The Real Abraham Lincoln (review)

Abstract

334civil wa h histohy his many adverse traits notwithstanding." Those adverse traits are discussed at great length. As wartime capitals Washington and Richmond both were detriments to their respective sides. Being a native of Danville, this reviewer cannot but agree that, if some Old Dominion city had to be selected for national headquarters , a more defensible city in the interior such as Lynchburg or Danville would have saved the Confederacy many headaches. The third section of the book—"Civil War Generals"—will undoubtedly stir the greatest reaction. Rating commanders by a star system of from plus five to minus one, Dr. Eisenschiml cuts down many of the war's leading combatants. No Federal commander rates in either of the top two grades: George H. Thomas and Fitz John Porter are considered dependable; Grant barely rates above a failure class that includes Halleck and Burnside. On the Confederate side, Bedford Forrest takes top laurels ("military ability near genius"), followed closely by Stonewall Jackson. Joseph Johnston and Longstreet rate two stars for competency. Lee and Beauregard repose in the "erratic" class, and Braxton Bragg flunks the course. No unanimity of agreement or disagreement will greet The Hidden Face of the Civil War; controversial in content, it will be so received by the reading public. Perhaps the book is iconoclastic, even a bit debunking. Yet at the same time it is a work of careful thought and deep research. As sucli—and its captious nature notwithstanding—it is a needed shot in the arm in furthering a more careful study of our nation's critical hour. James I. Robertson, Jr. State University of Iowa The Real Abraham Lincoln. By Reinhard H. Luthin. Introduction by Allan Nevins. (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1960. Pp. xviii, 778. $10.00.) Abraham Lincoln once observed that biographies are not only "misleading, but false." The biographer, he said, magnifies the perfections of his hero, and suppresses his imperfections. Ironically, Lincoln more than any other American has been victimized by the tendencies in biographical writing against which he warned. It is quite certain that he would not recognize in himself all the virtue and genius that have been attributed to him during the century since his assassination. He recognized his limitations, and it was this and"not superior virtue that eventually gave him whatever distinction he attained. Lincoln was a political being. He maneuvered throughout his years of national prominence in the context of political necessity, not abstract principle. His success as party leader and wartime President lay in his extreme practicality. Within the Lincoln literature, especially that of the last quarter century, there is much of rare excellence, for Lincoln and the exciting world in which he lived have attracted the energies of many of the nation's distinguished historians. The Real Abraham Lincoln adds more than a cubit to the already Book Reviews335 considerable stature of its author as a student of Lincoln, attained through earner studies of Lincoln's 1860 campaign and his patronage policies as President. This volume is not original in its realism, for most of its judgments have been widely accepted for a generation. Its uniqueness rests rather in its methodology. In his effort to discover the real Lincoln, the author has focused all significant evidence on each point of dispute in the Lincoln story. This permits an impressive review of the Lincoln sources. The author traces many of the Lincoln legends from their beginnings after Lincoln's death when enthusiasts were willing to believe anything that suggested Lincoln's superior human qualities. Whereas his own conclusions differ imperceptibly from those of other scholars, his device of presenting the countering evidence reminds the reader of the vast amount of legend and conjecture with which the serious student of Lincoln must contend. This biography reveals throughout the two decades of preparation and effort that have gone into its creation. It cuts a broad swath through an exciting and significant era of the nation's history, often encompassing men and events only remotely connected with Lincoln's career. Its chronological organization has forced the author to resort to considerable repetition to maintain the strands of his many themes. Some repetition was undoubtedly unavoidable...