Author Description

When reviewing the performance of the major players of the American Civil War in terms of their ability to formulate and implement appropriate military strategy, a surprising argument can be made that the best strategist would have been one of the most unlikely candidates. This paper examines evidence that the best strategist of the Civil War was Union President Abraham Lincoln, the least experienced in war matters of any of the primary military or civilian leaders of the war. Evidence that Lincoln deserves the best strategist title is presented by reviewing (1) Lincoln's background and evidence he thought like great military strategists of the past, (2) the strategy "performance" of his contemporaries in the Civil War and, (3) how the implementation of Lincoln's strategy finally resulted in Union victory.