1862, Who Knew?
May 11, 2014
I belong to a book club. One of the many benefits is that I read books I might not have chosen on my own. Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln and America’s Most Perilous Year, by David Von Drehle, is one of those titles. The premise of this book is that the year 1862 determined the outcome of the Civil War and cemented the reputation of Lincoln as one of our greatest presidents.
Von Drehle is an editor-at-large for Time Magazine. And I am glad to add that he lives in Kansas City. He’s also the author of Triangle: The Fire That Changed America.
As I read Von Drehle’s book, I began to understand why he chose to focus on 1862:
“Eighteen sixty-two sounded the death knell of slavery, and it forged the military leaders who would eventually win the war…In indelible ink, it fashioned the astounding blueprint of modern America…At the same time it revealed the dear cost of entry into that future, payable in blood and misery…Most of all, though, 1862 was the year the sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, rose to greatness.”
Rise to Greatness is divided into 13 chapters. The first chapter is devoted to New Year’s Day, while the remaining 12 are divided into one for each month of 1862. The stage is set in January, where Von Drehle reveals that “[w]ith the departure of the Southern Democrats, the new Republican majority seized a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reshape the nation to its own vision. Legislation long stalemated by partisanship could finally be passed.” Six major pieces of legislation were enacted in 1862 that would dramatically affect higher education, transportation, monetary policy, and westward expansion.
Before I read Rise to Greatness, I assumed it would cover much of what I already knew about Lincoln. I was wrong. I knew that Lincoln had the ability to focus on objectives and ignore personal affronts. I was also aware that he was a superb politician. However, I had not realized the mind numbing frequency of personal slights he overlooked. I hadn’t grasped just how dysfunctional the Union was at the onset of the war. I had assumed Lincoln had an innate talent he tapped into, and I came to admire how hard he worked to hone his political skills.
I didn’t know that cotton was the “crude oil” of its day, and the Confederacy had a corner on the market. “Mighty in cotton but weak in manufacturing the Rebel states intended to lure Europe into the conflict…British ships could break the Union blockade and open southern ports, protecting cotton on its way out while allowing weapons and supplies to flow in. Lincoln well understood that the growing armies in Union blue would have little hope of conquering the rebellion unless he could keep the Europeans on the sidelines.” It would take the political genius of Lincoln to keep the United States intact.
Our book club discussion was animated. We had not fully understood all that happened in 1862. Rise to Greatness is a riveting read.