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Title: Lee Takes Command: From 7 Days to 2nd Bull Run (Civil War (Kivar)) by Time-Life Staff ISBN: 0-8094-4804-1 Publisher: Time-Life Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 1984 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: a good summary about a little talked about campaign
Comment: I read this book because my library didn't have the voices of the civil war book for the 7 days campaign but this book filled in just fine and was probabbly better then the other series. this book explains the 7 Days battle in the areas around Richmond. It also tells the story of the begining of the Manassas campaign and will introduce you to battles that you might not have heard of before

Rating: 4
Summary: "Granny" Lee, the Prince of Spades, takes command of the ANV
Comment: "Lee Takes Command" is the volume in the Time-Life Civil War Series that reminds us the Army of Northern Virginia was not overly impressed with its new leader at the beginning of his legendary tenure. Winfield Scott might have convinced Abraham Lincoln to offer Robert E. Lee command of the Federal army, but the average Confederate soldier was not too keen about "Granny" Lee and his penchant for digging trenches in defense of Richmond in June of 1862. This volume begins with a photo essay on "The Making of a General," that covers the highlights of Lee's family and military career up to the moment he was ushered onto the stage of American history.

Lee took command of the Confederate army defending Richmond when General Joseph E. Johnston was wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines. Several choice quotes regarding Lee's shortcomings as a military commander, include a patently ironic one from George B. McClellan, set the stage for the creation of a legend. The volume is divided into five chapters: (1) Mechanicsville to Gaines's Mill details how Lee forced the Federals to withdrawn across the Chickahominy River; (2) Flight to the James describes covers the battle of Malvern Hill, which saw McClellan withdraw his army to Harrison's Landing, thereby ending the Peninsula Campaign; (3) Taking the War North covers Stonewall Jackson's battle with Nathaniel Banks at Cedar Run; (4) Jackson's Bold Sweep finds John Pope now in charge of the Army of the Potomac and the two armies moving around northern Virginia until (5) Another Bull Run, which I have always tended to think of as a major battle, but which is reduced to being covered in a single chapter in this volume.

Consequently, "Lee Takes Command" covers a lot of ground, not just in terms of territory but also time. As a result, this particular volume focuses more on the bigger picture than the details, as compared to other books in the series. Lee himself is not always at the forefront of the action, but certainly his surrogates, namely Jackson and Stuart, carry out their military efforts in his spirit. The book is illustated with historic photographs, etchings, drawings, paintings and such, which is one of the hallmarks of this series. For every illustration you recognize chances are you will find two or more than you do not. As with most episodes of the Civil War, you will be struck as much by the ineptitude of the Northern commanders as you will be by Lee's brilliance.