McPherson and Hearn on Abraham Lincoln

The presidency of Abraham Lincoln came during a highly radical and chaotic period of American history. For historians such as James McPherson, they see Lincoln as the greatest leader in American history. For McPherson, Lincoln succeeded in combining military pragmatism with the political ideologies of the North, as well as Lincoln’s own idealism, thus assuring Northern victory. However, not all historians agree that Lincoln was a masterful tactician. Chester Hearn, believes that although Abraham Lincoln was one of America’s most venerable statesmen, his presidency was marked by flaws and a general misunderstanding of how war is waged. McPherson’s Tried by War and Hearn’s Lincoln, The Cabinet and the Generals, make the argument for each of these theories about Lincoln. When read together, one is faced with the question as to what degree Lincoln succeeded in combining military strategy with the politics of war. Hearn fails to find such a connection his book. McPherson, on the other hand, argues more convincingly that Lincoln accomplished the tasks of defeating the Confederacy and of freeing the slaves by combining these two tasks into one.

McPherson and Hearn deal with the same time period, the same President and the same historical events, yet each brings his own interpretation or bias to his depiction of history. For both historians, their biases lead to flaws within their histories occasionally. For McPherson, Lincoln was not only one of the most successful Presidents in American history—he was also a supreme military and political commander who led his generals, as well as American politicians, to a daring victory. This view of Lincoln is not new—praise for Lincoln’s revolutionary leadership and war capabilities can be found d...

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...Lincoln’s skills and character enable him to develop a strong relationship with the material he covers, allowing him to form a cohesive and passionate argument. The overly positive approach that McPherson brings to his examination occasionally borders on hagiography, but overall, it does more good than harm for his book, while Hearn’s objective and sometimes inaccurate stance prevents him from reaching the grand conclusions or from forming the engaging kind of thesis that makes McPherson’s account so successful.

Works Cited

• Hearn, Chester. Lincoln, the Cabinet and the Generals. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2010. Print.

• McPherson, James. Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief. New York City: Penguin Group, 2008. Print.

• Williams, T. Harry. Lincoln and His Generals. New York City: Vintage Books of Random House, 1952. Print.