It is no easy task to grasp the importance of the Border States during the American civil war. Richard H. Triebe's accurate and concise account gives an idea how important Maryland, Missouri and Kentucky were to the Lincoln administration. First and foremost the president had to keep Maryland from succeeding to prevent Washington, D. C., from becoming surrounded and cutoff from other Northern states. This was not a simple matter because Maryland was a slaveholding state with strong Southern leanings. Missouri and Kentucky were also important to keep in the Union because without them their states combined would provide a 600 mile roadblock to halt federal advances in the west. The governors of both states wished to stay neutral and warned the Federal and Confederate governments to keep their troops outside of their state's borders. Faced with these problems President Lincoln made fateful decisions which shaped the course of the war and still has historians debating his controversial tactics today. This text first appeared as a chapter in "Point Lookout Prison Camp and Hospital." By popular demand this chapter was reprinted as a standalone booklet.