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Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief
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Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief Paperback - 2009

by James M. 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 it exists today.


Summary

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.

From the publisher

"James M. McPherson's Tried by War is a perfect primer . . . for anyone who wishes to under?stand the evolution of the president's role as commander in chief. Few histo?rians 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.

Details

  • Title Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief
  • Author James M. McPherson
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: first
  • Pages 368
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, New York
  • Date 2009-09-29
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Maps
  • ISBN 9780143116141 / 0143116142
  • Weight 0.75 lbs (0.34 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 in (21.08 x 13.72 x 2.54 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1851-1899
    • Topical: Civil War
  • Library of Congress subjects United States - History - Civil War,, Presidents - United States
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

"Few historians write as well as McPherson, and none evoke the sound of battle withgreater clarity. . . . McPherson draws on almost fifty years of research to present acogent and concise narrative of how Lincoln, working against enormous odds, saved theUnited States of America."
-Jean Edward Smith, The New York Times Book Review

"It is hard to do justice in a short review to how convincingly and compellinglyMcPherson narrates Lincoln's simultaneous mastery of the political, strategic andmoral challenge of his historical moment."
-Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times

"Masterful. . . . Destined to become a classic."
-Jay Winik, The Boston Globe

"The definitive portrait of Lincoln as war leader."
-The Washington Post

Citations

  • Library Journal, 01/01/2015, Page 0
  • New York Times Book Review, 10/25/2009, Page 24

About the author

James M. McPherson is the George Henry Davis '86 Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University. He is the bestselling author of numerous books on the Civil War, including Battle Cry of Freedom, which won the Pulitzer Prize, For Cause and Comrades, which won the prestigious Lincoln Prize, and Crossroads of Freedom. He lives in Princeton, NJ.
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New York: Penguin Books, 2009. xv, 329 pages, [16] pages of plates, illustrations, map; 22 cm. Near fine. Tight, clean copy. Age toning. "James McPherson, a bestselling historian of the Civil War, illuminates how Lincoln worked with--and often agains--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… Read More
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