Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

The beginning of the war is disastrous for Lincoln and the Union forces. The Union loses one of its largest states when Virginia secedes, as well as the Navy Yard at Norfolk. Virginia’s secession also weakens the Union’s position geographically, as Washington, D.C., is now nearly surrounded by Confederate territory. Despite this, many in the North do not feel as though the war will last long, and, in fact, at the first Battle of Bull Run, many make the trip from Washington, D.C., to Manassas Junction to watch the battle take place. What they see is a Union rout, that leaves the capital nearly defenseless. Suddenly, the untrained and rabble Confederate troops are no longer something to be taken lightly.

While the Confederacy have a solid general corps—comprised of men like Robert E. Lee, J.E.B. Stuart, John Longstreet, and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson—the Union leadership is either comprised of aging veterans from the Mexican-American War, General Winfield Scott, or untested men like George McClellan. Lincoln has his Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin, offer Robert E. Lee command of the Union Army, but upon Virginia’s secession, Lee declines. Lincoln is left with a series of vainglorious men who often overstep their bounds, as is the case with General John C. Fremont, who issued an order stating that all slaves in Missouri territory under his control should be free. For Lincoln, such a decree is an outrage as it runs the risk of alienating a majority of the North, who will not fight a war to free slaves. Therefore, Lincoln must walk a fine line, neither alienating his base, nor the radical Republicans in Congress who support Fremont’s actions.

Lincoln suspends habeas corpus, the legal writ that grants detainees certain rights. It is a violation of the Constitution, but Lincoln feels that it is justified in the time of war. Lincoln also institutes a draft. Apart from domestic issues, Lincoln worries how foreign powers will react to the South. America is not a world power, and should France, Prussia, or England step in on the side of the Confederacy, the South would be in a much stronger position. Many in Europe would like to see America’s position weaken. Southern cotton supplies many of Britain’s factories, and losing this supply source poses a problem for their industry. Here, Seward proves himself. By keeping the Europeans out of the war, he deprives the South of a much needed source of supplies, troops, and status; since as they are never recognized as a country, they are not granted certain rights that otherwise be bestowed upon them. Seward manages to avert what could have been a catastrophic situation for the North. 

Kearns Goodwin notes that some historians argue that Lincoln did not know how to handle his generals. This is partly based on the fact that Lincoln dismissed so many of them, but as can be seen with the Fremont situation, he often saw the larger picture. Lincoln was fighting a traditional war, and also a political war. The South could rest on the fact that they were fighting for their homeland and their rights; many Northerners could have easily sued for peace with the South and never known any difference in their lives. The issue was beyond them, and, in their minds, something that could be easily rectified. Why should the South be denied the ability to do things the way that it wanted?

Lincoln, however, saw things differently. The country needed to be unified; two competing powers and political systems on the continent would serve to only lead to future quarrels between the two. His hard handling of anything that seemed to undermine his authority was a way of showing to the people that he was truly in charge and that he had a vision for how the war should be prosecuted. On paper, his choices were not bad; McClellan was viewed by many as a potential young Napoleon, but he had never been tested the way that Lee had. He was a great planner, but overly cautious, and this caution cost him numerous times as he failed to seize the initiative against Lee despite having the advantage in both men and material.

Apart from the issue with his generals, Lincoln will also constantly have to deal with the slavery question. As the war progresses, many slaves end up in Union hands, but what to do with them? Should they be armed? Freed? Returned to the South? Lincoln skirted the issue of racial equality, but he did believe that enslaved people were entitled to their freedom. Originally, he had entertained the idea of expatriation, either in Africa, the Caribbean, or in the Western territories. This ultimately proved fruitless, and Lincoln focused on the emancipation of enslaved people who would first be bought by the government so as not to infringe upon the property rights of slave holders. The slavery issue was a hazard that, until the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, was always with Lincoln.

Assigning Edwin Stanton to the War Department proved to be one of Lincoln’s wisest moves. Stanton proved to be a master of logistics, and more than once helped the Union out of a tight spot. His no-nonsense attitude often clashed with McClellan’s prima donna ways, but for the better, as Lincoln had a tendency to go too light on his hesitant general.

As Commander in Chief, Lincoln’s understanding of people often helped him to maintain a solid home front. Unfortunately, this level of empathy came from the myriad of losses that he had sustained during his life. A compassionate man, he was constantly wracked with guilt about how he was prosecuting the war, and the toll that it enacted on the populace. In the end, however, he wanted to win; his only issue was in finding a general to do the job. Were it not for the successes of Grant in the early part of the war, it is possible that many in the Union would have lost faith.