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

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Argues that the sixteenth president of the United States was inspired by the Founding Fathers of the nation and struggled to carry on their work throughout his career.

"Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War are forever linked. The bloody conflict began in 1861, the year Lincoln was elected president. It ended in 1865, the year he was struck down by an assassin's bullet. During those years the admired and despised 16th president served as a brilliant commander in chief, ultimately keeping the nation together and freeing thousands of its enslaved people."--Publisher.

As a defender of national unity, a leader in war, and the emancipator of slaves, Abraham Lincoln lays ample claim to being the greatest of our presidents. But the story of his rise to greatness is as complex as it is compelling. In this superb, prize-winning biography, acclaimed historian Richard Carwardine examines Lincoln’s dramatic political journey, from his early years in the Illinois legislature to his nation-shaping years in the White...

"...This book offers readers a unique look at the events that led to the Emancipation Proclamation. Filled with little-known facts and fascinating details, it includes excerpts from historical sources, archival images, and new research that debunks myths about the Emancipation Proclamation and its causes."--Amazon.com.

Abraham Lincoln's life and work have inspired more books than any other historical figure except Jesus and Shakespeare and attracted some of America's most renowned writers. But few know him as well as Phillip Paludan, one of the nation's foremost authorities on Lincoln and the Civil War. Paludan offers us Lincoln in whole--a complex, even contradictory personality who found greatness without seeking it and who felt deeply troubled about what he perceived...

"An intimate study of Abraham Lincoln's powerful vision of democracy, which guided him through the Civil War and is still relevant today-by best-selling historian and three-time winner of the Lincoln Prize Abraham Lincoln grappled with the greatest crisis of democracy that has ever confronted the United States. While many books have been written about his temperament, judgment, and steady hand in guiding the country through the Civil War, we know...

The second episode in this award-winning trilogy impressively shows how the Union and Confederacy, slowly and inexorably, reconciled themselves to an all-out war--an epic struggle for freedom.

Gary Gallagher presents a brilliant reinterpretation of the Civil War, arguing that it was the preservation of the Union, rather than abolition of slavery, that motivated the war effort in the North.

Tells the story of the document which led eventually to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment and relates the role of President Lincoln in freeing the slaves.