Lincoln Observed: Civil War Dispatches of Noah Brooks - Softcover

"A riveting day-to-day insider's view of Lincoln's dealing with important personalities and issues. A keen observer and a gifted writer, Brooks offers a uniquely informed and finely crafted portrait of Lincoln in his daily interactions with generals, cabinet members, foreign diplomats, family and friends." -- Publishers Weekly

"A lively contemporary account of Washington in wartime, complete with political and military intrigue and glimpses into the daily life of the capital and the president... Brooks was a good writer. His dispatches should interest anyone eager to know more about Lincoln, 19th century journalism, or what people far from the field of battle, but in the thick of political combat, thought about the Civil War." -- John LaPlante, Baton Rouge Advocate

"Highly evocative eyewitness history." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Interesting and candid vignettes that provide a revealing portrait of Lincoln and the men around him... A compact, readable, and highly informative work." -- Booklist

"Michael Burlingame has made a great contribution to Lincoln scholarship in bringing Noah Brooks's dispatches together in a volume, along with his reminiscences of Lincoln. These documents provide a good assessment of Lincoln's character and policies." -- William E. Gienapp, Harvard University

During the Civil War, few outside Abraham Lincoln's immediate circle of family, friends, and advisors had as much access to the president as young California journalist Noah Brooks, who first met Lincoln in Illinois. As the Washington correspondent for the Sacramento Daily Union during the Civil War, Brooks met with Lincoln nearly daily between 1862 and 1865 and was privy to many of the president's decisions and thoughts. Brooks's dispatches, letters, and personal reminiscences -- collected here for the first time by noted Lincoln scholar Michael Burlingame -- offer an intimate portrait of Abraham Lincoln himself as well as an engrossing account of life and politics in wartime Washington.