1858 : Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and the war they failed to see

"Highly recommended–a gripping narrative of the critical year of 1858 and the nation's slide toward disunion and war. Chadwick is especially adept at retelling the intense emotions of this critical time, particularly especially in recounting abolitionist opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act and Jefferson Davis's passionate defense of this institution. For readers seeking to understand how individuals are agents of historical change will find Chadwick's account of the failed leadership of President James Buchanan, especially compelling." -G. Kurt Piehler, author of "Remembering War the American Way" and Associate Professor of History, The University of Tennessee 1858 explores the events and personalities of the year that would send the America's North and South on a collision course culminating in the slaughter of 630,000 of the nation's young men, a greater number than died in any other American conflict. The record of that year is told in seven separate stories, each participant, though unaware, is linked to the oncoming tragedy by the central, though ineffective, figure of that time, the man in the White House, President James Buchanan. The seven figures who suddenly leap onto history's stage and shape the great moments to come are: Jefferson Davis, who lived a life out of a Romantic novel, and who almost died from herpes simplex of the eye; the disgruntled Col. Robert E. Lee, who had to decide whether he would stay in the military or return to Virginia to run his family's plantation; William Tecumseh Sherman, one of the great Union generals, who had been reduced to running a roadside food stand in Kansas; the uprising of eight abolitionists in Oberlin, Ohio, who freed a slave apprehended by slave catchers, and set off a fiery debate across America; a dramatic speech by New York Senator William Seward in Rochester, which foreshadowed the civil war and which seemed to solidify his hold on the 1860 Republican Presidential nomination; John Brown's raid on a plantation in Missouri, where he freed several slaves, and marched them eleven hundred miles to Canada, to be followed a year later by his catastrophic attack on Harper's Ferry; and finally, Illinois Senator Steven Douglas' seven historic debates with little-known Abraham Lincoln in the Illinois Senate race, that would help bring the ambitious and determined Lincoln to the Presidency of the United States. As these stories unfold, the reader learns how the country reluctantly stumbled towards that moment in April 1861 when the Southern army opened fire on Fort Sumter. PRAISE FOR 1858 "Highly recommended-a gripping narrative of the critical year of 1858 and the nation's slide toward disunion and war ... Readers seeking to understand how individuals are agents of historical change will find Chadwick's account of the failed leadership of President James Buchanan especially compelling."--G. Kurt Piehler, author of Remembering War the American Way "Chadwick's excellent history shows how the issue of slavery came crashing into the professional, public, and private lives of many Americans ... Chadwick offers a fascinating premise: that James Buchanan, far from being a passive spectator, played a major role in the drama of his time. 1858 is a welcome addition to scholarship of the most volatile period of American history." -Frank Cucurullo, Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial As 1858 dawned, the men who would become the iconic figures of the Civil War had no idea it was about to occur: Jefferson Davis was dying, Robert E. Lee was on the verge of resigning from the military, and William Tecumseh Sherman had been reduced to running a roadside food stand. By the end of 1858, the lives of these men would be forever changed, and the North and South were set on a collision course that would end with the deaths of 630,000 young men. This is the story of seven men on the brink of a war that would transform them into American legends, and the events of the year that set our union on fire PRAISE FOR 1858 "Highly recommended-a gripping narrative of the critical year of 1858 and the nation's slide toward disunion and war...Readers seeking to understand how individuals are agents of historical change will find Chadwick's account of the failed leadership of President James Buchanan especially compelling." -G. Kurt Piehler, author of Remembering War the American Way "Chadwick's excellent history shows how the issue of slavery came crashing into the professional, public, and private lives of many Americans...Chadwick offers a fascinating premise: that James Buchanan, far from being a passive spectator, played a major role in the drama of his time. 1858 is a welcome addition to scholarship of the most volatile period of American history." -Frank Cucurullo, Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial As 1858 dawned, the men who would become the iconic figures of the Civil War had no idea it was about to occur: Jefferson Davis was dying, Robert E. Lee was on the verge of resigning from the military, and William Tecumseh Sherman had been reduced to running a roadside food stand. By the end of 1858, the lives of these men would be forever changed, and the North and South were set on a collision course that would end with the deaths of 630,000 young men. This is the story of seven men on the brink of a war that would transform them into American legends, and the events of the year that set our union on fire. 1858 Explores The Events And Personalities Of The Year That Would Send The America's North And South On A Collision Course Culminating In The Slaughter Of 630,000 Of The Nation's Young Men, A Greater Number Than Died In Any Other American Conflict. The White House, New Year's Day, 1858 -- The Death Of Jefferson Davis -- The White House, Early 1858: One Year Of Dred Scott -- Colonel Robert E. Lee Leaves The Military Forever -- The White House, February 1858: Showdown With Stephen Douglas -- Honest Abe And The Little Giant: The Lincoln-douglas Debates, Part One -- The White House, July 1858 -- Honest Abe And The Little Giant: The Lincoln-douglas Debates, Part Two -- The White House, Autumn 1858: The Forney Feud -- Oberlin, Ohio: The Rescuers -- The White House, October 1858 -- William Seward: The Irrepressible Conflict: -- The White House, Election Day -- William Tecumseh Sherman: Dead-ended -- The White House, Winter 1858: Swashbuckling In The Americas -- Terrible Swift Sword: John Brown's Christmas Raid Into Missouri -- The White House, December 1858. Bruce Chadwick. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [301]-308) And Index. 'The Change Manifesto is a street-by-street, town-by-town guide to making an America that works. Our nation has the potential to be an example of freedom and justice to the world and each of us has the ability to have tremendous impact. In this stirring call to arms, John Whitehead tells the stories of the local heroes who stood up to a cynical government, and who are creating thriving communities of change. We are on the cusp of a new era of progress, but we can't sit back and hope our elected officials will carry us there. We can join the people taking action at the local level, like the residents of a town in Oregon who protested unfair bills by paying in pennies, chickens and the shirts off their back. And we can follow the examples of the national heroes who are fighting for change and demanding accountability from our elected officials at the highest levels. If we refuse to listen to the cynics, we can join these everyday Americans, young and old, and harness our greatest resource: ourselves.' As 1858 dawned, the men who would become the iconic figures of the Civil War had no idea it was about to occur: Jefferson Davis was dying, Robert E. Lee was on the verge of resigning from the military, and William Tecumseh Sherman had been reduced to running a roadside food stand. By the end of 1858, the North and South were set on a collision course that would end with the deaths of 630,000 young men and change the lives of these iconic historical men forever. This is the story of seven men on the brink of a war that would transform them into American legends and the events of the year that set our union on fire This book exposes the various ways Americans are being abused and tyrannized by our leaders, and shows us how to stop being sheep and take back our government, our liberty, and our nation