Amazon.com: Lincoln Takes Command (9780931709036): John S. Tilley: Books

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The truth at last...., May 11, 2001

By	Curtis B. Hasty (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am glad to see that this book has been republished after almost half a century. In this book, Tilley goes about showing Lincoln's true role in starting the War Between the States.

It is a known fact that Lincoln's election led t0 the secession of the Southern States, but this work goes about showing how Lincoln used every device at his disposal to lure the Confederate States into firing the first shots of the war.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Fort Sumter/Civil War incident book on the market, July 8, 2003

By	Lamont G. Sible Jr. - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book should be a MUST for anyone wanting to learn, or understand Lincoln's role in the Fort Sumter/Civil War situation. John Tilley must have spent years researching this.

What Mr. Tilley does in the book, is describe the pieces to the puzzle; then explain how they all fit together. It's an amazing book.

What most Civil War historians miss is Lincoln's letter of 12 December 1860, ( this rather shows Lincoln's assumption to interfere in governmental affairs, even though he was still a civilian--voted in, but not taken the oath of inauguration 4 March 61--, and questions a belief in undermining the current President Buchanan.)-----From this book you read---->

--> Lincoln had sent to E.B. Washburne [ 12 Dec 1860 ],for secret transmittal to George Winfield Scott, commanding General of the army, this message: ---"Please present my respects to the General, and tell him confidentially, I shall be obliged to him to be as well prepared as he can to either hold or retake the Forts, as the case may require, at and after the inauguration."---

Primary Source: Nicolay and Hay, Lincoln III, page 250 ( see also)
Robert McNutt McElroy, "Jefferson Davis; the Unreal and the Real", I, page 278
( did you notice the word, "secret"!)

This book quotes the O.R., the O.R.N., The Diary of Gideon Wells, "The Genesis of the Civil War" by Crawford, amongst a host of other sources.

Tilley totally debunks the "Starving Garrison" story that was fabricated for the Northern newspapers, to build support for the war. Example---

By Anderson's own figures he had enough provisions on hand to last his garrison, until April 26th. This did not take into consideration, the supplies ( Meat, vegetables, solidified milk, butter, soap, and groceries), that they received from Charleston, after that.

Beauregard even sent cases of Claret and cigars over with his compliments
----"Battles and Leaders", Vol 1, page 82-----

In fact Anderson's garrison were supplied from Charleston, until the first week of April, when the reports came in that Warships where headed towards Fort Sumter.
Anderson's own words refutes the "Starving Garrison" story concocted for the Northern papers.
Anderson stated, in a week they would be starved out anyway. ---meaning they did in fact have food then.

The first chapter of this book reads a little slow, as Tilley seems to 'set a stage', or introduce us to the mystery. ( This could be compared to a mystery novel; except this is factual) Reading the second chapter and beyond, the days leading up to this are put together, from the records, and even many Civil War buffs should learn a few things.

A very nice touch at the end of the book, are several pages taken from High School History books, concerning the Fort Sumter incident. ( I like these quizzes at the end, a shame more books don't have them.) By the end of the book, you'll see the mistakes these High School History books teach. If you don't, then Mr. Tilley, uses the Official Records, and shows us the mistakes.

Probably the best Fort Sumter/Civil War book on the market.

Did you ever wonder why Lincoln never said, "What a minute fellas; let's sit down and talk this thing out."
Read this book and find out.

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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best and not the truth, April 15, 2008

By	Dennis Brandt (Red Lion, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

John Shipley Tilley's detailed work on the preliminaries to the Civil War holds up well after 67 years if one concentrates on the data presented and the writing style. It is an interesting account of neo-Confederate ideals that still drives that movement and those of ultralibertarians like Thomas DiLorenzo. Tilley has all the facts, but interpretation is a different story. He was an historian, but his work reveals he was a Southerner first. His principle and non-historical goal in LTC was to indict the North for starting the Civil War, not present an accurate picture of events. He strongly hints that president-elect Lincoln was behind a series of secret orders and missions to do just that. "Hints" is the key word because he lacks solid evidence. He premises every argument on that belief that secession was legal, good, and moral and that anyone trying to prevent it was a villain. Disagree with that concept and Tilley's words take on a totally different meaning.

The opening chapters on Fort Pickens are a case in point. According to Tilley, men who were officers and gentlemen got together and promised not to shoot at each other as long as federal reinforcements would not land. Then Lincoln came along and ordered secret missions to reinforce Fort Pickens. The unstated message is clear. Only an evil man would override a gentlemen's agreement. That is Southern honor talking, not pragmatism or history. It is of no consequence to Tilley that Lincoln took an oath to "take care the laws be faithfully executed" and that the seizure of dozens of federal facilities in the South and the threatening of yet another could be deemed a violation of law. How long should Lincoln have permitted this standoff to go on? One side or the other eventually had to take control. By Tilley's definition, that could only mean the South. Lincoln faced either putting a halt to Southern aggression or permitting the destruction of the United States. He opined quite reasonably that secession would immediately become a club held over the head of every governing body and that the will of the people would come to mean little. Tilley, of course, wanted all that to happen.

He had a bad habit of asking questions without supplying answers, his way of hinting at conspiracy without resorting to facts. Page 159, as one example, contains a long series of questions followed by "the sequence grips the imagination." It surely does that, but imagination is the purview of fiction, not history.

Fascinating read? Yes. Truth? Only to some extent.