From a historical perspective, Abraham Lincoln emerges as an extraordinary individualA-one who was clearly many things to many people. The most comprehensive portrait of noteworthy public figures can generally be seen in their personal letters and journal entries. LincolnA's wartime correspondence is no exception, and the letters he penned to his Civil War generalsA-through one of the most critical episodes in American historyA-are of singular importance. While Abraham Lincoln is responsible for a significant body of correspondence, this is the first time an editor has focused principally on the strategic and analytical comments to his generals during the course of the American Civil War.