On May 18, 1860, in the midst of the nominating battle at the Republican National Convention, four contenders–Lincoln, Seward, Chase and Bates–wait in their hometowns for the results of the balloting in Chicago. Seward, Chase and Bates were political visionaries whose national reputations towered over Lincoln's. When they vied with Lincoln for the presidential nomination and lost, each was astonished at his defeat to this relatively obscure and inexperienced prairie lawyer. Through the 1850s, the four had intertwined with the creation of a sectional Republican party. Each positioned himself to lead the nation. That Lincoln emerges to win the race is the result of character traits forged by life experiences that separated him from his rivals and provided him with advantages that were unrecognized at the time and would prove his political adroitness and eventual greatness. Part I makes clear that, in the array of political disputes that were dividing the country, slavery was the pre-emminent factor. War, therefore, was inevitable. Part Two opens on March 4, 1861, the day of Lincoln's inauguration. Summoning his talented and difficult rivals to assume the highest posts in his Cabinet, Lincoln proceeds to marshal their talents to winning the Civil War. The War is seen from the vantage of the White House, where Lincoln comes to exercise firm control over the powerful, often antagonistic, personalities of his Cabinet officers, managing to subordinate them to his purposes, winning their respect and loyalty. There is a rich correspondence among them, much of which has not been utilized in standard Lincoln biographies. There is, too, an extraordinary cast of female characters. Lincoln's rivals boasted wives and daughters, including Frances Seward, Fanny Seward, and Kate Chase, who, like Mary Lincoln, displayed striking intelligence, unconventional personalities, powerful ambition and a rare degree of political sophistication. Their histories not only provide an excellent opportunity to re-examine the Lincolns' marriage in a comparative light, but also inspire a positive reassessment of Mary Lincoln's much-maligned performance of the role of First Lady. With fresh insights into the dynamics of 19th-century Washington social life gleaned from the papers of women in the Seward and Chase families, as well as with new research on the First Lady's service as a volunteer in Washington hospitals and as a fund-raiser for fugitive slaves quartered in camps near the capital, it is possible to add nuance and perhaps some new truths to the current record of Mrs. Lincoln's time in Washington. In the end, however, since Lincoln was "married" more intimately to several of his Cabinet members during the war than he was to Mary, in terms of the time he spent with them during the day, the long, anxious hours at night waiting for the telegraph to report news from the battlefront, the moments of relaxation shared, the stories exchanged, the emotions expressed, this is ultimately a story of Abraham Lincoln's mastery of men. Goodwin's portrait of Lincoln is an important contribution to the Lincoln literature. Brilliantly described and dramatically narrated, it is a compelling read.

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