Title: The two American Presidents
Subtitle: a dual biography of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis
First published: 1999
Description: In this, the first dual biography of the two leaders, Bruce Chadwick argues that one of several reasons why the North won and the South lost can be found in the drastically different characters of the two presidents. The electric and flexible personality of Lincoln enabled him to build coalitions among warring political factions and become one of the strongest and most successful presidents in U.S. history.

The inability of the uncompromising Davis to do the same contributed to the South's losing the war.

This is the first comprehensive study to compare the two leaders, and to reach firm conclusions about the war that transformed the United States from a slave empire into a model of democracy for the world. Many books have been written about both Lincoln and Davis. However, by contrasting the lives and presidencies of both men, the author provides a fascinating new perspective of the two leaders during the most volatile period in American history.
Subjects: Presidents, Biography, Politics and government, Lincoln, abraham, 1809-1865, Davis, jefferson, 1808-1889, United states, politics and government, 1861-1865
Places: United States, Confederate States of America
People: Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), Jefferson Davis (1808-1889)
Time periods: 1861-1865
LC classification: E457 .C44 1999