music from the Democratic Society
A Democratic paper reported lots of evidence that New York soldiers were voting for General McClellan in large majorities.
From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in 1864:
The Vote in the Army
Are the Soldiers for McClellan?
A special dispatch from Washington to the New York Commercial (Rep.) of Thursday, says: “Several regiments of New York soldiers in the Army of the Potomac, have given heavy majorities for McClellan.“
The Rochester Union of Wednesday says not only do New York regiments give Gen. McClellan heavy majorities, but in some instances they give him a unanimous vote, as in the case of the following regiments reported to us by an officer, tried and true, who has just come from the front:
[69th,155th,164th,170th New York, all for McClellan.]
In the face of such facts, what becomes of the persistent representations of the Republicans, that the soldiers are not for McClellan?
The New York Express of Tuesday, says a lady residing in that city permits us to make the following extract from a letter received this morning from her husband, an officer in the 88th New York Regiment:
88TH REG’T N.Y. VOLS.,
NEAR PETERSBURGH, Oct. 28, 1564[sic].
***
My regiment voted to-day. Two hundred were entitled to vote. They all voted for McClellan and Governor Seymour. – The New york soldiers are all voting for McClellan.
A soldier belonging to a Brigade in Warren’s Corps, writes to his father in Albany city as follows:
“This Brigade has a large majority for the Democratic State Ticket. The majority on President is 656 over the Lincoln ticket. This is what is being done in the army. If the army vote will elect McClellan, he will be our next President.”
A soldier belonging to the Ninety-fifth New York Volunteers states that the votes of many of the regiments have been misrepresented, and the soldiers are indignant over that fact. The vote having been taken in his regiment, he writes to notify the public that it for Little Mac, and that his company, numbering thirty-five officers and men in the field, gave two votes for Lincoln and the balance for McClellan.
NY Times 10-28-1864
150 years ago this week a Republican-leaning paper reported that some of the soldiers’ votes for Democrats were fraudulent. Here’s a snippet from The New-York Times October 29, 1864:
THE ELECTION FRAUDS.; THE PROCEEDINGS AT BALTIMORE. THE PARTIES ON TRIAL. The Frauds Deliberate and Unblushing. Evidence Entirely Conclusive. Forgery Admitted by the Prisoners. How Votes were Manufactured for McClellan and Seymour. Implication of Democratic Politicians The Voting Fraud on the New-York Soldiers. Card from Gen. Farrell.
BALTIMORE, Friday, Oct. 28.
The military commission to investigate the alleged frauds in taking the vote of the soldiers from New-York was resumed to-day. …
Mr. ORVILLE K. WOOD, of West Chazy, Clinton County, N.Y., was then sworn on the part of the Government, and testified in substance as follows:
Resides at West Chazy, Clinton County, N.Y.; is a merchant; came to Baltimore as the agent of the Union Committee of his county to assist in procuring soldiers’ votes in this city; visited Fort McHenry, and there met Capt. MCDERMOTT, of the Ninety-first New-York, and several soldiers from Clinton County; stopped there two or three days; in conversation with Capt. MCDERMOTT, in relation to the voting of soldiers, he remarked that there had been some “checker playing,” and his suspicions were aroused; visited Newton University Hospital, and from what he heard there suspected that something was wrong; went to the office of the State agency, No. 85 Lafayette-street, and there met Mr. FERRY; asked him how things were getting along, giving him to understand that he (WOOD) belonged to the McClellan party; FERRY desired to know if he had a commission from Gov. SEYMOUR; he told him that he had not, but he represented his county committee. Mr. FERRY desired to see his commission. He said he had none; but he had a list of the soldiers of his county, which appeared to satisfy Mr. FERRY. He told Mr. FERRY that he came to Baltimore to get the vote of the Ninety-first New-York. He was informed that it had been. MCCLELLAN received 400 votes and LINCOLN 11. He expressed surprise at the small number of votes polled for LINCOLN, when Mr. FERRY said that, when Union votes comes into that office, they were all right when they went out, and that they were doing more here than he thought of. …
You can read about the New York vote fraud at Mr. Lincoln and New York.
The November 12, 1864 issue of Harper’s Weekly (at Son of the South) illustrated its report on the fraud with the following (I don’t think anyone accused Mr. Ferry of precisely this):
HOW THE COPPERHEADS OBTAIN THEIR VOTES.
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circa 1917
