Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle For The 1864 Presidency

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Hachette Books, Apr 30, 2009 - History - 480 pages
Here, from the author of the acclaimed book The Class of 1846, is the dramatic story of what may have been the most critical election campaign in American history. Taking place in the midst of the Civil War, the election of 1864 would determine the very future of the nation. Would the country be unified or permanently divided? Would slavery continue? Weaving rich anecdotal material into a fast-paced narrative, John C. Waugh places this pivotal election in its historical context while evoking its human drama. The men and women who figured in this epic campaign—most notably Lincoln himself—emerge with all their strengths, weaknesses, and idiosyncrasies. "It's an inherently dramatic story, and one that has been told before. But never quite so well as by John C. Waugh, [who] brings to his task the keen eye for detail and scene-setting that one would expect from a career reporter," said the Wall Street Journal. Drawing on an extensive array of sources, including published and unpublished reminiscences, memoirs, autobiographies, letters, newspapers, and periodicals, Waugh re-creates that fateful year with all the immediacy of a political reporter covering a national presidential election today.

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Contents

10
115
Let Him Have the Presidency
121
II
132
The Confederate Connection
148
An Unquiet Spring
159
15
182
War Weariness
203
Showdown at the Capitol
213
The Wild Howl of Summer
258
21
264
The Band Played Dixie
276
Clearing the Track
295
Striking Up a Hallelujah
310
25
337
Oysters at Midnight
347
Worth More Than a Battle
356

Get Down You Fool
230
19
237
20
251
In Appreciation
363
Index
439
Copyright

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About the author (2009)

John C. Waugh, a newspaper journalist turned historical reporter, was long a staff correspondent and bureau chief for the Christian Science Monitor. He lives in Texas.

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