“Stahr has given us not only the definitive biography of the man after Lincoln most responsible for Union victory, but also a work of stunning force and literary excellence. Indeed, I believe Stanton to be one of the finest Civil War biographies ever written.”
—Peter Cozzens, prize-winning author of The Earth is Weeping
“A lively, lucid, and opinionated history . . . The book should be Stanton’s definitive biography for some time to come.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Walter Stahr has delivered another solid, well-researched biography of a major, if often overlooked, figure in American history. His portrait of Edwin Stanton is fair-minded, rigorous, and scrupulously honest, balancing his sometimes questionable record on civil liberties with the logistical wizardry that he applied to win the Union war effort. Stanton is thus a welcome and significant addition to the ample literature on the Civil War and Reconstruction.”
—Ron Chernow, author of The New York TimesBestseller Alexander Hamilton and Washington: A Life
“Moving swiftly across the enormous landscape of Stanton’s life and times, Stahr provides a narrative that is both readily accessible and compelling.” NPR.org.
“This exhaustively researched, well-paced book should take its place as the new, standard biography of the ill-tempered man who helped save the Union. It is fair, judicious, authoritative, and comprehensive.” Harold Holzer, winner of the Lincoln Prize, in the Wall Street Journal.
“Walter Stahr has given us the best all-around account of Stanton’s life as Lincoln’s Secretary of War in over half-a-century. Here is the biography of America’s most difficult man—delightfully written, well-informed, humane and judicious.”
—Dr. Allen C. Guelzo, author of Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President, winner of The Lincoln Prize
“Walter Stahr’s Stanton offers a masterly account of one of the great characters of the Civil War. The Secretary of War from 1862-1865 was irascible, autocratic, and vengeful, but also steadfast, punctilious, and practical. This fascinating biography reveals how such a complex and unlikely figure came to play such a vital role at the country’s hour of peril.”
—Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire: Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War
“There are many biographies of Stanton, but Stahr’s will stand out as one of the finest and most detailed. This is a book for both scholars of Civil War history and general readers who have an interest in that period.” Washington Independent Review of Books.
“A judiciously sympathetic treatment” New York Times.
“In this well researched, forcefully written and argued biography, Walter Stahr shows why Stanton deserves great credit for helping to make Lincoln a successful leader. The gruff, irascible, humorless war secretary and the magnanimous, affable, humorous president were an odd couple, but together they provided the extraordinary leadership that the times required.”
—Michael Burlingame, author of Abraham Lincoln: A Life
“Stahr, in an exceedingly important biography, gives us the good, bad and ugly about one of our most controversial yet effective cabinet members. A must read for all interested in Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War and Reconstruction.”
—Frank J. Williams, founding Chair of The Lincoln Forum and retired Chief Justice of the RI Supreme Court