Death of a Free Soiler

crush the rebellion

150 years ago yesterday Martin Van Buren died at the age of 79. He was the first president who was not born a British subject. He began his political career as a Democrat and served in Andrew Jackson’s administration as vice president. He was elected president in 1836 but failed to win reelection. He split with the Democratic party because of his opposition to the expansion of slavery and ran as the Free Soil party’s first presidential candidate in 1848. According to the following, in his last days, as he was in and out of lucidity, Mr. Van Buren was interested in the Northern effort to put down the rebellion and re-establish the Union.

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch July 26, 1862:

Ex-President Van-Buren,

A dispatch from Kinderhook, dated July 19th, says ex-President Martin Van-Buren was then in sensible and dying. He was in the 81st year of his age. A letter to the New York Tribune says:

from Democrat to Free Soil

Previous to the wandering of his mind, and once or twice since, when reason returned, Mr. Van Buren has evinced the most lively and patriotic interest in the affairs of the country. No longer since than Tuesday, when the day before he was hardly expected to survive, he inquired of Dr. Pruyn how the good work of crushing the rebellion was going on, and was very particular to learn if the public confidence in the President and Gen. McClellan was yet firm and unshaken, as he thought it should be.–He appeared much gratified when answered in the affirmative. He has continually denounced the course of Buchanan’s administration from the first, but has expressed the utmost confidence in that of Mr. Lincoln. The war, he thinks, is justly and as vigorously as possible carried on — the rebels brought it upon themselves and they should be severely punished. He has all faith in the ultimate triumph of our arms and cause, but not without great expenditures of blood and treasure, as events have thus far demonstrated. He has the utmost confidence in the military ability of General McClellan, of whom he is an old and warm personal friend, and if he is sustained and aided by all loyal people, the flag, our country, the Constitution, and the great principles of American liberty will be thoroughly and permanently re-established throughout the rebellious States.

at Kinderhook