Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years

by Carl Sandburg

Civil War and history buffs--as well as all lovers of fine writing--will delight in the detail and accuracy of Carl Sandburg's definitive, best-known biography of Honest Abe. Representing a lifetime of study by the great American poet, Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years distills Sandburg's monumental six volume set into a single one-book edition. By gleaning every possible reference from history, literature, and popular lore, Sandburg successfully captures not only the legendary president, but also Lincoln the man. He reveals exactly who Lincoln was, and what forces in his life shaped his personality. More than 100 black-and-white historical photographs and linecuts show Lincoln himself, the places he went, and the people who knew him.

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

762 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Free verse poems of known American writer Carl August Sandburg celebrated American people, geography, and industry; alongside his six-volume biography Abraham Lincoln (1926-1939), his collections of poetry include Smoke and Steel (1920).

This best editor won Pulitzer Prizes. Henry Louis Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_San...

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this classic biography of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. Written by Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) and filled with anecdotes, this book highlights Lincoln as a man of the common people, who had an unshakable belief in democracy, and who rose to greatness in facing the supreme crisis of the Union. In the end, he became a martyred president.
I loved so many of the stories about Lincoln, and the quotes. I particularly like this quote, so appropriate during this election of 2020: "I shall do nothing through malice; what I deal with is too vast for malice."

[RYD · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is easy to see why Carl Sandburg's account of Abraham Lincoln is so beloved, since it focuses so much on Lincoln the folk hero. I enjoyed this book a lot, though its style (kind of a Thomas Wolfe rip off) got on my nerves after a while.

Two Lincoln anecdotes I highlighted, which give a good sense of the book's tone:

"Protests of innocence often came from men plainly guilty. They reminded Lincoln of a governor who visited a state prison. The convicts one by one had the same story of innocence and of wrongs done them. At last the governor came to one who frankly said he had committed a crime and the sentence given him was perfect justice. 'I must pardon you,' said the governor, 'I can't have you here corrupting all these good men.'"

And:

"Six days after the Fort Pillow massacre Lincoln spoke at a Sanitary Fair, reminded his Baltimore soldiers that in looking out on so many people assembled to serve the Union soldiers, the fact was that three years earlier the same soldiers could not so much as pass through Baltimore. 'We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word, we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor ... The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as a liberator, while the wolf denounces his for the same act as a destroyer of liberty, especially as the sheep was a black one. Plainly the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon the definition of the word liberty; and precisely the same difference prevails today among us human creatures, even in the North, and all professing to love liberty ...'"

[Florence Buchholz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abraham Lincoln lived before he became a politician. He farmed, he worked on the Mississippi River hauling freight, he labored with ordinary people. He truly was born in a cabin with a dirt floor. He had no benefit of an education, but devoured every book that he could get his hands on, eventually becoming a lawyer. This unabridged version of his biography chronicles every part of his professional life. Lincoln was a man with a dry sense of humor. He was a great storyteller. He was a modest man. Some ridiculed him for his homespun appearance and faulty grammer. But his empathy, his steadiness, his tenaciousness were the source of his greatness. He preserved our nation as one entity and he abolished the evil of slavery. I found myself mourning his passing over one hundred and fifty years after he drew his last breath.

[Len · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look, there are obviously lots of Lincoln biographies out there, and I have read many of them, but after having read this book, I have concluded that the others are merely imitations of Sandburg (some of them very good imitations, certainly, and worth your time, but imitations nonetheless).

Consider that this book is a condensed version of Sandburg's six-volume (!) biography of Lincoln, and you realize that its level of detail is merely suggestive of the detail to be found in the six-volume set.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a biography of Lincoln by the esteemed poet Carl Sandburg. I was born just up the road, US Route 34 (in Kewanee), from his home town of Galesburg, Illinois. Thus, I have always had a soft spot for this version of Lincoln's life

As a poet, Sandburg's version tends to be more epic and mythical--and less critical--in its examination of Lincoln. For all of that, the book still works well. The first part, "The Prairie Years," recounts Lincoln's youth and early career before he attained the presidency. The story, of course, starts with his family settling in Kentucky, where Lincoln was born in 1809. Later, he moved with his family to Illinois. Lincoln began in New Salem and later moved to Springfield. Sandburg's depiction of his development, to becoming a practiced attorney, his political ambitions, his brief time in the militia, lays out the standard treatment of Lincoln, written extraordinarily well. Many anecdotes dot the volume. We see his doomed relationship with Ann Rutledge and his rocky courtship of Mary Todd. The discussion of his famous debates with Stephen Douglas in the Senate Campaign that brought him national visibility (and rendered him viable as a potential presidential candidate) is well told.

Then, the work goes on to explore his place in the Civil War. The volume speak poignantly of the family tragedy that he experienced (the death of a child is always difficult), the strained relationship with his wife, the challenges of orchestrating the Union's war effort.

In a sense, this is a poetic, lyric, romanticized view of Lincoln. It could scarcely be anything else, I think, given Sandburg's perspective. Nonetheless, for that, this is still a compelling work and worth a read.

[Larry Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished listening to this audible book with tears in my eyes. I suffered from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and I gloried in the prose of Carl Sandburg. Sandburg noted that when Lincoln died he became a legend surrounded by mythology. And so this book did not seem so much to be a compilation of historical truth as a collection of homegrown stories. The reading was superb with the inflection of the people of the times. And yet I would like to think the stories and the anecdotes captured the truth of the man and the times. There is the historical struggle about the truth of whether the Civil War was to free the slaves or preserve the union. It is fair to say that the book captures Lincoln as both a hero and a villain.

[Pete · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot this year, and the more books I pore over, the more disgruntled I become. It was in reading this book, strangely, that I realized the possible cause: the range of narrative voice employed by authors (especially contemporary "literary" ones) is extremely limited. The opening few pages of Sandburg's second of three volumes on Lincoln reads like his poetry, which reads a lot like Whitman's poetry. It is flowing, free and expansive, lyrical. The rest reads like a history book, which is fair; that's what the book is intended to be, after all. The fact that I was hoping for something else--something subjective and poetic, an unabashed mythologization of Lincoln (but not so unabashed as to have him slaying vampires)--is irrelevant.

Why are there so few eccentric and distinct narrators? Perhaps it is the mark of an immature reader to even want one. When I compile a list of some of the best examples--works by Hunter Thompson, Mark Twain, The Catcher in the Rye--it seems that it is the same list likely to be found in the favorites of avid readers aged 15-21. I don't believe that, though. Poets have often write in distinct voices, and are not denigrated for the strategy, and that is telling, in a way. Poetry is reliant on rhythm, and rhythm is what truly gives a narrative voice its identity. I suspect that the problem is in who reads, and who decides what is published and how. The support base for literary texts is very narrow, I imagine (this is based on no hard evidence, and barely any soft evidence). Educated, probably. Upper-middle class and above, probably. Based on those two factors alone, additional racial, regional and cultural profiling could be extrapolated, based on the various and marked inequalities that exist along those lines.

Back to Sandburg's biography of Lincoln, it isn't written with the flare I expected from one of America's better poets, and, from what I've read on the internet (the best place to find facts), it is not the most reliable account of its subject. Maybe read the first 4 or 5 pages, and then go see the movie in which the 16th president of the United States plays poker with the undead.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was a senior in high school, and when I finished the final volume after nearly two months of reading, I cried because there was no more to read. This is an amazing rendition of Abraham Lincoln's life. If you read it out loud, it is beautiful to hear. It is a pleasure to have the words roll off of one's tongue. A few of Carl Sandburg's poems are this way, such as "Choose Something Like a Star." If I am not mistaken, this is the longest and most comprehensive biography that has been written. Mr. Sandburg also wrote a condensed version of this biography in one volume, which I have also read.

[Bwmson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to learn more about Lincoln....and this book delivered. Wonderful writing with plenty of detail.

[Curtiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb one-volume version of Sandburg's six-volume biography of our most cherished and beloved president; from "The Prairie Years" of Lincoln's youth in Kentucky and Illinois, training himself in the law, and in practical, frontier politics, to his successful bid for the presidency during the bitter and divisive 1860 campaign; and finally the enormous challenges he confronted during "The War Years" of his presidency.

Aside from the personality and character of Lincon himself, who literally and figuratively towered over his contemporaries, other figures who stand out among the statesmen and leaders of that era include: Stephen A. Douglas, William T. Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee, all men of outstanding moral and physical courage and personal integrity.

Watching the trailers and promotional commercials for the recent movie "Lincoln", I was a bit alarmed at one scene in which Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln shakes his fist at his advisers and asserts: "I am the President of the United States; endowed with *enormous* power..." , which seemed to be out-of-character for Lincoln as Sandburg depicts him - that is, until, low and behold, I reached the part of the book in which Sandburg describes Lincoln as using those very words to demonstrate his authority and to encourage his advisers to see to it that the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery was passed.

Good for Carl Sandburg, Steven Spielberg - and Mr. Lincoln!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow....what a great book. I figured before I allowed Spielberg and Daniel Day Lewis to poison my mind with their view of Lincoln, I'd go to the source and read this Pulitzer Prize winning bio. I'm glad I did. Sandburg is a great writer in the same vein as Barbara Tuchman and William Manchester. He paints a vivid portrait of Lincoln....I highly recommend this book. You may not learn a lot you didn't know, but I guarantee you that you will put the book down and think deeply about matters. What a great book.

[Dayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

One day, I do hope that Steven Spielberg rewrites "The Prairies Years" Volume One of Sandburg's trilogy as a prequel to his 2012 movie, Lincoln. One feels so close to Lincoln, as he studies to be a lawyer and a statesman. His battle to move the Illinois state capitol to Springfield from Vandalia.

Such beautiful language describing Lincoln in this writing, "...while the structure of his bones, the build and hang of his torso and limbs, took shape, other elements, invisible yet permanent, traced their lines in the tissues of his head and heart." This is the extra treat that comes along with this biography.

Check out the hard work expected of Abraham: "After traveling over 200 miles to Illinois. They built a smokehouse and barn, cleared some 15 acres, split rails to fence it, planted corn, after which A. split 3000 rails for two neighbors, and as "sodbusters" broke 30 acres of virgin prairie for his dad's brother." To show you how strong Lincoln was, before page 67 of the book (about 1/3 in), there are two examples of Lincoln bodily lifting two men and throwing them to a different area, one by the nape of the neck, the other by the seat of his breeches.

He worked as a rail splitter, mill hand, farm hand, helped out at the Hill store. Meanwhile he read Volney's "The Ruins of Empire;" Gibbon's, "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire;" Paine's "The Age of Reason."

Right from the start, when Lincoln ran for the state Senate and ran on a platform of NOT having railroad service (cost too high); but a steamboat to carry goods. And once they got a steamboat, "The Talisman" the whole county celebrated with dancing and cheering."

Did you know that in 1832, Abe Lincoln fought in the Black Hawk Indian War of the Sauk and Fox tribes. The Indians were supposed to stay West of the Mississippi, but Black Hawk crossed over to Illinois, and said his people needed to plant corn. Which might have been let go, but Black Hawk fought in the War of 1812 with the British against the United States, which made it a particularly ticklish issue.

General Winfield Scott (also of the Mexican American and the Civil Wars) and Captain Early's Spy Corps was ALSO in the Black Hawk War.

When Lincoln ran again in 1834, he had become "a regular wheel horse of the Whig Party" and backed by John T. Stuart.

Ann Rutledge was someone Lincoln knew and admired. But, she was engaged to someone else, who had left Ann in Illinois. Quote from Sandburg, "Possibly they loved each other. Her hand went into his long fingers whose bones told her of refuge and security."

One speech with a stormy finish: "I desire to live, and I desire place and distinction; but I would rather die now than, like the gentleman (Lincoln's opponent) live to see the day that I could change my politics for an office worth $3000 a year (opponent was a Whig, but Jackson, a democrat offered him the job of registrar of the land office at $3000 a year) and then feel compelled to erect a lightning rod (the first one in town) to protect a guilty conscience from an offended God." Friends carried Lincoln from the courthouse on their shoulders. (This type of speech was called a "slasher-gaff" speech.

Whigs from Sangamon County averaged 6 feet in height, Lincoln the tallest, and were nicknamed the "Long Nine."

Another Lincoln quote, while standing against nay politician trying to harm the credit of the Bank. "Mr. Chairman, this movement is exclusively the work of politicians; a set of men who have interests aside from the interests of the people, and who, to say the most of them, are, taken as a mass, at least one long step removed from honest men."

"It was hazardous and delicately shaded politics Lincoln was playing." In the Southern states it was against the law to speak against slavery. The 3 million black workers were valued at more than a billion dollars.

Is any biography complete without the courtship of Mary Owens. "In 1836 when Lincoln saw Miss Owens after a time of 3 years, Lincoln said she had lost bloom, lost teeth and become stout." As far as Mary Owens' impression, she said that Lincoln was "deficient in those little links which make up a woman's happiness."

One member crying against Lincoln's new tax law, to which Lincoln said it took from the "wealthy few" rather than the many poor, and definitely the wealthy few were not sufficiently numerous to carry the elections."

Lincoln in speaking about the common enemy (the Democrats) pleaded for party unity, writing that "he whose wisdom surpasses that of all philosophers, has declared "a house divided against itself cannot stand."

Odds N Ends
During Mexican American War, the Illinois State Register told of meetings that declared Lincoln to be a "second Benedict Arnold." Ouch! Alexander Stephens said, "What! shall be said of the American honor aims at nothing higher than land? Never did I expect to see the day when the Executive of this country should announce that our honor was such a loathsome, beastly thing, that ic could not be satisfied with using achievements in arms, however brilliant and glorious, but must feed on earth--gross, vile diet! And require even a prostrate foe to be robbed of mountain rocks and desert plains!"

The Lincolns rented a pew; Mrs. LIncoln took the sacrament, and joined in membership. Lincoln was presented with "The Christian's Defense" a reply to infidels and atheists. Lincoln read the book, attended revival meetings, was interested, but when asked to join the church he said, he couldn't quite see it. "

Douglas kept close to the new Whig President Millard Fillmore, chubby-faced, moderate, suave, doing his best for the Great Compromise.

How Lincoln himself might wish to behave in crises when other men were losing their heads, he intimated in saying of Taylor: "He could not be flurried, and he could not be scared...He was alike against sudden and startling quarrels; and he pursued no man with revenge.

The case of Anthony Burns, shook the country. Ran away to Boston. Ordered back to Virginia. A mob, led by a minister broke into the courthouse to save Anthony Burns, and one US Marshal was killed. Dragoons, marines, loaded artillery, 12 companies of infantry, 120 personal friends of the US marshal carrying drawn swords and loaded pistols. Cost for government = $40,000.

Douglas in 1854 introduced the "Nebraska Act" that created two territories, Nebraska on the north; and Kansas on the south; in each the votes would decide whether it should be free or slave soil.

Lincoln begged his steadfast 15 votes to go to Lyman Trumbull, anti-Nebraska bolter from the Dem. party. On the 10th ballot Trumbull was elected. The affair was snarled and shadowed, filled with strategies keen and subtle, and with treacheries plain and slimy. Julia Trumbull had been bridesmaid at Mrs. Lincoln's wedding, but after the night of Trumbull's election, she refused to speak to Julia or to receive a call from her.

Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation we began by declaring "all men are created equal." We now read it "all men are created equal, except negroes." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read, "All men are created equal, except negroes, foreigners, and catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty--to Russia, for instance where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.

When Edwin M. Stanton saw Lincoln for the first time wearing heavy boots, loose clothes, farmer-looking, Stanton used language reported as, "Where did that long-armed baboon come from?"

Always, it was noticed, the linen he wore was clean; his barbers didn't let the sign of a beard start; he blacked his own boots. As to haircuts, grammar and technicalities, he wasn't so particular."

In 1856, the first national Republican convention nominated for President, John C. Frémont; he had served as U.S. Senator for the Free State of California; as an explorer and "pathfinder in western wilds he had made a name for daring and enduring hardship. He was overly dignified, an egotist, a greenhorn in politics, yet somehow he had never said or done anything radical that could harm him or the party. Yes 359 to no 196.

A Congressional committee went to Kansas, heard hundreds of witnesses and its report ran 1206 pages. Only a long story, reciting election frauds, disputes, bickerings, burnings of houses and barns, shooting and stabbing affairs could begin to picture the tragic and moaning chaos of Kansas. Poll books stolen, election judges driven from their seats, illegal ballots by hundreds, voters coming to the polls hearing men with guns and knives, "Cut his throat!" "Tear his heart out!"

In Kansas, said Douglas, they were offered Napoleon's choice: "Vote yes and be protected; vote no and be shot."

In 1857 with its bank wrecks, tumbling stocks, property value shrinkages, processions of thousands marched to large cities with banners reading: "Hunger is a sharp thorn" and "We want work!"

In 1860, the national count gave Lincoln 1,866,452 votes--180 electoral college (ec); Douglas 1,376,957 (12 ec); Breckenridge 849,781 (72 ec); and Bell 588,879 (39ec)

Interesting detail: Upon seeing his likeness in bust by Volk, Lincoln said, "There's the animal himself."
Before a Virginian crowd of 7,000, Lincoln said, "I want no votes except from men who desired the Union to be preserved...and for those who attempt to break up resistance to its laws, should be treated like Old Hickory treated the Nullifiers in 1832."

Lincoln: If slavery is to overrun us here in these Free States, it is our sense of duty that forbids this, then let us standby our duty, fearlessly and effectively.

"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." Abe Lincoln

Lincoln: Neither the word "slave" nor "slavery" is to be found in the Constitution, nor the word "property" even." They called the salve a "person." His master's legal right to him was phrased as "service."

The tendency of prosperity is to breed tyrants.

On his way home from work, a girl stumbled on a brick and fell backward, just as Lincoln came along. He caught her, lifted her up in his arms, put her gently down and asked, "What is your name?" She said, "Mary Tuft." "Well, Mary, when you reach home tell your mother you have rested in Abraham's bosom."

"Who are the disunionists, you or we?" Lincoln asked. "We, the majority, would not strive to dissolve the Union; and if any attempt is made it must be by you, who so loudly stigmatize us as disunionists."

In 1856, On the Missouri and Kansas border, 200 men, women and children were shot, stabbed or burned to death in the fighting between free and slave-state settlers. The town of Lawrence, Kansas, had been entered by riding and shooting men who burned the Free State Hotel, wrecked two printing offices and looted homes. Senator Charles Sumner of Mass, speaking on "The Crime Against Kansas," had verbally lashed Senator Andrew P. Butler, saying Butler "has chosen a mistress...who though ugly to others, is always lovely to him--I mean the harlot, Slavery. Butler's nephew, Preston Brooks, rained blows that broke to pieces a gutta-percha cane.

Lincoln said, that his mother was the illegitimate daughter of Lucy Hanks and a well-bred Virginia farmer or planter; and he argued that from this last source came his power of analysis, his logic, his mental activity, his ambition, his theory had been that illegitimate children are oftentimes sturdier and brighter than those born in lawful wedlock. He added ruefully, "God bless my mother; all that I am or ever hope to be I owe to her."

One february morning, John Quincy Adams stood up to speak, suddenly clutched his desk with groping fingers, then slumped to his chair, and was carried outside where JQA said, "This is the last of earth, but I am content." In a final hour, Henry Clay in tears had held the old man's hand. Lincoln said that JQA could have no fear of the Recording Angel.

Emerson, Thoreau, Victor Hugo compared John Brown to Christ or to Socrates to the great martyrs.

[Wendee Radmall · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids and I have taken an interest in Abe Lincoln and have enjoyed the illustrations as well as the stories in this book. In fact, we used it in our family's Memorial Day devotional, which was very powerful in educating us about those who have gone before and what they have accomplished for our liberties.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This such a great book, and it made me fall in love with Mr. Lincoln.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carl Sandburg's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Lincoln charts the 16th president's life from its earliest wilderness beginnings. In almost painstaking detail, we follow Abe from thoughtful child, to melancholy young man, to country lawyer, to politician, president, and eventually legend. As much a work of history as biography, with many chapters in which Lincoln takes a backseat to the events and figures of the era, Sandburg's tome offers not merely a whole-life accounting of Lincoln, but a solid history of the US Civil War as well.

The style of writing is noticeably artful and even at times poetical, in contrast with the comparatively more straightforward prose often found in more contemporary presidential biographies. At points, this makes for emotionally stirring writing, especially in the final chapters, but more than a few times I found myself having to reread a sentence because the style was getting in the way of the communication. Quibbles aside, an excellent book. 5/5

[Mark Lawry · Rating 5 out of 5]

In print this is a 6 volume set. I listened to this over CDs for months of my commute.

One night in Iraq I was sounding stressed over the phone with dad. His response was, “Think of how bad Lincoln had it.” This set will make it clear just how bad his generation really did have it. Not just the war but the decades leading up to it. Sandburg does a great job of describing the terror in this country inflicted on abolitionists. The burning of newspaper buildings, destruction of printing press establishments (this was back when there might only be one printing press for miles around,) destruction and murder of entire communities that were against slavery. This was the world Lincoln grew up in.

The first half of this series, the Prairie Years, were very much in the details of Lincoln’s life. How much he paid for a horse, letters to family on his trips, dimensions of properties he surveyed. If you’re not an extreme history buff and an admirer of Lincoln (as I’ve long been) this might seem very dull. I found it interesting because clearly Lincoln was known for answering questions with stories. My dad spoke like this. Often leaving people having to think, “Did he understand the question I just asked, or did that story have anything to do with what I just asked?” Perhaps this might be where my dad picked up the habit. I know dear old dad was a huge fellow admirer of Lincoln and probably read of these stories over the years.

The War Years were a big picture view. Didn’t get in the weeds of details at all. The various battles weren’t discussed beyond their effects in Washington. This was more a book of cabinet picks, General Officer appointments, actions taken by congress, etc. It was interesting to learn of how quickly the Union was looking at the war as nothing but an annoyance. By ’64 the Union was thinking less and less about the war and more and more about global telegraph lines, the first transcontinental rail that would be completed in a few years, completing the U.S. Capitol dome, trade with Europe and Asia, etc. These facts were what this series covered more and more toward the end.

I’ve long admired Lincoln, more so now.

[Samyann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by Carl Sandburg, narrated by Arthur Morey, a very long audiobook - over 44 hours of listening. Although originally released way back in 1954, this audiobook format was released in 2013.

Two American legends. One, Carl Sandburg - poet, author. The other, Abraham Lincoln. This alone should tell you this book is a pretty decent listen. Predominantly a history of the United States from the late 1700s through the end of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln is also recommended for anyone interested in an understanding of Lincoln, the man.

Abraham Lincoln is a compilation of Sandburg’s decades of research. The book is filled with Lincolnesque homily, often disconnected, one line insights as an attempt to convey Lincoln, his time, character, friends, enemies, and Lincoln’s humble roots. Typical of the writings of the time, the prose is wordy and some would say verbose. Starting with details about Lincoln’s heritage, his grandfather also being an Abraham Lincoln, his father Tom, the brief life of his mother Nancy Hanks, the book traverses Lincoln’s life, election, presidency, the American Civil War, through his ultimate assassination in April of 1865.

Narration by Arthur Morey is superb. It’s apparent that Morey admired Sandburg’s writing and Abe himself.

If you are interested in the preeminent insight into Lincoln, an in-depth look at his foibles and amazing intellect, this read is a must. It is also an excellent American history lesson. Enjoy!

[Jenny Karraker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theological development being part of my career, I have been encouraged to read Bible commentaries from different time periods and cultures to grasp a fuller picture of what may be going on in a particular text. I found this same principal true in reading this book, written in the early 1900's. It gave lots of details and stories that I hadn't read about in other books, things about his early life in the west (Indiana and Illinois), details about his marriage and family life, many of his well known country stories that he used to convey political points, quotes from fellow attorneys and political figures he worked with, how he kept in touch with the common people in his presidency, etc. This isn't the sensationalist style that's so popular now nor the politically correct versions that only portray one side of the man. This was a full and broad history of Lincoln. I was especially touched by how often he visited wounded Civil War soldiers from both sides of the conflict, the heaviness he felt as the Civil War ground on year after year, the patience he had with his wife (whom people now believe to have been bipolar), the grief he felt at the death of several sons. He was like a diamond with many facets, each of them shining and exposing a different side of the man.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book. Working my way through the Presidents, I thought I might skip Lincoln, as I'd previously read and seen in so much about him in film and on television. This book showed up in a $5 Audible sale, and I decided to add it to my list. From this book, I learned many interesting and entertaining facts, especially about Lincoln's early life. The author does a terrific job of weaving the story through Lincoln quotes and dozens (hundreds) of quotes written during Lincoln's life by his friends and enemies. I laughed many times and teared up more than once as well. Powerful writing.

At 44 hours, the longest book I've listened to. Worth the journey.

Excellent narrator! I'd be very happy to listen to him narrate historical documentaries.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

How wonderful to read of these pivotal years in the vibrant, engaging prose of the master himself. While titled like a biography this works as a Civil War history from the end of the Buchanan administration to, roughly, the beginning of the end with the fall of Vicksburg, etc. Much is told about the string of generals Lincoln suffered through prior to Grant's ascendancy as well as much about Lincoln's attempts at direct military leadership. Consistent throughout is a series of Lincoln's humorous parables and aphorisms.

[Aaron Million · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sandburg's tome does not stand up to the academic standards of today. While one can tell that he certainly invested a lot of time and effort into the book (actually six volumes that he condensed down into a single one), it is filled with a plethora of anecdotes and colloquialisms about Lincoln from people who knew him, especially in his formative years in Illinois. Also, not surprisingly, Sandburg being a poet used a lot of flowery language to describe people and events.

[Lewis Codington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, extremely well researched and written. Gives a wonderful glimpse into life and issues in the earlier years of our country through all that Lincoln experienced and was involved in.

[Nolan]

First, what can you really say new or different about Lincoln that hasn’t already been written scores of times somewhere. The answer is, there’s nothing new to say, and that’s precisely why you keep reading more. A Kansas legislator summed up my feelings far better than ever I can. These are the words of Homer Hoch, who gave this tribute to Lincoln during a speech he made in the House of Representatives on February 12, 1923. “There is no new thing to be said about Lincoln. There is no new thing to be said of the mountains or of the sea or of the stars. The years go their way, but the same old granite mountains lift their shoulders above the drifting clouds. The same mysterious sea beats upon the shore. The same silent stars keep holy vigil above a tired world. But to the mountains and sea and stars, men turn forever in unwearied homage. And thus with Lincoln. For he was a mountain in grandeur of soul; he was a sea in deep undervoice of mystic loneliness; he was a star in steadfast purity of purpose and service, and he abides.”

He abides indeed. He continues to live, though dead, and it is almost as though he looks on us even now with the careful scrutiny of one who restored the constitution when it hung, as it were, by a thread.

Regardless of what you know about Lincoln, I can promise you that if you read this book, you’ll learn things you never knew. Modern scholars will freely admit that Sandburg takes a good bit of poetic license with this book. It comes awfully close to narrative fiction in a spot or two, and yet it remains fully credible and still in print. Why? Because Sandburg exhaustively researched this book. It’s entirely possible that some of the stories he quotes about Lincoln verge on the apocryphal, but they are wonderful stories indeed that include much that is documentable today as truth. You ought not ignore this book just because it was researched a half century ago. Perhaps nothing new can be said about Lincoln, but Sandburg finds new ways to teach you old truths, and they are majestic and powerful indeed. Virtually all of us have read his poetry growing up—Sandburg’s, that is. We can all remember the image of fog creeping on little cat feet or the vivid image of Chicago with its broad shoulders. This book is a distillation of an earlier six-volume biography Sandburg wrote. It is majestic, beautifully written, and its cadences are reflective of the life of the 16th president. You hear the rough self-educated Kentucky sound that eventually evolves into a more polished memorable orator whose breathtaking climax can be found both in the Gettysburg address and in the second inaugural.

As this book opens, you read of Lincoln’s childhood and difficulty as he grew up poor. You learn that his relationship with his father had its share of difficulties. There are the familiar stories of the death of his real mother, Nancy, and the introduction into the family of Sarah (Sally) Bush, who upon seeing the poverty in which Thomas Lincoln and his two children lived reportedly said, “I’ll stay for the sake of the boy,” referring to young Abraham. (That’s not in this book, but the details of how the family lived in a single cabin and sought to maintain privacy with so many people will fascinate you.

You’ll learn of the teen-age Lincoln who learns to operate a steamer and takes cargo down into the depths of the slave trading regions of New Orleans and its environs, and you’ll come to understand how the impressions of that experience left indelible marks on Lincoln’s soul. While he never became a radical abolitionist, he understood full well the evils of slavery, and that understanding is well communicated in this book. Take, for example, Lincoln’s own words on the subject as quoted in the book: “Although volume upon volume is written to prove slavery a very good thing, we never hear of the man who wishes to take the good of it by being a slave himself.” He called slavery “the durable curse of our race.”

As you move through this book, you’ll explore Lincoln the young man with his friendships being rare, but running deep. You’ll read of his legendary love for Anne Rutledge that ended in her death, and you’ll gain a deeper sympathy and more positive image of Mary Todd Lincoln as you see her portrayed through the president’s eyes—no easy task, but one that the skillful Carl Sandburg is most definitely capable of.

You’ll read about the young frontier lawyer who won a few cases and lost a few others. You’ll read about a congressional bid in which he is rewarded with a victory, and another one in which he is sent packing by the electorate. All of these experiences help shape Lincoln’s view of what government ought to be. What is that view exactly? It seems a bit of a fascinating mix of libertarian thought and just a hint of so-called compassionate conservatism. I mean no offense to any of you who are uncomfortable with anything Reagan-like or libertarian in nature, but these are Lincoln’s own words on the role and function of government: “ … To do for the people what needs to be done, but which they cannot, by individual effort, do at all or do so well for themselves: Such as, making and maintaining roads, bridges and the like; providing for the helpless young and afflicted, common schools, and disposing of deceased men’s property. … If some men will kill or beat or constrain others or despoil them of property by force, fraud or noncompliance with contracts, it is a common object with peaceful and just men to prevent it.” So road construction and national defense are clearly part of what Lincoln saw as government’s role. Interestingly enough, it appears that public schools and programs that assist the very young and perhaps the disabled were also included in his ideas of what government ought to do. But clearly he didn’t see it as a grand guardian of all things, nor did he encourage the electorate to abrogate its responsibilities to government.

Unless you are capable of reading without any emotion whatsoever, you’ll likely be moved nearly to tears as you read Lincoln’s majestic words at certain turning points in his life. Upon his election to the presidency in 1860, it became necessary, of course, to leave his friends and associates in Springfield, Illinois to go to Washington. According to Sandburg, these are his final words upon leaving Springfield—a community to which he would never again return alive: “I now leave, not knowing when or whether ever I may return with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that divine being whoever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail. Trusting in him who can go with me and remain with you and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To his care, commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”

This book is not all soberness and tears. Lincoln’s sometimes slightly earthy jocular nature simply would never allow for constant tears. Regarding the head of the war department, Secretary Stanton, who apparently was given to be an excitable man occasionally, Lincoln said “We may have to treat him as they are sometimes obliged to treat a Methodist minister I know of out west. He gets wrought up to so high a pitch of excitement in his prayers and exhortations that they are obliged to put bricks in his pockets to keep him down. We may be obliged to serve Stanton in the same way, but I guess we’ll let him jump a while first.”

Friends, this is no boring textbook that rambles on and on for hours and teaches you but little. You’ll read with interest Lincoln’s philosophies on why the civil war had to be fought at all. He explained his perspective this way in a letter originally written in August of 1862 and which was widely circulated throughout the nation: “I would save the union. I would save it the shortest way under the constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored, the nearer the union will be the union as it was. If there be those who would not save the union unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that. What I do about slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the union. I shall do less whenever I believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors. I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views. 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 everywhere could be free.”

As you read this book, you’ll read of a gentle, merciful empathetic Lincoln who once exclaimed, “I shall do nothing in malice. What I deal with is too vast for malicious dealing.”

You’ll read about the Lincoln who agonized over the emancipation proclamation and how to best implement it gradually so as not to drive the border states like Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland into the hands of the Confederacy. You’ll read of midnight walks from his office to the war department enwrapped in brooding gloom to see what the telegraph carries regarding the movements of his armies. You’ll read about the frustration Lincoln experienced with a variety of generals whose fear of fighting now seems legendary; and you’ll read of the friendship that grew and grew between Lincoln, Grant, and William T. Sherman. The three ultimately would work together almost in lock step as Sherman and Grant would consolidate their victories and move inexorably closer to one another, trapping the remainder of the confederate army between them.

You’ll read of the shrillness and thoughtlessness of the American people as thousands of them crowded into the White House with their demands. On one occasion, a dispute over a postmaster position in Ohio had lasted for days and brought waves of delegates to Lincoln’s desk. Finally, in desperation, knowing that he couldn’t take the boring rants of one more group of Ohio delegates, he ordered the two stacks of papers that dealt with the nominations of the two would-be postmaster candidates to be weighed. One man’s bundle of petitions and letters weighed three quarters of a pound more than did the other’s bundle. The postmastership went to the man whose papers were the heaviest.

You’ll read about a Lincoln who maintains his humor and humility despite sometimes sharp disagreements with his most trusted cabinet members. “Did Stanton say I was a damned fool?” Lincoln once asked a reporter. “He did, sir, and repeated it.” Came the reply. Lincoln’s face took on a thoughtful look. “If Stanton said I was a damned fool, then I must be one. For he is nearly always right and generally says what he means.”

On another occasion, Lincoln wrote one of his generals who had publicly suggested that what the country needs is a military dictatorship. Lincoln pointed out that the man got his command, not because he had said that a dictator was necessary, but in spite of his position. Then in classic Lincoln style, the president wrote: “Only those generals who gain successes can set up dictators. What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship.” In a very fatherly way, Lincoln continued in his letter by encouraging General Joe Hooker not to be rash, but to press on with sleepless energy. Nearly in tears as he completed reading the letter, Joe Hooker commented, “That is just such a letter as a father might write to his son. It is a beautiful letter, and although I think he was harder on me than I deserved, I will say that I love the man who wrote it.”

You’ll read about the Lincoln who became an expert at deflecting the criticism of others against his staff, and particularly against General Grant. On one occasion, a medical doctor fretted to Lincoln that Grant drank too much. Lincoln’s reply was classic and memorable. “Then looking as serious as I could I said, ‘Doctor, can you tell me where General Grant gets his liquor?’ The doctor seemed quite nonplused, but replied that he could not. I then said to him, ‘I am very sorry. For if you could tell me, I would direct the chief quartermaster of the army to lay in a large stock of the same kind of liquor and would also direct him to furnish a supply to some of my other generals who have never yet won a victory.”

You’ll read about how the war tore away at Lincoln’s health. He frequently assured visitors that he would never see the war end—that it would kill him first. On one occasion, when encouraged to take a vacation, he remarked, “I sincerely wish war was a pleasanter and easier business than it is, but it does not admit to holidays.” One day at his desk, worn down with the war-based decisions of the day, he called out, “I wish George Washington or some of the old patriots were here in my place so that I could have a little rest.”

Read this book to get a sense of Lincoln who often risked his life to simply mingle with those who elected him. Once asked why he insisted on shaking hands with railroad engineers and railroad firemen with their blackened sooty hands, Lincoln replied simply, “that will all wash off; but I always want to see and know the men I am riding behind.”

This book will also make you think long and hard about how wrong media representatives can be when covering what will become historical events. That’s why our day and time is the perfect day and time to read this book. We need stark and clear reminding of how utterly stupid and clueless the mainstream press can be about so many things so often. Following his stirring remarks at Gettysburg, the nearby Harrisburg newspaper wrote, “The president succeeded on this occasion because he acted without sense and without constraint in a panorama that was gotten up more for the benefit of his party than for the glory of the nation and the honor of the dead. We pass over the silly remarks of the president; for the credit of the nation, we are willing that the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them and that they shall no more be repeated or thought of.”

We blanch today at the thought of the Gettysburg address being blown off as silly remarks. Ah, but the Chicago Times outdid the Harrisburg paper. “The cheek of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat, and dish watery utterances of the man who has to be pointed out to intelligent foreigners as the president of the United States.” Not everyone who covered the Gettysburg address was so far afield. A Cincinnati reporter called it a “perfect thing in every respect.” The Europeans got it all wrong, as one might well expect. The London Times said Lincoln’s address was dull and commonplace. Others accused him of callously using the event as a platform for re-election. One Philadelphia paper said Lincoln’s remarks would stir future generations, and that they would read it with a moistening of the eye. The Springfield Republican called the speech “a perfect gem.” So not everyone got it wrong, but this book will amaze you as you read about those who clearly did. I found parallels in the way Bush junior and Lincoln were ridiculed by the press and the nation for their speech patterns. This book has reminded me as few others can that we aren’t really much different from our 1863 counterparts—a sobering thought indeed.

Finally, you will read the stark horror that was the assassination. I suspect Sandburg took significant poetic license here, but underlying the blow-by-blow drama he created seems to be solid and sound research. It is so well written that you may find yourself involuntarily calling out as I did, “no, please, please rewrite this and make your new ending be the correct one!” Of course, there was no rewriting or revising for my sake or anyone else’s. Lincoln’s final hours are most thoroughly detailed, and this is well enough written that you will surely be caught up in every final ragged breath.

This book dedicates a chapter to Lincoln’s feelings regarding religion. Clearly a student of the Old and New Testaments, he was also clearly uncomfortable with the Christianity of his day. He frequently referenced God in his writing and speaking, but Jesus isn’t singled out much, and there’s no record of Lincoln being particularly more fond of one sect than another. Still, it’s a fascinating chapter.

Folks, in summation, I suspect newer and more modern scholars have written materials about Lincoln that are somewhat more factual in nature, but this is an excellent read, and it’s certainly not fictional. I’ve not found anyone willing to just openly discredit this book and fling it aside. It has an important place in any library. The writing style alone will help those who aren’t particularly interested in Lincoln’s life to learn more about him. It’s not a quickie beach read, but it is a thought-provoking heart-changing way to spend the upcoming anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg and the upcoming anniversary of the birth of the nation.

[James Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABRAHAM LINCOLN BY CARL SANDBURG

I have read and reviewed this book in tandem with the the six volume Abraham Lincoln by Carl Sandburg.

My opinion of President Lincoln has always been a little tainted by strong southern upbringing and my love of that heritage and their leaders. The patriotic person in me, my love of GOD, Country and Corps has admired and respected the great things america was to accomplish through his leadership.

Before reading this book I wanted to see if it answered or comfirmed my question or my opinion of the causes and what was the real reason the Civil War was fought. Was the true cause:

1- States Rights
2- Slavery
3- southern stated succeding and the firing on Ft. Sumpter
4- northern aggression, invading the south
5- to preserving the union
6- social and economic differences between north and south
7- some or all the above
8- something not stated above
9- and why was the election of Abraham Lincoln used as the catapult to war.

Vol. I - covers Lincoln's birth to 1854. Sandburg covers his childhood, the death of his mother and his father’s 2nd marriage to Sarah Bush who would be a constant in his life and a very close relationship. According to Carl Sandburg he was to become a successful Lawyer and Politician on the state and national level.
No surprises accept that during this period of his life he and Mary had successful marriage based on love. You start to understand Lincoln through his losses politically and relationships. His deep depressions and his deep belief that he would suffer a tragic death. Looking forward to read volume II.

Vol -III would like to start by saying I’m not a big fan of his, I do understand the greatness in the man and the incredible will to keep the Union together and the great cost to our nation in both lives, material and monetarily. Volume II takes us thru the great Debates With Douglas, and the Election and his final farewell To Illinois. I was really amazed at the portrayal of Mary Todd. I always thought of her as a nuisance and on this side of being insane. According to Mr. Sandburg although a pain in the neck, she was also a great helpmeet and a friend, ambitious though she was, she had his best interest at heart. According A. Lincoln they were a team, they complemented each other, their strengths were the others weakness. Someone once said behind every great man there is a good woman behind him. I believe war was inevitable from the Beginning, because of the cultural differences, and political differences. I also believe the south made sure of succession when the split the Democratic party and ran their own candidate. With three Democrats Running against, A. Lincoln they insured his Victory. Mr. Sandburg pointed out that A. Lincoln did not receive a single vote in ten of the eleven States that formed the Confederacy. According to Hudson Strode Author Of Jefferson Davis Books Lincoln did not receive a single vote from all of the eleven states. Lincoln Received approximately 1.6 million votes that is 1 million of the combined votes of the three Democratic Candidates. Actually thoroughly enjoyed reading this and I am really beginning appreciates President Lincoln and all he had to overcome. I can’t wait to see what Volume III has in store for us...


Vol - III covers From Lincoln's swearing in as President and the critical task in picking out Cabinet and the Uncertainty in being able to avoid War With the Southern States (CSA). After the inauguration And the Firing on Ft. Sumter, and a call for troops.

The Author introduces us to the President of the Confederate States of America and Vice President and Cabinet, And a Brief Personal and Political Comparison, such as their physical similarities and personality traits. They were both born in Kentucky one year apart and were raised in a different state. According to the book (Two Presidents: Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis) by Charles E. Gilbert, Their political Beliefs were similar.

The Author Covers the battles from Bull Run (#1); Bull Run (2), Shiloh, Monitor and the Merrimac, "Seven days", and the bloody battle of Antietam, and Fredericksburg. At the First Battle at Bull Run, Neither Side realized the Brutality and the longevity and the Horrors of Warfare that was thrust upon them. The General Thinking on Both sides was that it would only last a short time. When word got out that there was to be a battle at Manassas (Bull Run) Senators, Congressmen, Military Officers, Foreign Dignitaries and their Ladies rode out to Picnic and watch the Battle, eventually became panic route back to Washington. Lincoln Placed McClellan over the Army of the Potomac And Relieved him of Command after the Battle of Antietam For inactivity. Then Pope and Relieved Him after the defeat at the 2nd battle of Manassas. Then he placed Burnside in command and relieved him The Defeat at Fredericksburg. And Then Back to McClellan to organize, equip and train after the demoralizing defeat at Fredericksburg.

Before deciding on the Emancipation Proclamation - Lincoln Had series decisions to be made, If the slaves are freed will that drive the remaining slave states still in the Union to the CSA. Another Option that Lincoln had favored for a long time was to Free the slaves, compensate the Owners and to provide passage to Haiti or Liberia for Colonization. The Big Question is how the remaining Slave States would respond.
Lastly, England and France were waiting for any justification to intervene on behalf of the confederacy. And the Emancipation Proclamation would probably keep them at bay.

Throughout all this Lincoln kept his head, showing that he was a capable and able Leader. He arguably one of the Great Presidents in American History.

Vol - IV-Covers the war year of 1863, This was the year that started the decline of the Confederacy,
Starting with the defeat at Gettysburg by the Union Forces under the Command of General Meade, The surrender of Vicksburg by General Grant and giving Union Forces control of the Mississippi River Dividing The CSA in half. Also, The emancipation Proclamation freeing the Negro slaves in CSA controlled States, Allowing the Negro Freemen the right to serve in the Union Army. This added an increase to the Union Army by approximately 100,000 men that the CSA could not match, therefore, adding to their already Superiority in man power. In addition to all the above, was the Promotion Of Major General Grant to LT. General and his appointment of Commander of all Union forces in the field and direct control of the army of the Potomac, opposing General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. General Grants Appointment did Several things that secured eventual defeat and surrender of the southern forces: 1) It gave Lincoln's Army an aggressive commander that was dedicated to engaging and putting pressure on the Army of Northern Virginia. 2) Knowing that engaging his troops in combat would decrease the fighting Capability of Gen. Lee's Army by decreasing irreplaceable Manpower and War Materials Including Ammo, Cannons and riffles, Clothing and shoes that Gen. Lee's Army so dearly needed, That Grant had plenty of at his disposal. 3) Ceasing the policy of Prisoner exchange, Which denied the south of receiving additional Manpower and lost leadership.
After the defeat at Gettysburg caused the South to lose any chance of Recognition as a Nation and aide from England or France.

Vol IV also gives the reader an in-depth view of the Greatness and the many problems and crises that Pres. Lincoln had to overcome from, political e enemies and pressures, of opportunists seeking federal jobs, Dealing with strikes by the American workers, also working and receiving help from states governors and still preserving state rights.

This book gave me more insight and respect for The Man President Lincoln was to the Nation as a hole, and was probably the only Man that was what needed to preserve the Union.

Vol. V - The war years 1864: If 1863 was the beginning of the end for the CSA, then 1864 was the year that the nails were being hammered in the coffin. This is the book that you really get a glimpse into the compassion and the political and intelligence, and the heavy burden of Abraham Lincoln. Even though he was nominated for re-election by his party, The elite of the party wanted him to bow out of the race. They thought that they couldn’t win him. What they did not realize was that the people wanted him; especially the soldiers who were doing the fighting were solid behind him. Abraham Lincoln was one of the last American Presidents where the people had daily access to him. Lincoln fought for re-uniting the union, He once told an old friend that He came in without a policy, and he made decisions day by day. Citizens north and south came to plead for Presidential pardons for their loved ones or friends. To the dislike of the Secretary of war, and the Generals in the fields, he would pardon someone who was to be executed without first seeking advice from the army leadership, He would read the record but he would in his own words try to find a reason. A congressman came in and asked for a pardon for a young soldier who was being executed for falling to sleep on guard duty; Lincoln exclaimed he had promised Secretary of war Stanton That he would not Pardon anyone else without consulting him. The congressman said you won’t give him a pardon, he said I Didn’t say that. Write the pardon yourself and sign it A. Lincoln. Not long after he left, Mr. Stanton Ran in and confronted the Pres. About Breaking His word and Mr. Lincoln responded that He did not sign a presidential pardon.

The first Battles that Gen. Grant Led against Gen Lee were in the Wilderness at Spotslyvania, Cold Harbor and Massive assaults on the defenses at Petersburg which were Defeats with more Union Losses than Gen. Lee had Troops. Grant Rcvd 25,000 replacement troops, Lee's Losses were irreplaceable. This where Grant Made the Controversial Decision to cease all prisoner exchanges, realizing that a captured soldier was as bit a loss as a KIA to the South, they could not be replaced. This was a tough decision giving that the horrible conditions that Grant was condemning union pow's in southern prisons. According to Mr. Sandburg 15 out of every union prisoner died in Confederate POW camps and 12 out of every 100 confederates died in union POW camps. Then Lee Sent Gen. Early out Thru the Shenandoah Valley Towards Wash. D.C. and was turned away just miles from the Capital. Sherman Defeated Hood in Georgia towards Atlanta. Sherman after taking Atlanta, Divided His Army and give Gen. Thomas 60,000 troops to hold Gen Hoods 40,000 men and Then himself start a thousand mile march to the sea, burning and depriving the south of all materials and food stuff and resources that would advance the starvation and strangling of the south to an early defeat, and the join Grant to Defeat Lee. During this time Gen. Thomas routed Gen Hoods army so thoroughly that they ceased to be an effective unit.

The Greatest Victory for the North in the year 1864 was the re-election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States and Andrew Johnson a southern Democrat as Vice President. That was the biggest blow to the south and the last nail to the coffin. How important was Lincoln being re-elected to the war effort? I will leave you with an excerpt from the book; "Then Sojourner Truth released her speech poem: "Mr. President when you first took your seat I feared you would be torn to pieces, for I likened you unto Daniel, who was thrown into the lions' den; and if the lions did not tear you into pieces, I knew it would be God that had saved you; and I said if He spared me I would see you before the four years expired and He has done so, and now I am here to see you for myself." He took the Little book that she had brought out, and as sojourner had phrased it, " The same hand that had signed the death-warrant of slavery signed as follows":

For Auntie Sojourner Truth,
Oct. 29th, 1864. A. Lincoln"

Vol. VI - Covers from January 1st, 1865 - Lincolns' burial in May, 1865. Lincoln is re-elected, and then is able to push the Thirteenth Amendment thru Congress for ratification from the states. Lincoln knows the end is near for the confederacy and is preparing for bringing the confederate states back in with as much leniency as he can or as lenient as the northern politicians will allow. Grant finally forces Lee to surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9th, 1865, at the Victory speech the following night Lincoln's speech confounded the crowd and press because it wasn’t what was expected, it was about leniency and healing and then he requested the band to play Dixie. April 14th, 1865 President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth in the head and the President died early the next morning. President Lincoln died they same day that Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnson surrendered the Army of Tennessee to Gen. Sherman. Lincoln's Assassination and death was not the great deed for the south as John Wilkes Booth imagined. It actually was the LAST NAIL in CSA coffin, and killed any chance for a lenient reconstruction. Pres. Johnson and especially Secretary of War Stanton wanted the south especially the Leaders to Pay dearly.

As he breathed his last breath, Mrs. Lincoln cried out Oh My GOD!! I have given my husband to die. Over the worn features had come, wrote John Hay, "A look of unspeakable peace." Stanton it was said Afterward, pronounced the words: "Now He belongs to the Ages." And wrongly some accounts said he said "Now He Belongs to the Angels."

I will end This with Two excerpts from the book:

1) Reports have been published that the face in the coffin was shrunken and decayed to such an extent that perhaps good taste should prevent further exposure of it to public gaze. The embalmer on the train had several times by his craft wrought improvement. However this might be, there came from Toledo an old friend and a valued comforter of Lincoln, David R. Locke, who wrote under the pen name Petroleum V. Nasby. He wrote now: "I saw him, or what was mortal of him in the coffin. The face had an expression of absolute content, of relief, at throwing off a burden such as few men have been called upon to bear - a burden which few men could have borne. I had seen the same expression on his living face only a few times, when, after a great calamity, he had come to a great victory. It was the look of a worn man suddenly relieved. Wilkes Booth did Abraham Lincoln the greatest service man could possibly do for him - he gave him peace."

2) Bishop Mathew Simpson in a moving oration spoke as an interpreter and foreteller: There are moments which involve in themselves eternities. There are instants to contain germs which shall develop and bloom forever. Such a moment came in the tide of time to our land when a question must be settled, affecting all the powers of the earth. The contest was for human freedom . Not for the republic merely, not for the union simply, but to decide whether the people, as a people, in thier entire majesty, were destined to be the Governments or whether to be subjects to tyrants or aristocrats, or to class rule of any kind. This is the great question for which we have been fighting, and its decision is at hand, and the result of this contest will affect the ages to come. If Successful republics will spread spite of monarchs all over this earth." And then came from the people, exclamations of Amen!!!

The real Crime is that it was over a hundred years with the signing of the civil rights bill by LBJ in 1968 for Lincolns' Thirteenth amendment to become an actuality and with the Election of Obama for President in 2008.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2014/...

“Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years” is a two-volume biography of Lincoln’s early life written by Carl Sandburg and published in 1926. Sandburg, like Lincoln, was a son of the Illinois prairie and he harbored a lifelong fascination with the sixteenth president. Although better known as an eminent American poet, Sandburg was also a well-regarded biographer.

Following publication of “The Prairie Years” Sandburg began an exhaustive effort to complete his study of Lincoln. In 1939 he published a four-volume series “Abraham Lincoln: The War Years” covering Lincoln’s presidency. This second installment on Lincoln’s life earned Sandburg the 1940 Pulitzer Prize in history, making him the only person ever to receive Pulitzers in both poetry and history. Sandburg died in 1967 at the age of 89.

Despite lacking access to many of the historical sources available to modern Lincoln biographers, much of Sandburg’s “The Prairie Years” rings familiar to readers acquainted with Lincoln’s life. This two-volume effort totals nearly 1,000 pages of text, but lacks the footnotes and bibliography which would be expected of a more recent historical work. Volume 1 covers Lincoln’s life through the mid-1850s (after his service as an Illinois Congressman). Volume 2 covers the half-decade of his life through his election as president. The series ends with the President-elect’s train departing Illinois for the nation’s capital in early 1861.

“The Prairie Years” is a biography about which I possess conflicting emotions. To its credit, it is a unique look at Lincoln’s early life and is a tale often beautifully told; that its author was a renowned poet is often unsurprising. While reading Sandburg’s account of Lincoln’s earliest years one cannot help but visualize the same raw material Mark Twain must have drawn upon for many of his stories. The first volume, in particular, is almost a reference manual on the uncultured, rugged frontier life.

On the other hand, this biography is an imperfect combination of history, context and fluff. As a contributor to Lincoln scholarship, the series lacks the potency it probably once possessed. As a source of unique cultural and social context, the series is excellent – but it provides virtually no historical context whatsoever. And it is replete with stories of (and by) Lincoln which add individual bursts of color to the portrait. But after an endless barrage of these brief, rapid-fire tales they grow almost pointless – adding filler but little substance.

Happily, Sandburg’s writing style feels far more modern than the biography’s age would suggest; the text is smooth, fluid and easy to read (excepting Sandburg’s propensity for incorporating the local dialect in many passages). Unfortunately, the biography does not follow a consistently logical, linear progression but takes on a form that only a “creative” thinker could perfect.

Along its vaguely chronological path, Sandburg takes frequent detours to explore favorite topics or themes. Although the diversions can be fascinating they are often followed by events non-sequential to those taking place before the diversion. Only later will the reader find the storyline returning to the original point of departure. One moment Lincoln is in a courtroom using humor to sway a jury; the next he is headed to Washington as a congressman…but he never seems to have decided to run for office or to have campaigned. But fear not, that piece of the puzzle will come later.

Missing in the broad coverage of Lincoln’s life are key elements of his success: his intense drive for self-education, his passionate love of politics and his zealous (if evolutionary) views on slavery. The Lincoln-Douglas debates are not particularly well described and someone unfamiliar with American history will not gain a better grasp of the Compromise of 1850 or the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Sandburg’s biography is at its very best when placing the reader in Lincoln’s place and time, exposing his surroundings, culture and local flavor. While reading these two volumes, it is easy to imagine yourself sitting around a campfire listening to Sandburg (or Lincoln) telling one story after another. It is harder to imagine that you might be listening to a lecture by a noted historian. And the experience is best for readers with no pressing business; this biography is in no hurry to get anywhere at any particular time. It is best enjoyed at a carefree pace…possibly with a glass of wine.

Overall, Carl Sandburg’s “The Prairie Years” is a fascinating and enjoyable cultural and literary experience, even if disappointing from a historical perspective. For many reasons it is not ideal as an introduction to Abraham Lincoln for the modern reader seeking a comprehensive, detailed and historically potent account of his life. But as a second or third source, designed to add splashes of color and flavor unavailable elsewhere, Sandburg’s work on Lincoln’s early years is quite well-suited.

Overall rating: 3½ stars

http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2014/...

“Abraham Lincoln: The War Years” is a four-volume, 2,400 page biography focused on Lincoln’s presidency and death. Written by Carl Sandburg and published in 1939, it was published about a dozen years after Sandburg’s two-volume “Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years” covering the first five decades of Lincoln’s life.

“The War Years” was a monumental effort which earned Sandburg, already a well-known American poet and an increasingly well-regarded biographer, the 1940 Pulitzer Prize in history. Like Lincoln, Sandburg was a son of the Illinois prairie and as a consequence he harbored a lifelong interest in the sixteenth president. Sandburg died in 1967 at the age of 89.

Unlike Sandburg’s “The Prairie Years” which covered Lincoln’s childhood and early career as a lawyer and politician, “The War Years” does not have the sprightly, effervescent feel of a biography written by a poet. Instead, this series is heavy and more dense and only sparingly reveals its author’s normal passion for verse and dexterity.

Like its predecessor volumes, “The War Years” is mostly – but not strictly – chronological. Periodic interruptions in the flow allow the author to explore cultural or political topics which could probably be placed nearly anywhere in the series. But unlike Sandburg’s coverage of Lincoln’s first fifty-two years in “The Prairie Years” which consumed more than nine-hundred pages, this series covers just four years of Lincoln’s life in nearly three times more pages. As a result, “The War Years” is heavy on details - both important and trivial – and requires an immense investment of time.

Unfortunately, while most of the big picture moments will strike the reader as familiar, much of the surrounding detail will not. A casual reader will often get lost in unimportant details and miss the forest for the trees. On more than one occasion I lost track of which part of Lincoln’s life was being discussed since the text wandered so deeply into one topic or another that previously familiar terrain became unrecognizable. Matters which might be dispatched with a paragraph, or perhaps a page, are routinely covered in ten or twenty pages.

On the other hand, with such breadth and depth Sandburg is able to provide insight into topics rarely found in other Lincoln biographies. For example, the reader is introduced more thoroughly to the Confederate Cabinet and its provocative personalities than anywhere else I’ve ventured. I’ve also never witnessed a more complete description of the drudgery of Lincoln’s day-to-day life as President (with innumerable requests for patronage, pardons or other favors).

The congressional plot against Secretary of State Seward is particularly interesting and the chapter describing Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox is unrivaled. In addition, this series provides the most thorough and dramatic account of Lincoln’s assassination that I’ve yet read. Covering more than 100 pages, Sandburg’s description of Lincoln’s last moments provides a fascinating and engrossing conclusion to the series.

With several hundred illustrations, photographs, notes, newspaper clippings and caricatures there is a great deal to be found in Sandburg’s biography that adds unique color and clarity to Lincoln’s story. Unfortunately, the text itself leaves Lincoln two-dimensional and his relationship with his family largely unexplored. For reasons unknown, Sandburg seems determined to avoid humanizing Lincoln, his wife or his children (none of whom become familiar after this lengthy series).

Also missing are observations or analyses by the author which would provide special insight into matters of great historical significance or serve to explore Lincoln’s legacy. Little or no overarching commentary examines Lincoln’s views on slavery, religion or other big-picture topics of interest. Although valuable messages and insights are contained in the series, they are widely scattered and well-hidden beneath mountains of minutiae.

Overall, Carl Sandburg’s “The War Years” is an encyclopedic recounting of Lincoln’s day-to-day life as president during a time of great conflict and turmoil. Though likely of great interest and value to a historian, the series will prove overwhelming and esoteric for a more casual reader. Although it is a jewel of American history, Sandburg’s biography does not distinguish between the trivial and the momentous. Impressive in scope, it is equally overwhelming and without enough moments of clarity and revelation to be of interest to the modern reader.

Overall rating: 3 stars

[David Beeson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s no reason why someone who enjoys biography should put up with poor writing. So it’s a joy to read this monumental study of Lincoln by a man who, as well as a Pulitzer for this book, won two others for his poetry. Carl Sandburg was an outstanding writer, and the quality of the writing is one of the aspects of this work that makes it so readable.

That’s all the more remarkable given Sandburg’s inauspicious start in life. He was born into poverty and left school at 13, working in a series of poorly-paid jobs including as a coal heaver, hospital porter or driver of a milk wagon. He served in the army, and even entered West Point, but was kicked out two weeks later after failing exams in maths – and grammar.

His background did, on the other hand, give him points of contact with Lincoln. He was from Illinois, the state Lincoln made his own; as a young man, he knew men who’d voted for him; in the army, in 1898, as he points out himself in his preface, he was sent to Puerto Rico in the same uniform of light blue trousers and dark blue coat that Union soldiers had worn in the Civil War; he served there under the command of a man who’d led a brigade in the final campaigns against Lee in Virginia.

So Sandburg produces a biography that glows with life, as he describes characters and events to which he feels personally connected. Originally, the work was in six volumes, but he then rewrote it to bring it down to just one, even if it covers 700 pages in small typeface. But it positively races along, giving us a view of the young Lincoln, his loves, the many forms of work he undertook, including as a boatman on the Mississippi or a surveyor after his beginnings on farms (and a failed period as a shopkeeper), before he launched himself into politics and the law.

By far the bulk of the book, however, deals with the last four years of his life, as President and during the war. Lincoln had been a one-term member of the House of Representatives; in the 1850s, he had made some remarkable speeches and become a force in the newly formed Republican Party, but he was still a relatively obscure figure on the national stage. In particular, in 1860 he was an outsider in the race for the Republican nomination for the presidency, where William Seward was the clear front-runner; Sandburg shows how, by intelligent political work and not a little manipulation, bordering on the dubious, mostly by his supporters, Lincoln conspired to snatch the nomination for himself, and then went on win the Presidency too.

In passing, let me say that I had often thought that Lincoln had prepared the grounds for that victory in the debates with the Democrat Steven Douglas, in the Senate election campaign in Illinois two years earlier. He had outmanoeuvred his opponent by forcing him to take a position on slavery that would be popular in the North but lose him the South. Many have suggested that Lincoln had deliberately arranged things this way, so that he lost the senatorial contest but prepared the presidential victory. Sandburg’s biography makes it clear that Lincoln, though ingenious in politics, hadn’t been quite that devilishly cunning: he actually won the popular vote in Illinois in 1758, but the Democrats retained control of the Illinois legislature, where the final decision on senatorial representation was decided. Clearly, Lincoln fought the campaign seriously.

In fact, that is one of the aspects of this book that I most appreciated. Sandburg shows the extent of Lincoln’s brilliance, describing how at times he controlled the political game, though at others he could only react to it. He even quotes Lincoln’s saying that far from controlling events, he felt driven by them. This is a much more realistic and believable picture and, therefore, one that I at least find much more satisfying than some of the hagiographies out there.

It also makes much more plausible the account Sandburg gives of how this extraordinarily brilliant man, reacting to events and manoeuvring to take advantage of them as best he could, navigated his country to the point where he could maintain its unity, by defeating the insurrection of the South, and also do away, once and for all, with that terrible blemish on it, the peculiar institution so favoured by the same Southerners, slavery. He did that by playing his cards close to his chest, by remaining in contact with the radical abolitionists but never explicitly endorsing their positions – doing so would have cost him political support he couldn’t afford to jeopardise – and ultimately achieving the aims that their much more direct methods couldn’t attain.

That kind of presentation continues throughout the account of Lincoln’s presidency. We see the Cabinet he formed, including many major rivals from inside the Republican Party. Not least of these was William Seward, and again Sandburg offers invaluable insights into how much more capable Lincoln was to deal with his times than Seward (it is astonishing how often Seward made predictions about political developments with great authority, and no accuracy). The early battle in his Presidency between Lincoln and Seward quickly established that Lincoln, not his Secretary of State, would run the government. It’s to Seward’s credit that he accepted that outcome and never challenged Lincoln again, becoming on the contrary his most loyal and effective supporter.

Sandburg takes us through the war years with their dangers and their disappointments, as general after general failed in Virginia, until at last successes began to be achieved by men like Grant and Sherman in the West, so that eventually Lincoln could give them command of the armies and win the long-elusive victory on the battlefields. Meanwhile, he had to win many other battles, in politics, in finance – notably with the remarkable changes in management of the economy engineered by Salmon Chase at the Treasury – and above all with the people, whose support he needed both to retain power and to fill the ranks of the army and navy.

All this Sandburg paints brilliantly and with just enough detail to make it comprehensible, without ever allowing it to become tiresome. And he leavens it all with humour. Since that was very much Lincoln’s specialty, it would have been unthinkable that a biography of him should not contain examples, and Sandburg gives plenty.

One example, a tale about Lincoln, comes from the time of his journey to Washington as President-elect. At a stop in Pennsylvania:

… a coal-heaver yelled from the crowd, “Abe, they say you’re the tallest man in the United States, but I don’t believe you’re any taller than I am.” Lincoln replied, “Come up here and let’s measure.” The dusty shoveler in work clothes pushed through the crowd, stood back to back with the President-elect and they were exactly the same height. The crowd cheered. The two tall men grinned and shook hands. And here and there earnest people said it was no way for a public man to act with a coal-heaver, and what was the country coming to?

And, as an example of humour by Lincoln, Sandburg tells us:

A minister in a delegation meeting the President “hoped that the Lord is on our side.” The President: “I don’t agree with you.” There was amazement. The President continued: “I am not at all concerned about that, for we know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord’s side.”

So with humour and insightful thought, based on a huge wealth of evidence, Sandburg traces the life of a man who found the way to save the Union and do away with slavery, right up to the moment of his tragic death, and beyond.

And he does it with the most beautiful writing.

[Renny · Rating 5 out of 5]

We were so fortunate to have him... I pray that we can be guided past the corruption of our present administration to a people who have the well being of all the people in our country plus those in the rest of the world as well as the health of the whole planet embedded in their value systems with energies directed toward working for peace, health and well being... in totality.
From Amazon: ..."Originally published in six volumes, which sold more than one million copies, Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln was praised as the most noteworthy historical biography of Sandburg's generation. He later distilled this monumental work into one volume that critics and readers alike consider his greatest work of nonfiction, as well as the most distinguished, authoritative biography of Lincoln ever published.
Growing up in an Illinois prairie town, Sandburg listened to stories of old-timers who had known Lincoln. By the time this single-volume edition was competed, he had spent a lifetime studying, researching, and writing about our 16th president. His extraordinary portrait brings fully to life the country lawyer who would become one of the most influential and beloved presidents of the American republic. Additional information about the author can be found at: http://www.nps.gov/carl. "...

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had always considered Abraham Lincoln to be a great man and President who had led the country through troubling times and had abolished slavery in the United States. I gained a greater appreciation of the man and leader through this work. While aware of his appointing those who disagreed with him politically to his cabinet, I did not have a full appreciation for the lengths Lincoln went to surround himself with those who could challenge his thoughts and give him insights from a different perspective. He also respected them and their expertise. For those in the Confederacy, he had compassion in their suffering. While prosecuting the war to keep the Union together, he did not ever choose to view and treat them as an enemy to be destroyed and punished. He did not strive to engage in punitive measures only prosecuting what was required to win the war. At the end of the war, he even visited and comforted Confederate soldiers. So much can be learned from his example. Highly recommend this book.

[Donna Pfeiffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a while to work through this biography because of the details of his life. Many of Lincoln's speeches, letters and antecnotes from personal friends were included. I have a deeper understanding and knowledge of his viewpoints and character because of this read. Sandberg's portrayal made me respect and admire him even more. He was respected by those who worked closely with him for his honesty and courage but was also admired for his quick sense of humor. He had an uncanny ability to use stories of normal life events to answer and give understanding to many of his political viewpoints. God certainly ordained the right person at a critical time in our country's history. This brings me back to working through my read of the presidential biographies.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t believe I finally finished this book! It was a whopping 44 hours and some change on Audible. The physical books are out of print so buying it on audiobook was more economical. I set out to read this for the grades 9-12 Mensa Reading for Excellence list.

Overall well written and full of first hand accounts, this book starts with Abraham Lincoln’s parents and his upbringing. It follows on through his death. I much enjoyed the Prairie Years, though the War Years were less interesting. I’m sure some would have a different opinion.

I have to say that about halfway through I lost interest and it became a chore to listen. I had to set goals for myself to keep going. I learned more about Lincoln than I ever thought I would though.