Lincoln, Abraham (1809–1865)

AbstractWartime president of the United States, 1861–1865. The death of close relatives and friends was all around Abraham Lincoln over the course of his life, yet his only direct military experience was a few months as a volunteer militiaman in the Blackhawk War (1832), in which he saw no combat. An extraordinary autodidact, during his only term as a Whig in the House of Representatives he spent his spare time in the Library of Congress. A lifelong habit of rigorous self‐education served him well when he became a war president. To better evaluate and argue with his generals, Lincoln read deeply until he gained a respectable command of military theory, tactics, and strategy. In his mature writing and speeches he displayed a discriminating and keen intellect that penetrated more deeply than most to the root of important issues.