Category Archives: Lincoln Administration

Lincoln and the federal government

no relief

Posted on December 12, 2014 by SUMPTER

Secretary of State William H. Seward was not going to let the British distribute aid to rebels in Union prison camps. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch December 12, 1864: The British Relief Fund for Confederate prisoners — Seward Refuses to … Continue reading →

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behavioral economics

Posted on December 6, 2014 by SUMPTER

And General Sherman (hey, it’s December 1864). On the same day that President Lincoln nominated Salmon P. Chase to serve as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court he presented Congress with his annual message. You can read about Mr. … Continue reading →

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Abe’s Cornerstone

Posted on December 3, 2014 by SUMPTER

The Union must be preserved and slavery is wrong. Nevertheless, the president still released two rebel prisoners. From The Papers And Writings Of Abraham Lincoln, Volume Seven: MEMORANDUM, DECEMBER 3, 1864. On Thursday of last week, two ladies from Tennessee … Continue reading →

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blockade: tweaking and evading

Posted on November 19, 2014 by SUMPTER

150 years ago today President Lincoln lifted the blockade of Norfolk, Fernandina and Pensacola because those ports had “for some time past been in the military possession of the United States, [and] it is deeemd advisable that they should be … Continue reading →

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Uncle, can you spare a few dollars?

Posted on November 18, 2014 by SUMPTER

“I have a little favor to ask of you today.” At American Memory you can read a letter written 150 years ago yesterday to President Lincoln. I can’t make out all the words, but it seems that in a celebratory … Continue reading →

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Mac’s resignation

Posted on November 14, 2014 by SUMPTER

150 years ago today President Lincoln accepted General McClellan’s Election Day resignation from the army. The Atlas & Argus of Albany New York was a Democratic party newspaper (according to the November 11, 1864 issue of The New-York Times the … Continue reading →

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“oblations to themselves”

Posted on November 10, 2014 by SUMPTER

Unsurprisingly, a Richmond paper was thankful the South wasn’t like Yankeedom. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch November 10, 1864: Thursday morning….November 10, 1864. Lincoln’s thanksgiving day. We observe that Lincoln, with commendable gratitude, has issued his proclamation for a day … Continue reading →

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rainy night in D.C.

Posted on November 8, 2014 by SUMPTER

On Election Day 1864 President Lincoln spent the evening at the war department reading the telegraphic good news. Here’s a bit more about Washington and Gotham on November 8th. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch November 14, 1864: Later from the … Continue reading →

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EXECUTIVE Mansion

Posted on October 30, 2014 by SUMPTER

“The buck stops here,” but President Lincoln did not seem to have any role in the following account – except that a Democrat paper put his name in the headline. Still, it was probably a tasty story for the newspaper’s … Continue reading →

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“the heavy hand of power”

Posted on October 24, 2014 by SUMPTER

[I originally planned to post the following back in March, but was uncertain about the timing. The local newspaper article does seem to have been influenced by the Democrats’ playbook for the 1864 election.] I am confused about the timing … Continue reading →

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