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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
A great, readable book on Lincoln as commander in chief. I really felt for him as he tried to get general after general to actually fight this war and get it over and done with. In particular, the mystery of McClellan and how long Lincoln put up with him becomes a little more understandable in this book. (He was charismatic and likeable; and he was hard to replace — even if there had been a decent, available general — because his soldiers adored him.) But I suspect that without knowing McClellan first hand, it will always be somewhat mysterious.
The impression I had before was that the war took a dramatic turn for the better (from the Union perspective) after Gettysburg, but this book painted the turn less dramatically. It was less a turn, and more a slight leaning. There was still plenty of failure, loss, incompetence and lack of nerve after Gettysburg. If it hadn't been for Grant and Sherman, the Union probably would have lost the war — and slavery would have continued without opposition, in the independent Confederacy.
The impression I had before was that the war took a dramatic turn for the better (from the Union perspective) after Gettysburg, but this book painted the turn less dramatically. It was less a turn, and more a slight leaning. There was still plenty of failure, loss, incompetence and lack of nerve after Gettysburg. If it hadn't been for Grant and Sherman, the Union probably would have lost the war — and slavery would have continued without opposition, in the independent Confederacy.
There are collection of books on the subject of Lincoln could fill entire librearies just by themselves. This book is semi-unique however and one of the most enjoyable history non-fiction books I have had the chance to consume. It focuses purly on his role as a military commander in a new era of modern war fighting such as the effect of Radio and being the first time a Head of State could issue direct orders to the battlefield commanders. Very interesting stuff.
McPherson is one of the leading Civil War historians, and this account of Lincoln's travails with his overly cautious and continually changing commanding generals is a detailed picture of Lincoln's personal involvement in many of the key military decisions of the war. McPherson writes history as well as any other current historian, and better than most.
A brilliant telling of an aspect of Lincoln's story that often gets short shrift.
Lincoln seems to have spent the war in the telegraph office tearing his hair out. I loved McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom.
Lincoln seems to have spent the war in the telegraph office tearing his hair out. I loved McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
This book blew me away. It was a breath of fresh air after the "tragedy" that was "The Lincolns:Portrait of a Marriage."
Even if I hadn't suffered through the above-referenced book, I know I would have enjoyed this one for the following reasons.
One, the narrator had a likable, appealing voice and obviously understood his craft. This is a huge deal when it comes to audiobooks.
Two, McPherson took a relatively unique approach to a well-discussed topic. He outlined his thesis well and supported it thoroughly throughout the book. I'm surprised at the number of books that claim to be "history" books fail at this simple, foundational point of historiography. (In fairness, I should blame the authors, not the books. ;) )
Three, I have limited familiarity with military history. Thus, McPherson taught me things about the civil war that I never knew before. I like that. :)
Four, when McPherson was faced with a lack of evidence for a particular event, he acknowledge that and thus avoided speculation. As much as we would like to know all aspects about major world events, some things were simply not recorded. I appreciate when a historian acknowledges that.
I highly recommend this book. In fact, I've already added it to my amazon wishlist.
Even if I hadn't suffered through the above-referenced book, I know I would have enjoyed this one for the following reasons.
One, the narrator had a likable, appealing voice and obviously understood his craft. This is a huge deal when it comes to audiobooks.
Two, McPherson took a relatively unique approach to a well-discussed topic. He outlined his thesis well and supported it thoroughly throughout the book. I'm surprised at the number of books that claim to be "history" books fail at this simple, foundational point of historiography. (In fairness, I should blame the authors, not the books. ;) )
Three, I have limited familiarity with military history. Thus, McPherson taught me things about the civil war that I never knew before. I like that. :)
Four, when McPherson was faced with a lack of evidence for a particular event, he acknowledge that and thus avoided speculation. As much as we would like to know all aspects about major world events, some things were simply not recorded. I appreciate when a historian acknowledges that.
I highly recommend this book. In fact, I've already added it to my amazon wishlist.
McPherson does a admirable job of describing Lincolns role in directing the war and the politics in this difficult time. It was hard to follow at points because the author did not go chronilogically per se, but instead moved forward and backward to describe events.