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The Presidents' War: Six American Presidents and the Civil War That Divided Them
For the first time, readers will experience America's gravest crisis through the eyes of the five former presidents who lived it. Author and historian Chris DeRose chronicles history's most epic Presidential Royal Rumble, which culminated in a multi-front effort against Lincoln's reelection bid, but not before:
* John Tyler engaged in shuttle diplomacy between President Buchanan and the new Confederate Government. He chaired the Peace Convention of 1861, the last great hope for a political resolution to the crisis. When it failed, Tyler joined the Virginia Secession Convention, voted to leave the Union, and won election to the Confederate Congress.
* Van Buren, who had schemed to deny Lincoln the presidency, supported him in his efforts after Fort Sumter, and thwarted Franklin Pierce's attempt at a meeting of the ex-Presidents to undermine Lincoln.
* Millard Fillmore hosted Lincoln and Mary Todd on their way to Washington, initially supported the war effort, offered critical advice to keep Britain at bay, but turned on Lincoln over emancipation.
* Franklin Pierce, talked about as a Democratic candidate in 1860 and '64, was openly hostile to Lincoln and supportive of the South, an outspoken critic of Lincoln especially on civil liberties. After Vicksburg, when Jefferson Davis's home was raided, a secret correspondence between Pierce and the Confederate President was revealed.
* James Buchanan, who had left office as seven states had broken away from the Union, engaged in a frantic attempt to vindicate his administration, in part by tying himself to Lincoln and supporting the war, arguing that his successor had simply followed his policies.
How Abraham Lincoln battled against his predecessors to preserve the Union and later to put an end to slavery is a thrilling tale of war waged at the top level of power.
* John Tyler engaged in shuttle diplomacy between President Buchanan and the new Confederate Government. He chaired the Peace Convention of 1861, the last great hope for a political resolution to the crisis. When it failed, Tyler joined the Virginia Secession Convention, voted to leave the Union, and won election to the Confederate Congress.
* Van Buren, who had schemed to deny Lincoln the presidency, supported him in his efforts after Fort Sumter, and thwarted Franklin Pierce's attempt at a meeting of the ex-Presidents to undermine Lincoln.
* Millard Fillmore hosted Lincoln and Mary Todd on their way to Washington, initially supported the war effort, offered critical advice to keep Britain at bay, but turned on Lincoln over emancipation.
* Franklin Pierce, talked about as a Democratic candidate in 1860 and '64, was openly hostile to Lincoln and supportive of the South, an outspoken critic of Lincoln especially on civil liberties. After Vicksburg, when Jefferson Davis's home was raided, a secret correspondence between Pierce and the Confederate President was revealed.
* James Buchanan, who had left office as seven states had broken away from the Union, engaged in a frantic attempt to vindicate his administration, in part by tying himself to Lincoln and supporting the war, arguing that his successor had simply followed his policies.
How Abraham Lincoln battled against his predecessors to preserve the Union and later to put an end to slavery is a thrilling tale of war waged at the top level of power.
405 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
September 1, 2016
This was, I suppose, another 'team of rivals'. Not those who challenged Lincoln for the Presidency and would become his Cabinet. No, these were the living ex-Presidents. I hadn't really thought of that until this book, but there were five of them. And, oh, they were rivals.
These were the men, in one way or another, who had made accommodations with the South and slavery to preserve the Union. Then Lincoln was elected, and as he would famously say, "Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came."
It is now the custom for ex-Presidents to stay out of politics or to avoid harsh criticism, although Clinton and Carter have some trouble with the standard. But when the Civil War raged, the ex-Presidents couldn't help themselves. Van Buren was for compromise. Pierce actively sympathized with the South, in my view treasonously so. Fillmore wanted a return to the status quo ante even as the South was ready to throw down arms. Tyler, of course, left the Union and became a Confederate legislator. And Buchanan would be clueless to the end, supporting a constitutional right to slavery even after the war.
This story, here, is well, if superficially, told. A history I knew well, I still heard things anew. Like this exchange between Buchanan and Lincoln in an awkward moment before the Inauguration:
Buchanan took Lincoln aside to a corner where John Hay was standing. Hay waited "with boyish wonder and credulity to see what momentous counsels were to come from that gray and weather-beaten head." In a moment like this, every "word must have its value," Hay supposed.
"I think you will find the water of the right-hand well at the White House better than that at the left," Buchanan told his successor, before moving on to "many intimate details of the kitchen and pantry."
And I laughed out loud at the inclusion of an "autobiography" that Lincoln, on the eve of his Republican nomination for Senate, provided to a man who was compiling a biography for every man who had to that time served in Congress. Lincoln wrote:
Born, February 12, 1802, in Hardin County, Kentucky
Education, defective
Profession, lawyer......
I e-mailed this to a friend under a subject line "Could be us". He replied with simple profundity, "Is us".
This book once again vividly shows the almost impossible task that Lincoln faced. No easier, to be sure, that every living President thought he was wrong.
Ultimately, though, the author concludes:
Often America has been bereft of the leadership it wanted. But we may find comfort in knowing that in hours of great crisis for the Republic, America has never failed to find a leader to match the moment.
If not wrong, and I think it is, the sentiment is trite and sophomoric.
These were the men, in one way or another, who had made accommodations with the South and slavery to preserve the Union. Then Lincoln was elected, and as he would famously say, "Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came."
It is now the custom for ex-Presidents to stay out of politics or to avoid harsh criticism, although Clinton and Carter have some trouble with the standard. But when the Civil War raged, the ex-Presidents couldn't help themselves. Van Buren was for compromise. Pierce actively sympathized with the South, in my view treasonously so. Fillmore wanted a return to the status quo ante even as the South was ready to throw down arms. Tyler, of course, left the Union and became a Confederate legislator. And Buchanan would be clueless to the end, supporting a constitutional right to slavery even after the war.
This story, here, is well, if superficially, told. A history I knew well, I still heard things anew. Like this exchange between Buchanan and Lincoln in an awkward moment before the Inauguration:
Buchanan took Lincoln aside to a corner where John Hay was standing. Hay waited "with boyish wonder and credulity to see what momentous counsels were to come from that gray and weather-beaten head." In a moment like this, every "word must have its value," Hay supposed.
"I think you will find the water of the right-hand well at the White House better than that at the left," Buchanan told his successor, before moving on to "many intimate details of the kitchen and pantry."
And I laughed out loud at the inclusion of an "autobiography" that Lincoln, on the eve of his Republican nomination for Senate, provided to a man who was compiling a biography for every man who had to that time served in Congress. Lincoln wrote:
Born, February 12, 1802, in Hardin County, Kentucky
Education, defective
Profession, lawyer......
I e-mailed this to a friend under a subject line "Could be us". He replied with simple profundity, "Is us".
This book once again vividly shows the almost impossible task that Lincoln faced. No easier, to be sure, that every living President thought he was wrong.
Ultimately, though, the author concludes:
Often America has been bereft of the leadership it wanted. But we may find comfort in knowing that in hours of great crisis for the Republic, America has never failed to find a leader to match the moment.
If not wrong, and I think it is, the sentiment is trite and sophomoric.
June 19, 2018
Wonderful book about the Civil War and the way the Presidents had to deal with the entire slave situation. When Lincoln took office he faced opposition from some of these Presidents and by the last year of the war all of them were opposed to him and his tactics. The only one who never wavered in support was Martin Van Buren until the day he died. Very good treatment of the politics of the era and also the incompetence of Union general and how the Southern military leaders actually mocked them for their retreat tactics. Once Grant took command the war changed and finally came to an end. Took a while for me to read this, but it is a book that is easy to put down and start over again. Great book on the American Presidency, US Politics and the people who held the office of the President.
December 18, 2015
I've read several books about the Civil War period and bios of all of the presidents in the first half of the 19th century, but hadn't thought about them in exactly the way Chris DeRose presents. Seeing how each of them felt about one another and Lincoln provides a wonderful picture of the politics of the time and the national mood. I think what eludes most Yanks, like me, is the degree to which Southerners and a large number of Northerners believed that the South was in the Constitutional right on slavery as well as the way in which many in the north wanted no part of abolition. Perhaps the most intriguing president of the group was Franklin Pierce because in the modern era, it seems impossible that a northerner would have the attitudes he had, but the feeling that the Union should be preserved peacefully was strong. It's an interesting read and I recommend it.
August 24, 2014
When Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as the 16th President of the United States there were five former presidents living--Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan. Each of the five were opposed to Lincoln's stand against slavery. They felt that the North should continue efforts to appease the Southern slave interests at all cost to avoid civil war. This book brings those five forgotten former presidents to life, allowing the reader to clearly see each one's point of view and personality. Their stubborn insistence on following the ineffective policies of the past earned them their forgotten status.
August 19, 2018
This was one of the best books I've read concerning the politics of the Civil War. Looking through the lenses of past Presidents Van Buren, Tyler, Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan the reader gets a sense of how these men helped or hindered the North or South in the Civil War. For example, Tyler went home to Virginia and supported the Confederacy until his death. Generally, the former Presidents wanted to see some sort of solution that would allow the south to maintain slavery and be a part of the United States. Buchanan was urging this type of solution right up to Lee's surrender at Appomatax. The book is extremely well researched and included the outcomes of battles but is not a book on tactics or strategy. It's a book about politics. Generals such as McClellan would not pursue when his army won and would not fight if he thought he was outnumbered, which was most of the time. Meade had issues following up. These tactics caused Lincoln all sorts of grief and led to a rotating door of generals for the North. While Grant was not retreating he was losing thousands of soldiers in his battles Lincoln was lamenting the costs of what he hoped would be a victory. I truly enjoyed learning about the Civil War from this perspective.
January 12, 2015
I wanted to like this more than I did. The former presidents appear on the periphery of most other Civil War histories. While they were not major actors once Lincoln took office, they did play roles. What became clear while reading was the DeRose does not have a good grasp of the history himself. The broad sweep of events was correct but he wasn't able to judge what to address and what to leave out as effectively as he might. There are also several instances where references to a particular event are non sequiturs in the book as the event was not introduced at the proper moment. Emblematic of this is DeRose's treatment of Lincoln's assassination. He writes a chapter leading up to the actual event and makes a reference to the Lincoln's leaving for the theater on the evening. The next chapter simply opens with reactions from the Buchanan, Fillmore and Pierce to the event rather than mentioning that the assassination occurred. DeRose's choice to end the book with the immediate aftermath of the assassination is also disappointing. All three of Buchanan, Fillmore and Pierce lived into Reconstruction and Johnson's difficulties. Addressing their reaction to those events would also make sense. Still, I don't truly regret having read this work.
September 3, 2018
Just finished reading "The Presidents' War". Insightful, very interesting and covering a very original approach to a widely known period. Entertaining and definitely recommended for history buffs!
August 25, 2014
Wow, imagine Presidents Van Buren, Tyler, Buchanan, Fillmore, and Franklin Pierce all alive, and then, throw into the mix, a newly elected Abraham Lincoln and the fun begins. This book was an exciting read about the political lives of each of the above six presidents, as they related to the issues of state's rights and slavery, in the United States. For the most part, most of them wanted to just leave the south as it existed, allow slavery into new territories, and just let things be, in order to preserve the Union. Along comes Abe who has already decided that "A house divided cannot stand," and the former five presidents (all alive into Lincoln's first term), were all over him like a rug on a floor. Of the five, however, Fillmore, perhaps, provided the most support for Lincoln, although he was opposed to Lincoln's methodology for preserving the Union. Some interesting tidbits were pointed out: Franklin Pierce became the only incumbent president who was not renominated for re-election. He was a violent southern sympathizer. John Tyler, the first Vice President who became president upon the death of the president, was a major slave holder (he was a Virginian), who ultimately helped push Virginia out of the Union, taking several other states along with. Additionally, he ended up being elected and seated in the first Confederate congress. He was never pardoned, after the war, and thus became the only former U. S. president to die a traitor to his country. Good book, great read, I highly recommend it, especially to U. S. history and/or Civil War affectionados.
August 13, 2014
Excellent book about Lincoln, The Civil War, and the 5 other living president's during that time period. The book did an excellent job of dealing with Lincoln and the war, but the most interesting part was his relationship with the other living presidents, and their interactions and relationships. It was fascinating to learn about their feelings about the war, Lincoln, and each other. While these days, past presidents tend to stay out of the limelight and do not usually comment on the current president, or current events, things were a bit different back in the 1860's. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy American History, Lincoln, and the Civil War.
May 9, 2016
Excellent story brilliantly told
We know the story well. The attack on Sumpter, the agonizing years of blood letting and the anti climaxes of Appomatax and Fords Theater. Retelling this story withe the living predecessors as active players gives this tale a richness and context I'd never known.
In this election cycle where again so much is at risk, I read this book even more closely. It was wonderful.
We know the story well. The attack on Sumpter, the agonizing years of blood letting and the anti climaxes of Appomatax and Fords Theater. Retelling this story withe the living predecessors as active players gives this tale a richness and context I'd never known.
In this election cycle where again so much is at risk, I read this book even more closely. It was wonderful.
January 6, 2017
Beautifully researched and organized. For someone with scant time but much interest in learning more about the most unknown of our past chief executives--Van Buren, Tyler, Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan--, DeRose's book provides a perfect introduction to their inadequacies as presidents and former presidents when national conflict demanded more of them than they clearly had to offer. The narrative also presents further proof of Lincon's brilliance in responding to the same conflict.
August 1, 2014
This is a well researched book that deals with the Lincoln presidency and the 6 former living presidents at that time. We learn a lot about Franklin Pierce, Millard Fillmore, John Tyler, Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan who was vilified for his perceived failure to address the issue of slavery and secession.
August 22, 2014
Unique look at Lincoln's presidency from the perspective of how he was viewed, supported, and not supported by the living ex-presidents during the Civil War. To my knowledge, this is the first time that this perspective has been written about in one volume (as opposed to reading separate biographies of Tyler, Van Buren, Buchanan, Fillmore, and Pierce and getting their views).
November 6, 2014
This was another best reading book. All complete details of the six previous presidents prior to President Lincolns time in office shown how the previous Presidents dealt with and or even dodged the issue of slavery until the issue became great in which pushed the nation into a civil war. The pressure and the strength of President Lincoln, saved the Union and rid of the nation of Slavery.
October 29, 2014
I am a Presidential junkie (having visited all of their graves, plus their Vice Presidents graves) and thoroughly enjoyed this book. Based on this narrative, I believe Franklin Pierce should be considered America's worst ever President, being a traitor during the Civil War (so was John Tyler, however, at least he lived in the Confederacy).
December 10, 2014
Ever want to know what the living ex-presidents were doing during the Civil War? After reading this book, now I know.
August 15, 2022
Readers may ponder, are there any new rays of insight into the Civil War that have not passed through the prisms of countless historians? Author Chris DeRose may have found the last one. At the outbreak of the Civil War, America had an unprecedented, and until recent decades unique, cadre of five living former presidents to whom the dividing nation could look for experienced statesmanship. “The Presidents’ War” is the account of the roles they played.
Democrat Martin Van Buren of New York and served as president from 1837-1841 and remained a potential candidate and player in politics up to and including the 1860 election. Democrat/Whig/No One Would Claim Him John Tyler of Virginia had succeeded to the presidency on the death of William Henry Harrison in 1841 and served until 1845. Though held in low esteem by his fellow Virginians, they turned to him to him for leadership during the secession crisis. New York Whig Millard Fillmore succeeded Zachary Taylor in 1850 and completed his term until 1853. Though proclaiming himself retired from politics, Fillmore remained a focal point for those who saw in him a figure around whom Americans could rally. Democrat and Mexican War hero Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire had, at his wife’s request, abstained from politics off and on over his life but could not hide from the call to the White House from 1853-1857 or from the whirlwind swirling in the early 1860s. Veteran Pennsylvania Democrat James Buchanan had his reputation molded by his service from 1857-1861 and spent his retirement trying to justify his tenure.
The first 100 pages of the narrative covers the nullification crisis of the Jackson Era, through the Mexican War and series of compromises which held the Union together during which the former presidents served and matured, concluding with the election of 1860.
Lincoln having been elected, the text delves into the details of the War as background for the continuing actions and statements by the former presidents. Amazingly, to me at least, Van Buren, Fillmore, Pierce and Tyler were all suggested as potential presidents in 1860. The Presidents’ Club was as fractured as the country. All opposed Lincoln’s election in 1860 as did the survivors in 1864. In general terms, Van Buren and Fillmore supported the Union but urged more compromise than did Lincoln. Pierce was sympathetic toward the South and generally opposed the Administration’s policies and Buchanan defended his legacy by claiming that Lincoln largely carried out policies that Buchanan had begun and would have done had he been in office. Being a leading Virginian, Tyler was involved in early peace initiatives and, when they failed, an active participant in Virginia’s secession.
I read this in preparation for a book club. Members enjoyed the book, especially for the introduction it provided into the former presidents featured and the events leading up to the Civil War
The many footnotes and the index are helpful and the bibliography provides a guide to future reading.
Drawing on letters, diaries and contemporary newspapers and utilizing many quotes, DeRose sets the stage with the thirty-year buildup to War and skillfully weaves military, political and personal tales into a saga not to be found elsewhere. “The Presidents’ War” is an excellent choice for readers seeking a new political-military approach to our great national conflict.
Democrat Martin Van Buren of New York and served as president from 1837-1841 and remained a potential candidate and player in politics up to and including the 1860 election. Democrat/Whig/No One Would Claim Him John Tyler of Virginia had succeeded to the presidency on the death of William Henry Harrison in 1841 and served until 1845. Though held in low esteem by his fellow Virginians, they turned to him to him for leadership during the secession crisis. New York Whig Millard Fillmore succeeded Zachary Taylor in 1850 and completed his term until 1853. Though proclaiming himself retired from politics, Fillmore remained a focal point for those who saw in him a figure around whom Americans could rally. Democrat and Mexican War hero Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire had, at his wife’s request, abstained from politics off and on over his life but could not hide from the call to the White House from 1853-1857 or from the whirlwind swirling in the early 1860s. Veteran Pennsylvania Democrat James Buchanan had his reputation molded by his service from 1857-1861 and spent his retirement trying to justify his tenure.
The first 100 pages of the narrative covers the nullification crisis of the Jackson Era, through the Mexican War and series of compromises which held the Union together during which the former presidents served and matured, concluding with the election of 1860.
Lincoln having been elected, the text delves into the details of the War as background for the continuing actions and statements by the former presidents. Amazingly, to me at least, Van Buren, Fillmore, Pierce and Tyler were all suggested as potential presidents in 1860. The Presidents’ Club was as fractured as the country. All opposed Lincoln’s election in 1860 as did the survivors in 1864. In general terms, Van Buren and Fillmore supported the Union but urged more compromise than did Lincoln. Pierce was sympathetic toward the South and generally opposed the Administration’s policies and Buchanan defended his legacy by claiming that Lincoln largely carried out policies that Buchanan had begun and would have done had he been in office. Being a leading Virginian, Tyler was involved in early peace initiatives and, when they failed, an active participant in Virginia’s secession.
I read this in preparation for a book club. Members enjoyed the book, especially for the introduction it provided into the former presidents featured and the events leading up to the Civil War
The many footnotes and the index are helpful and the bibliography provides a guide to future reading.
Drawing on letters, diaries and contemporary newspapers and utilizing many quotes, DeRose sets the stage with the thirty-year buildup to War and skillfully weaves military, political and personal tales into a saga not to be found elsewhere. “The Presidents’ War” is an excellent choice for readers seeking a new political-military approach to our great national conflict.
October 17, 2024
The Presidents’ War by Chris DeRose
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The fascinating story of six American Presidents and the civil war that divided them. Starting with the presidency of Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), division over states rights and the issue of slavery would slowly erode the south’s loyalty to the union. Multiple presidents would kick the can down the road with compromise after compromise that did little to put a final end to the issue of slavery. This book examines the pre civil war period presidents; Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan. Finally culminating in the election of Abe Lincoln and the spark of a civil war. All of these past presidents would end up against Lincoln and the War of rebellion, including John Tyler who would be the only president in history to die an enemy of his country as a member of the confederate congress. History does not look kindly upon these presidents. Lincoln would usher in the beginning of a new American story; one of abolished slavery, and a stronger federal government and military and a nation becoming an industrial giant. Anyone interested in American presidents or politics should check this book out.
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#history #bookstagram #bookworm #book #reading #read #readersofinstagram #america #usa #usa🇺🇸 #president #unitedstates #civilwar #civilwarhistory #bookaddict #bookreview
.
.
.
The fascinating story of six American Presidents and the civil war that divided them. Starting with the presidency of Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), division over states rights and the issue of slavery would slowly erode the south’s loyalty to the union. Multiple presidents would kick the can down the road with compromise after compromise that did little to put a final end to the issue of slavery. This book examines the pre civil war period presidents; Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan. Finally culminating in the election of Abe Lincoln and the spark of a civil war. All of these past presidents would end up against Lincoln and the War of rebellion, including John Tyler who would be the only president in history to die an enemy of his country as a member of the confederate congress. History does not look kindly upon these presidents. Lincoln would usher in the beginning of a new American story; one of abolished slavery, and a stronger federal government and military and a nation becoming an industrial giant. Anyone interested in American presidents or politics should check this book out.
.
.
.
#history #bookstagram #bookworm #book #reading #read #readersofinstagram #america #usa #usa🇺🇸 #president #unitedstates #civilwar #civilwarhistory #bookaddict #bookreview
May 8, 2020
When Lincoln took his inauguration in 1861, for the first time in US History, there were 5 living former-presidents. This would not happen again until Bill Clinton in 1993. Each of those 5 presidents (Van Buren, Tyler, Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan) had all done their part in the lead-up to the situation the nation was currently facing.
Though the former presidents had been both Democrats and Whigs, they were all united against Lincoln and the Republican Party. They all wanted to accommodate the South and the institution of slavery rather than risk disunion and war. By the time Lincoln was inaugurated, several states had already seceded but the former Presidents still hoped that war could be averted and the union could be saved.
What the former Presidents seem to have failed to notice was that the time had changed since their time in office. No longer was it about appeasement of the South and the institution of slavery. It was time for it to eradicated so that there was only one United States.
This is an excellent book to read before "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Though the former presidents had been both Democrats and Whigs, they were all united against Lincoln and the Republican Party. They all wanted to accommodate the South and the institution of slavery rather than risk disunion and war. By the time Lincoln was inaugurated, several states had already seceded but the former Presidents still hoped that war could be averted and the union could be saved.
What the former Presidents seem to have failed to notice was that the time had changed since their time in office. No longer was it about appeasement of the South and the institution of slavery. It was time for it to eradicated so that there was only one United States.
This is an excellent book to read before "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
March 16, 2021
At the time of Lincoln's inauguration, there were five living presidents. This book details how these five men undermined Lincoln's quest to preserving the union. Some, like Fillmore, supported Lincoln at first, until the Emancipation Proclamation. Pierce and Buchanan were southern sympathizers and Tyler was a traitor to the union. These men were failures as presidents and equal failures as statemen during the Civil War. All in all, an interesting read for anyone interested in the history of the decades before the war.
June 11, 2018
So many Presidents
Who remembered or knew that at the start of the Civil War their were 5 former living Presidents. This book traces their roles before and after the start of the war, providing a window into a truly unique period. Their words and actions are in stark contrast to those of Lincoln, in whom responsibility lay for restring the Union. You won’t be disappointed in this book. And it reveals again the greatness of Lincoln - the right leader at the right time.
Who remembered or knew that at the start of the Civil War their were 5 former living Presidents. This book traces their roles before and after the start of the war, providing a window into a truly unique period. Their words and actions are in stark contrast to those of Lincoln, in whom responsibility lay for restring the Union. You won’t be disappointed in this book. And it reveals again the greatness of Lincoln - the right leader at the right time.
March 5, 2023
An excellent and oftentimes humorous history of the American presidency throughout the Ante-Bellum period and the Civil War; provided direct insight into the minds of the occupants of the White House from Van Buren to Lincoln. An all around great read that'll be hard to put down for the Presidential or Civil War Historian.
May 10, 2021
Very entertaining
This book details the responses of the five living ex-presidents to Abraham Lincoln and the civil war. It proves that mediocre presidents continue their mediocrity after leaving office, while at the same trying to rescue their legacy.
This book details the responses of the five living ex-presidents to Abraham Lincoln and the civil war. It proves that mediocre presidents continue their mediocrity after leaving office, while at the same trying to rescue their legacy.
November 13, 2023
Really interesting, and fills in a gap for me, for that period before the Civil War when our presidents were apparently colorless and forgettable. They weren't. Author has some ungrammatical and awkward moments but writes a very readable history.
August 26, 2018
A history still relevant to our time
Well researched, quite readable, and holds many lessons which remind us how we got here and why we are better as a house united.
Well researched, quite readable, and holds many lessons which remind us how we got here and why we are better as a house united.
July 24, 2021
Very good book. The insights of DeRose were clear and easy to read. Now I want to read more about Van Buren, what a good history should do, send you seeking out new topics.
August 13, 2022
A very different book on the time leading up to and through the Civil War. Very interesting how the ex-Presidents conducted themselves during the War itself.
May 22, 2023
Good story of an important period in US history.
October 1, 2024
New history for me on the unremarkable presidents before Lincoln. Writing could be clearer.
November 7, 2025
Should be used to teach U.S. History at least the early chapters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews