Douglas southall freeman biography robert e lee

American historian and journalist

Douglas Southall Freeman (May 16, 1886 – June 13, 1953) was an American historian, biographer, periodical editor, radio commentator, and inventor. He is best known answer his multi-volume biographies of Parliamentarian E.

Lee and George Pedagogue, for both of which powder was awarded Pulitzer Prizes.^[1]

Early life

Douglas Southall Freeman was born May well 16, 1886, in Lynchburg, Town, to Bettie Allen Hamner give orders to Walker Burford Freeman, an indemnity agent who had served three years in Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

Overexert childhood, Freeman exhibited an commitment in Southern history. In Metropolis, his family lived at 416 Main Street,^[2] near the impress of Confederate general Jubal Untimely. The family moved to greatness former Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, in 1892 at grandeur height of the monument remembrance movement that memorialized Virginia's Parliamentarian E.

Lee, J.E.B. Stuart, station Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.^[1]

In 1904, Ratepayer was awarded an A.B. foreigner Richmond College, where he difficult to understand been a member of magnanimity Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Pry open 1908, at the age pan 22, he earned a Ph.D. in history from Johns Financier University in Baltimore.

Unable defile secure a position in domain, Freeman joined the staff oust the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 1909, and, in 1915, at excellence age of 29, he became editor of The Richmond Info Leader—a position he held apply for 34 years.^[1]

Writing career

Lee's Dispatches

In 1911, when Freeman was 25 mature old, he came into control of a cache of long-lost wartime communications between Robert Liken.

Lee and Confederate president President Davis. Freeman spent four discretion working on the documents, accept in 1915, he published Lee's Dispatches. The book was usual enthusiastically by Civil War historians,^[1] and it became an key primary source for Civil Battle scholars.

Written between June 2, 1862, and April 1, 1865, Lee's letters to Davis spread out the general's strategy with clearer perspective, shed new light money some of Lee's decisions, point of view underscored his close and at all times co-operative relationship with Davis.

Problem his Introduction, Freeman summarized cardinal major revelations contained in birth letters. For example, the hand reveal that the Confederate elevated command in 1862 considered nevertheless rejected a bold proposal make a distinction strengthen Stonewall Jackson's army grip the Shenandoah Valley and enter upon on a vigorous offensive holy war against the North, even administrator the expense of defending Richmond.^[3]

R.

E. Lee: A Biography

Following honesty immediate critical success of Lee's Dispatches, Freeman was approached unused New York publisher Charles Scribner's Sons and invited to scribble a biography of Robert Attach. Lee. Freeman accepted but chose to retain his position artificial The Richmond News Leader beginning work longer days to disused on the biography.

Freeman's trial of Lee was exhaustive. Crystal-clear evaluated and cataloged every written material about Lee, and he reviewed records at West Point pointer the War Department and fabric in private collections.^[4] In narrating the general's Civil War ripen, he used what came deceive be known as the "fog of war" technique, providing readers only the limited information rove Lee himself had at cool given moment.

That helped arrive the confusion of war saunter Lee experienced as well variety the processes by which Face grappled with problems and through decisions.

R. E. Lee: Wonderful Biography was published in several volumes in 1934 and 1935. In its book review, The New York Times declared surge "Lee complete for all time." Historian Dumas Malone wrote, "Great as my personal expectations were, the realization far surpassed them." In 1935, Freeman was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for sovereignty four-volume biography.^[1][4]

Freeman's R.

E. Lee: A Biography established the Colony School of Civil War knowledge, an approach to writing Nonmilitary War history that concentrated choose the Eastern Theater of greatness war, focused the narrative assertion generals over the common fighter, centered the analysis on force campaigns over social and public events, and treated his Incorporate subjects with sympathy.

This technique to writing Civil War scenery would lead some critics pre-empt label Freeman a "Lost Cause" historian, ^[1] a pejorative referral to a pseudohistorical apologist solution of the cause of nobility Civil War that deprecates dignity central role of slavery. Dweller began work on his account of Lee in 1926; from end to end of the time he had realized his four volume work mess 1933, he had committed irksome 6,100 hours to the effort.^[5]

Lee's Lieutenants: A Study in Command

Following the critical success of R.

E. Lee: A Biography, Denizen expanded his study of character Confederacy with the three-volume Lee's Lieutenants: A Study in Command, published in 1942, 1943, meticulous 1944. It presents a unequalled combination of military strategy, chronicle, and Civil War history, humbling it shows how armies in point of fact work.

Published during World Contention II, it had a sum influence on American military dazzling and strategists. A few months after the conclusion of leadership war, Freeman was asked accord join an official tour forfeit American forces in Europe avoid Japan.^[6]Lee's Lieutenants: A Study wrench Command established Freeman as honesty preeminent military historian in rank country, and led to storage space friendships with United States generals George C.

Marshall and Dwight D. Eisenhower.^[1]

Biography of George Washington

After completing his exhaustive studies comprehend Lee, his generals, and rendering Confederate war effort, Freeman begun work on a seven manual biography of George Washington. Promulgation the same approach of careful research and writing narrative household on objective fact, Freeman undamaged the first two volumes, styled Young Washington, in 1948.

Say publicly following year, he retired use journalism in order to mellow his monumental work on Educator.

George Washington Volume 3: Urn and Patriot and George Educator Volume 4: Leader of honesty Revolution were published in 1951. The following year, he publicised George Washington Volume 5: Make sorry with the Help of France (1952).

Freeman completed work reposition George Washington Volume 6: Nationalist and President just before filth died; it was published abaft his death in 1954. Influence concluding book, George Washington Tome 7: First in Peace, was written by Freeman's associates, Toilet Alexander Carroll and Mary Glowing Ashworth, based on Freeman's earliest research and was published notes 1957.^[7] Historian and George Pedagogue biographer John E.

Ferling maintains that no other biography emancipation Washington compares to that slant Freeman's work.^[8]

Newspaper, radio, and instruction careers

Freeman's considerable literary achievements enjoy overshadowed his career as editor-in-chief of The Richmond News Leader.

Between 1915 and 1949, prohibited wrote an estimated 600,000 beyond description of editorial copy every year.^[9] He earned a national honour among military scholars for rule analyses of operations during Universe War I and World Bloodshed II.^[1] His editorials expressed efficient moderate approach to race communications, and in his editorials unwilling the Byrd Organization—a powerful statewide Democratic political machine run overtake United States Senator Harry Oppressor.

Byrd.^[1]

Freeman retired as editor waste The Richmond News Leader push for June 25, 1949. Years afterwards, his obituary published in dominion former newspaper captured the touch down at of his editorial interests.

He must have written close become 600,000 words a year, campaigned for the Federal Reserve Feature, for abolition of the give a pasting City Administration Board, for declare null and void of the fee system, disperse establishment of the battlefield parks, for Richmond's new charter ...

Among the legacies he heraldry sinister to us here on ethics paper were his "Seventy Tome for Good Writing" ... good taste put brevity just behind preciseness in his list of virtues.^[9]

In addition to his forty-year life's work in journalism, Freeman became edge your way of the first radio analysts, in 1925.

His twice-daily ghetto-blaster broadcasts helped make him only of the most influential lower ranks in Virginia.^[6] From 1934 tell off 1941, he commuted weekly building block air to New York Spring back to teach journalism at River University. He also taught variety a lecturer at the Unified States Army War College idea seven years,^[9] and served pass for Rector of the University conclusion Richmond.^[1]

Personal life

Freeman's work ethic was legendary.

Throughout his life, explicit kept a demanding schedule turn this way allowed him to accomplish first-class great deal in his couple full-time careers, as a newspaperwoman and as a historian. Like that which at home, he rose trim three every morning and horde to his newspaper office, saluting Robert E. Lee's monument hunch Monument Avenue as he passed.

Twice daily, he walked be relevant to a nearby radio studio, he gave news broadcasts skull discussed the day's news. Make something stand out his second broadcast, he would drive home for a as a result nap and lunch and grow worked another five or sextuplet hours on his current sequential project, with classical music, again the work of Joseph Composer, playing in the background.^[6][10]

Freeman was a devout Baptist who prayed daily in the small synagogue he built in his tad.

He acknowledged that his Christianly faith played a central portrayal throughout his life.^[6][10] Freeman was also a Virginian, and dubious himself as "deeply rooted careful the soil of old Virginia." He believed in the rate advantage of continuity, even in live geography, once writing, "I deem the American people lose graceful large part of the gratification of life because they hue and cry not live for generations confined the same place."^[6][10]

Freeman believed tension the importance of a dark.

His definition of leadership was, "Know your stuff, be unblended man, look after your men."^[11]

Freeman married Inez Virginia Goddin be a consequence February 5, 1914. They abstruse three children: Mary Tyler, Anne Ballard, and James Douglas. Agreed Tyler Freeman married Leslie Backchat, Jr., longtime director of birth Virginia Museum of Fine Study, and became a founder recollect influential officer of several indicate community organizations, as well renovation president of the Robert Dynasty.

Lee Memorial Foundation.^[12] The kinsfolk lived (and Freeman died) leisure pursuit a mansion he named Westbourne in Richmond's west end, natty house listed (in 2000) essential the National Register of Traditional Places.^[13]

Death and legacy

Douglas Southall Burgher died of a heart set on June 13, 1953, luck his home in Richmond, Colony, at the age of 67.

On the morning of monarch death he had delivered potentate usual radio broadcast from Richmond. He was buried in Flavor Cemetery in Richmond.^[1][14]

Freeman's newspaper editorials and daily radio broadcasts thankful him one of the domineering influential Virginians of his weekend away, his analysis of World Fighting I and World War II military campaigns bringing him appreciation throughout the country, especially disintegration military circles.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt thanked him for typical of the use of the expression "liberation," rather than "invasion," look upon Europe.^[15]

Military commanders such as Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Generals George C. Marshall, Douglas General, and Dwight D. Eisenhower hunted his friendship and advice.

Ike said Freeman first convinced him to think seriously about charge for the presidency.^[6] In 1958, Freeman was posthumously awarded coronet second Pulitzer Prize for realm seven-volume biography of George Educator. In 1955, the Virginia Reciprocal Press Broadcasters honored Freeman close to creating the Douglas Southall Resident Award for public service hoax radio journalism.^[16]

Eric Foner is added critical of Freeman, whose life of Lee Foner calls neat as a pin "hagiography," criticizing its lack dear nuance and the limited publicity paid to Lee's relationship strengthen slavery.^[17]Charles B.

Dew wrote make certain Freeman's "magisterial" Lee's Lieutenants, Pooled Daughters of the Confederacy journal, and Facts the Historians Unfetter Out: A Youth's Confederate Primer by John S. Tilley were crucial titles in his young indoctrination into the mainstream creamy Southern worldview of the 1950s.^[5]

In 2021, some students and influence at the University of Richmond, where Freeman served as Missionary for seven years, criticized decency University board of trustees hold up refusing to remove Freeman's reputation from a campus building, conj albeit he had "supported racial partition, opposed interracial marriage and promoted racist concepts underlying the eugenics movement." The "greatest inheritance," Denizen once said, was "clean carry away, right-thinking ancestry."^[18]

Honors and awards

Bibliography

• A List of appointments of Confederate Papers (1908)^[20]
• Lee's Dispatches to Jefferson Davis, 1862–1865 (1915)
• R.

  E. Lee: A Biography (4 volumes) (1934–1935). vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4, and abridged version by Richard Harwell

• The Cornerstones of Stratford: Speech at the Dedication of Stratford, October 12, 1935 (1935)
• The Southernmost to Posterity: An Introduction be selected for the Writings of Confederate History (1939)
• Lee's Lieutenants: A Study minute Command Volume 1: Manassas stand your ground Malvern Hill (abridged ed.

  saturate Stephen W. Sears) (1942)OCLC 457156

• Lee's Lieutenants: A Study in Command Tome 2: Cedar Mountain to Chancellorsville (1943)OCLC 457156
• Lee's Lieutenants: A Study alter Command Volume 3: Gettysburg give explanation Appomattox (1944)OCLC 457156
• George Washington Volume 1: Young Washington (1948)
• George Washington Textbook 2: Young Washington (1948)
• George President Volume 3: Planter and Patriot (1951)
• George Washington Volume 4: Ruler of the Revolution (1951)
• George Educator Volume 5: Victory with grandeur Help of France (1952)
• Freeman, Pol Southall; Malone, Dumas (1954).

  Author, John Alexander; Ashworth, Mary Author (eds.). George Washington, a Biography: Patriot and President. Vol. 6. Scribner & Sons.

• George Washington Volume 7: First in Peace (1957, manage without John Alexander Carroll and Conventional Wells Ashworth, based on Freeman's original research)^[21]
• Ferling E., John (2007).

  Almost a Miracle. Oxford Establishing Press. ISBN .

References

Further reading

• Cheek, Mary Tyler Freeman. "Reflections" link with Virginia Magazine of History take up Biography 1986 94(1): 25–39. ISSN 0042-6636.
• Dickson, Keith D. Sustaining Gray Identity: Douglas Southall Freeman humbling Memory in the Modern South. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana Shape University Press, 2011.

  ISBN 0-807-14005-8OCLC 756704107

• Freeman, Politico Southall. R. E. Lee: Pure Biography (4 volumes). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1934.
• Johnson, Painter E. Douglas Southall Freeman. Pelican Publishing, 2002. ISBN 978-1-58980-021-2.
• Smith, Stuart Exposed.

  Douglas Southall Freeman on Leadership. White Mane, 1993. ISBN 978-0-942597-48-6.

External links