Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief
by James M. McPherson
List Price:
Our Price: $9.70
You Save: $25.30 (72%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $7.44 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: James M. McPhersonEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-07
ISBN: 1594201919
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Book Reviews of Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief
Book Review: The "alchemy" of Lincoln's military leadership
Summary: 5 Stars
The newly inaugurated sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was deferential to the judgment of his generals throughout the first year or so of the Civil War but eventually realized that he must take a much more active role and eventually became the first president who was also (in effect) the nation's wartime commander in chief. First, he replaced Winfield Scott with George B. McClelland, then McClelland with Henry W. Halleck, then Halleck with George G. Meade, and Meade with Ulysses S. Grant. Only with Grant was Lincoln finally confident that he had in his last general-in-chief the combination of strengths (e.g. judgment, will, focus, and tenacity) that were sufficient to the challenge of winning the war and thus preserving the union. However, even then, he still played a dominant role until Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. Six days later, Lincoln was dead.
There were warrior-monarchs throughout history who led their armies to great victories. However, they received much better preparation to do so than did Lincoln. Technically, he led no troops into battle as had Odysseus, Alexander, Genghis Khan, and Henry V but he probably spent more time with his generals and among their troops than has any U.S. president since then. It should also be noted that, since childhood, Lincoln had an insatiable desire to learn and the determination to obtain and the self-discipline to apply effectively what he learned about law, the political process, and eventually waging war. The title James M. McPherson selected for his book is especially appropriate. As he notes, Lincoln "was not a quick study but a thorough one" and over time, through rigorous study, learned everything he could about relevant military history, especially military strategy and tactics. Several generals (notably McClelland and Don Carlos Buell) suffered from what Lincoln characterized as "the slows" and most others were risk-adverse. Time and again, Lincoln reminded them that their #1 priority was to destroy the Confederate army. Only Grant "got it" and the men he promoted (i.e. William Tecumseh Sherman, Philip H. Sheridan, and George H. Thomas) shared his determination to force an unconditional surrender as soon as possible.
To be accurate, all of the Union and Confederate leaders were "tried by war." McPherson carefully explains how and why some emerged much stronger from their exposure to severe and prolonged pressures during the war and others did not. In this context, the metaphor of a crucible seems apt. That is, the development of leadership skills resembles somewhat the process by which alchemists attempted to transform base materials into precious metals by subjecting them to intense heat. There are those who believe that an extended ordeal such as the Civil War develops character. McPherson agrees, asserting that no other person's qualities of character proved more important to the preservation of the Union than did Lincoln's. Precious metal indeed.
Summary of Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief
James McPherson, a bestselling historian of the Civil War, illuminates how Lincoln worked with-and often against- his senior commanders to defeat the Confederacy and create the role of commander in chief as we know it.Though Abraham Lincoln arrived at the White House with no previous military experience (apart from a couple of months spent soldiering in 1832), he quickly established himself as the greatest commander in chief in American history. James McPherson illuminates this often misunderstood and profoundly influential aspect of Lincoln's legacy. In essence, Lincoln invented the idea of commander in chief, as neither the Constitution nor existing legislation specified how the president ought to declare war or dictate strategy. In fact, by assuming the powers we associate with the role of commander in chief, Lincoln often overstepped the narrow band of rights granted the president. Good thing too, because his strategic insight and will to fight changed the course of the war and saved the Union.
For most of the conflict, he constantly had to goad his reluctant generals toward battle, and he oversaw strategy and planning for major engagements with the enemy. Lincoln was a self-taught military strategist (as he was a self-taught lawyer), which makes his adroit conduct of the war seem almost miraculous. To be sure, the Union's campaigns often went awry, sometimes horribly so, but McPherson makes clear how the missteps arose from the all-too-common moments when Lincoln could neither threaten nor cajole his commanders to follow his orders.
Because Lincoln's war took place within our borders, the relationship between the front lines and the home front was especially close-and volatile. Here again, Lincoln faced enormous challenges in exemplary fashion. He was a masterly molder of public opinion, for instance, defining the war aims initially as preserving the Union and only later as ending slavery- when he sensed the public was at last ready to bear such a lofty burden.
As we approach the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth in 2009, this book will be that rarest gift-a genuinely novel, even timely, view of the most-written-about figure in our history. Tried by War offers a revelatory portrait of leadership during the greatest crisis our nation has ever endured. How Lincoln overcame feckless generals, fickle public opinion, and his own paralyzing fears is a story at once suspenseful and inspiring.
General Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Great Books on Abraham Lincoln
In Lincoln's Hand: His Original Manuscripts with Commentary by Distinguished Americansby Harold Holzer, Joshua Wolf Shenk
Bantam; Published: 2009-01-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.95
Price in other shops:
The Lincoln Bicentennial Collection: 3-volume box setby Abraham Lincoln
Library of America; Published: 2008-12-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $62.50
Price in other shops:
Lincoln: Speeches and Writings: Volume 2: 1859-1865 (Library of America)by Abraham Lincoln
Library of America; Published: 1989-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.95
Price in other shops:
Selected Speeches and Writings: Abraham Lincolnby Abraham Lincoln
Vintage; Published: 1992-02-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.53
Price in other shops:
Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861by Harold Holzer
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2008-10-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops:
Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President (Simon & Schuster Lincoln Library)by Harold Holzer
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2006-11-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.96
Price in other shops:
Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chiefby James M. McPherson
Penguin Press HC, The; Published: 2008-10-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.95
Price in other shops:
Lincoln: The Biography of a Writerby Fred Kaplan
Harper; Published: 2008-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.74
Price in other shops:
The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Wordsby Ronald C. White Jr.
Random House Trade Paperbacks; Published: 2006-01-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.10
Price in other shops:
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincolnby Doris Kearns Goodwin
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2006-09-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.15
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Lincoln: The Biography of a Writerby Fred Kaplan
Harper; Published: 2008-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.44
Price in other shops:
A Most Wanted Manby John le Carre
Scribner; Published: 2008-10-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.24
Price in other shops:
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Oxford History of the United States)by James M. McPherson
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2003-12-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops:
The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the Worldby Niall Ferguson
Penguin Press HC, The; Published: 2008-11-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.57
Price in other shops:
A. Lincoln: A Biographyby Ronald C. White Jr.
Random House; Published: 2009-01-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.90
Price in other shops:
Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861by Harold Holzer
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2008-10-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.49
Price in other shops:
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincolnby Doris Kearns Goodwin
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2006-09-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.40
Price in other shops:
Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Rooseveltby H.W. Brands
Doubleday; Published: 2008-11-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.55
Price in other shops:
Abraham Lincolnby James M. McPherson
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2009-02-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.34
Price in other shops:
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White Houseby Jon Meacham
Random House; Published: 2008-11-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.60
Price in other shops: