The Great Task Remaining: The Third Year of Lincoln's War

by William Marvel

The Great Task Remaining is a striking, often poignant portrait of people balancing their own values—rather than ours—to determine whether the horrors attending Mr. Lincoln’s war were worth bearing in order to achieve his ultimate goals.  As 1863 unfolds, we see the disaster at Chancellorsville, the battle of Gettysburg, and the end of the siege of Vicksburg. Then, astonishingly, the Confederacy springs vigorously back to life after the Union triumphs of the summer, setting the stage for Lincoln’s now famous speech on the Pennsylvania battlefield. Without abandoning the underlying sympathy for Lincoln, Marvel makes a convincing argument for the Gettysburg Address as being less of a paean to liberty than an appeal to stay the course in the face of rampant antiwar sentiment.  The Great Task Remaining offers a provocative history of a dramatic year—a year that saw victory and defeat, doubt and riot—as well as a compelling story of a people who clung to the promise of a much-longed-for end.

Genres: Civil War, American Civil War, History

430 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

William Marvel grew up on Davis Hill in South Conway, New Hampshire where he still lives. He has been writing about nineteenth-century American history for more than three decades.

Reviews

[Dick Tatro · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a postive view of President Lincoln this book may give you a different view. Lincoln of course faced the most difficult period that could ever happen to a nation. Civil War, especially one so vicious as the American Civil War, is the most difficult problem a President could have. But in response to the war Lincoln took on the role of a tryant. Suspending of basic rights, having political opponents thrown in jail, closing down newspapers that opposed the war, etc. It would be like Obama putting Newt Gingrich in jail and closing down Rush Linbaugh and Fox news. While those may sound like good ideas, they would be the work of a tryant. I now see where John Wilkes Booth was coming from. It proves winning covers all problems. Lincoln won the War and saved the nation but we forget how he did it. Win at all costs!! You will like this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sprinkled with experiences of actual soldiers and citizens that made this fascinating!

[JW · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third volume in William Marvel’s four volume history of the Union’s war. One must turn elsewhere for the Confederate story. However, don’t think you’re only getting half of the story. By concentrating on the North the author is able to seamlessly blend military, political and social history. The extensive use of primary documents (letters and diaries) gives the reader a people’s eye view of the war.
And the view presented is far from the usual triumphant presentation of freedom on the march. Marvel shows how many soldiers enlisted out of economic necessity, not patriotic ardor, and then left the service as soon as they were able to. Many people, both in and out of uniform, questioned the necessity of subduing the Southern states, and felt victory was not worth the cost in blood and treasure. While the cause of emancipation inspired some, others were vehemently opposed and felt that turning the war into a struggle to end slavery was a bait and switch scam. As Marvel shows, the administration had no qualms about using repression to control dissent.
In the military, strategic thinking and bravery battled with incompetence, corruption and presidential interference. The portrait of Lincoln in the book is not the usual depiction of a wise statesman. Instead, Lincoln is seen as more of a stubborn politician who wound up in deeper waters than he ever expected. Still, it was that stubbornness that carried him through the third bloody year of his war.
What is especially effective is the use of soldiers’ letters home. Someone will express good cheer, an interest in family matters, or an anticipation of returning, but that would be the last letter the home folks would ever receive. Dreams turned to patriotic gore.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, a healthy way to re-examine the "mythology" of the Union in the Civil War. As with the previous work's in the series this book does a good job of digging into the lesser known events of the Civil War, within the backdrop of the great campaigns which usually take up most our attention. Though the author's continued surprise of and diatribes against the hypocrisy of those in power gets a bit old (spoiler: Lincoln and the Republican leadership do not come away smelling like roses), it is good to see how American politics and culture adapted and survived the conflict. This history emphasizes the ways the Civil War was an evolution of America and how there were many sides in the conflict, not just the Blue and Gray.