Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Team of Rivals is a character study as much as it is a history. Kearns Goodwin attempts to explain why some men have succeeded and others have failed when faced with similar historical situations. Chapter 16 can be seen as, among other things, an analysis of the fundamental differences in leaders like Lincoln and McClellan.

Her analysis is that Lincoln understands the bigger picture in both the war and politics. Because he has not been at the forefront of his field for much of his life, he has been forced to examine things from a unique angle. He is accustomed to failure and loss, and he realizes that to be a leader means that one will not always be liked, one must take chances, and failure is a part of life.

This is lost on McClellan who is a good tactician but an overly cautious general. He fears defeat, which makes him inactive, and he fails to take initiative and responsibility. The fault always lies elsewhere, and when he does succeed, even with the assistance of others, he never give credit. Lincoln, by contrast, spreads the credit around, always being sure to build up others along the way, even his rivals.

McClellan’s failure at the Peninsula Campaign can be seen as the true measure of the difference between the two men. His inability to take the initiative only allows him a minor victory, one that he claims could have been greater had he not been hampered by other men. It is this inability to find fault with himself that will eventually lead to him being replaced. Having blamed Stanton for the Peninsula issue, McClellan finds himself further in the dog house, though Lincoln does not relieve him of his command yet, despite the desire of many in the cabinet.

Lincoln is still unsure how to approach the question of slavery. The main problem for Lincoln is that many radical Republicans and reformers like Frederick Douglass feel as though Lincoln is ignoring the issue. He is vigorously attacked in both radical publications and speeches, but still he does not budge. He realizes that with Southern successes, he may risk losing states like Maryland, and in doing so, completely undermine the defensive position of the Union. Under the War Powers Act, Lincoln realizes that he, as President, does have the ability to deal directly with the slave issue, but he wants this to be his last resort. He will first exhaust all other options—offering to buy slaves from slave owners, letting the local governments legislate the issue, etc. However, Lincoln’s hand is somewhat forced by the inactivity of the local legislatures. His decision is well-received by most in his cabinet, though it is rightly pointed out by Seward that it would be best to wait until a Union victory to make the announcement.

Although Antietam is not an overt victory, it is the closest thing that the Union has had to one in the Eastern Theatre since the war began. With this one-day battle behind them, Lincoln feels confident to issue his Emancipation Proclamation, which proclaims all enslaved people free in states engaged in rebellion against the United States. This is received well by the radicals in the Republican Party, but it risks putting him at odds with more conservative elements in the North as well as Northern Democrats who do not want to fight a war about slavery. This is highlighted by some losses in the mid-term elections, and it shows Lincoln that he must tread carefully, or risk losing support the North. Without a unified political front, he cannot successfully prosecute the war, which some feel has dragged on long enough and been poorly handled by Lincoln.

To this end, Lincoln relieves McClellan of his command, replacing him with General Ambrose Burnside. However, Burnside also proves to not be up to the task of going toe-to-toe with Robert E. Lee. Following his defeat at Fredericksburg, the Union once again finds itself in a weakened position in the East, and an emboldened Lee hatches plans to invade the North, believing that if he can win a victory on Union territory, he will demoralize the it to such a degree that it will sue for peace. This leads to the Battle of Gettysburg, which will prove the turning point in the war.