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"In 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History, the reader is plunged into the heart of that crucial year as Lincoln faced enormous challenges. The Civil War was far from being won: as the year began, Lincoln had yet to appoint Ulysses S. Grant as the general-inchief who would finally implement the bloody strategy and dramatic campaigns that would bring victory." "1864 is the story of Lincoln's struggle with the war on the battlefields and a political scene in which his own secretary of the treasury, Salmon P. Chase, was working against him in an effort to become the Republican candidate himself. The North was shocked by such events as Grant's attack at Cold Harbor, during which seven thousand Union soldiers were killed in twenty minutes, and the Battle of the Crater, where three thousand Union men died in a bungled attempt to blow up Confederate trenches. The year became so bleak that on August 23, Lincoln wrote in a memorandum, "This morning, as for several days past, it seems exceedingly probable that this Administration will not be reelected." But, with the increasing success of his generals, and a majority of the American public ready to place its faith in him, Lincoln and the nation ended 1864 with the close of the war in sight and slavery on the verge of extinction." 1864 presents the man who not only saved the nation, but also, despite the turmoil of the war and political infighting, set the stage for westward expansion through the Homestead Act, the railroads, and the Act to Encourage Immigration.
Critically acclaimed historian Flood (Grant and Sherman: The Friendship that Won the Civil War) provides a brilliant, compelling account of Lincoln's dramatic final full year of life-a year in which the war finally turned in the Union's favor and Lincoln faced a tough battle for re-election. After Union defeats at the Battle of Cold Harbor and the siege of Petersburg, Confederate General Jubal Early came within five miles of Washington, D.C., before he was beaten back; General Sherman's September victory at Atlanta followed, with his bloody march to the sea. At the same time, Lincoln found himself running against his own secretary of the treasury, Salmon Chase, for the Republican nomination, and then against the Democrat (and general) George B. McClellan for the presidency. Lincoln won by a narrow popular majority, but a significant electoral majority. At the close of 1864, as Lincoln celebrated both his re-election and the coming end of the war, John Wilkes Booth laid down an ambitious plan for kidnapping that soon evolved into a map for murder. Combining a novelist's flair with the authority and deep knowledge of a scholar, Flood artfully integrates this complex web of storylines. 16 pages of b&w photos, maps.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
As 1864 dawned and the Civil War dragged on, war weariness swept the North. President Lincoln was faced with the duel task of turning the war toward a Union victory and being reelected to the presidency. Flood, who has written many previous studies of aspects of the Civil War era (e.g., Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the War), here turns to the personal and public story of Lincoln himself during his last full year of life. Drawing upon extensive primary and secondary sources, Flood weaves a compelling narrative of this brilliant, compassionate, but haunted leader as he deals with political rivals, military commanders, battlefield reverses, and his troubled personal life. Including as it does a mixture of military, social, and political history and many voices from the period, the tale is both engagingly spun and well documented. However, libraries that already have other recent, more rigorously focused books on these ultimate aspects of Lincoln's presidency, such as John Waugh's Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency, may choose to pass on this one. [See Prepub Alert, LJ10/15/08.]
—Theresa McDevitt
Ch. 1 The Beleaguered Giant
Ch. 2 Steering into a Stormy Year
Ch. 3 Lincoln Juggles in the "Shop"; Grant Comes East
Ch. 4 On the Verge of the Great Collision
Ch. 5 Troubled Military and Political Campaigns
Ch. 6 Trimming the Political Tree
Ch. 7 "I Begin to See It" - The Elusive "It"
Ch. 8 A Pretty Place from Which to Drop into a Dark, Dramatic Summer
Ch. 9 Trying to Pick Up the Military and Political Pieces
Ch. 10 August: The Darkest Month
Ch. 11 Six Words from Sherman
Ch. 12 Sheridan Goes In; Lincoln Gets Out the Vote
Ch. 13 The Final Mile to the Polls: Rocks, Smooth Places, Puzzles
Ch. 14 The Forty-eight-Hour Election Day
Ch. 15 An Epic Year Begins Its Dramatic Close
Ch. 16 Lincoln's Last Christmas
Ch. 17 Goodbye, Mr. Lincoln
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Anonymous
Posted July 9, 2009
I Also Recommend:
I have spent the year reading everything I could get my hands on about Abraham Lincoln. As the most popular subject(person) of all time to write about, I understand that it is tough to find new information on Lincoln. Concentrating on the last full year of his life was an interesting angle. If a person chooses this book to read, I am sure he or she would enjoy it. The writing is fluid and easy to read. The storytelling aspect is readable, but somewhat choppy.
If a person were to choose one book to read about Abraham Lincoln, I would recommend Ron White's recently published biography.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.1864 is an excellent work on Lincoln and the last year of the Civil War. The reader gets a more indepth view of Lincoln, the man, the president & the politician. This book isn't a glossy hero worshiping bio but a well researched and developed American history book. This work is one of those I'll keep on the bookshelf.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 1, 2012
*she settled into a nest she had made. She tucked her kits in close* Pinekit: mommy... wheres daddy? Icekit: *jabs him in the ribs with her paw* pinekit! Mommy said not to talk about him! Snowkit: i was wondering too... Blazekit: stop depressing me guys... Sparklekit: how in starclan are u depresed?
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Flood's book presents many engaging stories of Lincoln's final year or so as president. The Lincoln stories abound in this volume. Many of them illustrate the character of man who found himself in one of those trying times as leader during difficulties. This book is a slow, plodding read, but in the end, it adds so much more to what we know about Lincoln.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 17, 2009
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Posted January 22, 2012
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Posted September 17, 2010
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Overview
"In 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History, the reader is plunged into the heart of that crucial year as Lincoln faced enormous challenges. The Civil War was far from being won: as the year began, Lincoln had yet to appoint Ulysses S. Grant as the general-inchief who would finally implement the bloody strategy and dramatic campaigns that would bring victory." "1864 is the story of Lincoln's struggle with the war on the battlefields and a political scene in which his own secretary of the treasury, Salmon P. Chase, was working against him in an