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1858: Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant and the War They Failed to See
Bruce Chadwick
#UE7602 Paperback, 355 pages; 2011 (2008) $15.99
Members' Price: $13.59

  In 1858, Abraham Lincoln debated Stephen Douglas, the most popular politician in the country, for a Senate seat. Robert E. Lee contemplated retiring from the Army to spend time with his family. And, as civilians, both Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman stared failure in the face. Meanwhile, President James Buchanan, believing the slavery issue had been put to rest by the Dred Scott decision and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, didn't understand the passions that were erupting on both sides of the controversy. The forces that would catapult the United States into civil war arranged themselves. Bruce Chadwick presents a lively and convincing argument that 1858 proved to be a critical year for the country. In the process, he paints vivid and compelling pictures of the men who were on the verge of moving the United States into its most perilous era. (CHH)