Mr. Lincoln’s High-Tech War

Mr. Lincoln’s High-Tech War: How the North Used the Telegraph, Railroads, Surveillance Balloons, Ironclads, High-Powered Weapons, and More to Win the Civil War. By Thomas B. Allen and Roger MacBride Allen. National Geographic, 2008. 144 pages. $18.95

Summary: Mr. Lincoln’s High-Tech War is the story of the Civil War and a President who shaped the outcome by championing technology. President Abraham Lincoln grew up in a low-tech log cabin, but he led his country to win a war using a high-tech approach. In the 1860’s, high tech meant employing low-density gas-filled observation balloons, rapid-fire guns, modern telegraph lines, far-traveling trains and fire-resistant ironclad ships. The story of the Civil War and Lincoln’s leadership is told from a fresh perspective that shares details about the most influential inventors in the 1860’s and the technological successes and failures that influenced the North’s win. President Lincoln is portrayed as a president determined not only to do right by the people of the United States, but as an inventor at heart. The book reveals that Lincoln is the only president on record as a patent holder and shows how personally involved Lincoln was in the strategy of the Civil War. The War in this book has the same outcome as every other book on the Civil War, but the story of the war in this book is as innovative as the high-tech tools supported by President Lincoln.

Standard(s): California History/Social Science 8.10: students analyze the multiple causes, key events, and complex consequences of the Civil War.

Suggested age range: 10+ years

Annotation: Father and son team Thomas and Roger Allen combine their historical and technological expertise to create a unique perspective on the Civil War. It is the technological slant that offers readers a fresh view of an old war and a familiar president. By sharing President Lincoln’s efforts to champion innovation in communication, transportation and weaponry, the authors succeed in enticing readers to take another look at the 1860’s. Readers will see the 1860’s through period diagrams, sketches, paintings and page formats that evoke the 1860’s, but the storyline is driven by a contemporary-feeling theme: technology. This story of the Civil War is told through invention, innovation, strategy and thinking outside the box and the result is compelling. The text reads quickly although it is filled with facts and dates. The Allens are master storytellers and the result is a reference book that reads like an exciting bedtime story. The book is enhanced by a comprehensive bibliography, supplemental online resources on the subject, quote sources and a user-friendly index. Mr. Lincoln’s High-Tech War is an appealing non-fiction book for readers ages 10 and up and complements the Civil War curriculum covered in grade eight.

Subjects/themes: United States History, Civil War, United States Army, Technology, Abraham Lincoln

Awards:

=VOYA Nonfiction Honor List, 2009

=YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction, 2010 Nominee

=ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2010

Reviews:

=Booklist (December 15, 2008)

=Kirkus Reviews (November 15, 2008)

=School Library Journal (February 1, 2009)

=Voice of Youth Advocates (February 1, 2009)

=Reference & Research Book News (May 1, 2009)

High interest annotation: Mr. Lincoln’s High-Tech War provides a unique perspective on how the Civil War was won by the North. The focus on technological advances in warfare makes for a fascinating read for history fans as young as ten years of age.