Synopses & Reviews
andlt;iandgt;The Sword of Lincolnandlt;/iandgt; is the first authoritative single-volume history of the Army of the Potomac in many years. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; From Bull Run to Gettysburg to Appomattox, the Army of the Potomac repeatedly fought -- and eventually defeated -- Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. Jeffry D. Wert, one of our finest Civil War historians, brings to life the battles, the generals, and the common soldiers who fought for the Union and ultimately prevailed. The Army of the Potomac endured a string of losses under a succession of flawed commanders -- McClellan, Burnside, and Hooker -- until at Gettysburg it won a decisive battle under a new commander, General George Meade. Within a year the Army of the Potomac would come under the overall leadership of the Union's new general-in-chief, Ulysses S. Grant. Under Grant the army would finally trap and defeat Lee and his forces. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Wert's history draws on letters and diaries, some previously unpublished, to show us what army life was like. Throughout the book Wert shows how Lincoln carefully monitored the operations of the Army of the Potomac, learning as the war progressed, until he found in Grant the commander he'd long sought. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Perceptive in its analysis and compellingly written, andlt;iandgt;The Sword of Lincolnandlt;/iandgt; is the finest modern account of the army that was central to the Civil War.
Review
"Anyone new to the topic, as well as veteran students seeking a convenient one-volume treatment, can turn with confidence to Wert's narrative." andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; -- Gary W. Gallagher, andlt;iandgt;The Washington Postandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"An important contribution to the literature of the Civil War by one of our most rigorous Civil War historians." andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; -- Jay Winik, author of andlt;iandgt;April 1865: The Month that Saved Americaandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"It has been a long wait for a new history of the Army of the Potomac, but the wait has certainly been worth it." andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; -- andlt;iandgt;Civil War Times Illustratedandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"The Army of the Potomac was the Union's largest and best-equipped but least successful army. Jeffry Wert's fast-paced narrative and analysis of the army's campaigns and leaders explains this paradox by showing that its first commander, George B. McClellan, infused a defensive mentality into the officer corps that even Ulysses S. Grant could not fully overcome."
-- James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
Review
"Jeffry D. Wert's outstanding new study traces the development of the Army of the Potomac from a gathering of raw recruits into an effective military organization, all played out against a backdrop of competing political agendas in Washington. Wert offers fresh new insights into the character, competencies, and shortcomings of each commander. Just as important, however, he allows the enlisted men and junior officers who followed their generals from costly defeat to costlier defeat -- a string only rarely broken with an encouraging victory -- to explain why they nonetheless stayed the course and became the epitome of a people's army that fought to the end to ensure the success of a cause in which they believed."
-- Carol Reardon, Associate Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University, and authoe of Pickett's Charge in American History and Memory
Review
"The Sword of Lincoln offers a riveting ride through the campaigns of the North's greatest army, made richly entertaining with fresh sources and powerful conclusions. A great book!"
-- David J. Eicher, author of the Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War
Synopsis
The Sword of Lincoln is the first authoritative single-volume history of the Army of the Potomac in many years.
From Bull Run to Gettysburg to Appomattox, the Army of the Potomac repeatedly fought -- and eventually defeated -- Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. Jeffry D. Wert, one of our finest Civil War historians, brings to life the battles, the generals, and the common soldiers who fought for the Union and ultimately prevailed. The Army of the Potomac endured a string of losses under a succession of flawed commanders -- McClellan, Burnside, and Hooker -- until at Gettysburg it won a decisive battle under a new commander, General George Meade. Within a year the Army of the Potomac would come under the overall leadership of the Union's new general-in-chief, Ulysses S. Grant. Under Grant the army would finally trap and defeat Lee and his forces.
Wert's history draws on letters and diaries, some previously unpublished, to show us what army life was like. Throughout the book Wert shows how Lincoln carefully monitored the operations of the Army of the Potomac, learning as the war progressed, until he found in Grant the commander he'd long sought.
Perceptive in its analysis and compellingly written, The Sword of Lincoln is the finest modern account of the army that was central to the Civil War.
Synopsis
The Sword of Lincoln is the first authoritative, accessible, single-volume history of the Army of the Potomac from a renowned Civil War historian. From Bull Run to Gettysburg to Appomattox, the Army of the Potomac repeatedly fought -- and eventually defeated -- Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. Jeffry D. Wert, one of our finest Civil War historians, brings to life the battles, the generals, and the common soldiers who fought for the Union and ultimately prevailed. The Army of the Potomac endured a string of losses under a succession of flawed commanders -- McClellan, Burnside, and Hooker -- until at Gettysburg it won a decisive battle under a new commander, General George Meade. Within a year the Army of the Potomac would come under the overall leadership of the Union's new general-in-chief, Ulysses S. Grant. Under Grant the army would finally trap and defeat Lee and his forces.
Wert's history draws on letters and diaries, some previously unpublished, to show us what army life was like. Throughout the book Wert shows how Lincoln carefully monitored the operations of the Army of the Potomac, learning as the war progressed, until he found in Grant the commander he'd long sought.
Perceptive in its analysis and compellingly written, The Sword of Lincoln is the finest modern account of the army that was central to the Civil War.
About the Author
Jeffry D. Wert is the author ofandnbsp;eight previous books on Civil War topics, most recently andlt;iandgt;Cavalryman of the Lost Cause andlt;/iandgt;andandnbsp;andlt;iandgt;The Sword of Lincolnandlt;/iandgt;. His articles and essays on the Civil War have appeared in many publications, includingandlt;iandgt; Civil War Times Illustratedandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;American History Illustratedandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;Blue and Grayandlt;/iandgt;. A former history teacher at Penns Valley High School, he lives in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, slightly more than one hour from the battlefield at Gettysburg.