Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln and America's Most Perilous Year

by David von Drehle

The electrifying story of Abraham Lincoln's rise to greatness during the most perilous year in our nation's history

As 1862 dawned, the American republic was at death's door. The federal government appeared overwhelmed, the U.S. Treasury was broke, and the Union's top general was gravely ill. The Confederacy--with its booming economy, expert military leadership, and commanding position on the battlefield--had a clear view to victory. To a remarkable extent, the survival of the country depended on the judgment, cunning, and resilience of the unschooled frontier lawyer who had recently been elected president.

Twelve months later, the Civil War had become a cataclysm but the tide had turned. The Union generals who would win the war had at last emerged, and the Confederate Army had suffered the key losses that would lead to its doom. The blueprint of modern America--an expanding colossus of industrial and financial might--had been indelibly inked. And the man who brought the nation through its darkest hour, Abraham Lincoln, had been forged into a singular leader.

In Rise to Greatness, acclaimed author David Von Drehle has created both a deeply human portrait of America's greatest president and a rich, dramatic narrative about our most fateful year.

Genres: History, Civil War, Biography, Nonfiction, Presidents, American History, American Civil War

480 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2012

About the author

David von Drehle is the author of three previous books, including the award-winning Triangle, a history of the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire that The New York Times called "social history at its best." An editor-at-large at Time magazine, he and his family live in Kansas City, Missouri.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidv...

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the beginning of 1862, “The federal government, meanwhile, appeared overwhelmed. The president was increasingly seen as feckless and inadequate. Congress was in the hands of a political party that had never governed before. The Treasury Department was broke, yet federal spending was multiplying as never before; in 1862, the government would spend six times as much as in 1861. (Northern banks, fearing a panic by demoralized investors, had closed their exchange windows, refusing to redeem paper money with gold or silver.) The War Department was a corrupt shambles, its chief on the verge of being fired. Despairing State Department envoys to Britain and France believed that the great powers were aligned against their besieged government; it appeared to be only a matter of time before Europe would intervene to settle the conflict in favor of the Confederacy.”

These were not the only threats facing President Lincoln and the Union. Von Drehle takes us on a journey through 1862 and makes a powerful case for why this should be considered America’s most perilous year. He brings to his task, history of that period, military and government reports, letters, personal diaries, and gathers it all into a compelling recounting of all that was happening.

In 1862, Abraham Lincoln faced his first full year of his Presidency. The previous nine months had already seen the Confederacy from Virginia to Texas try to separate itself. In many cases, the Union response was slow, inadequate and/or misdirected. If the Confederacy could only gain Europe’s acknowledgement, it would be hard for the ponderous Union to get that recognition retracted. And, there were reasons (political, economic and social) why both England and France, rarely agreeing on anything, might agree to that.

Every historian gets to select the facts that she/he will use in what they might write. They also usually get to select the mode of presentation. Von Drehle takes us readers on an almost day by day chronicle of events as they play out from the New Year’s Day celebration at the White House, to those final December days of 1862. In doing so, he justifies both his methodology and his thesis that this was one perilous year that might never find an equal for the United States.

When the “Emancipation Proclamation” was issued in January 1863, it didn’t just emerge. One of the things that von Drehle does best is to give us the progression/regression of Lincoln’s thoughts on African-Americans and, particularly, those in slavery. As in the other key elements of the Lincoln Presidency, von Drehle has gone to original sources (diaries, letters, etc.) and knits them into an effective narrative. We get to observe the pressures put on Lincoln day-to-day by his friends and opponents, by the Abolitionists, by the Quakers, by the Democrats, by the military, by diplomats, by the Cabinet, by France and England, by his own Republican Party, and so many other groups.

With regard to slaves, there were many issues: Should some or all be freed? Should they be so at once or progressively? Once free should they work with the army (as some were forced to do in the Confederacy) or allowed to choose their work? Should some/all be allowed to stay in the USA? If not, where should they go? Should the Union government pay for all of that? Should the government compensate slave owners in states that stayed in the Union? What would be the consequences of not agreeing with everything the Abolitionists wanted? Did not agreeing with the Democrats pose consequences for the Congressional elections of 1862?

With regard to the war, the Union was slow to mobilize; slow to take the initiative; slow to follow up on advantage; and, the Union Army was rife with politics. Little cabals were set up supporting various generals and there was open talk about placing one or another at the head of the government in place of Lincoln. There was a real danger of a coup and many things were openly discussed including substituting a dictatorship for the Presidency.

We are led to the conclusion that a key to understanding the significance of 1862 is to understand General George McClellan and Lincoln’s relationship. Von Drehle offers personal diaries and McClellan’s letters to his wife to illuminate how the General felt underappreciated and vulnerable. He was never committed to total war and would have gladly allowed slavery to continue if the Confederates would rejoin the Union. Lincoln at the beginning of 1862 was of a similar mind, but his thoughts evolved and he saw what it would take to regain those southern states. The details are critical and I have not found any better recitation of them than in this volume.

McClellan’s position as General Officer of the Union Army took many turns during these twelve months. He vexed most Republicans, the Cabinet and Congress, as well as the President, with his constant demands for additional troops and supplies based on spurious estimates of the enemy.

This also caused him, in several campaigns, to pass up opportunities to take the Confederate capitol and deal crushing blows to the Lee’s Army of Virginia. When he is eventually relieved of his responsibilities, he departs graciously and doesn’t use the opportunity to gather his loyal troops about him. Yet, he was very politically ambitious and became the Democratic nominee against Lincoln in 1864.

Lincoln’s personal and professional growth during 1862 is at the core of this book and von Drehle makes excellent use of a wide variety of sources to chart Lincoln’s evolving
• thoughts on slavery and emancipation
• evaluation of the performance of Union generals
• ability to persuade or dominate a cabinet “of rivals”
• inner strength to get though the death of not only his son but personal friends
• understanding of international politics, economic and diplomacy
• ability to walk the path between the Abolitionists and the “Copperheads”
• lead national opinion rather than be buffeted by it

I am persuaded that this period of time was critical for Lincoln and the Union. And, though we don’t see the great victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1862, the issues of Union conscription, emancipation, foreign intervention and the possibility of dictatorship are all but resolved by the end of that year.

This is a book that I am going to return to; perhaps, even later this year.

[Steve Smits · Rating 4 out of 5]

1862 was certainly, as the title posits, the "most perilous year" in the Civil War. By concentrating on this year, the author draws attention to how the up and down fortunes of the Union could have resulted in the failure of ultimate Union victory. The author makes clear, in this highly readable book, that it was Lincoln's incredibly deft handling of massively complex issues that positioned the North to prevail, even though its success was 2 1/2 years away.

The major lines in the story are the evolving sophistication of Lincoln as a military strategist, his handling of the utterly contradictory views of abolitionists and those who cared little about the continuation of slavery, the delicate treatment of the border states, his handling of his head strong cabinet, and the frustrating attempts to get an eastern army that would fight. Through all of these difficulties, Lincoln kept his eye on Euroope which any number of times was on the brink of intervening on the side of the Confederacy.

Lincoln's handling of emancipation is one of these themes. Lincoln was personally deeply opposed to slavery. While he recognized that the war was in the first instance one to preserve the union, he came to realize that in the end the union could not be preserved with slavery still extant. His thinking on how to deal with this evolved from his attempts to "buy out" slave holders in the border states, to a serious effort at colonization of blacks to Central America or Africa to finally determining to emancipating slaves in the rebelling states on the premise of military necessity. (There were constitutional limitations on legislating slavery away versus doing so under executive decree). His executive proclamation issued after and under the strength of the Union victory at Antietam compelled the acceptance (grudgingly by many) that slavery must be abolished if a new political compact was to emerge from the military conflict.

PS Some time after writing this review I noticed that Lincoln's handwritten preliminary draft of the Emancipation Proclamation was to be on exhibit at the local museum in our small upstate New York city. I went to see it after voting on election day. (What a wonderful juxtaposition of historical race-related occurrences -- doesn't matter who you voted for, just think about it.) I thought I'd just buzz down and whisk through the exhibit. Not so. I waited on line for 1 1/4 hours. By the end of the two-day showing, over 6,000 people had seen it. This speaks to the feelings held by people for Lincoln's action even these many years later. The document does affirm that Lincoln's intent, while ultimately moral, was largely political and justified on military necessity. Note in the document his care not to offend the border states (he asked for legislation to buy their slaves) and there's little said about equality. As the terrific new movie portrays, note also that Lincoln's confidence in "forever" free was not strong; perhaps the confiscated slaves would be forever free, but what about slavery itself. The movie tells the story of Lincoln's plan for dealing with that uncertainty.


Lincoln's personal history is also told in this book. His loyalty to his wife who brought great trouble to him through her profligate spending and her mental instability. His deep grief over the death of his beloved son Willie from typhoid. The focus of the book on just one year allows full treatment of these issues.

We sometimes think of Lincoln in terms of his principles. This is correctly so, but it is a fuller understanding of the man when we realize how incredibly politically skillful he was. And patient. With enormous conflicting interests and forces pulling and tugging nearly daily on him, he had to find and stick with courses that would hold together in the midst of powerful forces that would pull them down. This book does an excellent job in conveying how incredibly thoughtful Lincoln was in finding and preserving on the right path to the end.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve often found that I just don’t like history books about a specific year. The ones I’ve read tend not to be done well, overemphasize how pivotal a year it was, have little of importance to say, and end up being a collection of trivia that happen to be associated with that particular year, with no larger purpose in mind.

That being the case, I might never have picked up this book. It’s about a specific year but in a stealthy kind of way, because the year is not in the title, and it’s more about a year in the life and presidency of Abraham Lincoln than it is about the year itself.

That year would be 1862, which Von Drehle calls “the most eventful year in American history” and the year that “Abraham Lincoln rose to greatness.” He may have overstated the former point but doesn’t dwell on that too much, instead focusing his narrative on the latter point and largely succeeding in proving it.

The book is rigidly chronological, beginning and ending on New Year’s Day, one year apart, with each month of the year in between getting its own chapter. But the narrative flows much more expertly than it sounds. Often this type of approach can result in lopsided chapter lengths, with some busy periods getting much more ink and less busy periods being stretched with filler. All of the chapters here, though, are of roughly equal length, the pacing is good, and I didn’t detect any padding or skimping to lengthen or shorten any particular chapter.

Non-time-specific topics like biographies of new characters, Lincoln’s family life and his religious beliefs are seamlessly woven in where appropriate to the narrative. Von Drehle also incorporates little anecdotes like how Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase came to put his own face on the first one-dollar bill, how Julia Ward Howe composed the lyrics to the Battle Hymn of the Republic as an abolitionist call to action, and even the invention of the window screen - all of them in such a way that they’re relevant to the narrative and don’t read like pointless non sequitur trivia.

Style and anecdotes aside, the main point of the book is how Lincoln and the Civil War itself underwent important changes during the course of the year. Von Drehle shows this, in his month-by-month approach, by shifting the focus back and forth between Washington and the battlefield. Over the course of the year, the battlefield situation evolves from hopeless, under the plodding Gen. McClellan, to hopeful, as McClellan is finally dismissed once and for all and Gen. Grant is on the cusp of his greatest victory that will change the course of the war.

Lincoln’s greatest turning point during the year is his evolution from trying to negotiate an end to slavery, to taking a much more forceful position with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. Von Drehle doesn’t fall into the trap of characterizing this as a sign of Lincoln’s “growth,” or that he suddenly realized that slavery was bad and ended up transforming the entire meaning of the war. Instead, he correctly shows Lincoln wrestling with how best to fulfill his strong antislavery views, while keeping within his political and constitutional constraints, until he comes to accept that emancipation is the best way forward.

The writing throughout is very good, and Von Drehle is very perceptive. There are not necessarily great insights within, but the narrative always kept my attention and no observation rang false to me.

By the end of 1862, the war was far from over, and the book’s epilogue acknowledges that the year ended with “a ragged tail of loose ends.” 1862 can not necessarily be called the pivotal turning point in the war itself, and Von Drehle allows that it “did not mark the end of the war, or even the beginning of the end” but was more like “the end of the beginning.”

Von Drehle more convincingly makes his case that the year concluded on a much different, much more hopeful note than it began, by bringing the focus back to Lincoln himself. By ticking through Lincoln’s major accomplishments - erasing the threat of European intervention, asserting his presidential authority, dismissing McClellan, transforming the war with the Emancipation Proclamation - Von Drehle observes that Lincoln “began the year possessing the raw material of greatness,” but by year's end, his “greatness was no longer raw.”

Anyone not well-read on Lincoln or the Civil War will get a good sense from this book of why 1862 was an important year for both. Those who are more familiar may not necessarily learn new information here, but Von Drehle’s coherent and enjoyable writing will help anyone gain an even greater appreciation for how Lincoln successfully steered the country through such a tumultuous time. And given my aversion to and avoidance of history books about a specific year that might have caused me to skip this, I thank him for not calling it “1862.”

[John Woltjer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a former Jesuit School History teacher, and have never encountered a more fascinating figure than Abraham Lincoln. The sheer complexity of the man--a tall, gangly, scrapping street fighter who won virtually every fight he participated in; a towering intellect developed through self study; a man of such enormous capacity for empathy that he felt he bore the suffering of the whole world on his narrow shoulders: I have the profoundest respect for people who can adequately treat this singular man in the written word. David Von Drehle does it. I am absolutely taken with his treatment of Lincoln and will fill in the details after i complete it.

[Maroel San · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drawing from a collection of correspondence between Abraham Lincoln and his generals and other prominent figures of the time, as well as many other sources, von Drehle paints a compelling case for why the year 1862 was the most pivotal year in American history after the declaration of independence.

This is by no means a complete account of the civil war which consumed the nation from the southern states' secession in 1861 to Robert Lee's surrender in the spring of 1865. Readers who are looking for a more detailed narration of events may find this book terribly lacking (as I did in this respect), but this is clearly to no fault of the author as it is never the intention of the book to provide a full account of the war.

But Lincoln's rise to greatness is ever more apparent in the methodical presentation of events employed in this book. Chapter after chapter takes the readers to an almost day-to-day of Lincoln in 1862 examining his deepest thoughts during the most mundane and critical of hours as recounted from personal diaries and his many conversations.

At the heart of the war was the issue of slavery. While Lincoln believed that slavery was wrong he also believed that he did not possess the constitutional power to abolish it. As the confederate gained victories against the union forces, however, and amid a potential European intervention in the war that would give the confederate states legitimacy, von Drehle shows how gradually Lincoln outgrew his initial belief. In his letter to Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, on 22 August 1862 Lincoln gave a glimpse of his changed thought. He wrote, "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union. If I could save the union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save the union by freeing all slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that... I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men every where could be free."

This marked the turning point for Lincoln and he began searching for signs of divine will. In a surviving fragment of personal note that a white house secretary later titled "Meditation on the Divine Will" Lincoln wrote that "[t]he will of God prevails. In great contests, each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time... I am almost ready to say this is probably true— that God wills this contest, and wills that it shall not end yet... "

The sign from God came to Lincoln in the face of Antietam victory in September 1862. Although not the rousing victory he had hoped, it nevertheless drove the Southern rebels away from Maryland and back to Virginia. And this he took as God's decision "in favor of the slaves". In that same month, he issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in the states currently in rebellion against the union come the New Year of 1863.

Thus the climax of the story is reached. Reading this book, which I committed only to doing so for several pages a night, is an utter delight. I find it well-written, informative, and filled with details about other prominent figures of the time too. George McClellan for one, the inexorable general of Lincoln, is an interesting figure who has had plenty of pages in this book devoted to him, and I don't see it unlikely that I shall read more about his life and letters in the future.

To readers who are interested in understanding how Lincoln balanced a tenuous position amid personal tragedies, his challenges and powerlessness against the American military and establishment, and the cries of abolitionists and pro-slaveries, and came out with a lasting legacy that ultimately preserved the union, I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written and lively portrait of Lincoln in 1862. If you’ve read up on this era you probably won’t find anything new here, nor may it be in-depth enough for some. However it is still a good general history of that pivotal year. We see the ill-prepared Lincoln mature as a president and commander-in-chief. Drehle does a great job explaining the rationale for all of lincoln’s decisions, probably not a hard task for the author since Lincoln was so gifted at expressing lofty ideas in pithy prose that anybody could understand.

We see Lincoln’s views on slavery and emancipation evolve as he maneuvers around the obstructions of people like General McClellan and Chief Justice Roger Taney, and alters the nature of the war as a “hard war” bent on destroying slavery and crushing the rebels’ will to fight. We also see how little effort both sides devoted to setting strategy, which may surprise some readers but will be familiar to those who have already read up on the Civil War. The Northern war effort under McClellan was basically just a series of tactical operations, with nothing resembling strategic planning ever happening, even though the results were indistinguishable.

The book is filled with anonymous quotes usually used to support Drehle’s main points; you have to flip back to the endnotes to find out who actually said them. Still, quite a well-researched book with a linear narrative that is easy to follow.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I started this book shortly after New Year's, it took me until now to get back to it. Better late than never I guess. The author makes the argument that 1862 was the pivotal year of the Civil War. He gives a brief but highly insightful overview of the battles fought and Lincoln's reaction to them. I found this book to be well written. While it might not appeal to the casual reader, for true Civil War buffs it promises a very entertaining read.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This month-by-month assessment of 1862 reveals how Lincoln was enabled to issue the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, despite numerous set-backs both political and military … The fluctuations honed Lincoln’s character and calibrated his responses to events … yet another nuanced addition to the Lincoln literature …

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

How could anybody possibly add anything new to the thousands of books on Lincoln. So when my book club came up with this, I gritted my teeth and plunged in.

Von Drehle focuses on the year 1862, and the month by month account succeeds in putting a fresh presentation of the crucial issues faced during this critical period. It has a broad scope, and the military battles almost serve as a backdrop to Lincoln's handling of crushing challenges, including how (as if) to enact emancipation, with Roger Taney looming in the background, in a politically effective mannner. We are reminded of General McClellan's treacherous ineptness on the battlefield, but the fact that Lincoln felt there was a real possibility of a military coup when he finally dismissed the popular general comes as a shock. I was surprised to learn that Lincoln personally studied military theory and strategy from books while in office, in an effort to be able to better evaluate and oversee his feckless generals. He personally directed maneuvers and strategy, based on these studies.

Von Drehle makes a strong point that most of Lincoln's decisions had a strong poltical basis, and his instincts in this regard were superb. He faced constant criticism from all sides, and it appears he did not bear these burdens without complaint. Von Drehle is also strong on the maneuverings to garner the support of England and France.

The book is engaging and full of delicious detail and personalities. It is effective in making the case that 1862 was indeed a perilous year. A good read.

[David R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another in a current wave of Lincoln-centered narratives that seeks the essence of the successful Lincoln wartime administration. von Drehle looks at the year 1862 and presents his material in a neat, brisk chronological sequence. One can almost imagine turning pages of a newspaper as each day's news arrives. The author is unsurprisingly lavish with praise for the president, although he doesn't bury the bad decisions, particularly the amateurish management of the 2nd Manassas campaign. von Drehle is, on the other hand, not very friendly to Mary Lincoln -- a spendthrift -- nor Generals McClellan, Buell, Halleck, Pope, Hooker, and McClernand, all who are plugged as either incompetents or fools. The crown jewel of the book is the development of the Emancipation Proclamation, which von Drehle addresses from its earliest mental inklings to final publication at the end of 1862. This is a more thorough treatment than I have lately seen elsewhere. Overall: a great read for the student of the War Between the States and for Lincolnophiles.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of this book makes the case that 1862 was the most perilous year in America's history, and in doing so presents a compelling case for looking more seriously at the history of 1862 and the dramatic shift the year offered in American history, when the Civil War turned into a more revolutionary conflict. It is a subject of considerable importance where this change took place. The book itself suggests that it was a gradual thing--for example, the Battle of Shiloh introduced Americans on both sides to horrific casualties that brought the cost of war home to tens of thousands of households. After that came the growing hard hand of war as Americans wrestled with the fate of slavery and Lincoln himself dealt with the death of one of his sons, as well as a divided cabinet and a divided nation, and the end result is a Lincoln singing the final Emancipation Proclamation and making a return to the old America of the antebellum period truly impossible. 1862 is where things crossed the line from the way things were and how they would never be again. And there is something poignant about that.

This book is a lengthy one at fifteen discs, but it is the sort of book that really goes into a lot of detail about various matters that show Lincoln's greatness through the mundane actions he took on a day to day basis. We see him dealing with his sons, his wife and her shady financial dealings, as well as lots of problems with his cabinet, with various generals, and with Congress. We see him pushing his generals forward at the beginning of the year to do something and his frustration at their inability to put the nation's well-being about their own petty and selfish political ambitions. We see Lincoln's deft managing of difficult people and how it is that he was able to motivate a large coalition of people with very different ambitions and perspectives to unite together in defense of the union and freedom in a profound way that really did change the course of American history in a profound way, even though the costs of it were really horrific for both Lincoln personally (given that he lost his life as a result) as well as the nation as a whole.

When looked at in detail, 1862 was a dramatic year, and this book conveys just how important it was for the Union effort. Despite some major blunders in choosing generals, and despite some struggles in managing the press and the political situation, Abraham Lincoln's handling of various political crises in 1862 was truly deft. One of the more interesting aspects of this book that receives plenty of attention is Lincoln's handling of diplomatic problems, beginning with the aftermath of the Trent affair at the beginning of the year and then continuing through the recognition crisis with the French and British, and ending with a much more confident diplomatic situation by the end of the year as Lincoln basked in the support of the British working classes who saw the Union as a bulwark of freedom for both working class whites as well as blacks. And the result of this book's ability to move between military events and political events and some that were both, including Grant's unfortunate order dealing with Jews (as a class, not as an ethnicity, interestingly enough), makes this a very interesting book and one that deserves attention from students of Civil War history.

[Gerry Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rise To Greatness is David Von Drehle’s contribution to the crowded world of Lincoln assessments. Here Von Drehle posits that 1862 was the turning point for Lincoln as a great leader and the civil war’s inexorable outcome. It was a consequential year. Pea Ridge, Forts Henry and Donelson, Shiloh, Second Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Murfreesboro. New Orleans is captured. Lincoln’s beloved son Willie died of typhoid. The Emancipation Proclamation is written and announced. England and France finally demur on intervention for the Confederacy. It is an up and down year. Lincoln’s reputation suffers for seeming vacillation on McClellan, slavery and Union political generals. Meanwhile the 37th Congress passes the land-grant college program, the Homestead Act, creates the Transcontinental railroad,the first income tax and establishes an Agriculture Department. And the Union army swells from 16,000 to 500,000 and the first ironclad battle between the Monitor and the Merrimack makes wooden war vessels obsolete. And in Minnesota a Sioux uprising threatens the stability of the new state. And in the November elections Democrats make significant gains. Von Drehle makes his point pretty convincingly. Hope he writes companion volumes for 1861, 1863, 1864 and 1865!

[Noah Goats · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this biography that provides a year long slice of Lincoln's life. Eighteen Sixty Two was a tough year for Lincoln. His generals were sluggish and often losers, and when they won a battle they didn't press it for all possible advantage. The most irritating of those generals, George McClelland, was, due to the fact that he was beloved by the soldiery and protected by powerful politicians, a difficult man to get rid of. And, maybe worst of all, Lincolns favorite son, Willie, died early in the year.

This book gave me a renewed appreciation for Lincoln's skills as a politician. His handling of a diplomatic crisis with Britain, dangerous squabbling in his cabinet, and the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation were all skillfully done. He was a man for the moment and we were lucky to have him.

[Mshelton50 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was enthralled with David von Drehle's history of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, so was intrigued to see he'd written a book about Abraham Lincoln in 1862. Rise to Greatness is an incredibly well-researched and well-written book, one that confronts the reader with all the dreadful cares and worries -- military, political and personal -- that America's 16th president had to face during that terrible year. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Lincoln or American history in general.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

That fateful year when Abraham Lincoln saved the Union

Today we speak of “the imperial presidency” to reflect the staggering breadth of the power that the White House has amassed over the past century. And the term is more apt than ever today under the expansive view of presidential power that has motivated the Roberts Supreme Court to abet its further spread. But a century and a half ago, when Abraham Lincoln moved into the Executive Mansion, he confronted an array of challenges that overwhelmed the meager tools at his disposal to meet them.

Yet four years later, after Lincoln fell to an assassin’s bullet, he had somehow taken on those challenges and subdued them—and the office he’d held had gained immeasurably in stature. Most of the most consequential events that produced this change took place in the year 1862, and the historian David Von Drehle brilliantly tells the story of Lincoln’s Rise to Greatness.

The challenges Lincoln faced on New Year’s day 1862

No American President, not even George Washington or Franklin D. Roosevelt, has encountered a more daunting set of challenges than did Abraham Lincoln as the year 1862 dawned. The U.S. Treasury was broke. The Union’s top general, Winfield Scott, was gravely ill. His War Department was corrupt and dysfunctional. Britain and France threatened to side with the Confederacy. His unstable and demanding wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, was embezzling government funds. Critics abounded, accusing him of incompetence. And Congress, his generals, his cabinet, and the Radical Republican abolitionists who dominated his party made conflicting demands on him. In Rise to Greatness, Von Drehle recounts Lincoln’s steady course through a perilous year as he led the republic to the cusp of victory—and the Emancipation Proclamation—precisely one year later.

Two men at loggerheads stymied Union action

If Rise to Greatness were a novel, the protagonists would be Abraham Lincoln and General George B. McClellan. And the president could hardly have faced a more problematic foe.

** Known as “Little Mac” or “Young Napoleon” for his short stature, the commander of the Army of the Potomac was the president’s nemesis. He refused to lead his troops into battle for months on end, constantly demanding reinforcements to match the wildly inflated numbers of Confederate troops he claimed to face.

** He was a West Point graduate who disparaged Lincoln’s military advice even after the president had studied the art and science of war in depth and was at least the general’s equal in both strategy and tactics.

** McClellan had no respect either for Lincoln personally or for the office he held. He refused to inform him about either his plans or the state of the battlefield, refusing week after week to communicate with what was then called the Presidential Mansion.

** But, most tellingly, McClellan was a Democrat, loyal to the Union but sympathetic to the South and a fierce opponent of emancipation. Von Drehle implies that McClellan deliberately held back his troops from taking the initiative when resolute action might have destroyed Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. McClellan favored an accommodation with the Confederacy that would preserve both the Union and slavery.

Just for example

Consider “Little Mac’s” frame of mind before the massive battle of Antietam in September 1962. His Army of the Potomac numbered 90,000 troops in active service. By contrast, Lee could count on about 30,000. But McClellan insisted he was badly outnumbered and, as always, called for reinforcements before he could move forward. As Von Drehle observes, “Victory lay before his eyes, but all he saw was disaster.” And this was but one example of the general’s endless foot-dragging.

So, why didn’t Lincoln fire the man?

Despite all this, Lincoln was unable to fire McClellan until nearly the end of the year. The general was the darling of the Unionist Democrats who held the balance of power in several states. Though not a fighting general, he was a genius at organization, training, and logistics. His troops loved him and might mutiny—or stage a military coup—if the president dismissed him. The unpopular president’s hands were tied until McClellan’s obduracy finally became obvious even to many of his supporters.

A momentous year by any measure

Although the rivalry between Lincoln and McClellan runs like a thread through Von Drehle’s account, the book abounds with other significant characters. The leading members of his Cabinet—his “Team of Rivals,” to use Doris Kearns Goodwin’s famous phrase—loom large in the story. Secretary of State William H. Seward, a former Whig and moderate Republican like Lincoln himself. Salmon P. Chase, the Secretary of the Treasury, detested Seward and fed negative and often manufactured information about him to his enemies in Congress. Edward Bates, the Attorney General, the most conservative member of the group who prevented it from reaching unanimity on important issues. And, among still others, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, whose respect for Lincoln grew steadily through the year.

A banner year for Congress

But some of the most significant events of the year 1862 took place not within the Administration but in Congress. Ever since the days of Andrew Jackson, momentum had built behind a set of nation-building measures that would ensure the growth of the United States into a world power. But the weight of conservative Southerners in Congress prevented the advocates—first, the Whigs, then the Republicans—from garnering the necessary votes. Secession changed that. And a flood of major legislation issued forth from Capitol Hill. These actions included:

** The Homestead Act, which provided land to settlers in the West

** The Pacific Railway Acts, supporting the construction of the transcontinental railroad

** A major move toward emancipation with the Second Confiscation Act, which declared free the slaves of those found guilty of engaging in rebellion against the Union

** And the Morrill Land-Grant Act that established land-grant colleges later numbering more than 100 and including such institutions as the University of California, Berkeley, Cornell University, and Texas A&M University.

Von Drehle doesn’t single out the legislators most responsible for these bills. His focus remains squarely on Lincoln. But, Lincoln did sign all this legislation.

About the author

The American journalist and author David Von Drehle was born in Denver, Colorado, in 1961. With a BA from the University of Denver, he earned a Master of Letters from the University of Oxford. A former sports writer for the Denver Post and the Miami Herald, he later served as the New York bureau chief for the Washington Post and as an Editor-at-Large for Time. He is now an opinion columnist for the Washington Post. Von Drehle is the award-winning author of five nonfiction books.

[Wijnand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent and fascinating book on America's most perilous year, 1862. A confusing year in the Civil War, very well narrated by journalist Von Drehle - month by month - as if the reader walks along with the president at the White House and the commanders on the battlefield. Although the book does not provide new insights for Civil War addicts like myself, it gives a good impression of the political and personal struggles of the president. To name a few: the daily stream of job hunters, the death of his son Willie, confusing messages to President and War Department from battles near and far, and Lincoln's long struggle with wording and timing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Particularly I enjoyed the descriptions of the living conditions in Washington DC, a swamp filled up with runaway slaves, and poorly equiped army camps in the area. Also the constant anxieties in DC about a European intervention (notably the British and the French - eager to feed their cotton mills with Southern cotton) are very well interwoven throughout the book.

[Jeff Rosendahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book about Abe Lincoln and the military and political matters in 1862. The author breaks it down by month and I think that really helps illustrate the issues A.L. faced on an ongoing basis and the ones that occupied a short time. I haven't done much reading on the Civil War, so more well-read people may find this very repetitive, but for me was very interesting to learn of the adroit way A.L. had to handle a number of complicated issues, such as slavery, military, political coalitions, foreign policy, etc. One complaint is that there were too few maps, placed mostly in the wrong places. Found myself having to flip back to April when reading about summer campaigns. Overall though, a great book.

[Cornmaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Von Drehle's theme for this book is one year can make or break a country. An amazing account of the political successes, battleground failures, and collage of personalities that walked across 1862's stage. Great distillation of Lincoln's personality, both the strengths and the weaknesses. Readers will come away with a firm belief in the notion that all things are connected. But I never did figure out why anyone could have thought McClellan was a great military leader, nor why his troops adored him.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loving this book! I had originally thought oh man not ANOTHER book about Lincoln but decided to read a little while having a coffee at B&N. I was totally taken with it and bought it as an early Christmas present for myself. I love the focus on a year, pivotal as it was but the book really takes me back in time. I feel that I am there with all the sense of the nightmare of uncertainty that existed. Lincoln is just a great story. funny though no mention of vampires.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent research, writing, this book tells about 1862, a terrible year to read about but through letters,archives,writings of those who worked with Lincoln the book is full of details of conversations, personal dealings with people. Amazing to see not only how Lincoln changed but how the opinions of those around him changed and how precarious the situation was, that the Union held together in spite of serious oppositions everywhere.

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Read!! I enjoyed the way the writer looked at one monumental year in the course of Lincoln's administration, in the course of American freedom, and in the evolution of the Union and the Executive branch. I recommend this book to anyone who loves history. I have a yearning to return to the Lincoln monument and look again on that tired face that saved America.

[Glenn Frankel · Rating 5 out of 5]

David von Drehle proves again he's one of our finest writers of narrative history with this compelling portrait of Abraham Lincoln in the harrowing year of 1862. Anyone wanting to know more about the real man portrayed in Spielberg's new film should start with von Drehle's extraordinary book.

[Chaim Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read about a fascinating topic.

The book did lack the academic rigor that has become the standard for popular US History books, but it is a great overview of a perilous year.

[Clem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most historians concur that Abraham Lincoln was our nation’s greatest president. Most non-historians would agree. If you were alive, however, in 1862, odds are you hated the man. You certainly didn’t think he was that capable of a president. Yet hard times and suffering breed character, and there was no more dangerous of a time in the history of the United States than when approximately half the states committed treason, tried to secede from the Union, and caused the bloodiest conflict in the history of the nation.

Lincoln began his term in 1861, just as the tinderbox was about to explode. The war officially began when mortars were fired upon Fort Sumter later that year, and the first battle of Bull Run made everyone take notice of just how precarious the business of war could be. So this book begins in January the following year, 1862, and it essentially walks us through the main travails of President Lincoln from January to December of that year.

Having a Civil War to deal with is bad enough, but any leader of the free world will tell you that those big problems come packaged with many smaller parcels as well. Even though the Civil War is the main actor in this play, there are plenty of other calamities to deal with. Most notably, the year sees the unexpected death of Lincoln’s young son Willie due to typhoid fever. If this wasn’t bad enough, this tragedy befalls The First Lady so much, that she actually consorts to mediums to hold séances at The White House to try to talk to young Willie’s spirit.

Then we have problems with other countries. England, for instance, is keen to join the war – with the Confederacy, that is. Oh sure, they believe slavery is bad, but the South controls the cotton, and cotton, you know, is good business. Lincoln also had a cabinet that was frequently disharmonious with each other, and many didn’t care for their Commander in Chief (see Doris Kearns Goodwin’s excellent book “Team of Rivals”).

What this book really shows, is Abraham Lincoln’s leadership and calm demeanor throughout all of these events. Most normal men would explode with the amount of idiocy and insubordination that is ever present at the time, but somehow, this president knows exactly how to juggle all of the balls and keep everyone content while slowly moving the nation towards the direction where it needs to go. It’s a slow, painful, time, and strong patience is needed if changes are to be made and for the country to begin the healing process and become great again.

Are all of his moves perfect? Well, no. Example: He’s all for freeing the slaves, but doesn’t believe that the two races can live in harmony, so he begins exploring ways to ship the freed slaves back to Africa while setting up a colony for them. This idea doesn’t go over well with the black population (freed and slave). Even though they’ve had a tumultuous time during their entire life, America is now their home. Wisely, Lincoln quickly abandons the idea.

The book ends at the conclusion of 1862. Oh sure, we all know what happens during the next few years, but I, for one, kind of wish that the author would have kept going. I would have loved to have read about all of the events, however painful, up to Appomattox, and Lincoln’s eventual assassination. Perhaps this was the original intent of the author, yet he realized that the “best stuff” was from this one year. Since this one year ultimately shaped the president and was the precursor to setting the nation on the right track, it isn’t a bad thing that we’re limited to 1862. I found this to be a great book about a great man that had to lead the country during its worst time in history.

As I write this review in March 2016, it kind of makes problems like Donald Trump seem incredibly inconsequential.

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you elect to read the audio edition of this, one or two of you will see the reading time and discard it. At 17 hours and change, this isn’t something you’ll finish in a single sitting. But finish it you will, because VonDrehle’s writing style is so compelling and readable that when you finish, you’ll find it hard to believe the book was that long. It just won’t feel like it.

The book begins with a New Year’s Day event at the White House in which Lincoln greets dignitaries, and then he welcomes the entire community into the White House where he spends hours shaking hands. At the conclusion of the event, his hand is actually sore and trembling. The book ends with yet another New Year’s Day celebration at the beginning of 1863 when the recently signed Emancipation Proclamation is officially in effect. The book then breaks down, on a month-by-month basis, 1862 from the perspective of battles fought and decisions Lincoln made that, according to the author, tipped the war in favor of the union.

Of course, you’ll read about the death of Lincoln’s son, Willie, and about the horrific toll it took on Lincoln and his wife, especially her. But you’ll read stuff you perhaps never knew as well. I was unaware that Lincoln actually participated in a small military action in which he briefly led a small group of soldiers if I understood that part of the book correctly. You agonize with him over decisions about which general should be in charge of which aspects of the war. You see his perspective on the firing and rehiring of the egotistical, vain George B. McClellan as the commander of the Army of the Potomac.

You’ll be there in September at the Antietam battlefield, a bloody business that drove Confederate invaders out of Maryland and back into Virginia. The Federal victory that fall enabled Lincoln to publish with boldness the Emancipation Proclamation that would take effect in January of 1863.

I wasn’t a fan of the voices the commercial narrator used to delineate the people in the book. They aren’t over-the-top horrible, but I would have preferred a less vocally different narration. This is the kind of nonfiction you read even if nonfiction books scare you a bit. The author ensures that 1862 is highly approachable by anyone regardless of your knowledge of that time in our history. I gained much from this book, and I suspect you will as well.

[Helene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Triangle by David von Drehle, and appreciated the research and enjoyed the writing, I looked to see what else he had written and found this one.

It's a year in the life (1862) of Abraham Lincoln at the beginning of the Civil War. If only history books were more like this, I would have learned more, learned more accurately, and learned details that humanize the history and make it real.

Some things I want to remember from this book: George McClellan may have been a brilliant engineer but he kept dragging his feet (and the war), always seemed to exaggerate the enemy, and procrastinated endlessly by asking for more men. "Lincoln tried to inject a note of reality: "It is impossible to reinforce you for your present emergency . . . If we had a million men we could not get them to you in time. We have no men to send." (p. 211)

In July of that year, John Nicolay, one of Lincoln's secretaries wrote: "The gas lights over my desk are burning brightly and the windows of the room are open, and all bugdom outside seems to have organized a storming party to take the gas light, in numbers which seem to exceed the contending hosts at Richmond." (p. 225) Just funny!

McClellan verges on treason at times. Called "Little Mac" in one letters to his wife he writes: "If they leave me here neglected much longer I shall feel like taking my rather large military family to Wash(ington) to seek an explanation." And in speaking of a golden age "when abolitionists were not dreamed of [and] . . . psalm singing yankees were animals as rare as camelopards & black swans. I suspect [the Southerners] had a pretty good time, interrupted only by chills & fever, bad luck in gambling [and] the trouble of providing for their wolly headed dependents." (p. 231)

Lincoln actually made the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation in June of 1862 and would incorporate suggestions even to the final draft.

Lincoln found laughter his "life-preserver." He would read passages of a book he found funny to his cabinet and say "Why don't you laugh? With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die, and you need this medicine as much as I do." (p.289)

I'm glad to have read this book, it has given me insights into our history that I never would have guessed.

[Justin Jaeger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is better than the star rating I gave it. It is so comprehensive about Lincoln and his direct interactions in 1862 that its frame is composed with many different through lines about issues, people, and events in American life surrounding the president. The lines and history are spectacularly well written and elaborate. It’s just that I wasn’t interested in all of them equally. It’s kind of the same way I feel about the broken up chapters of the Song of Fire and Ice books, which is probably an interesting political yet fantastical comparison to the turmoil and drama that was forsaking our country through the Civil War.

I didn’t put the book on my reading list nor did I read it with the intent of understanding a polarized nation nor calming my fears of the “unprecedented” nature of current messes in the world, but it had an unexpected counseling effect on me. We think of Lincoln as a universally loved figure that boldly and courageously destroyed old ways of thinking. This book showed me that even the greatest of our old heroes had factions that hated them and that those old heroes aren’t without failures and that we’ve always been a political rat’s nest and that the current state of things is just another iteration of that. This book gave me solace that destruction is not imminent but that there will always be extreme voices that warn of it. Lincoln’s life and achievements always remind me that life is long, so don’t give up because you will have lots and lots of time for lots and lots of failures. And victories too. This is not the end of us. This is just another chapter. We are all right and we are all wrong and that is alright.

You should read it if you want to look massive terrible adversity in the face and not give up on your beliefs. Lincoln wasn’t perfect and ultimately that is ok. The world feels terrible to me right now and ultimately that is ok too. I won’t give up.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great read. I'm no Civil War scholar or even buff, and you know there are many out there. Neither am I a Lincoln historian or scholar or some such. These things being said, I have read more than a couple of books about each of these subjects, sometimes combined, sometimes, somehow independent of each other if that's even possible. But I am always, always happy to learn something new. In Rise to Greatness, von Drehle taught me some new things, and that makes me happy. Not that it was this author who did it, but that I was not reading some warmed over repeat of things I'd already read.
In fact, in looking at the book's notes, I found that I had read several of the source materials from cover-to-cover that von Drehle used to research this book. But there is always something else, something new, something fresh, that puts a new light on the familiar, even if the familiar occurred about 158 years ago.
I wish I could point to one thing, just one outstanding thing I gleaned from this, but I didn't mark the pages. Instead I'll say that this book tries to explain the character of Lincoln the man and the characters of the men around him, particularly his cabinet and generals, as well as that of Mary Todd Lincoln. Further, Rise to Greatness charted the course of the war and included so much rich detail about the aforementioned individuals within the context of a single year - 1862 - that when taken in its proper context (that the Union victory was no sure thing, that Lincoln's ability as a unifying figure was no sure thing, especially after his favorite son died of typhus) it's almost mind-blowing.
You like reading about history? Read the book. Like reading well-written books? Read this one. Like reading well-written history books? You know my answer.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Von Drehle argues that 1862 was the most important year in the history of our nation, and he does so quite persuasively.

Many of Lincoln’s tasks after the onset of the Civil War involved appeasement: he had to make sure the touchy border states remained in the Union [ergo he could not speak out too forcefully for emancipation]; he had to make sure Britain and France did not join the war on the side of the South [thus his capitulation on the so-called “Trent Affair”) and he had to ensure that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Roger Taney (author of the notorious Dred Scott decision declaring that African Americans could never be considered U.S. citizens) did not thwart his military plans to protect the North by using what could be considered extra-Constitutional actions. Moreover, the Army, which numbered only 16,000 men before the war (and these men were spread out all over the continent), had been rapidly increased to nearly five times that number. But none of them knew how to fight! Nor did most of the men picked to lead them. Somehow Lincoln had to figure out which of these novices had the makings of generals who could lead the North to victory.

Needless to say, it took Lincoln a while to accomplish this last, especially since he had to take great care not to alienate all the supporters (among whom numbered many soldiers) of the infuriating and perhaps even treasonous George McClellan. But Lincoln was one of the few men in a leadership position at the time who was willing and able to take the long view, and to keep his eye on the prize, which was preservation of the Union.

Why was this so important? Lincoln believed the American nation, with its bestowal of power upon ordinary people to elect its government (i.e., the doctrine of self government), was “absolutely and eternally right.” Furthermore, he could conceive of no government more noble than one “dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” He could find no moral right in the despotism of men not only governing themselves but governing other men. But he knew a critical factor determining the success of this experiment was assurance to the citizenry that losing voters would not and could not destroy the system just because they lost. Like a marriage, any union won’t work when the parties say “I’m getting a divorce” every time something doesn’t go their way. Compromise is the key to maintaining any union worth having, and Lincoln believed firmly that the United States – this great experiment – should not perish from the earth.

[And yes, there was a slight problem with the reality of the nation as it was then constituted not living up to the promise, since some men were more equal than other men, and certainly more equal than women.] Lincoln begged his audience:

Now, my countrymen . . . if you have been taught doctrines conflicting with the great landmarks of the Declaration of Independence; if you have listened to suggestions which would take away from its grandeur, and mutilate the fair symmetry of its proportions; if you have been inclined to believe that all men are not created equal in those inalienable rights enumerated by our chart of liberty, let me entreat you to come back. Return to the fountain whose waters spring close by the blood of the Revolution. Think nothing of me—take no thought for the political fate of any man whomsoever—but come back to the truths that are in the Declaration of Independence. … I am nothing; Judge Douglas is nothing. But do not destroy that immortal emblem of Humanity—the Declaration of American Independence.”

Lincoln intended to help the nation “heed these sacred principles.” But he could not do it unless the “nation so conceived and so dedicated” were still in existence. This concern dictated all of his strategy, all of his decisions, all of his tactics, and it is this long-term vision that so many others in the government were unable to realize.

They also were not nearly as savvy as Lincoln about realpolitik. Lincoln felt he couldn’t just get rid of Simon Cameron, his corrupt and incompetent Secretary of War, or he would create a dangerous enemy and hopelessly alienate Pennsylvanians; nor could he just get rid of Samuel Chase, whose over-the-top politicking for Lincoln’s job outraged everyone but Lincoln – he needed Chase’s financial prowess to raise the money to fight the war. Nor could Lincoln satisfy Congress by firing George McClellan, the do-nothing general who consistently snubbed, insulted, and disrespected Lincoln. McClellan was far too popular among the troops; Lincoln knew better than to lose the loyalty of the army. He could not even appease the abolitionists by outlawing slavery just yet – the preservation of the union had to take precedence.

Again and again, Lincoln was able to push aside and rise above personal snubs, Congressional pressure, embarrassment over his wife’s questionable friendships with Confederates, and all the rest, to save the Union. Lincoln said, "Perhaps I have too little [resentment], but I never thought it paid.”

This remarkable man had a remarkable year in 1862. As Drehle writes:

…when the first day of January [1863] came around again, Lincoln’s greatness was no longer raw. Even as he had redefined American society, he had invented the modern presidency. He had steered himself and the nation from its darkest New Year’s Day to its proudest, and in the process Lincoln had become the towering leader who forever looms over the rebirth of the American experiment.”

Evaluation: You have to admire the author for undertaking this book. As he observed in his Note on Sources, “the sheer volume of material, both primary and secondary… is so vast that dropping into the subject as a writer is like falling into the sea.” Yet he succeeds admirably, providing a month-by-month account of Lincoln’s life in 1862 that puts us right into the thick of the times with a welcome lack of turgidity and tedium. Obviously the author could not include everything; new students of Lincoln may want to start with a more comprehensive biography. But for those who know even the bare outlines of Lincoln’s life and the politics surrounding it, this book provides a lively and always-interesting focused look at one of the most important years in America’s history.

[Craig Freene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic read and a unique book exploring one year in the American Civil War, 1862, predominately from the perspective of the US President, Abraham Lincoln. Gives an insight into some of the decisions made, both good and bad, and some of the things that occurred during that year. Sharply shows the reader the position that Lincoln was in and the hard decisions that had to be made, as well as some of the tragedies that occurred both personally to Lincoln and to the American people (both Union and Confederate). Lincoln's love of people, and his tolerance of some individuals as well, is clear throughout the book, especially highlighted through the death of his son and the drafting of the Emancipation Proclamation.
A thoroughly entertaining, well written and well researched book that is highly recommended, especially if you are interested in the American Civil War and the American President at the time, Abraham Lincoln.