At Lincoln's Side John Hay's Civil War Correspondence and Selected Writings

Annotation John Hay believed that real history is told in private letters, and the more than 220 surviving letters and telegrams from his Civil War days prove that to be true, showing Abraham Lincoln in action: The Tycoon is in fine whack. I have rarely seen him more serene Along with Hays personal correspondence, Burlingame includes his surviving official letters. Though lacking the literary brilliance of [Hays] personal letters, Burlingame explains, they help flesh out the historical record. Burlingame also includes some of the letters Hay composed for Lincolns signature, including the celebrated letter of condolence to the Widow Bixby. More than an inside glimpse of the Civil War White House, Hays surviving correspondence provides a window on the world of nineteenth-century Washington, D.C.