Part 1, Lee (October-December 1863): Chapters 5-6 Summary

Chapter 5 opens with General Lee surveying the field after Hill's failed attack. Hill looks on with him. They ride onto the field together, and Hill describes what went wrong. The reason for the attack was to catch the rear of the Federal troops by surprise but reconnaissance was not thorough enough to detect the true strength of the enemy. Hill attempts an apology that Lee neither accepts nor rejects. He simply tells Hill that the dead should be buried and nothing more said about the matter.

Lee goes to Richmond for Christmas in Chapter 6. He also has a meeting scheduled with President Davis. He thinks about the men still in the field for whom Christmas is just another day in the war. Lee cannot enjoy the company of his family as a result. His wife...