The electrifying story of Abraham Lincoln's rise to greatness during the most perilous year in our nationΓÇÖs history

As 1862 dawned, the American republic was at death's door. The federal government appeared overwhelmed, the U.S. Treasury was broke, and the UnionΓÇÖs top general was gravely ill. The ConfederacyΓÇöwith its booming economy, expert military leadership, and commanding position on the battlefieldΓÇöhad a clear view to victory. To a remarkable extent, the survival of the country depended on the judgment, cunning, and resilience of the unschooled frontier lawyer who had recently been elected president.

Twelve months later, the Civil War had become a cataclysm but the tide had turned. The Union generals who would win the war had at last emerged, and the Confederate Army had suffered the key losses that would lead to its doom. The blueprint of modern AmericaΓÇöan expanding colossus of industrial and financial mightΓÇöhad been indelibly inked. And the man who brought the nation through its darkest hour, Abraham Lincoln, had been forged into a singular leader.

In Rise to Greatness, acclaimed author David Von Drehle has created both a deeply human portrait of AmericaΓÇÖs greatest president and a rich, dramatic narrative about our most fateful year.