Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief | James M. McPherson

Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief | James M. McPherson | Can A Reader With A Limited Civil War Background Enjoy This Book? Yes!

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Tried by War: Abra...

	Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief James M. McPherson Penguin Press HC, The, 2008 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

James 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 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 rights granted the president. Good thing too, because his strategic insight and will to fight changed the course of the war and saved the Union.

For most of the conflict, he constantly had to goad his reluctant generals toward battle, and he oversaw strategy and planning for major engagements with the enemy. Lincoln was a self-taught military strategist (as he was a self-taught lawyer), which makes his adroit conduct of the war seem almost miraculous. To be sure, the Union?s campaigns often went awry, sometimes horribly so, but McPherson makes clear how the missteps arose from the all-too-common moments when Lincoln could neither threaten nor cajole his commanders to follow his orders.

Because Lincoln?s war took place within our borders, the relationship between the front lines and the home front was especially close?and volatile. Here again, Lincoln faced enormous challenges in exemplary fashion. He was a masterly molder of public opinion, for instance, defining the war aims initially as preserving the Union and only later as ending slavery? when he sensed the public was at last ready to bear such a lofty burden.

As we approach the bicentennial of Lincoln?s birth in 2009, this book will be that rarest gift?a genuinely novel, even timely, view of the most-written-about figure in our history. Tried by War offers a revelatory portrait of leadership during the greatest crisis our nation has ever endured. How Lincoln overcame feckless generals, fickle public opinion, and his own paralyzing fears is a story at once suspenseful and inspiring.

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Superb but short work on the greatness of Lincoln's role as commander in chief

A wonderful, brief look at how our nation's greatest President led the North's armed forces during the Civil War. Though it may cover territory other historians have mined in longer efforts, James M. McPherson's "Tried by War" is essential reading for those not extremely well versed in matters concerning the War Between the States.

Having not read any Civil War history in a number of years, I found myself engrossed from the first page, and thankful that author McPherson has given his many fans a fairly short work on President Lincoln's time as commander in chief of the nation's military.

Highly recommended for all readers.

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Can A Reader With A Limited Civil War Background Enjoy This Book? Yes!

My background on the Civil War is pretty much limited to my three visits to the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania, and it took me a while to "get into" this book. However, for those readers who share my limited knowledge of the war I would recommend this book to you. President Abraham Lincoln learned on-the-job when being at the helm of this war, and he often expressed his frustrations with his "indifferent generals" for their "imbecility" and "inefficiency" in contrast to his "good, brave soldiers." Lincoln especially expressed his frustration with General George Meade who defeated Lee at Gettysburg, but then allowed Lee to escape across the Potomac. Ulysses Grant was named general-in-chief near the end of the war, but Lincoln allowed Meade to remain as commander of the Army of the Potomac with General Sherman in command of the West. Lincoln stressed that Lee's army, and not Richmond (the Confederate capital), is the goal. The Spencer seven shot repeating rifles turned out to be the best shoulder weapons of the last fifteen months of the war. I also found it interesting that Lincoln is the only president to have held a patent. In 1849 he patented a device for lifting steamboats over shoals. Not that the Civil War translates into the war in Iraq, but I do find that President Bush has tried to pattern himself after Lincoln's behavior in the Civil War. This book stresses Lincoln's role as commander of the Union army, so there is no lengthy descriptions of the various battles of the war. I learned about the Civil War from this book, and it held my interest despite my limited background. I would suggest other such readers would also enjoy it.

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McPherson's Neglect

Professor McPherson has written an elegant book about Lincoln as the strategist of the Civil War. He is wonderfully terse, reasonable, convincing, and clear in his opinions, only occasionally leaving out important events. (Grant's crossing the James River to attack Petersburg seems not to be mentioned for example, nor is the surrender of Joe Johnston to Sherman.) What this book is not about, however, is its subtitle "Abraham Lincoln, Commander in Chief".

The most important task of a commander is his choice of subordinates. The civil war is no exception in the South or the North. The choices of Lee, Johnston, Bragg, and Hood had decisive effects in the South. The choices of McClellan, Pope, Hooker, Burnside, Sherman, and Grant were just as important in the North.

McPherson's book has essentially no discussion of why Lincoln chose whom he did, why he did not interview junior officers who almost certainly would have done much better than their seniors (e.g., Reynolds or Hancock) as Sheridan did, despite their age. The central question is how can a man like Lincoln so revered for his way with people have not even tried to evaluate the talented younger general officers in the North?

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McPherson is great but this is just a warmed over work

James McPherson is a great historian and writer and with out a doubt has written the greatest single volume history of the Civil War in "The Battle Cry of Freedom." Sadly this is not McPherson's best work and could probably be best described as a highlights of Battle Cry of Freedom. It doesn't really offer any new insights and aside from focusing on Lincoln's involvement in the war effort. The rest is well worn and well covered ground.

If you like James McPherson read this book for your own enjoyment. But be warned it's not among his best work and looks like he did this one for the advance.

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flawed execution

my problems with this audibook, is the execution of it. It is NOT available in MP3 format; that would reduce the number discs from eight to one or two. My second probelm there is NO "change CD" audio, since I am 6 of 8 discs through this audiobook, and it bugs they can't add a beep or audio queue so I don't replay a portion of the CD. The packaging is cheap and does not protect the CDs. I am constantly fishing a CD out of the passender footwell of my truck. I have considered burning my own MP3 version which means this package is over priced.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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