Lincoln vs. Davis

The War of the Presidents

De: Nigel Hamilton

Narrado por: Rick Adamson

From a renowned biographer comes the greatest untold story of the Civil War: how two American presidents faced off as the fate of the nation hung in the balance—and how Abraham Lincoln came to embrace emancipation as the last, best chance to save the Union.

Of all the books written on Abraham Lincoln, there has been one surprising gap: the drama of how the “railsplitter” from Illinois grew into his critical role as U.S. commander-in-chief, and managed to outwit his formidable opponent, Jefferson Davis, in what remains history's only military faceoff between rival American presidents. Davis was a trained soldier and war hero; Lincoln a country lawyer who had only briefly served in the militia. Confronted with the most violent and challenging war ever seen on American soil, Lincoln seemed ill-suited to the task: inexperienced, indecisive, and a poor judge of people’s motives, he allowed his administration's war policies to be sabotaged by fickle, faithless cabinet officials while entrusting command of his army to a preening young officer named George McClellan–whose defeat in battle left Washington, the nation’s capital, at the mercy of General Robert E. Lee, Davis’s star performer.

The war almost ended there. But in a Shakespearean twist, Lincoln summoned the courage to make, at last, a climactic decision: issuing as a “military necessity” a proclamation freeing the 3.5 million enslaved Americans without whom the South could not feed or fund their armed insurrection. The new war policy doomed the rebellion—which was in dire need of support from Europe, none of whose governments now would dare to recognize rebel “independence” in a war openly fought over slavery. The fate of President Davis was sealed.

With a cast of unforgettable characters, from first ladies to fugitive coachmen to treasonous cabinet officials, Lincoln vs. Davis is a spellbinding dual biography from renowned presidential chronicler Nigel Hamilton: a saga that will surprise, touch, and enthrall.

©2024 Nigel Hamilton (P)2024 Little, Brown & Company

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A worthy companion to his magisterial trilogy on Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s leadership in World War II, Nigel Hamilton’s similar study of Abraham Lincoln (a born politician) and Jefferson Davis (a born soldier) is chock full of vivid character sketches and trenchant analysis, showing how and why these two leaders each came, via different routes during the first year and a half of the Civil War, to make a momentous decision in September 1862—choices that, as Lincoln vs. Davis convincingly argues, fatefully determined the outcome of the conflict."—Michael Burlingame, author of Abraham Lincoln: A Life

“In today’s bitterly divided America, ever more of us find ourselves thinking of the fateful moment when this country did divide in two. You will find no better guide for a journey back to that era than expert biographer Nigel Hamilton. He has found a fresh and intriguing way of framing the story in his absorbing tale of the two principal antagonists—and of some remarkable parallels between them.”—Adam Hochschild, New York Times bestselling author of Spain in Our Hearts and American Midnight

“This split-screen biopic of two presidents waging war ‘under false pretenses’—while first ladies Mary Lincoln and Varina Davis lift up their voices and an offstage chorus grumbles and applauds and gnashes their teeth—achieves something I wouldn’t have thought possible given the buckets of ink that have been spilt pondering how this divided country inched toward emancipation: fresh and sometimes startling insights, in a book that is hard to put down.”—Lawrence N. Powell, Professor Emeritus, Tulane University

loved the insights of inner cabinets.

Minot stories seemed unresearched, like how stonewall got his nickname bit its a great book. the inside info from both cabinets and influences of the wives helps flesh out the men.

Mistakes and compromises I never knew

I learned so much. About both of these people.I learned things that nobody had taught us before.There was no glorification of either character in here. Only the facts about what they were stuck with and what they were dealt and how they handled it. And most of the time, how quickly they realized well, this isn't going to work. Then what is clear to us now, it was so difficult for them to see. In the end，that's what secured the end of the war for them. But also a future for us in America.

Great book should’ve gone to the end of the war

Really fascinating side-by-side biographies, but was very disappointed that it ended with the emancipation proclamation. Instead of going to the end of the war would’ve been a five star book because of the premature ending. I dropped a star.

Good biographical perspective

This was an insightful biography of two consequential men in our American story . It gave a great portrayal of context of the tumultuous times leading up to and during the Civil War. It got inside of the minds and motives of these men and their influencers so you come away with a deeper understanding of how and why history unfolded the way it did. It held my interest throughout.

Evan's Review

Different from most Civil War books. This compares Lincoln and Davis leadership styles Davis the military man Lincoln the policial man. I was surprise how much time and detail was spent with Lincoln dealing with McCellan. Another surprise how the book ends with Lincoln signing the Enmcation Procmantion. I strongly recommend the book

A Great and Deep Study

Wonderful book, it provides a view of Lincoln and Davis that I had never considered before

Disappointing

I have a hundred books on the Civil War area in my library. This is my least favorite. Repeated unsupported opinions propounded in a snide, condescending tone. The author supports his opinions by stating that this is what historians have decided - not many historians or some historians, just historians.

Inauthentic

This is a book about history. It quotes people, but even in the quotes the author substitutes "n-word" for "nigger". I know the term is offe size, but these are historical quotes and both the pro- and anti-slavery people used "nigger" rather than some PC creation of the 1990s. Otherwise it has good info, but I can't trust it to be truthful and accurate. I don't care about the word itself, just authentity. What is next, using "g-word" when the word gun" becomes offensive?

Hot garbage

I’m sorry I made it this far into the book before finally quitting, about 20 hours. I had to listen to a supposed historian make the claim that Jeff Davis considered proposing gradual emancipation immediately after the Peninsula campaign. Oh, and that Secretary Seward twice said in the presence of newspapermen that the country needed a coup. There’s parts of this book that seem more like fiction than even a narrative history.

Way too snide and snarky

I have over 1,000 Audible books and this is one of the very few I can't finish. The tone of the writing is incredibly snide and snarky and the narrator, who would otherwise be pretty good, unfortunately chooses to emphasize that snarkiness in his reading, which makes it that much worse. I only got through the first 6 hours or so before I quit, so maybe some of the history gets better. But to that point, Lincoln is portrayed as an idiotic fool. I realize that Lincoln was uncertain in the early years of the war and made a number of poor decisions. But the author does not portray him as a man who was faced with a completely unprecedented situation, but who was learning as he went. Instead, he just comes across as incompetent and rather silly. The author simply dismisses without discussion the work of generations of historians and biographers who have found evidence to the contrary.

I regret the six hours I wasted on this book and don't plan to waste another 25 to finish it. I'm sorry I bought it during a sale, because that means I can't return it for a refund.