Lincoln And The Decision For War

When Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 prompted several Southern states to secede, the North was sharply divided over how to respond. In this groundbreaking and highly praised book, McClintock follows the decision-making process from bitter partisan rancor to consensus. From small towns to big cities and from state capitals to Washington, D.C., McClintock highlights individuals both powerful and obscure to demonstrate the ways ordinary citizens, party activists, state officials, and national leaders interacted to influence the Northern response to what was essentially a political crisis. He argues that although Northerners' reactions to Southern secession were understood and expressed through partisan newspapers and officials, the decision fell into the hands of an ever-smaller group of people until finally it was Lincoln alone who would choose whether the future of the American republic was to be determined through peace or by sword.

This book examines Lincoln's leadership by assessing his decision-making process and patterns in shaping military strategy, political affairs, and religious interests during the Civil War. In doing so, it shows how Lincoln defined the presidency in wartime, played the role of party chief, and pointed the moral compass of the nation.

20 books. 2 binders of pamphlets/newslatters. 2 video tapes.

How Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq Made The Commander In Chief and Foretell the Future of America This is a story of ever-expanding presidential powers in an age of unwinnable wars. Harry Truman and Korea, Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam, George W. Bush and Iraq: three presidents, three ever broader interpretations of the commander in chief clause of the Constitution, three unwinnable wars, and three presidential secrets. Award-winning presidential biographer and military historian Geoffrey Perret places these men and events in the larger context of the post-World War II world to establish their collective legacy: a presidency so powerful it undermines the checks and balances built into the Constitution, thereby creating a permanent threat to the Constitution itself. In choosing to fight in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq, Truman, Johnson, and Bush alike took counsel of their fears, ignored the advice of the professional military and major allies, and were influenced by facts kept from public view. Convinced that an ever-more powerful commander in chief was the key to victory, they misread the moment. Since World War II wars have become tests of stamina rather than strength, and more likely than not they sow the seeds of future wars. Yet recent American presidents have chosen to place their country in the forefront of fighting them. In the course of doing so, however, they gave away the secret of American power—for all its might, the United States can be defeated by chaos and anarchy.

"James M. McPherson’s Tried by War is a perfect primer . . . for anyone who wishes to under­stand the evolution of the president’s role as commander in chief. Few histo­rians write as well as McPherson, and none evoke the sound of battle with greater clarity." —The New York Times Book Review The Pulitzer Prize–winning author reveals how Lincoln won the Civil War and invented the role of commander in chief as we know it As we celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, this study by preeminent, bestselling Civil War historian James M. McPherson provides a rare, fresh take on one of the most enigmatic figures in American history. Tried by War offers a revelatory (and timely) portrait of leadership during the greatest crisis our nation has ever endured. Suspenseful and inspiring, this is the story of how Lincoln, with almost no previous military experience before entering the White House, assumed the powers associated with the role of commander in chief, and through his strategic insight and will to fight changed the course of the war and saved the Union.

Discusses President Lincoln's decision to go to war with the seceded South, and highlights how citizens, party activists, state officials, and national leaders in the North responded to the political crisis.

In Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America, historian William Gienapp provides a remarkably concise, up-to-date, and vibrant biography of the most revered figure in United States history. While the heart of the book focuses on the Civil War, Gienapp begins with a finely etched portrait of Lincoln's early life, from pioneer farm boy to politician and lawyer in Springfield, to his stunning election as sixteenth president of the United States. Students will see how Lincoln grew during his years in office, how he developed a keen aptitude for military strategy and displayed enormous skill in dealing with his generals, and how his war strategy evolved from a desire to preserve the Union to emancipation and total war. Gienapp shows how Lincoln's early years influenced his skills as commander-in-chief and demonstrates that, throughout the stresses of the war years, Lincoln's basic character shone through: his good will and fundamental decency, his remarkable self-confidence matched with genuine humility, his immunity to the passions and hatreds the war spawned, his extraordinary patience, and his timeless devotion. A former backwoodsman and country lawyer, Abraham Lincoln rose to become one of our greatest presidents. This biography offers a vivid account of Lincoln's dramatic ascension to the pinnacle of American history.

A unique work on the years of the Lincoln presidency that provides a look at White House life that is fascinating in detail and intimate in its viewpoint. William O. Stoddard was one of three private secretaries to Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. His view back to his youth in the White House from decades later is full of humor, pathos, and abiding affection for the man who he observed closely through the war. Wrote Stoddard of Lincoln: "There is a world of natural majesty in this man's manner and presence." Stoddard was able to contrast Lincoln with McClellan on several occasions, including an evening at McClellan's home with Lincoln. Despite the general's superior education, Stoddard clearly sees Lincoln's wisdom...and his iron will when he has made a decision. The secretaries around Lincoln keenly felt the horrible tension of the war years and its impact on their boss. Stoddard felt the staff to be like a family and his affection for Lincoln is evident throughout his book. One night finds Stoddard still at his desk until 3:00 am, hearing Lincoln's slow, heavy footfalls across the hall as he paces and ponders a crushing decision. Like all Lincoln biographers, Stoddard emphasizes the importance of humor in keeping Lincoln sane and he shares wonderful stories not to be found in other works on Lincoln. Share a delightful scene of Lincoln crossing the hall to his secretaries' office to hear a joke by Nicolay and Hay. Stoddard gets a roar out of Lincoln by telling him a story of Seward and Stanton being ordered by a German-American sergeant to put out their cigars before entering the White House grounds. He describes an evening at Joe Hall's, the gambling house that sat among other gaming establishments, taverns, and bordellos between the White House and the Capitol. Judges, congressmen, soldiers, contractors, and lobbyists could all be found playing faro and other games of chance on any given night. A morning on the Capitol Mall finds Lincoln and his secretaries test-firing new weapons. While he watches his nation "bleeding terribly and spending oceans of money," Stoddard seems to miss no detail of life around him. He more than once notes that the White House is an oven in the summertime. For less than you'd spend on gas going to the library, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.