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Determined to preserve the Union, Commander-in-Chief Lincoln waged war, suspended habeas corpus, tried civilians before military tribunals, and performed other actions that went beyond the scope of the U.S. Constitution and existing laws. A self-taught military strategist and tactician, Lincoln arguably developed a better grasp of battlefield realities than the pedestrian top-brass who remained after West Point's best chose to defend their Southern homelands. President Lincoln's battle plans--when field commanders finally deployed them--ultimately defeated the South. But was the resulting juggernaut worth the moral and constitutional cost?