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Title details for Lincoln's Autocrat by William Marvel - Available

Lincoln's Autocrat

The Life of Edwin Stanton

#1.0 in series

by William Marvel
Norman Dietz
Audiobook
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Edwin M. Stanton (1814–1869), one of the nineteenth century's most impressive legal and political minds, wielded enormous influence and power as Lincoln's secretary of war during most of the Civil War and under Johnson during the early years of Reconstruction. In the first full biography of Stanton in more than fifty years, William Marvel offers a detailed reexamination of Stanton's life, career, and legacy. Marvel argues that while Stanton was a formidable advocate and politician, his character was hardly benign. Climbing from a difficult youth to the pinnacle of power, Stanton used his authority—and the public coffers—to pursue political vendettas, and he exercised sweeping wartime powers with a cavalier disregard for civil liberties.

Though Lincoln's ability to harness a cabinet with sharp divisions and strong personalities is widely celebrated, Marvel suggests that Stanton's tenure raises important questions about Lincoln's actual control over the executive branch. This insightful biography also reveals why men like Ulysses S. Grant considered Stanton—who was unashamed to use political power for partisan enforcement and personal preservation—a coward and a bully.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Civil War America

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 9, 2015

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781494593407
      • File size: 790500 KB
      • Duration: 27:26:52

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Norman Dietz offers a solid narration of this biography. Edwin Stanton, President Lincoln's secretary of war, has been described as an opportunist who kissed the asses of those above him and kicked the asses of those below him. While this assessment is not incorrect, this biography shows Stanton to have been far more complex. Dietz's relaxed style is especially valuable because of the book's length and level of detail. He keeps the text flowing throughout, quickening his pace, not surprisingly, with the start of the Civil War. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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