A narrative history of the 1861 Washington Peace Conference; the bipartisan; last-ditch effort to prevent the Civil War; an effort that nearly averted the carnage that followed. In February 1861; most of America’s great statesmen—including a former president; dozens of current and former senators; Supreme Court justices; governors; and congressmen—came together at the historic Willard Hotel in a desperate attempt to stave off Civil War.Seven southern states had already seceded; and the conferees battled against time to craft a compromise to protect slavery and thus preserve the union and prevent war. Participants included former President John Tyler; General William Sherman’s Catholic step-father; General Winfield Scott; and Lincoln’s future Treasury Secretary; Salmon Chase—and from a room upstairs at the hotel; Lincoln himself. Revelatory and definitive; The Peace That Almost Was demonstrates that slavery was the main issue of the conference—and thus of the war itself—and that no matter the shared faith; family; and friendships of the participants; ultimately no compromise could be reached.
#2856298 in Books Routledge 1998-10-03 1998-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.35 x .47 x 5.43l; .60 #File Name: 0714644625208 pages
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