Lincoln’s Political Generals
Lincoln’s Political Generals by David Work. Photographs, appendix, bibliography, index, 287 pp., 2009, University of Illinois Press, www.press.uillinois.edu, $34.95. Abraham Lincoln: Great American Historians on our 16th President. Edited by Brian Lamb and Susan Swain. Photographs, maps, index, 371 pp., 2008, Public Affairs, www.publicaffairsbooks.com, $16.95, softcover.
When Salmon P. Chase advised Lincoln to sack George McClellan, he told him to replace him with anybody. Lincoln’s retort was, in essence, “anybody is good for you but I need somebody.” With this consideration in mind, Lincoln’s Political Generals takes the reader on a tour of the “general” landscape and the process used to determine who went where and why. Sixteen examples of generals Lincoln chose to support political as well as military needs are presented here. These men served throughout all the theaters of war with much impact, but not all the success the president hoped for. They range from highly recognizable figures, like Ben Butler, Dan Sickles and Nathaniel Banks, to the more obscure James Denver, John Dix and Robert Schenck. All had particular value to the Lincoln Administration in building a coalition to prosecute a war not universally popular in the North. Lincoln sought help in raising funds, recruiting troops and balancing wartime support within both political parties. This book is a well written and concise explanation of one of the president’s most difficult tasks. It is well documented and contains an excellent photo array for identification. There are a dozen chapters written in chronological order so we can easily follow the various changes in the political landscape. The last few chapters deal with specific issues such as black soldiers, civilian support and political influences. Overall, this is an important book in helping us understand the influence of politics on military command during the war. I highly recommend this book. Perhaps someone will do the same for Jefferson Davis’s generals. Brian Lamb’s book on Abraham Lincoln as viewed by great American historians is unique. Presented as a series of essays, it actually is a set of transcripts of author interviews conducted on C-Span’s Booknotes program. Many of you reading this probably watched them when originally aired on TV. Like me, you may have forgotten the gist of the interviews over time. This compilation allows us to recall that information. There are 68 interviews by 56 historians and eight reprints of important Lincoln speeches. Also included are a few maps depicting Lincoln’s journeys and photos pertaining to things Lincoln. The book is well presented and has value as a reference concerning historical opinions. If you are building a library of Lincoln publications, you may wish to include this one, especially if you have not seen the C-Span broadcasts. The low price makes this book very affordable. Reviewer: Joseph A. Truglio Joseph A. Truglio is president and business agent for a motion picture film technicians local union and a lifelong student of the Civil War. His memberships include the Lincoln Group of New York and New Jersey Civil War Heritage Assn. He is president of the Phil Kearny Civil War Round Table in Wayne, N.J.
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