“1861: The Lost Peace” by Jay Winik. Couresy of Grand Central

More than two decades have passed since historian Jay Winik wrote about the end of the Civil War with a book with “April 1865: The Month That Saved America.” His latest book covers the period of time that nearly led to its disintegration.

In “1861: The Lost Peace,” Winik covers the lead-up to the first shots being fired at Fort Sumter. The political intrigue leading up to 1861 rivals the battlefield action readers come to expect from many Civil War histories.

The overarching story is a familiar but important one for students of history: how a lowly Illinois congressman rose to power to lead a nation through its great divide over slavery and saved the American Experiment.

Winik chronicles Abraham Lincoln’s evolution as a p

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