Course Description

Instructor: Michael Shaffer

Our nation's sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, took office over a country torn asunder. Defining the role of commander-in-chief, and doing so on the job and without the military experience of his adversary Jefferson Davis, Lincoln went through several chieftains before he found a determined fighter in U.S. Grant. This course will explore Lincoln's efforts at honing his martial knowledge, the struggles to maintain public support for the war effort, and his attempts to motivate sluggish generals.

For this course, I recommend Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief, by James M. McPherson. ISBN 978-0143116141.