This is the human, dramatic, and fascinating story of Lincoln as commander in chief of an army at war against its brothers. It is a riveting look at his search for a winning general, and of his own emergence as a master strategist. The major figures of the Civil War come to life in incisive sketches. Here are the generals whom Lincoln appointed and then rejected: McClellan, Pope, Burnside, Hooker, Buell, Rosecrans, Fremont, Cleland and others. Finally, Ulysses S. Grant appears, the general whom Lincoln trusted above all the rest, and the one to whom he gave much of the power of leadership he had withheld from the others. He chose wisely and well, as it turned out.--Book jacket.

Army reading list. Originally published: New York : Knopf, 1952.

The pattern of command -- Two men of destiny -- "I can do it all" -- "You must act" -- "I give you all I can" -- Failure in the peninsula -- "He has got the slows" -- Lincoln chooses new generals -- "Give us victories" -- "Is that all?" -- "Like a duck hit on the head" -- A modern command system -- "I begin to see it" -- Lincoln and the hour of victory.