8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Superior work on Lincoln's relationship to Union soldiers!, April 12, 1999
By A Customer
William C. Davis has to be one of our most prolific historians. Amazingly, his work is always top notch as with this book. With so much already written on every facet of Lincoln's life, you would expect that there was not much original material that Davis could bring to his subject, but he does. I've always wondered how Lincoln could win the soldier's vote in his re-election campaign, given the love that the army had for Lincoln's opponent, George McClellan. But after reading this book, it becomes clear. I have an even greater respect for Lincoln and for Lincoln's men! Well done!!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An extraordinary Commander In Chief, March 4, 2001
This review is from: LINCOLN'S MEN: How President Lincoln Became Father to an Army and a Nation (Paperback)
I consider Abraham Lincoln our greatest President - greater even than Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt or FDR - for no other reason than he performed the duties of his office under pressures that would have beaten down a lesser man. Consider for a moment. He had to quell a nation-shattering rebellion. The top generals of his eastern armies were incompetent. He lost two of his young sons to disease. He had to persuade those states still loyal to accept two very controversial initiatives: a military draft and emancipation of blacks. His wife was a spendthrift and mentally unbalanced.
LINCOLN'S MEN examines Uncle Abe's relationship with the men of his armies, particularly those citizens that enlisted (or were drafted) into the states' volunteer regiments. Realizing that the officer corps took care of its own, his concern was chiefly spent on such issues important to the non-commissioned ranks, such as pay, fair military justice, length of enlistment, battlefield health care, and supply. Lincoln's office door was always open to anyone, even the most humble of privates, who had a petition or grievance to present. I find this last fact truly amazing when, today, the White House is a virtual fortress denying casual access to the most innocent of visitors.
The cynical might say that Lincoln was simply a politician, in the basest sense, currying favor with those whose efforts in the trenches might potentially fail to keep him in power. Indeed, while he was constantly visiting with and reviewing the troops of the eastern armies, particularly the hapless Army of the Potomac, he never once called on the western commands of Grant and Sherman because, after all, they were consistent winners. While this favoritism is glaring, the author, William Davis, presents it simply as a father caring for the most needy of his children. I agree. The affection Lincoln engendered in "his boys" in all military theaters of operation is evidenced by the vote they gave him in the election of 1864, and the tributes accorded him by veterans' groups in the decades following the war. He was truly Father Abraham.
LINCOLN'S MEN is a well-researched, informative example of historical reporting. Two-hundred fifty pages of text are supported by a 14-page bibliography and 46 pages of notes. I have only two complaints, which prevent me from awarding five stars. First, the author includes virtually no examples of Lincoln's famous, rustic wit. (The author's style, at times, makes for very dry reading. Dry as a soldier's hardtack.) Second, there's no supporting section of photographs. However, I certainly recommend this volume to any student of the Civil War.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Deserves To Be A Best Seller, July 30, 1999
By A Customer
As an avid reader of Lincoln biographies, I found this book enlightening. I'd always known that the Union soldiers loved and admired him, but to have the evidence gathered in one book was a revelation. This may "be available from other sources" as one of the reviews said, but for the general reader and even the student of history, this is a wonderful resource.
My only complaint is that in trying to demystify Lincoln, for the uncareful reader he may actually be adding to the myth. While he does an excellent job of citing the antidraft riots and desertions and the unfavorable opinions and so on; the casual reader may very well not remember those passages when they've finished the book.
Despite that caveat, I'll recommend this book to all my friends who enjoy reading, whether nonficion or fiction. It deserves to be a best seller, and I hope to see it on the list.
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