Book Review: Tried by War
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Book Review: Tried by War
James M. McPherson’s “Tried by War” is a book that outlines the life of Abraham Lincoln as it unfolded when he was the commander in Chief of the army despite lacking prior military experience. The book is written clearly as evidenced by feelings of battle while reading. The book addresses various themes while answering some questions as he delved into the life of Abraham Lincoln on military perspective. Lincoln encountered countless battles during the Civil war and with most notable George McClellan. He had to learn to be the commander in chief while on the job and with little support from those in command. Lincoln led the United States to victory through mobilization of the public opinion in addition to his diplomatic and leadership policies.
McPherson notes that the issue of secession threatened to destroy the fabric upon which the nation was built if conscious steps had not been taken by the president of the time – Abraham Lincoln. The war was different in that it was not a war between states or people with different vested interests but a war that had its foundation on treason and rebellion. The United States Constitution outlines that the constitution was for uniting the people as opposes to the belief that people had that it was for the states. It was the responsibility of the people to follow what was outlined in the constitution to the latter. Upholding and making it supreme was to be their undisputed role as citizens and individuals in general. Despite the states of Confederacy being temporarily under the control of rebel governments, they still formed part of the Union and were to adhere to its objectives and constitutional responsibility.
Since Lincoln was responsible for shaping and defining national policy, contrary events were aimed at dividing the nation of which Lincoln would not allow. The United States was a democratic state where the majority had their say.
McPherson notes that politics was the objective of going to war. The war was therefore not something that came up autonomously but as an instrument through which the objectives and purposes of some individuals would be passed across. The aim of the author in addressing the issue of secession and the ensuing conflicts is to reinforce the idea that the identity of a nation as one is more important and it can only be achieved by going to war. War was a means to an end. He also shows the character trait of Lincoln as a man who would not entertain any thoughts for dissolution or dismemberment. He was a man who was astute in his decisions through a thorough study of war and military strategy. “Tried by war” is a great book that analyses how Abraham Lincoln successfully stopped the secession program by halting all the attempts by the eleven Southern States. The author notes that Lincoln could not ignore the political context that his decisions that his military strategies had on the military strategy. The two were interconnected by a cord that only Lincoln was aware of.
Another major theme as addressed by McPherson is the military and national strategy. Military strategy is the plans that are developed by the military to win a war. National Strategy, on the other hand, is the activities which are aimed at mobilizing all the resources to achieve the aims of the war. The resources in this perspective are the political, economic, diplomatic and psychological resources. Just like the ordinary soldiers who volunteered in the army lacked knowledge of military affairs, Lincoln was similar like them. As McPherson writes, “Lincoln faced a steep learning curve.” The skill and acumen of Lincoln were strengths that allowed him to maneuver and manipulate the law to formulate strategies for the good of the nation as he thought. Democracy was threatened by a few elements that were not pleased with how the running of affairs was being done. Lincoln ensured that mass mobilization of people took place for them to join the Union Army which had a deficit. Eventually, the army grew to over half a million men.
Due to cross-border emancipation programs and the issue of the Southern antislavery majority, Lincoln decided to change the national strategy to his advantage. He decided to activate the Northern Antislavery majority by proclaiming the freedom of slaves in some states which were considered rebellious. As noted by McPherson, decisive and extreme measures had to be undertaken to tackle the problem as fast as possible. Freeing the slaves was one way of ensuring they were not subdued by their adversaries. Lincoln believed that the sight of drilled black soldiers would end the rebellion at once when they went to war at the banks of Mississippi. To add on that the author notes that Lincoln was not left behind when efforts to shape the military strategy took precedence. His lack of experience in the war forced him to explore the suggestions of the General in Chief. He was however disappointed by the General due to his poor decision-making skills. Lincoln was forced to read widely on military strategy in addition to various discussions. He planned on how he would plan an attack on the enemy by attacking from all sides. The plan was architected perfectly due to the reaction of Johnston who feared it. His plan was objectively orchestrated to force the enemy further away in order r to lengthen the line of Union Supply. Noticing errors in military planning by his subjects, Lincoln advised them that the best way to win the war was by fighting the enemy rather than maneuvering and sieging which were significantly fruitless. The author convincingly points out the issue of military strategy by noting the significant role that Lincoln played. On a broader picture, he was tried by the war.
Another major theme that the author addresses is the theme of national policy formulation. The role of shaping the national policy was vested on Lincoln gave his position as the commander in chief and the leader of the party. Therefore, McPherson notes that the war was an instrument of furthering the national policy to serve the purpose. In some of the appointments for the position of generals, politics played a big part where the appointments were politically instigated. However, most of these generals made more blunders than their counterparts who had prior military experience. They had mediocre military records. The book convincingly depicts how Lincoln matched his nation to victory by formulating national policies in addition to mobilizing public opinion for the betterment of nature. His policies in the army were generally about volunteering and persistence. McPherson notes that the aim of policies passed by Lincoln was to preserve the support of the general public despite receiving backlash and underperformance from the military. McPherson convincingly dedicated the first half of the book to document the first two years of the war. In this way, the leadership style of Lincoln comes out clearly as a man dedicated to action. As a self-taught strategist, Abraham Lincoln ensured victory was in sight by ensuring the policies always favored the victory side despite lacking in military experience.
In conclusion, the book has a lot of relevance today. The book documented the life of one of the most important figures in the history of the United States. The book provided an excellent examination of Lincoln’s Life and the many challenges he faced as a wartime president. The book lacked one most important element in documenting the life of Lincoln. The book would be more relevant if the author touched on the biography of Lincoln to pre-president years. It does not provide the explicit cradle to grave life encounter of Abraham Lincoln. The book is relevant today in issues that are prevalent in the book. For instance, it provides insights on the best actions to take as a leader during times of war. The book makes a connection to the present and future by addressing themes that are common in a country. The link however vague, succeeds in providing a glimpse of approaching some things in the society. For instance, the mobilization of public opinion and national strategy can be used by leaders to develop strategies towards revival and development in general. The nature of how circumstances shape a leader to act unilaterally is also a glimpse of decisions to take by a leader in case war breaks unprecedented.
References
McPherson, J. M. (2008). Tried by war: Abraham Lincoln as commander in chief. Penguin.
