Follow Lincoln’s day-by-day path from peacemaker to war leader as the Union edges toward Civil War.
The months after the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, between March 4 and May 3, 1861, mark one of the most significant periods in American history. Antagonism between the North and South, which had been intensifying since Lincoln’s election as president in November 1860, only worsened when the president-elect was sworn into office. Lincoln’s Road to War is a day-by-day account unpacking each day’s events, both personal and political, from Lincoln’s inauguration through the attack on Fort Sumter and towards the march to the Battle of Bull Run/Manassas.
From the first days of his Presidency to a tacit admission of the real probability of war on May 3, 1861, readers follow alongside Lincoln in this daily journal that captures his evolution from an inexperienced, newly installed president trying desperately to avoid a war, to a reluctant commander-in-chief resolved to defend Fort Sumter against rebel aggression, and finally to a war president determined to see the fighting through to the end and to restore the Union. In this revealing and enlightening journey through the progression of Lincoln’s perspectives and politics, readers glean intimate insights into the President, the man, and the country on the precipice of Civil War.