For a Kinder, Gentler Society
Abraham Lincoln: Letters to His Generals, 1861-1865
  • Brett F. Woods
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Abraham Lincoln: Letters to His Generals, 1861-1865.
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From a historical perspective, Abraham Lincoln emerges as an extraordinary individual one who was clearly many things to many people. The most comprehensive portrait of noteworthy public figures can generally be seen in their personal letters and journal entries. Lincoln s wartime correspondence is no exception, and the letters he penned to his Civil War generals through one of the most critical episodes in American history are of singular importance. While Abraham Lincoln is responsible for a significant body of correspondence, this is the first time an editor has focused principally on the strategic and analytical comments to his generals during the course of the American Civil War.

About the Author

Brett F. Woods, Ph.D., is a professor of history for the American Public University System. He received his doctorate from the University of Essex, England, and maintains an active research agenda, primarily directed to the Anglo-American colonial experience and British imperial studies.

Dr. Woods has written widely on political, military, and diplomatic history and is a regular contributor to ABC-CLIO’s military and political history reference collections. He has also been published numerous academic and mainstream publications including the Canadian Journal of History, the Asian Studies Review, the California Literary Review, and the Richmond Review (London).

He has published several books with Algora — volumes of annotated correspondence that illuminate our understanding of key figures in early American history.

About the Book

I have long believed that the most comprehensive portrait of historical figures might be seen in their personal correspondence and journal entries. Abraham Lincoln is certainly no exception, and those letters and telegrams he penned as...

I have long believed that the most comprehensive portrait of historical figures might be seen in their personal correspondence and journal entries. Abraham Lincoln is certainly no exception, and those letters and telegrams he penned as commander-in-chief ; throughout one of the most critical episodes in American history ; are of singular importance. This is particularly true when one reviews them in their entirety, as opposed to selected excerpts that, if indeed they have been reprinted at all, have been available only in part, reduced to excerpts, citations, or references which, in many instances, have been repeatedly cited as the foundation for a particular interpretation of events, or conclusion of fact.

Interpreting the thoughts and actions of Abraham Lincoln can be a challenging exercise for, from a historical perspective, Lincoln emerges as an extraordinary individual – one who was clearly many things to many people. But, too, precisely because of this same complexity, he has become so much a part of America’s ongoing search for itself, so deeply entwined in the tapestry of American history, that, in many instances, succeeding generations have been largely unable to picture him clearly and objectively in his own life and times.

The most comprehensive portrait of noteworthy public figures can generally be seen in their personal letters and journal entries. Lincoln’s wartime correspondence is no exception, and the letters he penned to his Civil War generals – through one of the most critical episodes in American history – are of singular importance.

To be sure, Lincoln was not a natural strategist. He worked hard to master the subject, just as he had done to become a lawyer. Still, despite being forced to learn the functions of a commander-in-chief on the job, he demonstrates an oftentimes striking understanding of the issues.

Against this backdrop, the format of the letters selected here have been preserved whenever possible and, collectively, they provide a unique glimpse into the character and thought processes of Lincoln as a military commander. And whether the subject might be a general memorandum of military policy, a reflection on the sentencing of a deserter, or pressing the attack on Confederate forces, he writes with remarkable clarity, insight, and concise eloquence.

As this text presents, in their entirety, the original written communications which succeeding generations of historians have repeatedly cited as the basis for the interpretation of events or conclusions of fact, Lincoln’s Letters to his Generals is both a comprehensive reference resource, as well as a unique supplement to the existing literature.



Pages 314
Year: 2013
BISAC: BIO011000
BISAC: BIO006000
Soft Cover
ISBN: 978-1-62894-000-8
Price: USD 24.95
Hard Cover
ISBN: 978-1-62894-001-5
Price: USD 34.95
eBook
ISBN: 978-1-62894-002-2
Price: USD 24.95
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