Civil War Generals: Robert E. Lee; Civil War Generals: Stone. Wall Jackson; Civil War Generals: Ulysses S. Grant

These three excellent portraits of Civil War generals go beyond a mere recounting of dates and places where battles were fought, to examine the men themselves. Noted experts such as Pulitzer-prize winning historian James McPherson and the National Park Service's Ed Bearrs provide intriguing insights into the nature of these men: Grant's struggle with insolvency and alcoholism; Lee's ambivalence over the slavery issue, and his stirring devotion to his ailing wife; Jackson's harsh disciplinarian measures as a military instructor (and a poor one at that-his lectures consisted of verbatim memorizations of the text). Archival pictures and present-day location footage enhance the immediacy of these stories, and all of the major battles -Gettysburg, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Appomattox, etc. -are covered. Interestingly, all three men would fight in the war with Mexico, as well as attend West Point. The production qualities are excellent, the packaging colorful, and the whole series benefits from the multi-layered original musical scores from Grammy-award winner Jon Carroll. Highly recommended. (Available from most distributors.)