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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
informative
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
A fantastic history of the political, policy, and strategic context of Lincoln's leadership of the Civil War. It is remarkable how quickly he learned strategy and campaigning and how intuitively he applied that knowledge. His seeming grasp of the military instrument was throughout more thorough and nuanced than any military commander's grasp of the political. Lincoln's studious diligence and his relentless pursuit of the right war aims and campaign objectives offer perhaps the best American argument for subjective control of the military. This is a great book for military planners, strategist, and leaders at all levels seeking to understand the national conduct of war.
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This is the second book I've read on Abraham Lincoln and the first I've read which explores more of his actual time as president. Lincoln obviously has his place as one of the greatest presidents in American history, but finishing this book further solidifies Lincoln place among history's greatest leaders. Lincoln's transformation from a relatively inexperienced military strategist at the start of the Civil War to an effective commander who heavily contributed to a Union victory made for a compelling read. I enjoyed how McPherson explored the often tenuous relationship between Lincoln and his generals, including McClellan and Grant.
Reading about Lincoln's efforts in winning the war and preserving the Union also highlights the ultimate tragedy in the failure of post-war reconstruction which is alluded to well in the last line of the book: "And the problem of reconstruction after the Civil War was not that the federal government exercised too much power but that it did not exercise enough."
Reading about Lincoln's efforts in winning the war and preserving the Union also highlights the ultimate tragedy in the failure of post-war reconstruction which is alluded to well in the last line of the book: "And the problem of reconstruction after the Civil War was not that the federal government exercised too much power but that it did not exercise enough."
General readers should know up front that this is NOT a general history of The Civil War or Abraham Lincoln. For that purpose, I would strongly recommend McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom" for the former and David Herbert Donald's "Lincoln" for the latter.
That aside, McPherson ranks at the very top of Civil War historians, and, along with the late Shelby Foote, the best writer for the general reader. Over the years, he has written a series of short, targeted books about various aspects of The War (as they call it down south) and its times. "Tried by War" is the latest, and it deals strictly with Lincoln's role as Commander-in-Chief between 1861 and 1865.
For those interested in Lincoln and the Civil War, this is great stuff. You get inside Lincoln's interactions with a fairly motley crew of Union generals, whose reluctance to engage in actual fighting is almost comical. McPherson details the unfolding events with drama and insight, but avoids the common literary trap of historians -- bogging down in details and long letter excerpts -- to tell this key tale from what is easily the most compelling era in U.S. history for the general reader.
That aside, McPherson ranks at the very top of Civil War historians, and, along with the late Shelby Foote, the best writer for the general reader. Over the years, he has written a series of short, targeted books about various aspects of The War (as they call it down south) and its times. "Tried by War" is the latest, and it deals strictly with Lincoln's role as Commander-in-Chief between 1861 and 1865.
For those interested in Lincoln and the Civil War, this is great stuff. You get inside Lincoln's interactions with a fairly motley crew of Union generals, whose reluctance to engage in actual fighting is almost comical. McPherson details the unfolding events with drama and insight, but avoids the common literary trap of historians -- bogging down in details and long letter excerpts -- to tell this key tale from what is easily the most compelling era in U.S. history for the general reader.
informative
slow-paced
Good book focusing only on Lincoln's role as commander in chief.
informative
slow-paced
The focus of this book is solely on Lincoln as Commander in Chief. His countless hours studying military strategy and tactics and his hands on approach to running the war against the traitorous South. Without Lincoln, Grant, and Sherman, the United States would not have survived as we know it and slavery would have survived far longer than it did.