"Lincoln’s Informer is that sort of rare history that can both enlighten other scholars and engage popular readership. . . . Guarneri’s work is thoughtful, thoroughly researched, and an important contribution to our understanding of the nineteenth-century United States."—American Nineteenth Century History
“Everyone from seasoned historians to casual readers will find Guarneri’s work stimulating and innovative.”—Journal of Military History
“This exemplary biography of a remarkable Civil War-era journalist should be carefully pondered by all serious students of nineteenth-century journalism.”—Michigan War Studies Review
“Guarneri’s lively, immersive, and well-researched biography offers a textured portrait of this remarkable figure who has been largely overlooked until now.”—Journal of Southern History
“An important read for anyone interested in the conduct of the war or American journalism.”—New York Military Affairs Symposium Review
“Get yourself a copy and get a good look into the machinations behind the scenes of military campaigns. You will be glad you did.”—Civil War News
"Lincoln’s Informer is unprecedented in how expansively it defines and details the depth of Dana’s myriad of important influences and actions. Dana, through the determined efforts of Guarneri’s fine scholarship, can now be more widely appreciated not just as an influential go-between but as an important historical actor in his own right. Highly recommended."—Civil War Books and Authors
"Insightful analysis and scrupulous research."—Civil War Times
"An insightful work about an influential but often overlooked political figure."—Library Journal
“Lincoln’s Informer is a genuine contribution to both Civil War studies and the history of nineteenth-century journalism. In the story of Charles A. Dana, Lincoln’s Informer reclaims exciting and underreported aspects of American political, literary, and military history.”—Harold Holzer, winner of the Gilder-Lehrman Lincoln Prize
“This highly readable, thoroughly researched account of Charles A. Dana’s role in the Civil War era is a welcome addition to the literature, for it sheds new light not only on Dana but also on such important players as Abraham Lincoln, U. S. Grant, and Horace Greeley.”—Michael Burlingame, author of Abraham Lincoln: A Life
“Brimming with fascinating details and drawing on an array of new sources, Lincoln’s Informer provides the definitive portrait of newspaper editor Charles A. Dana’s controversial career as an informant, investigator, and advisor for the War Department. Both on the field and in Washington, DC, Guarneri’s cogent narrative reveals how Dana’s reports on commanders, campaigns, and fraud not only earned the respect of President Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton but also impacted vital military and political policy.”—Joan Waugh, coauthor of The American War: A History of the Civil War Era
Charles A. Dana, though little known today, was one of the major figures of the Civil War, an informant for Secretary of War Stanton and President Lincoln. Lincoln’s Informer is well written and full of insights for all Civil War scholars and buffs.”—John F. Marszalek, executive director and managing editor of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library at Mississippi State University
