Sandburg in the Civil War Monitor

[LincolnMan]

In 1939, Harry E. Pratt gave a book review of The War Years as published in the Bulletin of the Abraham Lincoln Association in which he said in part:

“The foreward contains Sandburg’s comments on only a few of the sources of materials used. He excuses himself for not listing and evaluating them all by referring the reader to the evaluation of such materials by Professor James G. Randall at the close of Lincoln in the Dictionary of American Biography. No footnotes occur in the book which reduces the value of the work at least one half for any careful student.”

My comment: This has been the greatest objection to the Sandburg work, I think. Again, the “careful student” would be best to look elsewhere for such details. Sandburg, obviously, knew what he was producing when he spent years writing it. And despite the objection as stated, it remains my favorite work on Lincoln- hands down. I'm sure this is true for countless others.