Our One Common Country

James B. Conroy practices law in Boston. He previously served as a Senate and House press secretary and speechwriter in Washington, D.C., as well as an administrative assistant (chief of staff) for a New York City congressman. His legal writing has been published in the Massachusetts Law Review and the Massachusetts Lawyers' Weekly.

"Conroy is a terrific writer who tells the story of one of the war's least known episodes, the Hampton Roads Peace Conference. But it is the way he describes the people around Lincoln, their interaction with him and each other that makes this such a good read. Great anecdotes-if you're like me you'll find yourself pausing every few pages and saying, 'I never knew that'-my favorite kind of book!" -Bob Schieffer, CBS News"A richly detailed, carefully analyzed, and well-written account of the Hampton Roads meeting... An excellent and long-needed addition to Civil War historiography." -Michael B. Ballard, author of Grant at Vicksburg: The General and the Siege and A Long Shadow: Jefferson Davis and the Final Days of the Confederacy"In this massively researched, exceptionally well-written book, James Conroy has illuminated and set in its historical context an episode familiar and yet hitherto not closely examined. By carefully inserting vignettes of the actual fighters into the Big Picture, he gives his account an immediacy and human dimension rarely found in serious historical works. This is, moreover, a page-turner to be read for sheer pleasure." -Hiller B. Zobel, author of The Boston Massacre"Exhaustively researched and engagingly written, James Conroy's account of the Hampton Roads Conference makes an important contribution to the field of Civil War studies. General readers will enjoy the memorable portraits of individuals and the convincing re-creation of popular emotions as the war ground toward its close. Scholars will have to take more seriously the abundant evidence of the priority that Lincoln gave to conciliating Southern whites, in order to gain their cooperation in Reconstruction." -Paul D. Escott, Reynolds Professor of History, Wake Forest University, and author of After Secession: Jefferson Davis and the Failure of Confederate Nationalism "Conroy's impressively thorough and engaging document details ... the Hampton Roads Peace Conference, which has never before been the sole subject of a book... [It] illuminates the conflicting, passionate views on the Civil War ... while giving fascinating insight into the war's major players."-Publishers Weekly"A brilliant account of the doomed effort to end the Civil War through diplomacy. In this excellent debut, Boston-based attorney Conroy vividly captures the hope, weariness, despair and anger of the moment and the complexity of feelings on both sides. The author lays out this tragic and fascinating story in a style that is witty, acerbic and ironic. A splendid addition to any Civil War library."--Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) A "sparkling account ... An appealing cast of bullies and eccentrics populates every chapter ... Conroy shows that it is possible to write exciting prose with scholarly integrity intact." - Harold Holzer, Civil War Monitor