A gripping and original account of how the Civil War began and a second American revolution unfolded, setting Abraham Lincoln on the path to greatness and millions of slaves on the road to freedom. An epic of courage and heroism beyond the battlefields, 1861 introduces us to a heretofore little-known cast of Civil War heroes—among them an acrobatic militia colonel, an explorer’s wife, an idealistic band of German immigrants, a regiment of New York City firemen, a community of Virginia slaves, and a young college professor who would one day become president. Their stories take us from the corridors of the White House to the slums of Manhattan, from the waters of the Chesapeake to the deserts of Nevada, from Boston Common to Alcatraz Island, vividly evoking the Union at its moment of ultimate crisis and decision. Hailed as “exhilarating….Inspiring…Irresistible…” by The New York Times Book Review, Adam Goodheart’s bestseller 1861 is an important addition to the Civil War canon. Includes black-and-white photos and illustrations.

This volume explores the Union army's treatment of Southerners during the Civil War, emphasising the survival of political logic and control.

Abraham Lincoln's election as sixteenth president of the United States in November, 1860, has brought about a national crisis. South Carolina, a state that has promoted the idea of secession for nearly thirty years, finally makes good on that threat, and withdraws from the Union on December 20. By early 1861, six more "cotton states" are ready to follow South Carolina's lead, putting the United States, entering into its eighty-fifth year of existence, in jeopardy of an all-out civil war. For Benjamin Dean, recently graduated from Bowdoin College, tough decisions lie ahead. Should he continue to pursue his future career path by apprenticing in a law office, or by offering to remain in Rockland to support his brother Sam who manages the family shipbuilding business, or should he volunteer his services in the defense of the Union if the threat of secession leads to civil war? The choice he makes will bring him into contact with an old adversary that will affect not only his life but also the lives of his family, his friends, and the many new people he meets along the way. The year 1861 rang in on a somber note. Like the rest of the nation, the people of Rockland were on pins and needles. The presidential election the previous November and the subsequent announcement of secession from the Union by the state of South Carolina that December left the future of our great nation in doubt. The overwhelming feelings of gloom and angst that pervaded through town were so strong that it caused my brother Sam to forgo our annual winter celebration out at the cabin. Things went from bad to worse when six more states voted to secede from the Union by early February. It would be another month before the newly elected president, Abraham Lincoln, would be inaugurated, and tensions throughout the nation were mounting. Like the rest of the country, we, the good citizens of Rockland, held our collective breaths.

John Y. Simon was a giant in the field of Civil War-era history whose groundbreaking work on Grant was at the forefront of his generation's reevaluation of Grant's wartime acumen and his controversial presidency, earning him a lifetime achievement award from the Lincoln Forum in 2004 and a Lincoln Prize in 2005. In The Union Forever: Lincoln, Grant, and the Civil War, editor Glenn W. LaFantasie brings together some of Simon's most significant work on two towering figures of their era. The essays in The Union Forever explore the relationship between the two leaders and their influence on each other as well as their individual accomplishments and struggles. Simon illuminates Lincoln's emancipation policy and his struggles as commander in chief. Other essays explore General Grant's military career and leadership as well as the influence his wife had on his life. Drawing from Simon's most prominent work as well as his lesser-known writing, The Union Forever allows veteran scholars to revisit classic works and makes available to new generations of readers Simon's perspectives on America's greatest leaders during a time of crisis and change.

Letters offer a deeply personal perspective of the war, and remind us that every one of the hundreds of thousands of brave men that died during the four brutal years of the Civil War was someone's father, or son, or brother, or husband. Numerous first-han