The Congressman's Civil War

This book explores important aspects of the Civil War from the perspective of Capitol Hill.

In the historical literature of the American Civil War, the president, the generals, and the cabinet secretaries have won the war of words. Of the hundreds of men who served in the House of Representatives during this struggle, only a handful typically appear in general discussions of the period. Yet without a deeper understanding of the contributions of the members of Congress to the successful prosecution of the war we cannot fully appreciate the desperate nature of that conflict and its significance in the building of the nation. This book explores important aspects of the Civil War from the perspective of Capital Hill. It is an effort to reconnoiter some of the possibilities for understanding the congressmen, their relations with one another, and their interaction with President Lincoln. Designed as an exploration rather than as a full-scale history of the Civil War Congress, this book reveals a legislature in which the average length of service was very short, although a relatively small core of national public figures provide continuity.

Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. The paths of power: congressional career lines and the coming of war; 2. Lincoln and the 'disorderly schoolboys': a chapter in executive-legislative relations; 3. An 'inquiring disposition': the investigative process in the House of Representatives; 4. 'God alone can guide us': authority structures in the House of Representatives; 5. Conclusion; Appendix; Notes; Index.