uent and inspiring, and makes the heart of the reader blend with the
grand and noble heart of its subject. Its accuracy is unmarred; it
explains all doubts that have ever existed in regard to Mr. Lincoln's
motives and acts; it asserts nothing without proving it; it tells the
plain, straightforward story, and leaves criticism to others. As a
_personal_ biography of Mr. Lincoln's life and character, this book
is not only unsurpassed, but it deserves to rank as one of the classics
in our native literature.

THE POLITICAL CONSPIRACIES PRECEDING THE REBELLION; or the True
Story of Sumter and Pickens, By Thomas M. Anderson, Lieut. Col. U.S.A. 1
vol. quarto, pp. 100. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1883.

The author assumes that there were "a number of conspiracies" antedating
the immediate outbreak of the civil war, but makes no claim that the war
was the result of such conspiracies. His narrative, then, is merely
descriptive of the events which took place in the period between October
1860 and April 1861, purely _resume_ in character and wholly based
upon the disclosures of the Official Records. The author allows himself
to criticise men and acts rather freely, and at times captiously; and
has evidently intended his book to be a defence of his brother, the hero
of Sumter, against certain charges which were once made against him. The
old hero needs no defender, even if we suppose that he ever merited
criticism. The volume is a small one,--trustworthy as regards its
statements and valuable for reference. It may profitably be read in
conjunction with the second volume of Mr. Curtis's _Life_ of _James
Buchanan_, also with the small volume, by General Doubleday, entitled
_The Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Pickens in 1860-61_.

THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN OF GENERAL MCCLELLAN IN 1862. Papers read
before the Military Historical Society of Massachusetts in 1876-77-78
and 80. Printed for the Society. Vol. I, octavo, pp. 249. Boston: James
R. Osgood and Company, 1881.

The Military Society of Massachusetts was organized in 1876, with the
object of investigating questions relating to the civil war. Up to the
date of the publication of this volume, about forty papers were read,
six of them being devoted to the Peninsular Campaign of 1862, eleven
to General Pope's campaign of 1862, three to the campaign of
Chancellorsville, three to the Antietam campaign, sixteen to the
campaign of 1864, and one each to the battle