As doubts continue growing about President Abraham Lincoln’s reelection chances, Lincoln asks his cabinet members to endorse a confidential memo acknowledging that he would probably not win the upcoming presidential election.
Category: Politics
Republicans Press for Peace
Plummeting northern morale puts President Abraham Lincoln under intense pressure to save his reelection hopes by renewing peace negotiations with the Confederacy.
The Wade-Davis Manifesto
Two members of the U.S. Congress bitterly denounce President Abraham Lincoln’s veto of a bill designed to give Congress the authority to impose a harsh reconstruction program on the Confederate states. This exacerbates the internal conflict within the Republican Party during an election year.
Independence or Extermination We Will Have
A secret meeting takes place in Richmond between Federal operatives and Confederate officials in an effort to negotiate a peace.
Kentucky: Preparing for State Elections
Abraham Lincoln suspends habeas corpus and declares martial law in Kentucky, and Federal military forces target Democrats for disloyalty prior to the upcoming state elections.
The Niagara Peace Talks
Influential newspaper editor Horace Greeley begs President Abraham Lincoln to meet with Confederate agents who are supposedly empowered to discuss the possibility of ending the war.