Unless (like me) you're a Civil War nut, under normal circumstances you wouldn't think to pick up "Dear Mr. Lincoln: Letters to the President." But in these extraordinary times, it's revealing to see the kinds of tribulations visited on a President during wartime. Abraham Lincoln assumed the presidency as the country was splitting apart and spent the next four years waging war with the South and answering his mail. Harold Holzer has compiled some of the best (and worst) of these letters to hold a mirror up to both the state of the country and the President during those turbulent times.

Lincoln was both praised and condemned for his abolitionist leanings. After he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, a long-time critic wrote him a simple letter: "God Bless You for a good deed!" Some parents sent letters informing the President they had named their newborn baby boy "Abraham." On the flip side, Lincoln also received a letter that starts out "God damn your god damned old Hellfired god damned soul to hell god damn you..." - and continues in that vein for about 200 more words. There are Republicans looking for jobs in the new administration, a message from Princeton informing Lincoln of his newly bestowed honorary degree, and a resignation letter from General Ambrose Burnside that arrived at the White House on April 14, 1865.

Perhaps most surprising of all, Lincoln took the time to personally answer many of these letters, even though from the day he entered office he was embroiled in war. On the whole, he was the "Father Abram" who calmly and logically explained his motivations and decisions, but he was not above showing some temper, such as when he responded to Horace Greeley about his intention: "I would save the Union." That kind of direct, clear-headed, goal-oriented vision was needed then, just as it is needed today.