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Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief

by James M. McPherson

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Lincoln’s wartime presidency in military and political context

$25.14 USD
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Paperback New English

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Awards & Recognition

  • Critical praise

    Praised by The New York Times Book Review

    The review calls the book a “perfect primer” and praises McPherson’s writing and evocation of battle.

AlbakiReads Editorial

Lincoln’s wartime presidency in military and political context

James M. McPherson examines Abraham Lincoln’s development from a president with little prior military experience into a Civil War commander in chief. Centered on the choices through which Lincoln assumed and exercised wartime authority, the book connects strategy, presidential power, and the struggle to preserve the Union. It frames the Civil War not only as a battlefield conflict but also as the period in which the modern expectations of the commander in chief took shape. This is a focused historical study of leadership under national crisis, with Lincoln’s military judgment and determination as its central concerns.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War
  • Readers studying U.S. presidential power and wartime leadership
  • Readers seeking military history with political context

Themes

Abraham LincolnCivil War strategyCommander in chief powersPresidential leadershipPreservation of the Union

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Book overview

"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.
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