Shortly before this was written, Seward had died. A eulogy given for him made it seem like it was Seward, and not Lincoln, who was the mastermind of State department policies at home and abroad. Gideon Welles, the Secretary of the Navy, was appalled at that suggestion, and wrote a book slamming Seward. Well, not so much slamming Seward as showing that Lincoln was clearly Seward's master when it came to running the nation and the State Department. If it wasn't for Lincoln, Seward probably would have caused Great Britain to go to war against us, which, obviously, would have been disastrous. This book provides many fascinating anecdotes about interactions within cabinet meetings and other times. The book is one long chapter, but eminently readable. A must-read for any Lincolnphile. ( )