Lincoln's Lie by Elizabeth Mitchell

Lincoln's Lie by Elizabeth Mitchell

This "delicious, suspenseful . . . and cleverly written romp through a dramatic and forgotten moment in American history" reveals how Lincoln manipulated the media during the Civil War--shining new light on the current 'fake news' crisis (Elizabeth Gilbert)

In 1864, during the bloodiest days of the Civil War, two newspapers published a call, allegedly authored by President Lincoln, for the immediate conscription of 400,000 more Union soldiers. New York streets erupted in pandemonium. Wall Street markets went wild.

When Lincoln sent troops to seize the newspaper presses and arrest the editors, it became clear: The proclamation was a lie. Who put out this fake news? Was it a Confederate spy hoping to incite another draft riot? A political enemy out to ruin the president in an election year? Or was there some truth to the proclamation--far more truth than anyone suspected?

Unpacking this overlooked historical mystery for the first time, journalist Elizabeth Mitchell takes readers on a dramatic journey from newspaper offices filled with heroes and charlatans to the haunted White House confinement of Mary Todd Lincoln, from the packed pews of the celebrated preacher Reverend Henry Ward Beecher's Plymouth Church to the War Department offices in the nation's capital and a Grand Jury trial.

In Lincoln's Lie, Mitchell brings to life the remarkable story of the manipulators of the news and why they decided to play such a dangerous game during a critical period of American history. Her account of Lincoln's troubled relationship to the press and its role in the Civil War is one that speaks powerfully to our current political crises: fake news, profiteering, Constitutional conflict, and a president at war with the press.

Elizabeth Mitchell is a writer, editor, and journalist. Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing and W: Vengeance of the Bush Dynasty are her nonfiction publications.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781640095366
ISBN 10	1640095365
Title	Lincoln's Lie
Author	Elizabeth Mitchell
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Counterpoint
Year published	2022-02-08
Number of pages	304
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.