By John F. Marszalek
When Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United
States in 1860, he came into office with practically no experience in military
strategy and tactics. Consequently, at the start of the Civil War, he depended
on leading military men to teach him how to manage warfare. As the war
continued and Lincoln matured as a military leader, however, he no longer
relied on the advice of others and became the major military mind of the war.
In this brief overview of Lincoln’s military actions and relationships during
the war, John F. Marszalek traces the sixteenth president’s evolution from a
nonmilitary politician into the commander in chief who won the Civil War,
demonstrating why Lincoln remains America’s greatest military president.
As tensions erupted into conflict in 1861, Lincoln turned to
his generals, including Winfield Scott, George B. McClellan, and Henry W.
Halleck, for guidance in running the war. These men were products of the
traditional philosophy of war, which taught that armies alone wage war and the
way to win was to maneuver masses of forces against fractions of the enemy at
the key point in the strategic area. As Marszalek shows, Lincoln listened at
first, and made mistakes along the way, but he increasingly came to realize
that these military men should no longer direct him. He developed a different
philosophy of war, one that advocated attacks on all parts of the enemy line
and war between not just armies but also societies. Warfare had changed, and
now the generals had to learn from their commander in chief. It was only when
Ulysses S. Grant became commanding general, Marszalek explains, that Lincoln
had a leader who agreed with his approach to war. Implementation of this new
philosophy, he shows, won the war for the Union forces.
Tying the necessity of emancipation to preservation of the
Union, Marszalek considers the many presidential matters Lincoln had to face in
order to manage the war effectively and demonstrates how Lincoln’s
determination, humility, sense of humor, analytical ability, and knack for
quickly learning important information proved instrumental in his military success.
Based primarily on Lincoln’s own words, this succinct volume offers an
easily-accessible window into a critical period in the life of Abraham Lincoln
and the history of the nation.
About the Author
John F. Marszalek is the Giles Distinguished
Professor Emeritus of History, Mississippi State University; the executive
director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association's Ulysses S. Grant Presidential
Library at Mississippi State University; and the editor of the Papers of
Ulysses S. Grant. He is the author or editor of fourteen books, including Sherman:
A Soldier’s Passion for Order.
ISBN 978-0809333615, Southern Illinois University Press, ©
2014, Hardcover, 168 pages, Photographs, End Notes & Index. $24.95. To
purchase this book click HERE.
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