By

James McPherson

 

Courtesy Library of Congress

Lincoln, McClellan (facing him) and other Union officers on the Antietam battlefield.

Introduction:

James M. McPherson’s “Tried by War” explained the evolution of the president’s role as commander in chief under Lincoln.

McPherson described Lincoln’s oversight of military strategy--his duties as wartime commander in chief. Lincoln defined and executed for the first time in the nation’s history the role that the Chief Executive is also our Commander and Chief.

Challenges

In order to suppress the secession, the North had to occupy 750,000 square miles. At the beginning of 1861, the Union had only 16,000 soldiers and almost no leaders because many of the pre-Civil War generals came from the South and took up arms in the Confederate cause. 

The South had a simple message—we are fighting for “our way of life.” 

The Northern message was complex. Lincoln convinced the citizens of the North that the Civil War was a war of treason and rebellion. The Constitution mandated that the American people had made the Union supreme over the individual states. Consequently, although the states of the Confederacy were temporarily under the control of rebel governments, they remained part of the Union. 

Emancipation was a two-edged sword. Many citizens of the Border States—Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware-- believed in the right of its citizens to hold slaves. Lincoln knew in 1861 that if he made emancipation a Union rallying cry, he would have lost at least two Border States—Kentucky and Missouri and possibly a third—Maryland. As the war progressed Lincoln recognized the enormous contribution of Blacks both as soldiers for the Northern army and plantation workers for the South. He decided that freeing Blacks was not only correct from a military perspective but also from a moral one.

Lincoln’s Character

McPherson pointed out one strong personal trait of Lincoln that was essential to the Northern victory—Lincoln’s willingness to support his core belief that union was a sacred compact between the states even in the face of opposition. 

Lincoln was not a fast thinker, but he was a deep thinker. He pursued a subject relentlessly until he understood every nuance. Ultimately, because he was unshakable the North remained steadfast to victory.

Unlike Jefferson Davis who had an admirable career in the Mexican War and was Secretary of War under Franklin Pierce, Lincoln’s military experience was limited to a short stint stateside during our war with Mexico. To make up for this deficit, Lincoln read endlessly military manuals. Through hard work, Lincoln became an expert on strategy and logistics. He pointed out to Union generals that because their wagon loads were twice that of the South, union troops moved at half the speed of the confederates. The immobility of the North was a distinct disadvantage. Ultimately, Grant and Sherman proved an army could move quickly and effectively using the provisions of the locales. 

 

Lincoln Commander in Chief

Lincoln was our first president who accepted whole heartedly the mantle of commander in chief. In essence, Lincoln had to create the precedent that the chief executive was head of our armed services. 

The book focuses on how Lincoln led the nation to victory.

1. Formulation of war aims

2. Mobilization of public opinion

3. Build up a formidable war machine, including provisioning more than 600,000 soldiers.

4. His oversight of military strategy

5. Hire and Fire innumerable military leaders

Initially, Lincoln deferred to Gen. Winfield Scott and the military professionals. And as it became apparent that the Army’s senior leadership had neither the will nor the talent to suppress the rebellion, Lincoln took a more active role.—firing McDowell, McClellan, Burnside, Pope, Hooker and Meade. On the other hand, Lincoln supported Grant and Sherman despite Grant’s reputation as a drinker and Sherman’s as “crazy.”

Concentration of Space vs. Concentration of Time

Because the South possessed the interior lines, they had an advantage in space. That is, within the Confederate Borders they could keep moving their soldiers back and forth between different fighting arenas to offset the numerical advantage of the North.

Lincoln and Grant believed in a different strategy—concentration of time. If the union could keep pressing the South on all fronts, then the North’s numerical advantage would be decisive. Sherman, Sheridan, Grant, and Thomas pressed the outnumbered confederates. 

Also, Lincoln and Grant understood the importance of a “hard war.” If the civilians in the South were punished, such as in the Shenandoah Valley, Georgia, and South Carolina, the Confederate soldiers would have to abandon arms to save their families. In the last year of the war, the South lost more soldiers to desertion than to death on the battlefield. 

Lincoln’s Ranking

Historians always rate Lincoln highly. His positive rankings reflect the enormous number of excellent decisions that he made to save the union. He suppressed habeas corpus and therefore trampled on civil rights. His argument was that suspension of this right was necessary in order to preserve a greater right—the Union. In other cases, he used political savvy to keep four Border States—Maryland, Missouri, Kentucky, and (newly carved out West Virginia)—to maintain their loyalty. 

Capture of Atlanta (September 3, 1864)—The most significant event in the Civil War

From April 1861-September 1864, Lincoln remained the primary advocate for the continuation of the war. Over and over again, pessimism swept the North in reaction to repeated military defeats. 

The low point for Lincoln was August 1864. Lincoln expected not only to lose the upcoming Presidential election, but to lose badly. The Democrats chose George McClellan and adopted a “peace plank.” However, on September 3, 1864 occurred the turning point—Sherman’s capture of Atlanta. Sherman’s victory gave hope to the North that they now could win.

In the November elections of 1864, Lincoln captured 54% of the civilian vote and 75% of the army vote. Lincoln believed that his popularity with the Yanks exceeded George McClellan. The soldiers while they might have “loved little Mac” believed that Lincoln represented more closely their views. For four years they had sacrificed and only Lincoln had the tenacity to keep up the struggle. Also, Lincoln’s kindness toward the soldiers—visiting the hospitals and pardoning soldiers who had been sentenced to death for desertion—was important. In essence, the soldiers felt that Lincoln represented them. They could identity with this awkward homely man because he had always put them first.