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

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Author: James M. McPherson

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"James M. McPherson’s Tried by War is a perfect primer . . . for anyone who wishes to understand the evolution of the president’s role as commander in chief. Few historians write as well as McPherson, and none evoke the sound of battle with greater clarity." —The New York Times Book ReviewThe Pulitzer Prize–winning author reveals how Lincoln won the Civil War and invented the role of commander in chief as we know it As we celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, this study by preeminent, bestselling Civil War historian James M. McPherson provides a rare, fresh take on one of the most enigmatic figures in American history. Tried by War offers a revelatory (and timely) portrait of leadership during the greatest crisis our nation has ever endured. Suspenseful and inspiring, this is the story of how Lincoln, with almost no previous military experience before entering the White House, assumed the powers associated with the role of commander in chief, and through his strategic insight and will to fight changed the course of the war and saved the Union.

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James M. McPherson explains that Abraham Lincoln “was a hands-on commander in chief who persisted through a terrible ordeal of defeats and disappointments to final triumph” during the Civil War (8). While Lincoln never experienced combat, military affairs consumed his entire presidency (xv). Thus, Lincoln was not a “natural strategist” because he learned “the functions of commander in chief on the job” but he “worked hard to master this subject” (4). McPherson’s thesis is that although Lincoln’s management of the Union war effort included early setbacks, he learned from his mistakes and guided the Union to victory in the Civil War (267). McPherson combines his extensive research in the Civil War with a straightforward prose. He relies on primary sources, particularly The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln and the Union generals’ private and professional correspondence. McPherson argues that most of Lincoln’s troubles originated with promoting generals who did not employ “concentration in time” that aimed to destroy Confederate forces with coordinated and simultaneous offensives by Union armies (70). To Lincoln’s dismay, few Union generals acted upon that understanding in fear of the enemy or in favor of “concentration in space” that aimed to capture locations and limit casualties by avoiding large-scale battles (70). After frustrating battlefield losses and mounting political pressures, Lincoln demoted incompetent generals in favor of those who would consistently engage the Confederate armies. For example, Lincoln’s appointments of generals Ulysses S. Grant, Philip Sheridan, William T. Sherman, and George Thomas proved effective in coordinating Lincoln’s military strategy. By 1865, these Union generals had defeated the Confederate armies that had the advantage of interior lines and that had proven more aggressive in previous battles (242-256). Although military strategy occupied Lincoln’s mind, he also balanced political divisions among both soldiers and civilians. McPherson claims that Lincoln’s ability to convince both conservative and radical Republicans that emancipating the Confederacy’s slaves was a military necessity to preserve the Union “was a stroke of genius” (129). Lincoln believed that “his war powers as commander in chief” permitted him to recruit “freed slaves into the Union army and navy” (158). As a result of the Emancipation Proclamation, “two hundred thousand black soldiers and sailors” helped the Union to defeat the Confederacy (159). By late 1864, the combination of competent generals willing to execute Lincoln’s military strategy with the increased manpower of black soldiers resulted in military success on the battlefields. These victories united the Union war effort and allowed Lincoln to win reelection in 1864 on a platform that called for absolute victory and the abolition of slavery (242-250). With Union military victory in April 1865, the Union experienced both reunion and abolition. McPherson’s strength is his description of Lincoln’s direct influence throughout the Civil War, including his interest in weapon technologies. For example, Lincoln recommended the use of Spencer’s repeating rifles in Union cavalry raids and provided the initial support to construct ironclads, which both contributed to victories (190-192). Moreover, Lincoln’s Special Order No. 1 resulted in Grant’s victories at Forts Henry and Donelson in the West but also Lincoln’s tense relationship with George B. McClellan in the East (69-83). In fact, McPherson analyzes in great detail Lincoln’s strained relationship with McClellan and other Union generals whom Lincoln either demoted or relieved from command. However, McPherson places much more emphasis on analyzing Lincoln and McClellan’s relationship than he did with any other general. But McPherson’s focus on Lincoln and the generals ignores the soldiers who fought under their command. In addition to providing analysis on the offensive and defensive military strategies, McPherson explains that the Union transitioned from a “soft war” policy that attempted to minimize social changes and casualties to a “hard war” policy that encouraged generals to inflict damages on the home front and encouraged large-scale engagements in order to destroy Confederate forces (103-115). Although McPherson includes Union Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs, he omits the importance that logistics served in efficiently transporting troops and supplies to the battlefront. While McPherson argues that the “Union armies were bogged down by the very abundance of their supplies” he also dismisses the fact that the Union transported these supplies for use in battle (136). He implies that Meigs supplied McClellan’s forces too well and that that had caused McClellan’s delays and slow movements. However, Meigs fulfilled his responsibility to supply the Union armies with supplies to win the war. McPherson organizes his endnotes in a detailed “Notes” section that allows scholars to inspect each of the author’s sources. He includes twenty-four images with short descriptions of each in order to provide the reader with a visual aid and a more humanistic description of the characters. While many Lincoln biographers and Civil War historians have recently focused on cultural and political consequences, McPherson reminds historians that Lincoln’s role as commander in chief occupied most of his time and that historians should appreciate Lincoln’s growth in that position (xv-xvii). Although McPherson omits some information and provides wavering implications on others, he writes a concise and telling account of Lincoln’s success as commander in chief and his central role in achieving Union victory on the battlefields.

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