However, many would argue that one of his weaknesses was his struggle with depression. His dark depressions frequently altered his dispositions but fortunately this did not adversely affect his profession as President, but it was undoubtedly a weakness that he had to deal with. The devastating death of his son at the White House and the mental instability of his wife triggered his depression. Lincoln handled these issues well. However, he was not exhausted by mere civil war during his presidency. Another weakness was that he was a poor administrator whose lack of official experience preceding the presidency regularly appeared. One of Lincoln's major weaknesses as a war leader was that he was unable to recognize good military authority. Lincoln had to choose his commanders. He often chose several terrible ones and stayed with them too long. For example, he stuck with George McClellan even though McClellan's lack of aggression frustrated him. Overall, Tried by War presents an insightful examination of Lincoln's performance as commander in chief. . There is no doubt that Abraham Lincoln was truly an extraordinary president with many qualities. It was incredibly difficult to pick out your weaknesses. . Obviously he made mistakes, but making mistakes is not necessarily being weak. It's almost as if his weaknesses aren't worth discussing because his strengths completely outweigh him..