Robert E. Lee

I've just started reading The Killer Angels by Michael Sharra. It's a work of fiction set during the Civil War, but I hear it's very close to historically accurate.

Coincidentally, I ran across a blog posting today about combat leadership and how it applies to business, which discussed a scene from that novel:

Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee understood the importance of giving praise along with criticism. At the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee's cavalry commander, Jeb Stuart, failed to provide needed intelligence. Stuart was an exceptional cavalry commander and Lee didn't want to lose him. But he had to make certain that Stuart would not repeat his actions. Gen. Stuart was only 30 and very temperamental. If Lee was not careful in his criticism, Stuart might quit the army.

Here's how he did it. After condemning Stuart's failure in no uncertain terms, Lee said: "There has been a mistake. It will not happen again. I know your quality. You are a good soldier. You are as good a cavalry officer as I have known, and your service to this army has been invaluable. I have learned to rely on your information; all your reports are always accurate. But no report is useful if it does not reach us. And that is what I wanted you to know. Now, let us talk no more of this."

I know the author (not Sharra, the blog author) was trying to make a point about how to learn from General Lee and become a better leader, but to me that anecdote just reinforces my mental picture of Robert E. Lee as a really cool guy. I first read a story about him when I was about 8 years old, and it was pretty flattering. I haven't read anything since then that seriously suggests otherwise; that includes a couple biographies as well as Connie Willis' strangely titled Lincoln's Dreams, which is actually a novel about Lee.

Besides, when I read new articles about JFK and his philandering, I can't help but think that it's easier to have heros that are long dead.