Posted on 02/17/2015 4:22:50 AM PST by Kaslin
What’s most amazing is that Lincoln later picked Stanton to become his War Secretary after the resignation of Simon Cameron.
At the time of his selection Stanton was still an avowed critic of Lincoln. Lincoln was willing to overlook this because of Stanton’s superb managerial skills. As their relationship matured Stanton became one of Lincoln’s warmest admirers. Standing at the foot of Lincoln’s bed as latter died of a gunshot wound to the head, Stanton proclaimed of Lincoln: “Now he be belongs to the ages.”
“I claim not to have controlled event,” Lincoln candidly wrote in 1864, “but confess plainly that events have controlled me.”
Lincoln’s critics (both contemporary and posthumous) have often pointed to this confession as a sign that while Lincoln successfully rode the whirlwind of Civil War, he was not the builder of the nation that others have claimed- a kind of second founding father after Washington.
But it was this essentially negative trait (negative in the sense that it was passive and did not require action) that allowed Lincoln to remake US society on the basis of the words of the Declaration of Independence that declared “all men are created equal,” to include African Americans.
He was able to accomplish this revolutionary object through passive management of the Civil War without turning it in to a “remorseless revolutionary struggle,” which might have irreparably divided the nation during Reconstruction.
Nowhere was Lincoln’s task more arduous than in managing and massaging the personalities of his generals (and to a lesser extent, members of Congress).
Many of Lincoln’s strongest critics were generals who felt that Lincoln wasn’t taking their advice on how to conduct the war. Yet Lincoln ignored personality (and public opinion) in supporting his generals and stuck to the principle of rewarding those that fought and won battles.
The most striking examples of this were the cases of General George McClellan and US Grant.
McClellan was the commander of the Army of the Potomac and later general-in-chief of all Federal forces.Mostly on the strength of a strong personality, McClellan dazzled soldiers and politicians despite the fact that he squandered several opportunities to beat the Confederates in battle. He was glamorous, good-looking and just credible enough to be plausible.
Lincoln however was not fooled.
Instead, Lincoln found himself drawn to the unpopular and often shy US Grant. Grant won battles even though he was publicly ridiculed for being a drunkard, slovenly and lacking in refinement. When a group protested Lincoln keeping Grant in command despite hearsay that Grant was a drunkard, Lincoln only reply was asking them what brand whiskey Grant drank so he could get some for his other generals.
Lincoln was also a complex man. It showed in the complex relationships he had with those in his own family. But he had a loving family, which is a lot more complex than just good intentions and happy relations.
For example, Lincoln’s father does not fit very prominently in biographies of Lincoln. This is because Lincoln was reticent when it came to his father. When he did speak of him, Lincoln was somewhat scornful of his father’s lack of ambition. They were, Lincoln was very sure, incompatible.
He might have echoed Winston Churchill who once said that to his mother he owed everything, to his father, nothing.
Both men however owed much to their fathers. Many of the traits they used to become a successful chief executives and a successful commanders-in-chief in times of war came from their fathers, like sense of self and self-confidence.
There are times in life when people feel like nothing is working well for them, when in fact, the period may be leading to another, more fertile time. Lincoln had several stretches where he despaired of ever amounting to much in the world or where it seemed his ambition outran his ability.
But driven by the inward necessities of his heart he persevered, because he had heart. Heart matters more than brains, as some in America have found out to their sorrow.
So I wish America would know Lincoln more thoroughly, because his heart still shines so brightly for us all, not just as a president, but mostly as a man.
Upon encountering a statement you do not understand, the prudent thing to do is to nod sagely and continue in silence.
Publishing the fact that you are confused does not serve you well.
However, to attempt to explain briefly: Any military man, having given an oath of fealty or obeisance, and even before, has a duty to himself to consider all the ramifications and possibilities his oath may require of him. Oaths of meaning should not be given lightly.
Defending against foreign enemies is an easy task to analyze; even the most raw recruit can be told to run toward the sound of the guns.
Discerning who is the enemy is not so straightforward. The enemy who can do the most damage is the one who infiltrates your ranks. Ferreting out that enemy requires patience and cunning, not mere servitude.
Lee and Davis were small ‘r’ republicans and believed in states rights unlike the dictatorial butcher elected in 1860. You cannot judge the mid 19th century by today’s situational standards caused by and as a result of Lincoln’s War.
And re-elected in 1864. Who knew we elected dictators in this country?
Funny Lincoln beat McClellan 55-45, kind of close actually for a "beloved" wartime President.
It was davis’ war, not Lincoln’s. He contrived it, he promoted it, he agitated for it, he waged it, and he lost it.
Being an incompetent, traitorous loser is timeless, wouldn’t you say?
And 212 electoral votes to 21. So no, it wasn't close.
Oh yeah Mr. Lincoln wanted to prevent war by not freeing any slaves. He was for slavery before he was against it.
It’s awfully early in the morning for you to be grasping at straws already ;’)
Kind of amazing that the candidate of the the party that you are physically warring with got 45% of the vote. Well that is just my opinion anyway.
And not a surprising opinion at all, given what I've read of your stuff. But if we compare Lincoln's vote total with the only other president we re-elected in the middle of a war, Franklin Roosevelt, then his totals are pretty impressive. Both men were re-elected when victory in the war was assured. Lincoiln took 90% of the electoral votes in 1864 to Roosevelt's 81% in 1944. A ten point margin of victory to Roosevelt's 7.5 points. Based on that alone I'd say Lincoln was the better-loved wartime president.
Lincoln won in 1864 by only 10 percentage points against a DEMOCRAT candidate. If you don’t see the irony in that that’s ok. Many do however.
I don't know about 'many' but I'm sure you do and I'm afraid I don't. What party was Lincoln supposed to have run against?
The Democrats were “the” party of the South, you’d think that a Democrat would get 0% of the vote in 1864 against a sitting wartime president. So I guess the Democrats were not the Party of Slavery and the war was not about slavery. But we all knew that anyway.
Do you walk to school or carry your lunch?
I think you're rambling all over the place here. The Democrats were not just "the" party of the South. There were Democrats in the House and Senate throughout the war. In the 38th Congress, elected right in the middle of the war, Democrats made up 40% of the House and 20% of the Senate. But just because they were Democrats doesn't mean they necessarily suported the South or were for slavery.
1864 House 134 Republicans(70%) to 41 Democrat(30%). Seems to me McClellan getting 45% of the popular vote was a pretty amazing feat.
You seem to be easily amazed.
You fired the first shot, and you lost.
As they say, scoreboard.
And yes, Lee was a traitor. An honorable one sure, but a traitor none the less. Thankfully he took the honorable way out when he was defeated by Grant and didn’t consign the south to martyrdom like I get the feeling you and the rest of the keyboard confederates would have done or would do....
well....if you ever stepped out from behind your keyboard that is LOL
It comes with a diminished intellect.
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