The Man Who Elected Lincoln (review)

Book Reviews357 4. that he did not attack Lee promptly at Antietam whüe the Confederates were stiU dispersed, and that when he did attack, it was by corps rather than with his entire army. To this reviewer's mind at any rate, and despite his own admiration for McCleUan , it seems that Mr. Hassler has been too ardent an advocate of Little Mac, and that in his zeal for giving a good soldier his due, he has attempted to explain away McClellan's shortcomings. This simply cannot be done, not even by this able historian. This is Mr. Hassler's first book. It is a very good job. Henceforth, anyone writing about the War in the East wiU have to deal with his arguments, and for those who would deny the value of McCleUan's contributions to the defense of the Union, it wiU be what Malvern HiU was to Lee on July 1, 1862—close to an insurmountable obstacle. The truth Ues somewhere between Mr. Hassler 's position and that of anti-McCleUanites such as Kenneth P. Williams and other Grant men. One suspects it is considerably closer to Mr. Hassler's side than to die other. Meanwhile, it wiU be interesting to see what this promising young miUtary historian does next. LOUIS D. RUBTN, JR. Hollins CoUege, Virginia. The Man Who Elected Lincoln. By Jay Monaghan. (Indianapolis: The Bobbs-MerriU Company. 1956. Pp. xii, 334 $450.) dr. charles henry ray was editor and part owner of the Chicago Tribune from 1855 to 1863. So sldllfuUy has Jay Monaghan written of Ray's editorial influence and behind-the-scenes activities that one does not feel, after reading this book, that the title is as extravagant as at first it seems. Too Uttie attention has been paid to Dr. Ray, who was the paper's editor-in-chief during the years of his association with it. Jay Monaghan has done an excellent job of setting the record straight. This is not primarily biography but history. A very smaU part of the book deals with Ray's personal life. It is his career as a newspaperman, the influence he exerted for the Republican Party, his efforts for the nomination and election of Abraham Lincoln, and his continuous zeal for the abolition of slavery that are the concerns of this volume. OriginaUy a medical doctor, Ray had an ambition "to do more than just Uve well." And with a crusader's zeal the position of editor gave him a chance to express himseU and the opportunity to try to mold pubUc opinion. Thinking that Galena was destined to be the metropolis of Illinois, Ray had purchased the Jeffersonian and by the summer of 1852 he had made the paper "a power in northwestern Illinois and established himseU as a man of importance." Ray was a Democrat, but his break with the Party and with Douglas came with the introduction of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He foUowed the progress of the bul intendy and on the passage of the act in 1854 determined he must move to a larger city "to take part in the poUtical revolution now sure to break across the nation." And so after selling his Galena paper, Ray and Joseph MediU got control of the Chicago Tribune. 358CIVIL W AR HISTOR Y Now began his role of "king-maker." Ray was soon aware of Lincoln's potentialities , and the name of Lincoln was kept before the people. Lincoln for Senator and then Lincoln for President were the goals of the Tribune. Exciting, indeed, are the chapters, "Kansas, 1856" and "Lincoln's Lost Speech." Ray played an important part in behind-the-scenes activities of die convention in 1860 that nominated Abraham Lincoln. Excerpts from Ray's editorials are numerous and weU chosen, and reveal die ardent support which die editor gave the railsplitter candidate. Surely no other newspaper supported Lincoln's candidacy with greater enthusiasm. After the election Ray set up an office in Springfield in an attempt to get the president-elect to choose a cabinet acceptable to the Tribune. Two chapters, "Stand Firm: The Tug Has to Come" and "The Cameron Business Has Been Arrested," show...