Janet Maslin
By focusing a book entirely on the tactical maneuvers that got Lincoln through 1864, the historian Charles Bracelen Flood makes a smart tactical choice of his own…Mr. Flood's 1864 compresses the multiple demands upon Lincoln into a tight time frame and thus captures a dizzying, visceral sense of why this single year took such a heavy toll.
—The New York Times
Kirkus Reviews
Historian Flood (Grant and Sherman, 2005, etc.) offers an inside view of the Lincoln White House during one of the most critical years of the Civil War, focusing on the president's battle for re-election. The author conveys the turmoil of a period when Lincoln spent almost as much time fighting his own Cabinet as his generals did fighting the Confederacy. Flood opens with the traditional White House New Year's Day reception, then follows all the major twists and turns of Lincoln's fortunes during the course of 1864. A key decision came in January, when McClellan was dropped from command. The general, who privately described Lincoln as "an idiot," became his Democratic opponent in the election. Meanwhile, Grant was transferred to the eastern front to apply new pressure to the still defiant South. The election and the war were inextricably bound; as the Union army's fortunes changed, so did Lincoln's prospects for returning to office. Both the Peace Democrats and the radical Republicans saw him as an enemy of their goals. Grant's first encounters with Lee's army led to long casualty lists, and Jubal Early's assault on Washington in July gave Lincoln reason to despair. By late summer, he was convinced the Democrats would oust him. But just before the election, Sherman's capture of Atlanta, backed by Sheridan's scourging of the Shenandoah Valley, gave Lincoln the boost he needed to win. Flood orchestrates the complex events of this roller-coaster year with a sure hand, taking plenty of time to look at individual dramas away from the main scene, such as the reporter who brought news of Grant's first Virginia battles to Washington but was nearly shot as a spy before Lincoln saved him. Theauthor does fair justice to all the astonishing events, closing with a poignant look ahead to the president's assassination and a letter from an admiring journalist wishing, "May God help you in the future as he has helped you in the past."Stirring history told in rich detail. Agent: John Taylor "Ike" Williams/Kneerim & Williams
The New York Times
The book is as adept at analyzing Lincoln's choices as at showing what they meant to his ravaged nation.
New York Times
The book is as adept at analyzing Lincoln’s choices as at showing what they meant to his ravaged nation.”
From the Publisher
"The book is as adept at analyzing Lincoln's choices as at showing what they meant to his ravaged nation." ---The New York Times
APRIL 2010 - AudioFile
Letters, telegrams, and military maneuvers are the focus of this Civil War history, which recounts Lincoln’s presidential administration day by day in the year 1864. Mel Foster narrates in a flat tone, barely differentiating between speakers and events. Describing some of the bloodiest action of the war, he keeps his voice steady and even, a style that does not engaging emotionally with the events. Foster's narration may disappoint listeners who prefer more drama, especially in a story of war. Listeners will learn about the politics and military strategies of the last year of the war, as well as all the matters great and small that held Lincoln's attention. Yet Foster’s reading does not draw listeners into the emotional aspects of that year. M.B.K. 2010 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
