On this episode of Our American Stories, long before texts, emails, or instant messaging, Abraham Lincoln found a new way to lead a nation at war. By embracing the telegraph, Lincoln became the first “wired” president, using near real-time communication to track battles, direct generals, issue orders, and project presidential authority in ways no American leader ever had before. He spent countless hours in the War Department’s Telegraph Office, reading dispatches from the front, firing off brief, decisive replies, and even sleeping there during critical moments of the Civil War.

Historian and Our American Stories regular contributor Christopher Klein tells how Lincoln’s fascination with technology and mastery of concise communication reshaped the presidency, strengthened the Union war effort, and helped change the course of American history.

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