Lincoln's Men: How President Lincoln Became Father to an Army and a Nation Paperback – 15 Feb. 2000

Spiffing read,jolly good show chaps!

Given the mountain of books about either Abraham Lincoln or the American Civil War, one would think that someone would have come up with the idea of exploring the relationship between Lincoln and the rank-and-file Union soldier. But Davis is apparently the first to do so, and he handles the topic in a way that is bound to delight anyone interested in either topic, from the novice to the expert.He has obviously thoroughly researched the wealth of letters, diaries, and other orginal sources that are available; his points are well documented. Moreover, he avoids repeating himself by either using the same source over and over again (as Ken Burns did in the Civil War series and Bruce Catton tended to do in his otherwise fascinating histories), nor does he pile up so much evidence on a single point that the reader becomes bored.He explores the Lincoln-enlisted man relationship from a variety of angles, ranging from Lincoln's dismissal of the highly popular McClellan to his liberal use of his pardoning prerogative for wayward soldiers to veterans' attitudes in the 1864 Presidential election to his assassination. He frames much of the book in terms of Parson Weems's classic biography of George Washington, which depicted GW as "the Father of His Country," and suggests that the book had an early, perhaps subconscious effect on Lincoln, giving him a model to adopt when he became President--and makes a plausible case.He also demonstrates that Lincoln very consciously invested in promoting a positive image of himself with the Union rank and file. Lincoln was very aware of how his position as President affected everyday Americans, and became (according to Davis) the first President to make an effort to be seen by ordinary citizens, especially Union soldiers.This is a well-written, enjoyable book, satisfying in every sense. It was truly hard to put down.

If you have never read much about Lincoln, you will enjoy this book. If you are a fan of President Lincoln, you will find this work among the best ever written.William C. Davis presents to us the 'best friend' a soldier ever knew. He enters into the life of Lincoln and especially his relationship with the common Civil War soldier. As each chapter begins with a verse from the Bible about Abraham, you will almost feel a sense of divinity that was felt by many about Lincoln. He was a Commander in Chief that we could only dream about in today's world; a man that loved his soldiers and had a following that would go anywhere and do anything because 'Father Abraham' asked him to.