1861: The Lost Peace

by Jay Winik

Overview

From an award-winning historian and New York Times bestselling author, a gripping, fly-on-the-wall account of the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln's decision to go to war against the Confederacy.

1861: The Lost Peace is the story of President Lincoln’s difficult and courageous decision at a time when the country wrestled with deep moral questions of epic proportions.   

Through Jay Winik’s singular reporting and storytelling, readers will learn about the extraordinary Washington Peace Conference at the Willard Hotel to avert cataclysmic war. They will observe the irascible and farsighted Senator JJ Crittenden, the tireless moderate seeking a middle way to peace. Lincoln himself called Crittenden “a great man” even as Lincoln jousted with him. Readers will glimpse inside Lincoln’s cabinet—the finest in history—which rivaled the executive in its authority, a fact too often forgotten, and witness a parade of statesmen frenetically grasping for peace rather than the spectacle of a young nation slowly choking itself to death. A perfect read for history buffs, with timely overtones to our current political climate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538735121
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	05/27/2025
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Jay Winik is an American historian and New York Times bestselling author, known for his award-winning April 1865: The Month That Saved America and celebrated for his innovative tellings of history. Winik is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and sat on the board of trustees of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He graduated from Yale College with honors, and holds a Masters from the London School of Economics with distinction, as well as a Ph.D. from Yale University.

Editorial Reviews

A portrait of two sides talking past each other, rather than with each other... [Jay Winik] traces the efforts of those who genuinely wanted to prevent war and the trauma of secession—and shows how Abraham Lincoln tried at first to listen and then at last refused.”—The New Yorker

"[S]urprisingly timely and sure to give even the most avid Civil War buffs new material to think about."—Huffpost

“This engaging volume has impeccable research and is recommended for anyone who enjoys U.S. history, notably the Civil War, and American politics.” - Starred Review
 —Library Journal

"A fascinating look at some of the less familiar history in the days leading up to the Civil War."—Kirkus Reviews

"Winik presents a vivid, tragic narrative of a nation coming to pieces...Along the way, he weaves in evocative profiles of leading figures and their drift toward extremism. The result is a dramatic and insightful retelling of a fateful turn in America’s saga."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 03/21/2025

Historian Winik (1944: FDR and the Year That Changed History) presents a view of the coming U.S. Civil War from the view of elected officials and their efforts to avert the fracture of the country. Among the efforts to avoid the secession of the eight slave states, and inevitable bloodshed, was the Peace Conference held at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC. Seven states that had already seceded from the Union did not attend the conference. Several proposals were put forth, two from Unionist John J. Crittenden, a constitutional amendment protecting slavery, and a motion from Virginia to hold a peace conference with all parties. Although the Corwin Amendment (which sought to prevent successions by protecting the practice of enslavement in states where it existed) was passed, it was never ratified. Ultimately, no one was pleased with the results of the conference. Whatever attempts at avoiding war were muted as shortly afterward the events of Fort Sumter changed the direction of the republic. VERDICT A relatively little-known account of prewar efforts to reach a consensus. This engaging volume has impeccable research and is recommended for anyone who enjoys U.S. history, notably the Civil War, and American politics.—Jacqueline Parascandola

Library Journal

2025-04-04
A look at the events leading to the Civil War, with emphasis on attempts to avoid the conflict.

Winik begins his account in the 1850s, when the forces that would lead to secession were building. The political questions of the day were whether slavery should expand beyond the Southern and border states where it was already in effect and, if so, how. After a preliminary look at the condition of enslaved people, the focus in the early chapters turns to Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner and fervent abolitionist John Brown, each of whom—in very different ways—was working to end slavery. Violence had already become endemic in Kansas, where Brown’s role in a massacre of slave owners made him known even before his raid on Harper’s Ferry. Meanwhile, the growth of the Republican Party united anti-slavery elements in the North, though its presidential candidate, Abraham Lincoln, was quite willing to let slavery alone in the states where it was legal. But the South saw Lincoln’s election as a threat to its “peculiar institution,” and movement toward secession began as soon as the 1860 election was decided. Enter Senator John Crittenden of Kentucky, an elder statesman respected by all parties. As South Carolina declared secession, Crittenden, with many influential figures from both North and South, led a peace conference hoping to avert the coming disaster. Lincoln’s cabinet members were also working to keep things together—although not all were on the same page as the new president. In the closing chapters, Winik alternates between Fort Sumter, where the first shots would be fired, and the ultimately unsuccessful peace negotiations in Washington.

A fascinating look at some of the less familiar history in the days leading up to the Civil War.

Kirkus Reviews