The author surveys the effects of the war on the southern parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, the Trans-Allegheny portion of Virginia, and most of Kentucky and Missouri during the Lincoln administration. The narrative opens with a discussion of the 1860 election and a proposition that the borderland acted as a mediator during the possible compromises that followed. Although many of the borderland's inhabitants were Southern in origin, the region generally held fast to strong Union sentiment. The people of the borderland felt that Lincoln understood them and their way of life. On the issue of slavery, they agreed to stand united no matter which way the tide turned.

Reprint from the edition of 1927, New York.

Social and economic conditions -- The election of 1860 -- The defeat of proposed compromises -- The early secessionist movement on the border -- Lincoln and the border states -- The response of the North -- The "restoration" of Virginia -- Armed intervention in Missouri -- The neutrality of Kentucky -- The Copperhead movement -- Problems of the border slave states -- Conclusion.