Civil War Lawyers is a comprehensive and fascinating look at the underappreciated role of the law--and of lawyers--during the United States' Civil War. Great Constitutional issues were addressed by the Supreme Court in tense courtrooms where individual lives were at stake. Presidents struggled with the legality of their actions, including questions on habeas corpus and military commissions that still have vital relevance today. Lawyers dominated public and political life during the first third of American history, and many of the lawyers prominent during the Civil War period were not only aware of each other professionally, but they had also tried cases with and against each other before the War.

The key members of Lincoln's cabinet were all lawyers, as were Lincoln's key diplomatic appointees and the five men who tried to end the War at the Hampton Roads Peace Conference in February 1865. The book also includes an appendix containing more than 100 biographies of the lawyers of the time, a look at the cases in which the lawyers crossed paths before the War, a detailed timeline of Civil War events, and period photos and editorial cartoons. Civil War Lawyers is an indispensible addition to the bookshelves of all lawyers, historians, and Civil War buffs.