarizing it. [inaudible]. any dozen accepted with the iconfederate army so one questn is, this insight poorly in his own words about his thought process during that time and it did you talk to anybody about his monumental vision because promotions for years in the army in absolute - at the time and that could have been putting been striving for and yes he goes up so he talked about what hhis thinking was. >> he never lays this out in a complete and comprehensive fashion, the process by which he takes all of the steps and i think that represents the fact that lee himself did not know what he was taking as his next step. and most were feeling their way through that

as part of the problem, robert e lee and the complexities, contradictions, always like mary chestnut discovered. always the? , that is the symbol of robert e lee. >> let's get into one of the questions, i have several questions from the audience were wondering if we can talk about prewar experience and getting into the civil war, let's take a pause where things could have gone differently where he decides to resign his army commission and when i scheduled this book, i didn't realize where that happened where he comes from, summarizing commission, he accepts the confederate army but in reality, there are steps in between so one question, we have insight from his own words and himself about thought process during that time that he consult with anyone about his monumental decisions to leave the u.s. army? as you say, promotion four years, the motion of the army's snails pace at that time. it would have been what is been striving for and yet he gives it up. could we talk about how he came to that what his thinking was? >> lee himself never lays out in a complete comprehensive session. th

he is unusual and mary chestnut constantly makes fun of beauregard being a creel all the time and she disliked him. then there is the question of money. beauregard died well-off. not like the wealthy rubber baron but well off $150,000 in the bank and a built-up association with the louisiana lottery a very corrupt institution. most people agree that beauregard was not directly involved with the corruption but that meant he was either a willing accomplice or he doesn't know. he's either a liar or a fool when it comes to the robbery. really what it is money. you think about standing eight hours pulling names out of the bowl, but hey he got paid well. all these things detract from beauregard. a variety of people in north and south but what do i think of beauregard? i do believe once again he is one of the worst best independent commanders for the confederacy. he is a superb engineer had sound military theory a charismatic battle leader a competent strategist but this war didn't as many great strategists other than grant and sherman. that said he has his weaknesses for complicated tactica