Lincoln Observed: Civil War Dispatches of Noah Brooks

Posted to Civil War-era Washington as correspondent for the Sacramento Daily Union, Noah Brooks (1830-1903) enjoyed unprecedented access to President Abraham Lincoln, whom he had known well in Illinois and with whom he shared a close friendship. Indeed, at the time of the assassination, Brooks was slated to leave journalism and become Lincoln's personal secretary. Brooks's memoir Washington in Lincoln's Time (1895) did not reprint any of the journalist's original, candid wartime observations of Lincoln as published in the Daily Union. Here, Connecticut College historian Burlingame (The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln) salvages these important dispatches for posterity, providing 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. An obvious supporter of Lincoln, Brooks portrays the president as a tough and savvy leader. Editor Burlingame supplements the dispatches with a number of Brooks's letters from the period, as well as his brief but moving essay written shortly after the assassination titled ""Personal Recollections of Lincoln."" Where Brooks's official memoir was somewhat stilted and lionizing, these contemporary pieces are forthright, objective and useful. (June)