Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America

From the author of The Ground Breaking, longlisted for the National Book Award, comes a riveting saga of the last year of the Civil War—and a revealing new account of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Told with a page-turning pace, Midnight on the Potomac is a story of titanic battles, political upheaval, and the long-forgotten Confederate terror war against the citizens of the North. It takes us behind the scenes in the White House, along the battlefronts in Virginia, and into the conspiracies of spies and secret agents. Lincoln walks these pages, as do Grant and Sherman. But so do common soldiers, runaway slaves, and intrepid female war correspondents.

Deeply researched yet captivatingly written, Midnight on the Potomac is a new kind of book about the Civil War. In it you will read about the Confederate attempt to burn down New York City, how Lincoln almost lost the presidency, about the Rebel general who nearly captured Washington, and how thousands of enslaved African Americans freed themselves—and helped secure their nation’s survival. Midnight on the Potomac also shatters long-held myths, including that the real Booth is far from the one we’ve long been presented with. In an age of deep political division, Scott Ellsworth’s book is an eloquent and gripping testament to the courage, grit, and greatness of the American people.