Perhaps the most critical election campaign in American history, in the midst of the Civil War, this election determined the very future of the nation. Would the country be unified or permanently divided? Would slavery continue? Weaving corroborative detail and rich anecdotal material into a fast-paced narrative, author Waugh places this pivotal election in its proper context while evoking its rich human drama. Waugh, a former newspaper correspondent, proves that history need not be dry: he uses his journalistic skills to infuse the pages with the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of those times. Drawing from an extensive array of sources, including published and unpublished reminiscences, memoirs, autobiographies, letters, newspapers, and periodicals, he clearly evokes the drama and uncertainty of that fateful year with all the immediacy of a political reporter covering a national presidential election today.--From publisher description.