Book Review: 'April 1861' captures drama that occurred before Civil War's first shots

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More than two decades have passed since historian Jay Winik wrote about the end of the Civil War with a book with “April 1865: The Month That Saved America." His latest book covers the period of time that nearly led to its disintegration.

In “1861: The Lost Peace,” Winik covers the lead-up to the first shots being fired at Fort Sumter. The political intrigue leading up to 1861 rivals the battlefield action readers come to expect from many Civil War histories.

The overarching story is a familiar but important one for students of history: how a lowly Illinois congressman rose to power to lead a nation through its great divide over slavery and saved the American Experiment.

Winik chronicles Abraham Lincoln's evolution as a politician and as someone who “was careful never to step too far ahead of prevailing opinion.”

But “1861” is one of the few Civil War histories where Lincoln isn't the most compelling figure. That title goes to a cast of characters, familiar ones such as abolitionist John Brown and lesser known figures such as Kentucky Sen. John J. Crittenden.

The book also portrays the waiting game that Major Robert Anderson faced as he commanded Fort Sumter and faced uncertainty as Lincoln took office.

Winik has a taut yet dramatic writing style that makes the book a compelling read even for those well-versed on the history leading up to the Civil War's outbreak.

Winik writes that the “ultimate fate of nations is often measured and swayed not by large events, but by tiny ones,” and “1861” illustrates that point throughout its pages.

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