Lincoln's Men: How President Lincoln Became Father to an Army and a Nation [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

William C. Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 1999

LINCOLN'S MEN offers a fascinating account of the emotional bonds forged between the average Union soldier and 'Father Abraham' Lincoln. William C. Davis bases his study on the correspondence and diaries of Union soldiers to argue that Lincoln was revered by his troops as a kind-hearted father figure. Although few ever met, or even saw Lincoln, he left an enduring impression on them as his mesmerising eloquence, combined with his melancholy face, convinced them he was just like them. In return for this loyalty, Lincoln looked after them, provided for their families with the nations' first veterans' benefits system, and offered the exemplary leadership that molded and sustained their resolve to bring the Union to victory. Davis tracks the war chronologically, highlighting events that inspired ordinary soldiers to comment upon their commander and chief, including his spats with General McClellan, calls for more recruits and his decision to free the slaves. William C. Davis offers a captivating study of the powerful and symbolic relationship between Lincoln and his men as he sustained them though the most brutal war in American history.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Prolific author William C. Davis offers a biography of the relationship between President Lincoln and his Union soldiers--a study based on letters found in more than 600 manuscript collections, some of them private. Lincoln, of course, didn't know his troops personally, but he related to them through his own brief experience in arms (the Black Hawk War) and the duty of his office. The bluecoats, by contrast, all knew about Lincoln, and as Davis shows in this engaging book, viewed him as a kind of father figure.

Davis tracks the war chronologically, highlighting events that inspired ordinary soldiers to comment upon their commander in chief, such as his spats with General McClellan, calls for more recruits, and decision to free the slaves. It's impossible to argue that the men were all of one mind; time and again, Davis reveals the diversity of their views. "Thank the Lord for this!" wrote one Ohio private after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Another, however, was downright furious. His colorful opinion--written colloquially and without regard for modern grammar--is characteristic of the best Civil War letter writers: "[It] caused me an hour's hearty laugh, two hours tender cry, four hours big with mad, and I am swearing in all the languages known to Americans and Europeans." On the whole, however, Davis advances a convincing claim that the troops admired Lincoln for the greatness with which we honor him today. --John J. Miller

From Publishers Weekly

Historians have plumbed the depths of Lincoln's religion, his humor, his marriage, his political prowess and his talents as a military tactician. Yet, as Davis (A Government of Their Own) points out, the vital relationship between Lincoln and the men of the Union Army, up to now, has gone unstudied. By examining original correspondences and diaries and a vast array of secondary sources, Davis expertly fills this gap and paints a vivid portrait of how Union soldiers viewed the man they came to call "Father Abraham." The soldiers knew a few key things about Lincoln. They knew the lives of deserters sentenced to death were often spared by him. They knew Lincoln was not unwilling to share their risks, as when he visited Fort Stevens in July 1864 and mounted a forward parapet to get a good close look at the Confederates. And they knew that after formal reviews he could be counted upon to wander among them and tell comical stories, even though, as one private recounted, "every lineament of his countenance indicated a mental strain which almost prostrated him." In the end, they realized Lincoln was more than their leader; he was also their fellow sufferer in a terrible war. By examining the life of Lincoln through the prism of these relationships, Davis sheds new light both on our 16th president and on his epoch.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (January 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684833379
• ISBN-13: 978-0684833378
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,570,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

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

This review is from: Lincoln's Men: How President Lincoln Became Father to an Army and a Nation (Hardcover)

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!!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary Commander In Chief, March 4, 2001

By 

Joseph Haschka (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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.

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

This review is from: Lincoln's Men: How President Lincoln Became Father to an Army and a Nation (Hardcover)

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.