1863: Lincoln's Pivotal Year

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1863 LINCOLN’S PIVOTAL YEAR 1863: LINCOLN’S PIVOTAL YEAR Edited by Harold Holzer and Sara Vaughn Gabbard Only hoursinto the new year of 1863, Abraham Lincoln performed perhaps his most famous act as president by signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Rather than remaining the sole highlight of the coming months, however, this monumental act marked only the beginning of the most pivotal year of Lincoln ’s presidency and the most revolutionary twelve months of the entire Civil War.To mark the sesquicentennial of this tumultuous time, prominent Lincoln and Civil War scholars explore the events and personalities that dominated 1863 in this enlightening volume,providing a unique historical perspective on a critical period in American history. Several defining moments of Lincoln’s presidency took place in 1863, including the most titanic military battle ever to shake the American continent, which in turn inspired the most famous presidential speech in American history. The ten essays in this book explore many of the year’s important events and developments: the response to the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation; the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, and other lesswell -known confrontations; the New York City Draft Riots; several constitutional issues involving the war powers of President Lincoln; and the Gettysburg Address and its continued impact on American thought. Other topics include the adaptation of photography for war coverage; the critical use of presidential images ; the military role of the navy; and Lincoln ’s family life during this fiery trial. With an informative introduction by noted Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer and a chronology that places the high-profile events of 1863 in context with cultural and domestic policy advances of the day, this remarkable compendium opens a window into a year that proved Holzer and Gabbard Southern Illinois University Press decisive not only for the Civil War and Lincoln ’s presidency but also for the entire course of American history. Harold Holzer, senior vice president at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, is the author, coauthor, or editor of more than forty books, most recently Lincoln, the official companion book to the 2012 Steven Spielberg film. Sara Vaughn Gabbard,executive director of Friends of the Lincoln Collection of Indiana , is the editor of the periodical Lincoln Lore and a coeditor of two essay collections about Lincoln. She is a coeditor of the Concise Lincoln Library. Jim Gabbard Contributors: Michael B. Ballard Orville Vernon Burton Catherine Clinton William C. Davis Harold Holzer John F. Marszalek Edna Greene Medford Barnet Schecter Craig L. Symonds Frank J. Williams Bob Zeller “1863: Lincoln’s Pivotal Year brings together an outstanding collection of ten essays on a critical year in American history. The distinguished authors focus on well-known aspects of 1863, including the Emancipation Proclamation and party politics, as well as less familiar topics such as the importance of Civil War photography and the changing image of the president. In every case there are new things to say as the authors combine impressive analysis with clear readable prose. This is a volume that merits a place on the shelves of students of Lincoln, the Civil War, and by extension, American history.” —Jean H. Baker, author of James Buchanan “This volume combines the best of recent Lincoln scholarship in a unique and engaging format. It reveals new dimensions of Lincoln’s presidency and personality and opens a window into a year that was decisive for the progress of the Civil War and American history in general.” —Brian R. Dirck, author of Lincoln the Lawyer southern illinois university press www.siupress.com l i n c o l n Jacket illustration: Edward Dalton Marchant, Portrait from life, Washington, D.C., signed and dated E. D. Marchant / From Life. 1863. Oil on canvas. (Courtesy of the Abraham Lincoln Foundation of the Union League of Philadelphia) Printed in the United States of America $32.95 usd isbn 0-8093-3246-9 isbn 978-0-8093-3246-5 Holzer_Gabbard cvr mech.indd 1 1/23/13 9:13 AM 1863 ...