Reviews
"Anyone new to the topic, as well as veteran students seeking a convenient one-volume treatment, can turn with confidence to Wert's narrative." -- Gary W. Gallagher, "The Washington Post", "Thoroughly researched and perceptively written, Jeffry Wert's The Sword of Lincoln is an important contribution to the literature of the Civil War by one of our most rigorous Civil War historians. It deserves a spot on the bookshelf of all Civil War buffs." -- Jay Winik, author of April 1865: The Month That Saved America, "Jeffry D. Wert's outstanding new study traces the development of the Army of the Potomac from a gathering of raw recruits into an effective military organization, all played out against a backdrop of competing political agendas in Washington. Wert offers fresh new insights into the character, competencies, and shortcomings of each commander. Just as important, however, he allows the enlisted men and junior officers who followed their generals from costly defeat to costlier defeat -- a string only rarely broken with an encouraging victory -- to explain why they nonetheless stayed the course and became the epitome of a people's army that fought to the end to ensure the success of a cause in which they believed."-- Carol Reardon, Associate Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University, and authoe of Pickett's Charge in American History and Memory, "It has been a long wait for a new history of the Army of the Potomac, but the wait has certainly been worth it." -- Civil War Times Illustrated, "An important contribution to the literature of the Civil War by one of our most rigorous Civil War historians." -- Jay Winik, author of "April 1865: The Month that Saved America", "The Army of the Potomac was the Union's largest and best-equipped but least successful army. Jeffry Wert's fast-paced narrative and analysis of the army's campaigns and leaders explains this paradox by showing that its first commander, George B. McClellan, infused a defensive mentality into the officer corps that even Ulysses S. Grant could not fully overcome." -- James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, "An important contribution to the literature of the Civil War by one of our most rigorous Civil War historians." -- Jay Winik, author of April 1865: The Month that Saved America, "Anyone new to the topic, as well as veteran students seeking a convenient one-volume treatment, can turn with confidence to Wert's narrative." -- Gary W. Gallagher, The Washington Post, "It has been a long wait for a new history of the Army of the Potomac, but the wait has certainly been worth it." -- "Civil War Times Illustrated", "The Sword of Lincoln offers a riveting ride through the campaigns of the North's greatest army, made richly entertaining with fresh sources and powerful conclusions. A great book!" -- David J. Eicher, author of the Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War