In Truth of the War Conspiracy of 1861 Johnstone explains how Lincoln and his co-conspirators used deceit, half truths, lies and violation of international law to promote their war conspiracy. Johnstone wrote his book in 1917 using documentation which was not available when the post war Confederates, such as Davis, Stephens, Semmes and Pollard, wrote their histories of the conflict. Johnstone adds even more documentation and explanation to how Lincoln managed to initiate his war of aggression against the people of the South who merely wanted to be left alone to live under a government ordered on the consent of the governed.