"One of the most scholarly and provocative books written in this much worked-over period."--Avery O. Craven, Saturday Review

"A documented, scholarly investigation of the growth of war fever in the North prior to the Civil War. The author discusses the disunionists both Northern and Southern, the party men who played politics, the businessmen who foresaw the loss of Southern markets, and those men who sincerely believed the Union must be preserved."--Booklist

"It is well organized and well written, but most of all it presents an accurate picture of the welter of northern sentiments from which emerged the will to war in 1861."--Journal of Southern History

"The author displays unusually keen analytical abilities. He writes with clarity and verve."--Bell I. Wiley, Mississippi Valley Historical Review