Lincoln’s Lie: A True Civil War Caper Through Fake News. Wall Street, and the White House

National Archives Museum
Online

In 1864, during the bloodiest days of the Civil War, two newspapers published a call, allegedly from President Lincoln, for the immediate conscription of 400,000 more Union soldiers. New York streets erupted in pandemonium, and Wall Street markets went wild. When Lincoln sent troops to seize the newspaper presses and arrest the editors, it became clear: The proclamation was a lie. Who put out this fake news? In Lincoln’s Lie, Elizabeth Mitchell brings to life the remarkable story of the manipulators of the news and why they decided to play such a dangerous game during a critical period of American history.