| | Maps and Diagrams | p. xiii |
| | Introduction | p. xv |
| | The Rivals | p. 1 |
| | Four Men Waiting | p. 5 |
| | The "Longing to Rise" | p. 28 |
| | The Lure of Politics | p. 60 |
| | "Plunder & Conquest" | p. 119 |
| | The Turbulent Fifties | p. 140 |
| | The Gathering Storm | p. 170 |
| | Countdown to the Nomination | p. 211 |
| | Showdown in Chicago | p. 237 |
| | "A Man Knows His Own Name" | p. 257 |
| | "An Intensified Crossword Puzzle" | p. 279 |
| | "I Am Now Public Property" | p. 305 |
| | Master Among Men | p. 321 |
| | "Mystic Chords of Memory": Spring 1861 | p. 323 |
| | "The Ball Has Opened": Summer 1861 | p. 347 |
| | "I Do Not Intend to Be Sacrificed": Fall 1861 | p. 377 |
| | "My Boy Is Gone": Winter 1862 | p. 409 |
| | "He Was Simply Out-Generaled": Spring 1862 | p. 425 |
| | "We Are in the Depths": Summer 1862 | p. 445 |
| | "My Word Is Out": Fall 1862 | p. 473 |
| | "Fire in the Rear": Winter-Spring 1863 | p. 497 |
| | "The Tycoon Is in Fine Whack": Summer 1863 | p. 522 |
| | "I Feel Trouble in the Air": Summer-Fall 1863 | p. 548 |
| | "Still in Wild Water": Fall 1863 | p. 573 |
| | "There's a Man in It!": Winter-Spring 1864 | p. 597 |
| | "Atlanta Is Ours": Summer-Fall 1864 | p. 627 |
| | "A Sacred Effort": Winter 1864-1865 | p. 667 |
| | The Final Weeks: Spring 1865 | p. 702 |
| | Epilogue | p. 751 |
| | Acknowledgments | p. 755 |
| | Notes | p. 759 |
| | Illustration Credits | p. 881 |
| | Index | p. 883 |