The Foreign Service Journal, November 2019

102 NOVEMBER 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 1863), the threat of foreign intervention gradually faded away. We know the rest of the story. Lincoln’s tragic assassina- tion in April 1865, days after the achievement of victory at Appo- mattox, ended the partnership. The latter part of the book focuses on the rest of Seward’s time as Secretary of State, and it seems a bit of an add-on that does not fit with the original focus on Civil War diplomacy. Subjects of particular interest in this section are Seward’s close relationship with President Andrew John- son, a controversial figure, and Seward’s successful effort to ensure that the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. Fry acknowledges that he has nei- ther used nor uncovered new sources of information, and so his book represents a synthesis of available information. The back of the book does include a wide-ranging notes section that points the reader toward additional sources on specific subjects. Overall, Fry’s book is highly readable and of service to the history of U.S. diplo- macy. In the course of American history, finding anything equal to the effective- ness of the Lincoln-Seward diplomatic partnership would be difficult. Fry con- vincingly makes his case that Lincoln and Seward deserve great credit for recogniz- ing early on that a superior foreign policy would be a key to Northern victory. n Joseph L. Novak, a Foreign Service officer, serves as a senior adviser in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the State Department in Washington, D.C. Abraham Lincoln. William Henry Seward. NATIONALARCHIVESANDRECORDSADMINISTRATION LIBRARYOFCONGRESS