Lincoln vs. Davis: The War of the Presidents

The tension was reaching a breaking point as the two leaders embarked on their trips toward their respective inaugurations. Trepidation surrounded Abraham Lincoln’s voyage to Washington, DC, where he was set to assume the presidency of the United States. Meanwhile, Jefferson Davis traveled to Montgomery, Alabama where he would be recognized as the first President of the Confederate States of America. As both men took diverging paths, the United States was divided and grew more so with each passing day in early 1861. Disunion began after the election of Abraham Lincoln and the pervasive Southern fear of Slavery’s abolishment. Jefferson Davis didn’t believe in secession yet believed in state’s rights. Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union yet was initially reluctant to broach the topic of Slavery. As the conflict turned into a bloody war, both men would change viewpoints and tactics. The country would be changed forever.

Lincoln Vs. Davis meticulously scrutinizes the early stages of the war between the states and the complexities of the men leading the opposing sides. Author Nigel Hamilton (“JFK: Reckless Youth”) provides a wealth of crucial detail highlighting the struggles that played out before, during, and after the battle lines had been drawn.