1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History
This book presents to the layperson a scope of Lincoln’s problems and successes that he underwent during the year of 1864 the last full year of his administration with him in charge. Charles Bracelen Flood did a masterful job of telling the events in a way that was both entertaining as well as easy to read with many hidden highlights of things only know by the scholars and academics who search through the dusty confines of old historical notes and journals.
At the beginning of the year the war was far from over and Lincoln had yet to appoint Grant to the head of Army totally in charge of success as well as defeats. Lincoln struggled through the bloody statistics of battles and suffered with Ulysses S. Grant as he continued the fight day after day. The reelection was almost an unrealizable dream. He was laying out his plan for the reunification of the North and South.
While he was confronted with the problems of war and reelection he was dealing with his wife’s erratic behavior and the two year haunting of their minds as they continued to struggle with the sudden death of their eleven year old son, Willie. The year was so dark and gloomy that in August Lincoln admitted to himself that he believed that he could not be reelected.
The turn began slowly but increased in momentum by the end of the year. The majority of the American people became ready to place their trust in him and his vision for success. At the ending of the year 1864 with some victories and the end of war insight he was beginning to achieve his vision that he once only saw in his own mind. Amongst the confusion and turmoil of the year 1864 Lincoln was able to steer the wheels of the country with the Homestead Act, the railroads and the Act to Encourage Immigration.
As the year 1864 ended with the reelection of Lincoln, he was working on the total elimination of slavery and developing the plan to reunify the country as he saw it. This is a book that explains to the average person why we are the way we are. Anyone who professes to know history and how we are involved in the past has to read and absorb the book so he can understand this nation as it is.
