Q & A July 2016
I frequently receive questions (and a few statements) from readers of my books and the blogs. Some are in the form of statements expressing either support or disagreement with some point I had made, others are questions as follow-up or clarifications to my position, and others raise new issues. Here are ten of my favorites.
1. Did Lincoln and Robert E. Lee ever meet? Most historians do not believe so. Some writers claim that they met in 1848 during Lincoln’s only Congressional term but neither man ever left any written acknowledgement. Lincoln certainly knew of Lee’s distinguished military career and would have approved General Winfield Scott’s offer, made in December 1860, to Lee to become the Commanding General of the U.S. Army; an offer we know Lee declined.
2. Did Robert E. Lee own slaves? Yes, he did, but not through direct participation in the slave trade. His aunt, Mildred Lee owned an elderly slave named Nat who accompanied Robert, in 1829, to Savannah for his first military assignment after receiving his commission from West Point. Some authors claim Robert owned Nat, but he did not. When Robert’s mother Mary Lee died, she did leave several slaves to each of her sons. While the four female slaves Robert inherited never served in his household, he did permit his brother to manage and “let” those slaves for which Robert received a portion of the proceeds. I have found no record of any slave being purchased by Robert or on his behalf, and in 1846, he transferred (not sold) the last of the slaves he had inherited to his father-in-law, perhaps as compensation for permitting Robert’s family to reside in Custis homes. After that, I do not believe that he personally owned another slave. However, his wife’s family (Custis) did own slaves and Lee would have benefited from the service of slaves at various Custis homes and plantations; including Arlington. Some writers declare that he freed the last of his slaves in 1862 but they misunderstand Lee’s role in that case. Lee was acting as the executor of his father-in-law’s estate which contained the provision that all slaves owned by Mr. Custis upon his death were to be freed in an orderly fashion at such time the estate was in solid financial condition, but in any case freed within five years of his death. Lee followed the instructions and officially released the last of the Custis slaves on December 29, 1862. Lee’s complex and conflicted thoughts about slavery were evident when he wrote, in 1848, that “Slavery as an institution is a moral and political evil in any country” but he accepted its current reality and added, “How long their subjugation may be necessary is only known and ordered by a wise and Merciful Providence.” Note: Lee’s involvement with slavery had several fascinating twists and turns which I will explore in a future blog.
3. Is the claim true, often seen on the internet as an encouragement to not give up, that Lincoln had lost three elections and had quit politics after serving one term in Congress? Yes and no! Lincoln did lose in his very first election in 1832, when, at 23 years old, he ran for the Illinois legislature; however, he carried 277 of the 284 votes cast in his home town of New Salem, a point of pride for the rest of his life. After that he won four consecutive elections to the Illinois House and that first defeat was the only election he ever lost where citizens directly voted for candidates such as state legislative races or for a seat for the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected in his only run for the U.S. Congress, but was disappointed that he was not more effective, and decided to not for a second term. He did not “quit politics” as some suggest, but remained active in Illinois affairs by supporting other candidates and causes in which he believed. He did lose two campaigns to become a U.S. Senator in 1854 and 1858 (and a half- hearted attempt in 1852); however, at that time, the position was appointed by the Illinois Legislature, not by citizen votes. The Democrat Party on each occasion held a majority in the legislature so Lincoln, a Republican, was the underdog. While Lincoln did receive some Democrat votes, they were not enough for him to gain the appointment.
4. Why did Lincoln tolerate General George McClellan’s procrastination for so long? (McClellan was Commander of all Union forces during the war’s first 18 months). I think at first Lincoln was impressed by McClellan’s organizational ability and understood that it was a major accomplishment to quickly build and train a new large army. (from 14,000 to nearly 200,000 in six months). However, after a year of not using the advantages the Union army had against the smaller Confederate forces, Lincoln began to lose confidence in McClellan. But still he delayed removing McClellan in part because Lincoln was not confident in any other General; a concern proven when the next four Generals he appointed also failed to overcome the Confederate forces. In that first year, he also had to replace his Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, who was ineffective and corrupt. Lincoln later regretted leaving McClellan in place for so long because he believed a series of earlier large scale attacks would have weakened the Confederate Government and brought a quicker end to the War.
5. Was Lincoln’s primary goal to preserve the Union or to abolish slavery? Absolutely, his initial goal was to preserve the Union. He told others that he knew that a Union victory and collapse of the Confederate “rebellion”, could lead to the abolition of slavery; but first the Union needed to be restored.
6. An internet article claimed Lincoln wanted to “deport” all Negros after emancipation; is that true? As with many attempts to discredit Lincoln, there is a small element of truth to that claim, but it is mostly false. Lincoln was concerned that the emancipated slaves (and even those who already were freemen) would not be accepted into the larger White society. Most Whites, North and South, even those who opposed slavery, did not accept the concept of racial equality and Lincoln feared there would be widespread racial violence. On several occasions he proposed voluntary “relocation” (but never deportation) to Africa or the Caribbean where a Black society, free from intimidation, might be created. Again, Lincoln was a product of his times, and he was exploring alternatives. Just prior to the first publication of the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862, he met with a group of Free Black leaders who convinced him that the relocation concept was unworkable because “America is our only home too!” Thereafter, Lincoln carefully phrased statements on relocation to assure people understood it could only be voluntary and must offer an opportunity for success; but, in fact, he had abandoned the concept.
7. Did Lincoln really write the Emancipation Proclamation? He wrote almost all of it. There were changes suggested by Secretary of State Seward, who also suggested a delay in publication until a significant Union victory. But, the theme was all Lincoln’s. He wrote the parts that exempted slave holders in certain states and counties which left him open to criticism for not abolishing all slavery. He felt that if he had taken that broad approach in 1862, Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware (all states which remained in the Union but where slavery was legal) might have seceded, or at least stopped supporting Federal forces.
8. Why did Lincoln have so many law partners? Was he a difficult partner? On the contrary, he remained close to his first two partners, John Stuart and Stephen Logan, each of whom had decided to devote more time to their political careers, including running for office. He and his last partner, William Herndon, expected to resume their joint practice after Lincoln left the Presidency; and the firm’s name always remained “Lincoln and Herndon.”
9. Why wasn’t Confederate President Jefferson Davis tried for treason? During his two years in captivity, there were numerous fits and starts among Federal officials to hold a trial. However some Northern leaders, including new Supreme Court Chief Justice Salmon Chase, had declared that secession was illegal but it was not treason. Lincoln and Chase, before the assassination and the capture of Davis, said that Davis might be tried for “interference with Federal operations” but cited no specific law. Most of the clamoring for trials of Confederate officials, including Davis, came from the “Radical Republicans” in Congress and newspaper publishers who supported that cause. Lincoln made it clear before his death that he wanted no part of “revenge trials” and said he hoped “old Jeff Davis” and others would just slip away. Lincoln’s successor as President, Andrew Johnson, agreed with Lincoln’s position.
10. Did Lincoln have Marfan’s disease? I do not know. He certainly had elongated limbs which are symptomatic of the disease; however an accompanying common ailment of this connective tissue disorder is weak muscular and tendon development. Lincoln had neither, and in fact, his leg, arm, and upper body strength was legendary.
Contact the author at gadorris2@gmail.com