First published 2003
John Hay watches President Lincoln pace the White House corridors as the nation tears itself apart. As private secretary to the sixteenth president, Hay joins a tight circle of advisors who call themselves "Lincoln men." They include Secretary of State William Seward, Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase, and War Secretary Edwin Stanton. Each man brings his own ambitions and loyalties to the administration, yet all must serve a president facing impossible choices. Hay observes the delicate balance Lincoln maintains between these powerful figures while managing a civil war that threatens to destroy the republic. Personal rivalries emerge as Chase eyes the presidency and Seward guards his influence. Through cabinet meetings and private conversations, Hay witnesses how Lincoln transforms a collection of rivals into a functioning government. The young secretary discovers that loyalty to Lincoln means more than political allegiance. It requires sacrificing personal gain for a larger cause that none of them fully understands until the war's end.
Genres: biography, american-civil-war, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, intimate-relationships
Setting: White House
Period: 19th-Century
317 pages · Hardcover · RB Large Print