Lincoln's Citadel: The Civil War in Washington, DC [Paperback]

Winkles book [ties] together several disparate elementsLincolns life story, the complex evolution of abolitionism, and the changing physical, social and political fabric of the city itselfinto an exemplary, illuminating whole&This is the books most important service: It shows how Lincoln and the city he came to love moved together toward freedom, a history here firmly grounded in all its towering tragedy and glory.Kenneth Winkle eloquently chronicles the transformation of the capital wrought by the Civil War, when Washington became the nerve center of a huge war effort that in turn transformed the nation, freed four million slaves, and launched America on its course toward modernity.A marvelous bookand a must-read!Kenneth Winkle has earned a reputation for original research, expert interpretation, and crackerjack storytelling, and all these attributes are on full display in Lincolns Citadel. This is an invaluable addition to the Lincoln bookshelf.A revealing work&Winkles volume concentrates upon the interior history of Americas capital and how it transformed during this contentious period as the nation itself transformed.Winkle brings an extraordinary depth of knowledge and an uncanny eye for detail to this gripping portrait of a city on the rise&[T]heres been no shortage of Lincoln scholarship&[but][Winkles] talent for crafting narrative history [enables] him to paint a rich portrait of wartime Washington that will engage and edify&Those wishing for a glimpse of the real war will find it inA fine portrait of a remarkable population of all sorts, all in their own way&living under the threat of disaster and the promise of triumph simultaneously&Any reader familiar with the vibrant capital of today will recognize the origins of its personality in Winkles portrayal.The stirring history of a president and a capital city on the front lines of war and freedom.