Scholarship - Lincoln

I FINALLY finished this book this morning. Certainly one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is very interesting, informative and meticulously researched. The 750 pager has its slow points (particularly before the election), but once the War starts, this thing is hard to put down...even though it weighs about 10 lbs.

The author traces the lives of four of the Republican Party's finest; Salmon Chase, Edward Bates, William Seward and Abe Lincoln. All competed with one another to gain the nod of the newly formed Republican party in 1860...and, all, were angered and astounded that the "prairie lawyer" and "rail splitter" from Illinois was awarded that honor. All had different views with respect to slavery, agreeing that it was the great sin of their time, but disagreeing with how to rid it from their government while holding their country together.

Spoiler Warning - Lincoln wins the election in 1860.

He then takes his bitter opponents and places them in his cabinet to help mend past differences but more importantly to get the best man for each respective job. Secy of State Seward was Lincoln's favorite and, in turn, mine. Edwin Stanton, Lincoln's Secy of War was also a great character. Mary Todd, Lincoln's wife had family who fought for the Confederacy. She was an emotional train wreck who bitched and moaned her way around Washington spending thousands on clothing for her pudgy little frame and throwing tirades if someone more beautiful than her (almost anyone) entered the room. McClelland, Lincoln's first general, was terrible - blaming failures on others while taking credit for any and all successes. In 1864 he would run, and lose, against Lincoln. Lincoln finally found his general in U.S. Grant whose attrition tactics finally wore down and whipped the Rebel Army. There are scores of other great characters - all of whom are real!

I had not read any other books on Lincoln before picking this one up and I knew very little about the guy. But now I feel as if I've met him. He was very funny but also sincere. He hardly said a bad thing about anyone and when he did, it was well deserved. He apologized and took the blame for things that had nothing to do with him. Lincoln hated death and even cringed at the site of blood. Growing up, he could not even stomach cutting a chicken's head off. Ironically, he presided over a war that took 620,000 American lives - more than every other US war combined (from the Revolution to Iraq).

Lincoln was the last casualty of the Civil War and I hated to read about his death.