The President Who Walked Into Richmond

For four long years, Abraham Lincoln directed the Union cause from Washington. He sent generals — McDowell, McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, Meade — each carrying a portion of his purpose, each delivering fragments of his resolve. He wrote letters, issued proclamations, dispatched emissaries. The Emancipation Proclamation carried his authority. The Gettysburg Address carried his vision. But none of these messengers or documents were Lincoln himself.…