Mr Lincoln's T-Mails: How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War

Description

Abraham Lincoln's two great legacies to history - his extraordinary power as a writer and his leadership during the Civil War - come together in this close study of the President's use of the telegraph. Invented less than two decades before he entered office, the telegraph came into its own during the Civil War. First it was an instrument of military command and control; then Lincoln seized upon it as a means to take the reins of his generals and lead the war effort. In a jewel-box of historical writing, Wheeler captures Lincoln as he encountered this tool and adapted his folksy rhetorical style to the telegraph creating an intimate bond with his generals, especially Ulysses S. Grant.

Tom Wheeler is managing director of Core Capital and the author of Take Command: Leadership Lessons from the Civil War. He is chairman and president of the Foundation for the National Archives, a nonprofit organization dedicated to telling the American story through its documents, and a former director of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). He lives in Washington, D.C.

"Wheeler [reveals] our now god-like 16th President to be an astute manipulator of modern technology." -- Ken Burns, Filmmaker, PBS's The Civil War "A fascinating, succinct and original history of how a great President used cutting-edge technology to save his country." -- Michael Beschloss, presidential historian, author of The Conquerors "Just when we might think nothing new can be written about Lincoln comes Wheeler's captivating take on the Lincoln legacy." -- Harold Holzer, co-chairman, U.S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, author of Lincoln at Cooper Union "Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails is an accessible jaunt through this formative American event." -- USA Today A lively account that crackles with revealing anecdotes and insights, offering new ways to appreciate Lincoln's genius. -- Library Journal The book thunders along, following the "messages of lightning" down the wires....The writing is focused and lean. -- Bloomberg News ". . . an original take on Lincoln's presidency" -- Washington Post Book World