This republic of suffering: death and the American Civil War

compares President Lincoln’s record on civil liberties with the treatment of civil liberties since September 11, 2001. He argues that, while “the verdict of history is that Lincoln’s use of power did not constitute abuse,” “the full impact of Lincoln’s legacy on President Bush is yet to be realized” (pp. 252, 278). In foreign affairs, writes William C. Harris, Lincoln skillfully avoided war with Great Britain and France in the winter of 1864-1865. Jean Edward Smith compares the Lincoln and Grant administrations, finding that Grant’s reputation has suffered from past negative interpretations of Reconstruction but that it will improve as “Reconstruction is being reevaluated” (pp. 176, 177, 180). Some scholars explore less-studied topics: John Y. Simon takes on Lincoln’s perspective on popular sovereignty and the Mormons in Utah in 1858; Matthew Pinsker looks at the Soldier’s Home, Lincoln’s summer refuge; Daniel Mark Epstein explores the possible influence of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass on Lincoln’s writing; Garry Wills analyzes Henry Adams’s postwar shift from disdain to admiration for Lincoln. Others revisit classic questions: Harold Holzer discusses Lincoln’s Cooper Union address and the presidential campaign of 1860; Michael Vorenberg regards Lincoln’s views on race; and Edward Steer Jr. writes on John Wilkes Booth’s connections with Confederate agents. In some cases, the subjects presented here have counterparts in monographs, but together, these essays make a useful collection.