Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency

Rating:
Summary: An in depth study of the fight for the 1864 election:
Review: Author John C. Waugh has assembled a very large study of the political battle faced by President Abraham Lincoln as he ran for his second term in office. Waugh brings the reader to the front lines of struggle faced by the Lincoln administration and various political parties looking to cause unrest and hinder Lincoln's chances at reelection. The book also looks at many players involved in either helping Lincoln or destroying his chances. As the book progresses it uncovers odd political gain of many such as radicals trying anything to ruin Lincoln's chances while hysteria and hype flow through the papers. Anyone looking to understand the battle for the 1864 election owes it to them selves to read this book! 5 STARS!

Rating:
Summary: An in depth study of the fight for the 1864 election:
Review: Author John C. Waugh has assembled a very large study of the political battle faced by President Abraham Lincoln as he ran for his second term in office. Waugh brings the reader to the front lines of struggle faced by the Lincoln administration and various political parties looking to cause unrest and hinder Lincoln's chances at reelection. The book also looks at many players involved in either helping Lincoln or destroying his chances. As the book progresses it uncovers odd political gain of many such as radicals trying anything to ruin Lincoln's chances while hysteria and hype flow through the papers. Anyone looking to understand the battle for the 1864 election owes it to them selves to read this book! 5 STARS!

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Summary: Electoral Politics as War
Review: Considering turmoil surrounding the 2000 U.S. presidential election, it is interesting to reflect back on how well U.S. electoral politics have worked no matter the crisis. Even during the U.S. Civil War, the Union managed to hold an effective election that could have been much closer than it was. Waugh does an excellent job of examining the 1864 election, the players, the minor issues, and the overall effect that reversals and gains on the battlefields of the South and West had on Lincoln's fortunes.

As a reporter (as opposed to a historian), Waugh writes with a minimum of analysis, preferring to retell the events and to sketch the outcomes in a straightforward manner that proves very readable. This "historical reportage" approach lends itself well to both illuminating the past and allowing the reader to draw parallels with modern electoral campaigns and politicians.

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Summary: The most important presidential election in our history.
Review: For a history buff this is a must read, especially if you are a Civil War fanatic. On the other hand, those who are not really into history or politics might just enjoy this book also. The twists and turns of the plot, the shouting matches, the suspense, and the knife in the back tactics of some of the main players make this story almost worthy of being a daytime soap. The only thing missing is the sex.

Many readers will find it hard to believe that in 1864 Abraham Linclon was not the beloved figure he is today. Not only was he a target for the Democrats but also came under heavy fire from many in his own party. Had not Sherman, Farragut, and Sheridan given the Union great wins on the field in the Fall of 1864 it is quite possible that Lincoln would have lost the election. Still more probable is that if the Democrats themselves had not made major mistakes in their platform and choice for Vice President, George McCellan would have been the 17th President of the United States. The trials Lincoln faced within his own party makes one wonder just how much better he would have done than did Johnson during reconstruction.

John Waugh does a masterful job of telling his story. He keeps the book interesting from cover to cover and almost makes the reader feel they are there. Of special note is his ability to help the reader keep the players in this story straight. Many people who were prominate in this campaign are somewhat lost in history but Waugh never confuses the reader as he weaves them in and out of his text. I also found it very interesting how he pointed out the similar trials Jefferson Davis faced in Richmond.

The most amazing thing is that elections were held at all during such a crisis. It is a credit to the leaders of both the Union and the Confederacy that they never really thought about not holding elections right on schedule. Thanks to Mr. Waugh for reminding us just how dear our form of government is. Thanks also for an outstanding book.

Rating:
Summary: Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency
Review: I personally liked the book from a purely historical standpoint. It was a bit dry in parts and a bit too flowery in others but from the view of a person of the era watching the event I found it fascinating. I would have liked a few more maps and a few more pictures but ya can't have everything. I loved the personal descriptions of each of the main characters. Without actual movies or sounds of the day it made me visualize how Lincoln walked and talked, I could picture how Grant talked and walked, etc., etc. This may not be much to some but it puts flesh and bone on historical figures and makes them more human, rather than pages in a history book.

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Summary: 1864 and 2004 - The Parallels
Review: In 1864 Abraham Lincoln was facing re-election, and the prospects of defeat were so great that Lincoln actually penned a note to his cabinet urging cooperation with the incoming Democratic administration, should he lose.

Lincoln was a wartime President and his nation had grown weary of fighting and had begun questioning the motives of the war. There had been Draft Riots on the streets of New York only the year before. The war itself was not going well for the North, and the fighting had grinded down to a stalemate along the Rappahanock River in Virginia, and in the mountains of Northern Georgia.Many were beginning to believe that Robert E. Lee was invincible. There were many in the North, especially the Ohio Congressman Clement Vallandingham, who urged "peace at any price" - including Southern Independence and a repeal of the Emancipation Proclamation.

There were pressures for Lincoln to remove his loyal Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin, and replace him with a "War Democrat" - which he did.

And the Democrats on a solid Anti-War platform chose the war hero turned peace advocate Major General George McClellan as their Presidential candidate, with the anti-war George Pendleton as his running mate.

Sound Familiar???

How Lincoln turned it all around, captured the hearts and minds of the nation (with a little help from Union victories at Mobile Bay, Atlanta, and the Shenandoah Valley), and how people were convinced that George McClellan, who ironically did not like the platform he ran on, was not the right choice for the nation, is the basis of John Waugh's excellent, readable and dramatic book. He takes you to the cabinet meetings, the conventions, the behind-the-scenes machinations of the Lincoln supporters, John C. Fremont, McClellan and the Democrats, and even what the press was reporting (and it wasn't favorably inclined towards Abraham Lincoln).

The parallels between 1864 and 2004 are pretty eeery. But if that alone piques your curiosity, what you will find in this book is solid History. The bargain hardcover is no longer available, but a new trade paperback edition has just been released - and just in time for the 2004 election!



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Summary: Surviving the Mythical Lincoln
Review: It fascinates me how many great histories and biographies there are to read these days. You don't have to be a historian to enjoy this analysis of one of the most influential times in US history. It entertains, it enlightens, and it builds momentum like a well-written novel.

I spent my boyhood worshipping Long Abe, influenced by the school texts that anointed him a hero. Reelecting Lincoln reveals a more human Lincoln, yet one that I admire and respect. John Waugh exposes the Saviour of the Union for his frailties as well as his strengths. His research unveils the criticism of the President during this important period of the war, the fact that he was seen by many as a yokel, undeserving of the presidency, and the multiple factions, North and South, within and without his own party, even within his own cabinet, that were plotting to defeat him in the 1864 election. This book is well-researched from primary sources, including Lincoln's two personal secretaries and the letters and biographies of major and minor historical figures of the day. A journalist, Waugh also uses material from a multitude of very political newspapers, most of them embued with the opinions of their egomaniacal editors, men like Horace Greely, to describe the events that shaped the campaign during the conflict of the rebellion. There was indeed much underfoot during this year that was so essential to shaping the young nation. The United States was very close to turning out very differently than it looks today. Waugh weaves this story expertly. Reelecting Lincoln is a fascinating, entertaining book.

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Summary: 1864: A Tale of One City
Review: John C. Waugh's book is billed as an account of the 20th election campaign of the United States, between Union (Republican) candidate and incumbent President Abraham Lincoln and Democrat George B McClellan. But in truth, it is a narrative of the politics of 1864 in Washington, with the election playing a central, but not supreme, role.

'Reelecting Lincoln' thus tells the tale of the numerous political clashes that took place that year. It occasionally moves away from the Capital, reporting events in the Eastern Front, in Chicago convention, or even in Richmond, but the focus is clearly on the politics in Washington.

Waugh uses the terms 'cover' and 'report' to describe what he does in this book, arguing that he treats the election of 1864 as if it was a current day election. Indeed, the best thing about Waugh's book is that it demonstrated the messiness and doubt that affected the people at the time. Wild schemes to replace Lincoln as President, to nominate Grant, Chase or Benjamin Butler, or to change the party tickets, were all in the air. Waugh gives the audience a good sense of Washington's confusion in 1864 - without opinion polls, with on and off communication with the rest of the country, and with a war that seems to go good and bad unexpectedly, 1864 seemed much less certain then it does in retrospect.

Although Waugh's book is very readable, I would hesitate calling any book well written if it contained lines such as "Her beautiful head rested upon perhaps the most perfectly swanlike neck in the country" (p. 42). Waugh has an irritating tendency to describe, in great detail, the physical appearance of virtually every character he introduces, never mind how minor he or she is to the account. These descriptions slow the book down considerably - he spends the better part of three pages describing Abraham Lincoln (pp. 76-78).

Perhaps because Waugh is a journalist and not a historian, his approach to the questions of historiography is somewhat naïve. Waugh says that "it really happened that way" (p. x) but of course it's more complicated then that - the problems of selection and emphasis are inherent in any account. For example, the most important cause for Lincoln's victory in the election were the Northern military triumphs late in the summer - but Waugh dedicated only 4 pages to describe them (pp. 295-8). When describing the relations between Lincoln and the Radicals, Waugh seems to lean against the currently accepted interpretation, which emphasizes the agreement between Lincoln and the Radicals in face of Democratic, and especially copperhead, opposition.

Unforgivable is the absence of maps, especially given the long account of Jubal Early's ultimately pointless raid on Washington (chapter 18). The description of the Wilderness campaign would also have benefited from a map.

'Reelecting Lincoln' was the first narrative history I've read of the 1864 political situation in Washington, barring James McPherson's classic "Battle Cry of Freedom". As a narrative of those times, it gets the job done - but I can't recommend it to a more general audience


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Summary: The most important presidential election in our history
Review: John Waugh's book is a great insight into Lincoln's re-election bid in 1864. The book is replete with examples of Lincoln's astuteness as a politician. Although, Lincoln was a self-made commander in chief with no real military experience, he was very able. Lincoln envisioned, before his generals, that the war would be protracted. He came to mistrust many of his top generals; they were not aggressive enough for him. The conduct of the war is starting to wear on the morale at home. This causes a split in the fledgling Republican Party. The Abolitionist thought that Lincoln was too soft on eradicating slavery, but they couldn't get a candidate of their liking chosen at convention. The anti-war wing of the party believed that Lincoln was bleeding the country dry; they abhorred the human and economic suffering. Lincoln was able to out maneuver both factions and win re-nomination.

He then had to prepare to run against General McClellan, the Democratic Party's nominee, who he had fired for not aggressively prosecuting the war. The Democrats had selected McClellan on an anti war platform. Much to their chagrin McClellan ignores the party platform and runs as a pro-war candidate. This reversal is the first time in presidential political history that a candidate runs counter to the party platform. Despite McClellan's reversal the election is looking dire for Lincoln in August. Although Grant, the new general, is at least pursuing Lee's army, the war isn't moving fast enough. Many people in the North are looking to a decisive field victory to show that the war is at least coming to an end. All the doom and gloom in the White House comes to an end in September when General Sherman burns Atlanta. Lincoln can show the nation that the end is finally in sight. Lincoln very adroitly allows military units, especially from New York to travel home to vote. This shrewd political tactic garners Lincoln 7 out of 10 military votes. He winds up winning the election with 55% of the vote and a large portion of the Electoral College.

Waugh who is a journalist by trade writes in a style reminiscent of the great newspaper editors of Lincoln's day. He uses many of the articles as background information for the book. This was a very interesting book, which illuminates Lincoln's adroitness as a politician. As a retired Army officer and student of political philosophy, I found this to be a great book on leadership. Highly recommended.

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Summary: Making Of The President
Review: Less a book about a towering political figure than an account of how campaigns were waged a century and a half ago. While Reelecting Lincoln necessarily deals with the issues of the Civil War -- not to mention the bizarre circumstance of holding a presidential election under cannonfire, with half as many states as four years prior -- the book is about elections, not the presidency. That interim period between the modern primary and convention system and the pre-partisan campaigns of the Federal era are disclosed. In Campaign 1864, not only was it not odd for a president's own Cabinet to mull challenging the boss for his party's nomination, it would have been odd if Cabinet members had not. And with no polls and no primaries, candidacies rose and fell entirely in the salons of Georgetown and the conversations in D.C. pubs -- an elegant set of smoke-filled rooms. Abraham Lincoln does play a central role, but as the savviest politician of his time, not as a president trying to run a war. The book's most amusing moments come as Lincoln lulls his rivals into thinking him a dull-witted country bumpkin, doomed to lose renomination, not to mention the White House -- then going on to a landslide win.