Examining party conflict as seen through the lens of the developing war, the excesses of party patronage, the impact of wartime elections, the highly partisan press, and the role of the loyal opposition, Neely dismantles the longstanding argument in Civil War scholarship that the survival of the party system in the North contributed to its victory.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Mark E. Neely, Jr., vividly recounts the surprising story of political conflict in the North during the Civil War. Examining party conflict as viewed through the lens of the developing war, Neely dismantles the argument long established in Civil War scholarship that the survival of the party system in the North contributed to its victory.