Download CH 21 Part 3 Notes - Iredell

Notes CH 21 Part 3
The Election of 1864
Abraham Lincoln was in a unique position in American History. How can you have a National Election in
the midst of a Civil War? How would the Soldiers, close to 2 million, get to vote? How would he “run a
campaign” and be “commander-in –chief” which demanded 24 hours a day contact with the Army via
telegraph, and run the nations other interests….in peacetime it is difficult at best…in the midst of a civil
war…How? Remember that no president since Andrew Jackson had been reelected to a 2nd term
since 1832 (32 years before). Kansas, West Virginia, and Nevada had been added as new states.
Tennessee and Louisiana were under Federal Union control and cast ballots as well (but were not counted in
the Electoral college)
Lincoln knew there were those within his own party who wanted him out…his own Secretary of the
Treasury Salmon P. Chase, led a movement to “ditch Lincoln” because many in his party were worried
that he could not possibly win….due to his many faults; not being forceful enough, being too forceful, too
ready to compromise, not having won the war yet, emancipation, etc…Lincoln and his loyal followers do
something clever….They FORM A NEW TEMPORARY PARTY – THE UNION PARTY*** – WHICH
COMBINED REPUBLICANS WITH WAR DEMOCRATS. THIS ISOLATED THE PEACE DEMOCRATS AND
COPPERHEADS….AND FORCED THEM TOGETHER (very difficult for them due to the conflict in
ideologies) See the graphic on page 469 in the text edition!
Lincoln was eventually nominated by the Union Party and Salmon P. Chase resigns from the Cabinet,
later to be nominated by AL to the Supreme Court, no hard feelings from AL 
The Union Party Platform:
…called for a pursuit of the War until the Confederacy surrendered unconditionally; a constitutional
amendment for the abolition of Slavery (13th amendment); aid to disabled Union soldiers; continued
European neutrality; enforcement of the Monroe Doctrine (remember Mexico & France); encouragement
of Immigration; and construction of a transcontinental railroad. It also praised the use of Black troops
and Lincoln’s management of the war.
-Andrew Johnson,***** current Military Governor of Tennessee, was named as the VP candidate…a War
Democrat (note this could cause problems later, if Lincoln were to somehow die in office…a DEMOCRAT
?) HE WAS ADDED TO THE TICKET TO ATTRACT BORDER STATE – WAR DEMOCRATS…CAVEAT 
THE DEMOCRATS –
Nominate George McClellan, the deposed and overcautious, war hero??, The Democrats left after the
departure of the War wing of their party to align with the Republicans were still split between those who
favored a continuation of the war and uniting of the Union with those Copperheads and Peace Dems who
wanted an end to the war and a negotiated settlement with the Confederacy. Here we see the influence of
Clement V. who now is back in the states and had his friend Thomas Seymour added to the ticket as the
VP candidate…and was able to get into the party platform- that they supported a negotiated Peace
with the Confederacy – a position to which MAC opposed…. He supported a continuation of the
war and restoration of the Union, but certainly not the 13th amendment.
TimeEarly on it did not look good for Lincoln… too many battles in the East…Robert E. Lee’s miracles
continued, the war was taking a high # of casualties, McClellan was looking good… BUT AS LINCOLN HAD
ALWAYS STATED…THE SUCCESS OF THE ARMIES****** WOULD DETERMINE HIS FATE AND THE FATE
OF HIS POLICIES, such as stated in the “Union” Party Platform, …very true, very true.
Why Lincoln wins over the people…you might consider that “Little Mac” might get a majority of the
soldiers vote due to his overwhelming popularity…but the slogan, “vote as you shot,” was important due
to MAC’s party advocating publicly for a negotiated settlement with the CSA(Mac did not publicly support
this idea) which would have meant that all the sacrifice given to this point would have been for
naught…THE SOLDIERS OVERWHELMINGLY VOTE FOR LINCOLN…COMING HOME FROM
EVERYWHERE TO VOTE, “THE BAYONET VOTE,” AND WERE EVEN PERMITTED TO CAST THEIR VOTES
AT THE FRONT (where they were fighting across the South) …one soldier voting 49 times, for himself and
once for each absent member of his company at war 
-***** VICTORIES BY THE UNION ARMY…WERE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT in Lincoln winning the
election-- COMBINED WITH THE LIBERAL VOTING OF THE SOLDIERS… 3 VICTORIES SPECIFICALLY –
SHERMAN TAKING ATLANTA , FARRAGUT TAKING MOBILE, ALABAMA, AND GENERAL PHIL
SHERIDAN LAYING WASTE (TOTAL WAR –“ a crow could not fly over the Shenandoah Valley from one
end to the other without carrying food with him.”)
- “Do not change horses in the middle of the stream,” was a popular Union Party slogan….and Lincoln
began to make the 13th amendment a central issue.
Results:
Mac only wins three states; Kentucky, Delaware, and New Jersey. Lincoln wins 75% of the soldiers
vote, and 55% of the total popular votes. He won the Electoral college 212-21. However, the vote
was close in 4 states, NY, Conn, Penn, and DE….but –MAC could never had won even with those
states electoral votes they still only totaled 68 additional electoral votes…
Lincoln’s 2nd inaugural address**** posted on Website***
Significance of the Election of 1864:
It was the DEATH BLOW FOR THE SOUTH…. The removal of Lincoln and hope for a negotiated
peace which would have given the CSA their independence…. WAS THE SOUTH’S LAST HOPE.
After the election THE SOUTH WAS DEFEATED…
******NOTE: This period from November 1864 until April-May 1865 will be chaotic as the Civil
War comes to a close… for both the North and South… GRANT IS IN COMMAND NOW IN THE EAST
PUSHING LEE, THE UNION ARMY IS IN CONTROL OF LARGE AREAS IN THE SOUTH (Tenn & La.
already…what to do with the slaves??? Is a reconstruction policy forthcoming??? From Lincoln –
who would be in charge of this? The President, who believes he will because they--[ the 11 states
that made up the Confederacy] never left they were just in rebellion or Congress who believed
they had left and now had to apply for readmission? [BIG QUESTION- THIS WILL CAUSE SERIOUS
CONFLICT] WHAT ABOUT THE PROPOSED 13TH AMENDMENT? Lets return to the story 
DO NOT FORGET LINCOLN’S FIRST ATTEMPT AT
RECONSTRUCTION IN LOUISIANA AND ARKANSAS…HIS
PROCLAMATION OF DEC. 1863 THE 10% PLAN******
RADICAL REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS COUNTER LINCOLN’S 10%
PLAN IN 1864 WITH THE WADE-DAVIS BILL—50% plan… which
Lincoln defeats with a “pocket veto.”
Grant Outlasts Lee
General U.S. (unconditional surrender) Grant comes EAST to tackle Lee…Lincoln and Grant agree on the
general principal of warfare needed to bring the war to a close as swiftly as possible…. CONSISTENTLY
ENGAGE THE ENEMIES MAIN FORCES AND GRIND THEM INTO SUBMISSION –TOTAL WAR. Grant
stated, “ I propose to fight it out on this line…if it takes all summer.” It took close to 18 months,
ouch….
GRANT’S MOTTO AT THIS POINT: “WHEN IN DOUBT, FIGHT.”
THE VIRGINIA CAMPAIGN 1864-65
[great map p. 471 in the digital version] – “some of the most brutal fighting of the Civil War.”
Grant with 100,000 men goes after Richmond and Lee attempts to stop him…The Virginia Campaign.
The Wilderness battles during May and June of 1864 were horrifying, “Bloody Angle,” “Hell’s half acre,”
the Union army suffered 50,000 casualties in 2 months (remember this is before the election and was one
reason why Lincoln was believed to be in trouble in the election) in June, at Cold Harbor, in 30 minutes
over 7000 Union soldiers were killed or wounded. Public opinion was aghast at the casualty rate, “Grant
the Butcher,” was in the news..
By Feb. 1865 the CSA tasting defeat attempted desperately to negotiate for peace “between the
two countries.” The CSA sent representatives to Hampton Roads, Virginia (in the movie – “Lincoln,”
this is shown taking place as Congress is preparing to vote for the 13th Amendment…and much pressure
is placed on Lincoln due to the immense casualties and the North tiring of war…to listen and abandon his
commitment to EMANCIPATION…Lincoln DOES NOT WAVER AT ALL…) he does secretly meet with
representatives to listen… BUT THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE CSA DEMAND ??? INDEPENDENCE
AND A CONTINUATION OF SLAVERY….CLEVER LINCOLN LISTENS…THIS INFLUENCES THE VOTE ON
THE 13TH AMENDMENT, IT PASSES, BUT!!!! Lincoln…NEVER WAVERS ON HIS COMMITMENTS TO
RESTORING THE UNION AND EMANCIPATION-13TH AMENDMENT. The Southerners go home, defeated
again.
The Union captures Richmond and force Lee to surrender his forces Lincoln actually tours and
visits captured, burned out Richmond just before his death… (including the Iredell Blues) in April of
1865 – a momentous month in American History for sure… Lee surrenders at Appomattox
Courthouse on April 9th, 1865. Grant states to his troops, “The war is over; the Rebels
are our countrymen again.” Lee’s soldiers wept as he departed.
Note: on Lee’s behalf, Jefferson Davis does not approve of surrender. He ordered Lee to take his
remaining troops to the mountains and continue to fight a guerilla style war….Lee to his credit,
denies Davis, and states, My Troops are tired, they have sacrificed everything, have fought well
and deserve to now go HOME.
THIS IS NOT THE LAST CONFEDERATE ARMY IN THE FIELD****…ONE LAST GREAT ARMY HAS YET
TO SURRENDER, IT IS IN NORTH CAROLINA AND IS FIGHTING GEN. SHERMAN JUST SOUTH OF
RALEIGH. It will too surrender with honor and grace… but not yet…
Note: Lincoln at this point is nearing the end of his life… but before he is killed…he travels to
Richmond to see the captured Capital and he states, “THANK GOD I HAVE LIVED TO SEE THIS.”
***Lincoln gives his last speech to a small crowd outside of the White House… where he
begins to discuss the future RECONSTRUCTION OF THE UNION INTO A BI-RACIAL DEMOCRACY…
discussing the prospects of BLACK CITIZENSHIP (14TH AMENDMENT LATER) & BLACK MEN
VOTING (14TH AND 15TH AMENDMENT LATER)**** Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, is present at
this speech and vows to kill Lincoln and others in his government… he does.
The Martyrdom of Lincoln
Good Friday, April 14, 1865 at Ford’s Theatre in DC…The President is shot in the back of the head—by
John Wilkes Booth-- and by the next morning is dead. Curiously, Lincoln’s bodyguard John Parker leaves
and goes to a nearby tavern with the footman and coachman to drink…. And that is when he is
shot…Booth leaps from the Balcony and some say he shouted, “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” (Thus always to
tyrants, the Virginia State Motto} and Lincoln is DEAD. 5 days before Lee surrendered to Grant at
Appomattox Court House, Virginia. He is the 1st American President to be assassinated, but not the
last…
John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor, with conspirators attempted to revive the Southern Cause. Lewis
Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were also part of this plot. Powell and Herold were to kill
Secretary of State Seward and Atzerod was supposed to kill VP Andrew Johnson….the attempt was
to cut off the head of the Union Govt…and throw everything into chaos. The Conspirators failed
however in killing Seward, though brutally wounding him in his home, and Atzerod never attempted to
kill Johnson, he lost his nerve. Booth was successful. Booth on April 11th had attended a speech at the
White House in which Lincoln had supported the idea of enfranchising the former slaves (giving them the
vote)…Booth is quoted as saying, “Now by God, I’ll put him through. That is the last speech he will ever
give.”
Photo of the hanging of the conspirators….July 7, 1865 after 366 witnesses testified at their trial. Of the
seven accused in the Conspiracy all were found guilty…4 were hanged and 3 were sentenced to life in
Prison, including Dr. Samuel Mudd*. The three who were sentenced to life in prison were later pardoned
by President Johnson in Feb. of 1869, just before he left office.
*Note: Booth’s leg had been broken and on the first night of his attempted escape, he stopped at a Dr.
Samuel Mudd’s home…and the doctor set his leg in a splint…they left the next day….Mudd was sentenced
to life, later paroled…but spent his sentence in a fort by himself and guards on the Islands of the Dry
Tortugas off the Florida Keys. “Your Name is Mudd.” Became a frequently used term after to describe
people whose actions ruin their reputation. Mudd always professed his innocence.
Note:
In an 1876 dedication to the new Freedmen’s Monument in Lincoln Park in DC Frederick Douglas
delivered this speech, “Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln.” Source: Frederick Douglass:
Selected Speeches and Writings, Phillip Foner, 1999.
He was preeminently the white man’s President, entirely devoted to the welfare of white men. He was ready and willing at
any time during the first years of his administration to deny, postpone, and sacrifice the rights of humanity in the colored
people to promote the welfare of the white people of this country. In all his education and feeling he was an American of
the Americans. He came into the Presidential chair upon one principle alone, namely, opposition to the extension of
slavery.
For while Abraham Lincoln saved for you a country, he delivered us from bondage…The name of Abraham Lincoln was
near and dear to our hearts in the darkest and most perilous hours of the Republic. We were no more ashamed of him
when shrouded in clouds of darkness, of doubt, and defeat than when we saw him crowned with victory, honor, and glory.
Our faith in him was often taxed and strained to the uttermost, but it never failed…we were able to take a comprehensive
view of Abraham Lincoln, and to make reasonable allowance for the circumstances of his position…we came to the
conclusion that the hour and the man of our redemption had somehow met in the person of Abraham Lincoln. It mattered
little to us what language he might employ on special occasions; it mattered little to us, when we fully knew him, whether
he was swift or slow in his movements; it was enough for us that Abraham Lincoln was at the head of a great movement,
and was in living and earnest sympathy with that movement, which, in the nature of things, must go on until slavery
should be utterly and forever abolished in the United States…under his wise and beneficent rule we saw ourselves
gradually lifted from the depths of slavery to the heights of liberty and manhood; under his wise and beneficent rule, and
by measures approved and vigorously pressed by him, we saw that the handwriting of ages, in the form of prejudice and
proscription, was rapidly fading away from the face of our whole country; under his rule we saw the independence of the
black republic of Haiti, the special object of slave-holding aversion and horror, fully recognized, and her minister, a
colored gentleman, duly received here in the city of Washington; under his rule we saw the internal slave-trade, which so
long disgraced the nation, abolished, and slavery abolished in the District of Columbia; under his rule we saw for the first
time the law enforced against the foreign slave trade, and the first slave-trader hanged like any other pirate or murderer;
under his rule, assisted by the greatest captain of our age, and his inspiration, we saw the Confederate States, based upon
the idea that our race must be slaves, and slaves forever, battered to pieces and scattered to the four winds; it is hardly
necessary to say that in his heart of hearts he loathed and hated slavery. The man who could say, “Fondly do we hope,
fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war shall soon pass away, yet if God wills it continue till all the wealth
piled by two hundred years of bondage shall have been wasted, and each drop of blood drawn by the lash shall have been
paid for by one drawn by the sword, the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether,” gives all needed proof of
his feeling on the subject of slavery. Abraham Lincoln was clear in his duty, and had an oath in heaven. He calmly and
bravely heard the voice of doubt and fear all around him; but he had an oath in heaven, and there was not power enough
on earth to make this honest boatman, backwoodsman, and broad-handed splitter of rails evade or violate that sacred
oath. He had not been schooled in the ethics of slavery; his plain life had favored his love of truth. He had not been taught
that treason and perjury were the proof of honor and honesty. His moral training was against his saying one thing when he
meant another. The trust that Abraham Lincoln had in himself and in the people was surprising and grand, but it was also
enlightened and well founded. He knew the American people better than they knew themselves, and his truth was based
No man who knew Abraham Lincoln could hate him — but
because of his fidelity to union and liberty, he is doubly dear to us, and his
memory will be precious forever.
upon this knowledge.
********HUGE******The South after Lincoln’s Death… it was not good… many believe
that Lincoln’s kindliness and moderation would have been the most effective shields
between them and vindictive treatment by the victors. His death increased the
bitterness of the North…Some historians have argued that the new President, Johnson, was
crucified instead…Lincoln would have certainly clashed with Congress over Reconstruction
policies…however….Lincoln was a victorious President and there is no arguing for Victory and his
powers of leadership. His tact, sweet reasonableness, and an uncommon amount of common sense
would have been priceless at this crucial time. His death without question set the stage for the
wrenching ordeal of Reconstruction.*** to come***
****His 10% Plan & Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address gives clues to this judgment.
(Found in the documents on my webpage) we will read.
The Aftermath of the Nightmare
Over 600,00 men died in action during the Civil War…about the same as all American
wars before or since combined.
Over a million were killed or seriously wounded.
The Death of a generation.
15 Billion in 1860’s dollars in cost…and does not include pensions, etc.. its total cost cannot
be calculated.
Extreme States Righters were Crushed. Nullification and Secession were Crushed.
The Civil War was the Supreme test of the American Democracy. It finally answered the question
asked in the Gettysburg Address, “Whether a Nation dedicated to such principles can long endure.”
Victory in the Civil War also provided inspiration to the champions of democracy and
liberalism the World over…The English Reform bill of 1867 is just one example,
unification of Italy, Germany, and Canada’s Independence from Britain are other(s).
1-The Shameful Cancer of Slavery was sliced away by the Sword-13th Amendment
2-Blacks and all other born in America are defined as CITIZENS – 14th Amendment
3-Voting is defined- 14th and 15th Amendment
4-Equal Protection for ALL is guaranteed- 14th Amendment
5-The Bill of Rights is “incorporated” to protect against actions of State Government’s
too-14th Amendment
The Nation was united again, politically, BUT… THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY…so
dominant before the Civil War… will not elect another President between 1861 and
1885… a legacy of this party’s association with Secession and Civil War… Republicans…
continuously “Wave The Bloody Shirt,” to oppose the Democrats… and do so
successfully!
America still had a long way to go to make the promise of Freedom a reality for ALL of
its citizens. (see the 14th and 15th amendments…and wonder why it took a continuous
movement and 100 years to fulfill these promises….we will see.)
Reconstruction--- is beginning and it becomes a battle for sure… lasting from 1865 until
the Compromise of 1877***huge*** removes all Union Troops from the South…
WE HAVE TO LOOK AT RECONSTRUCTION… ANALYZE THE BATTLE TO COME… is it
a success or failure??? Some successes and failures for sure… why?
Jim Crow—is the outcome… The Herrenvolk Democracy – will last until the early
1970s**** some even wonder about our future today.