Gripping ... Mr. Winik has lost none of his narrative verve, ear for dialogue, eye for the unexpected detail and willingness to stir some controversy. And what could be more timely in 2025 than a book about American anger overflowing? ... Mr. Winik begins his story with a riveting, revolting story of the abuse of an enslaved black man in Virginia—surely an argument for abolition. Yet the author also laments the inability of white men—Abraham Lincoln included—to avoid secession and rebellion when 'the country was open to reconciliation,' even if compromise was likely to extend the life of slavery ... Most intriguingly, Mr. Winik contends that the 1861 Peace Conference in Washington might have averted rebellion altogether had Lincoln and Congress embraced its recommendations ... Mr. Winik knows how to write a pulsating narrative, which is no easy task when every reader who begins the book will know precisely how it ends. Perhaps the manuscript could have benefited from fewer old saws such as 'they dug their heels in deeper' and 'cooler heads were indeed prevailing.' And the total absence of footnoting or bibliography proves inexplicable and galling, especially as the quotes in 1861 are so ripe for further discussion. But the author’s account of the attack on Fort Sumter is thrilling, and his brief but lively section on Lincoln’s inaugural journey is full of evocative surprises. One might question Mr. Winik for repeatedly dismissing the incoming president as inadequate, but his portrait of Lincoln’s politically paralyzed predecessor, President James Buchanan, is subtle and devastating ... Mr. Winik raises important and timely questions about America’s headlong descent into war with itself.
The overarching story is a familiar but important one for students of history ... 1861 is one of the few Civil War histories where Lincoln isn’t the most compelling figure ... Winik has a taut yet dramatic writing style that makes the book a compelling read even for those well-versed on the history leading up to the Civil War’s outbreak.
The title overpromises a little. Nowhere in the book do we encounter a truly plausible compromise that might have averted the conflict. What Winik offers instead is a portrait of two sides talking past each other, rather than with each other. Still, he traces the efforts of those who genuinely wanted to prevent war and the trauma of secession—and shows how Abraham Lincoln tried at first to listen and then at last refused ... What’s striking about the new literature on Lincoln and the war is that, though one may expect him to be in some sense debunked or 'deconstructed,' he remains a largely idealized figure. Winik is admiring of his firmness of purpose at the war’s outset.
A relatively little-known account of prewar efforts to reach a consensus. This engaging volume has impeccable research and is recommended for anyone who enjoys U.S. history, notably the Civil War, and American politics.
