Download Lincoln's Autocrat: The Life of Edwin Stanton: Civil War America, Book 1 AudioBook Free
Edwin M. Stanton (1814-1869), one of the 19th century's most impressive legal and political minds, wielded substantial influence and power as Lincoln's secretary of warfare during almost all of the Civil Warfare and under Johnson through the early on years of Reconstruction. Inside the first full biography of Stanton in more than 50 years, William Marvel offers an in depth reexamination of Stanton's life, job, and legacy. Marvel argues that while Stanton was a formidable advocate and politician, his identity was hardly harmless. Climbing from a hard children to the pinnacle of power, Stanton used his authority - and the general public coffers - to go after political vendettas. He also exercised sweeping wartime capabilities with a cavalier disregard for civil liberties. Though Lincoln's potential to harness a pantry with razor-sharp divisions and strong personalities is broadly celebrated, Marvel shows that Stanton's tenure raises important questions about Lincoln's genuine control over the executive branch. This insightful biography also discloses why men like Ulysses S. Grant considered Stanton - who was unashamed to work with political power for partisan enforcement and personal preservation - a coward and a bully.
