Lincoln and the Border States: Preserving the Union.

Lincoln can be forgiven if he had trouble telling friend from foe in the border states; the citizens of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri were far more divided on issues such as slavery, secession, and the suspension of habeas corpus than those in the northern states. A Kentucky native whose wife's family included slaveholders, Lincoln was intimately familiar with the regions' conflicted loyalties, and understood the importance of preserving their places in the Union. These contested areas witnessed guerrilla activities and vitriolic political and journalistic offensives that threatened to rend the masses into hostile poles. Harris (Lincoln's Last Month) takes us through the complicated decisions Lincoln had to make in order to secure the loyalty of his putative allies. Drawing on extensive research and scholarship, Harris also profiles lesser-known individuals who nevertheless played a crucial role in the unfolding of the Civil War, including Thomas Hicks, the Know-Nothing governor of Maryland, and George Prentice, the editor of the Louisville Journal. Quoting extensively from newspapers, letters, and government sources, Harris' book is a valuable resource for academics and amateur war-historians alike. 10 photographs, 1 map. (Sept.)