William C. Harris (1) (1933–)

Because the author uses Lincoln as the prism through which to view the political situation in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and Missouri on a state-by-state basis, this work came off as a bit disjointed to me; particularly since there is no summing up looking towards reconstruction, the travails of administration of Andrew Johnson or the fate of conservative Unionism. I would note that the individual case studies are all fine in their own right.

Harris, a Lincoln scholar second to none, examines Lincoln's rise to political power and explores how Whig ideology shaped but did not contain Lincoln. Harris traces Lincoln's passionate commitment to the Union. Lincoln's political aspirations, his triumphs and failures, are placed in context and explained in straightforward prose. Harris is at his best rendering complex ideas into straighforward writing. Its a must read.

Overall, a well-written and well-researched book that covers Lincoln's rise from congressman to president. However, there really is not much new here. If you want to learn about Lincoln's politics and how he managed to become president, then this is a good book. If you already know a great deal about this period in Lincoln's life, then this could be skipped.

Harris explores Lincoln's plans for wartime Reconstruction. Each state in Rebellion that received a military governor is placed into a national policy context by Harris. Excellent.