Bruce Chadwick (1)

Having read many books on the Civil War and the antebellum years, I didn't know much about President Buchanan and the events of 1858. Buchanan is usually mentioned supefically as a failure to take actions to avoid the conflict. This book confirms this but adds details about his misguided presidency. He undertook a retribution campaign against Stephen Douglas (over Douglas's opposition to the phony Lecompton constitution in the Kansas territory) which likely cost Douglas the 1860 presidential show more election. Buchanan was an imperialist undertaking harebrained initiatives to annex through coercion countries in the Carribean, Central and South America.

The book also highlights the pre-war stories of figures who emerged to dominate the country in the war years: Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, William Seward, Douglas, Lincoln, and John Brown. He provided insights into their public affairs that further advanced the country to the war.

For anyone interested in how events moved toward in Seward's famous words the "irrepressible conflict" this is a worthwhile read. show less

1858 was a turning point leading up to the American Civil War. So many issues were beginning to come to a crisis point and the leaders that should have taken action were looking elsewhere. Jefferson Davis was fighting a health crisis, Robert E. Lee was dealing with family issues and trying to decide whether to leave the army, William Tecumseh Sherman and Ulysses Grant were trying to find a way to make a living. At the same time Abraham Lincoln was trying to get elected to the Senate but show more Stephen Douglas stood in his way.

President Buchanan didn't exercise the "proper" influence. He worked to prevent Stephen Douglas' re-election which helped to bring Lincoln to National recognition. He also was attempting to increase the presence of the USA as a global authority with offers to buy Cuba from the Spanish and efforts to annex portions of Mexico and other Central American and South American nations. Buchanan had eyes on expansion and refused to acknowledge the problems related to the slavery question.

Several events by other individuals and groups acted as a catalyst. John Brown got into action, William Seward, senator from NY, gave several volatile speeches against slavery (“It {slavery} is an irrepressible conflict between opposing and enduring forces, and it means that the United States must and will, sooner or later, become either entirely a slaveholding nation or entirely a free labor nation.”), and a group of individuals openly thwarted law enforcers of the Fugitive Slave Act.

All of these actions and issues put together propelled a divided nation toward a Civil War that killed hundreds of thousands. Could it have been averted? We will never know.

I thought it was very interesting the way that the author had each of the events/individuals sectionalized very much as the North and the South had issues by section. However, I had difficulties with the title for several reasons. First, Ulysses Grant was hardly in this book, second, nowhere that I saw or read was there anything to explain a "war they failed see", third William Seward played a large part in this book but wasn't in the title, and lastly Buchanan's shortcomings were identified throughout the book, but he also wasn't in the title. I think a better title would have been - 1858 and the Men and events that provoked a war. But I'm sure the title was chosen because those names would get your attention. show less

To be fair, I read a galley of this book, which was badly edited and full of typos. Still, I found Chadwick's tendency to repeat himself disappointing - surely there is enough information about the Washingtons to avoid this sort of thing, yes? I also didn't care for the lionization of both General/President Washington and Mrs. Washington. Like all good Americans, I too have a soft spot for our Founding Fathers and Mothers, but I don't let it get quite as far as deification.

I've not been much of a history buff for a very long time, except when I'm watching The History Channel or it is about archaeology and I've never been much interested in biographies in particular.

Yet, I enjoyed Bruce Chadwick's The General and Mrs Washington. I didn't know much about George and Martha Washington but in reading this story, I got a good idea of what they were like, their marriage and how it helped keep a new country stable.

There were, of course, some surprises like show more Washington's love of finer fashion and some non-surprises and his conflicted feelings about slavery. But overall, there was a sense that this was a couple who enjoyed each other and found strength in their marriage.

The drawbacks was that it was seemed kind of scattered in its narrative. The beginning in particular jumped all over the place.

Still, it was an enjoyable read. show less