Gathering to Save a Nation

In this rich study of Union governors and their role in the Civil War,Stephen D. Engle examines how these politicians were pivotal in securingvictory. In a time of limited federal authority, governors were an essentialpart of the machine that maintained the Union while it mobilised and sustainedthe war effort. Charged with the difficult task of raising soldiers fromtheir home states, these governors had to also rally political, economic, andpopular support for the conflict, at times against a backdrop of significantlocal opposition. Engle argues that the relationship between these loyal-state leadersand Lincoln’s administration was far more collaborative than previouslythought. While providing detailed and engaging portraits of these men, theirstate-level actions, and their collective cooperation, Engle brings into newfocus the era’s complex political history and shows how the Civil War testedand transformed the relationship between state and federal governments.