This evening, James McPherson, one of our greatest living Civil War historians, illuminates Abraham Lincoln as a military leader. He begins by defining how Lincoln invented the idea of Commander-in-Chief by assuming powers that overstepped the rights granted by the Constitution to the president. McPherson delves into Lincoln’s military approach, which entailed overseeing planning for every major battle; constantly goading his reluctant generals toward battle; navigating the delicate relationship between the front line and the home front; and masterfully molding public opinion, defining the war aims initially as preserving the Union and only later as ending slavery, when he sensed the public was ready to bear such a burden.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author McPherson is the George Henry Davis Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University. His most recent book, Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief (Penguin), is available for signing at the event.
Note: The Smithsonian prohibited photography during his actual presentation.
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