Lincoln's Forgotten Ally

“Leonard has admirably brought Holt to life. . . . A sympathetic and sensible reading of a difficult personality and the making of federal legal power, recommended for serious readers and university libraries.”—Library Journal

“Leonard’s book is biography at its best in that it illustrates, informs, and deepens the written history of the American people and one’s understanding of human nature.”—Journal of Illinois History

“A well-written and compelling biography. . . . Leonard skillfully illuminates, in a readable and engaging fashion, aspects of Holt and his world. . . . A useful book, both for the classroom and a popular audience.”—Southern Historian

“Leonard has done a great service to Holt and to modern readers by releasing his story from its reconciliationist captives. Holt’s commitment to the Union. . . . reclaims the central tenet of Lincoln’s willingness to go to war: preservation of the Union.”—Journal of the North Carolina Association of Historians

“With Leonard’s skillful research and careful assessment. . . . Joseph Holt will no longer remain an obscure figure.”—Journal of American History

“A well-written, scholarly, and well-documented book. . . . Highly recommended for both academic and general readers interested in the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Lincoln assassination, and legal history.”—Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

“A model of scholarly biography.”—Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society

“A captivating biography of Joseph Holt. . . . Displaying the dexterity of an accomplished historian, Leonard reconstructs Holt’s personal life to reveal a fascinating portrait of the type of representative — but not “great” — man who was instrumental in constructing the modern American nation.”—Annals of Iowa

“An outstanding example of how even a diffident life like Holt’s can be made emblematic of great themes in an era of great conflict.”—Civil War News

“Leonard skillfully and meticulously reconstructs Holt’s 87-year life. . . . Judge Advocate General Holt will no longer be forgotten.”—Civil War Book Review