Abraham Lincoln: The Enigmatic President

Lincoln’s Sanctuary Abraham Lincoln and the Soldiers’ Home   By Matthew Pinsker Lincoln’s Sanctuary offers a fresh vantage point on Lincoln. With thousands upon thousands of Lincoln books available, pulling off something new is a feat—yet Pinsker succeeds. In this work, he explores Abraham Lincoln’s time at the Soldiers’ Home, a cottage in the heights of Washington that served much as Camp David does today. From 1862 to 1864, Lincoln and his family spent summers at the cottage to escape the heat and city pressures. To paint a vivid picture of Lincoln’s personal and political life during this period, Pinsker, a historian, draws on primary sources. The book links the cottage to key wartime events—such as the Emancipation Proclamation, the firing of General McClellan, and Lincoln’s evolving public image. Lincoln buffs looking for a revealing, intimate perspective into Lincoln’s private life and decision-making moments will find this book compelling.

  Desperate Engagement How a Little-Known Civil War Battle Saved Washington D.C . Much happened between July 9 and 12, 1864. Marc Leepson focuses on this brief Civil War period in his book Desperate Engagement . In the end, the battle changes little, except perhaps delaying the end of the war. General Grant continued his stranglehold on the Confederate Army until Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Nonetheless, if the Hail Mary pass had been completed and General Jubal Early had sacked Washington, we might all be speaking with a Southern accent. According to Leepson, this outcome was almost realized. He would want us to believe it was close—heart-stoppingly close. Other historians and this reader think that once General Grant's reinforcements arrived, General Early's attack on Washington was doomed. The risky moves and countermoves, potential payoff, and unbridled heroism on both sides should have made this an exciting book. The Battle of Monocacy and the attempted siege are nicely ...

A gush of air ruffled my hair. Was that a bullet whistling past my head? Where am I? What the heck is happening? My eardrums throbbed with piercing pops and massive explosions. The stench of rotten eggs and burning charcoal seared my nostrils. Soldiers yelled orders, screamed in pain, or shouted insults at the opposition. Beyond clear-cut fields, I saw countless flashes made dim by smoke and distance. I wondered what the flashes represented until I heard sharp thuds and saw wood splintering. They were gunshots coming toward me at a frantic pace. The entire encounter was unreal. Standing on a sturdy parapet eight feet above the ground, I overlooked a raging gun battle. The relentless noise dazed me. To my left and right, soldiers returned fire, and deafening blasts of cannon fire made it nearly impossible to think clearly. I should have felt a desperate urge to escape, yet I sensed no such need. I was not afraid. Something told me that I was not a participant in this drama. As I glanced...