Election of 1864

Lincoln

Throughout Lincoln's term as president there was significant resistance to him in the north. On one side there were the Radical Republicans who did not think Lincoln was firm enough on the issue of slavery, and on the other were the Democrats, some of whom even wanted immediate peace with the south. As the election of 1864 approached, it was clear that there would be obstacles in Lincoln's path for reelection. By the time of the election, the war had stretched on for nearly four bloody years, and there were many who did not think Lincoln was the man to end it.

Frémont's campaign poster

Early in the year Lincoln foiled plans from Salmon P. Chase, his Secretary of the Treasury, to become president. The Radical Republicans did nominate a candidate. At a convention in May, the “Radical Democrats,” as they called themselves, chose John C. Frémont, a former Union general. Frémont accepted the nomination, but offered to resign if Lincoln did not run for reelection. Lincoln did run, but Frémont dropped out anyway, in exchange for the resignation of Postmaster General Montgomery Blair, a Democrat.

Lincoln and Johnson

Lincoln did not run again as a Republican. Instead his supporters held the National Union Convention, an alliance of the Republicans with some War Democrats. The idea was that they were putting aside politics, and instead focusing on winning the war. To strengthen the coalition, vice president Hannibal Hamlin, a Republican, was replaced with Andrew Johnson, the military governor of Tennessee and a Democrat.

The Democrats also ran a candidate, but their party was badly divided. Some wanted to continue fighting the war until the Union was reestablished, others wanted an immediate negotiated peace. This strife was evident in the results of the convention, held in Chicago. They nominated George B. McClellan, the general, for president, and George Pendleton, Representative from Ohio, for vice-president. The party platform was anti war, calling for immediate cessation of hostilities. But they had nominated McClellan, who was continuing the war.

Cartoon of McClellan

The division among the Democrats caused confusion in the advertising and propaganda during the campaign. The Republicans argued that McClellan's election would mean armistice, peace and despotism. Their motto was “Don't change horses in the middle of a stream,” trying to win the support of War Democrats so Lincoln could win the war. Early in the year, Lincoln did not believe that he could win reelection, and hoped to win the war before he would turn over the presidency. By November, the tide had turned. With the fall of Atlanta in September it seemed that the Union was winning battles, and that ultimate victory was in site.

Republican campaign poster

Although as the election approached things were looking up for Republicans, it was still far from a sure thing. Republicans worked to get Nevada's statehood approved at the eleventh hour, as they believed those votes would go to Lincoln. Congress had voted to allow Nevada to join back in March, along with Colorado and Nebraska, but before statehood could be finalized they needed to receive state constitutions adopted by popular conventions. Nebraska voted against becoming a state and Colorado did not adopt a Constitution. Nevada, however, passed a constitution, but the copies they sent to Washington did not arrive. Finally the governor decided to telegraph the constitution to Washington. It took two days to send the more than 16,000 words. This was the longest telegraph sent up to that point. The bill for the telegraph was $4,303.27 - more than $63,000 today. With the constitution sent in, Nevada was admitted to the Union on October 31. Just a week later, Lincoln carried the state in the election.

The election was held on November 8th, 150 years ago today. In an era before electronic vote counting or instant communication, election results could take weeks or months to arrive. But by the night of November 8th, enough counts had come in to be pretty certain that Lincoln would be reelected. The result turned out to be a Lincoln landslide. He won 212 electoral votes to McClellan's 21, loosing only New Jersey and Kentucky. The popular vote was significantly closer, with Lincoln winning 55% to McClellan's 45%. The Republicans also increased their majority in both the House and Senate. The voters had approved Lincoln's conduct of the war.

Late at night Lincoln gave a speech from the White House to a group of Pennsylvanians who were serenading him with a band. He said:

[A]ll who nave labored to-day in behalf of the Union organization have wrought for the best interests of their country and the world, not only for the present, but for all future ages. I am thankful to God for this approval of the people. … I do not impugn the motives of any one opposed to me. It is no pleasure to me to triumph over any one; but I give thanks to the Almighty for this evidence of the people's resolution to stand or free government and the rights of humanity.

Lincoln in 1864

Pomeroy Circular

Chase

One issue that loomed large in the mind of Northern politicians in 1864 was the presidential election that would be held later that year. It would be the test of whether people wanted to continue to follow the policies pursued by President Abraham Lincoln the previous four years. But there were some in the Republican party that did not even want Lincoln to get a chance at reelection. 150 years ago today a document called the Pomeroy Circular was published. It was written by Samuel Pomeroy, a Republican senator from Kansas. In this document titled, “The Next Presidential Election,” Pomeroy proposed a new Republican candidate to replace Lincoln – Salmon P. Chase. Chase was the Secretary of the Treasury. Chase was aware of the plans of men like Pomeroy and would have welcomed the opportunity to become President, but he also did not want to publicly come out against Lincoln unless he was sure the people would back him. This document was sent to many Republicans, to help build support for Chase.

Pomeroy

Unsurprisingly, it was not long before it fell into Lincoln's hands and was published in the newspapers. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy, predicted that “it will be more dangerous in its recoil than its projectile,” meaning that it would do more damage to Chase than to Lincoln, at whom it was aimed. Chase wrote to Lincoln that he was not involved in writing the document, and submitted his resignation, which Lincoln refused. In the long run, Welles proved to be right. The people did not rally behind the idea of Chase for president, and even the Republicans of his own state, Ohio, responded by endorsing Lincoln for president in 1864.

Lincoln's Cabinet

(left to right) Edwin Stanton, Salmon Portland Chase, Abraham Lincoln, Gideon Welles,  Caleb Blood Smith, William Henry Seward, Montgomery Blair, and Edward Bates 

After his inauguration, Lincoln appointed his Cabinet, which were approved by the Senate as the Constitution requires. He did not choose men that completely aligned with him – several of them had contended for the Republican presidential nomination. During Lincoln's administration he would have disagreements with his cabinet over important decisions. One historian noted  "No President ever had a Cabinet of which the members were so independent, had so large individual followings, and were so inharmonious..."¹ We will continue and look at each of the men he chose at the start of his term in more detail.

William H. Seward - Secretary of State

Seward was a lawyer and politician from New York. He and his wife were firm abolitionists and they helped hide fugitive slaves in disobedience to the Constitution saying that, "there is a higher law than the Constitution." He was governor of New York and a U.S. Senator. He was one of the prominent leaders of the new Republican party, and expected to receive the nomination for president. He was appointed Secretary of State by Lincoln and remained in that position through the presidencies of Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.

Simon Cameron - Secretary of War

Cameron was orphaned at nine, but worked his was up in the printing, railroads and banking industries. He was nominated for president, but supported Lincoln in exchange for the appointment as Secretary of War, an important position in view of the impending troubles with the South. He resigned quickly due to corruption, which we will deal with at the proper time.

Salmon P. Chase - Secretary of the Treasury

Chase was a lawyer and governor of Ohio. He was outspoken against slavery, and opposed its spread and compromise with the South. After Seward, he was one of the leaders in founding the Republican party to oppose slavery. He was a representative of the radical republicans and was working to run for president in 1864. He caused Lincoln much trouble until he was able to dispense with him. One of his duties of the treasury was to institute the system of paper money to finance the war, which is in opposition to the U.S. Constitution's requirement of gold and silver currency.

Edward Bates - Attorney General

Bates was a politician from Missouri, and had written the preamble to the Constitution of that state. However he opposed slavery and was another of the candidates for the Republican nomination. He resigned in 1864 after disagreements with Lincoln.

Montgomery Blair - Postmaster General

Blair was a lawyer from Maryland who had participated in several important cases. He was a founder of the Republican party and had campaigned for Lincoln. Lincoln appointed him Postmaster General and expected him to balance against the radicals. In 1864 he left the cabinet to conciliate the radical Republicans.

Gideon Welles - Secretary of the Navy

Welles was a Republican supporter of Lincoln and was appointed as a cabinet member from New England. He disagreed with the blockade of the Southern ports, but after he was overruled he successfully built up the navy and contributed greatly to the defeat of the South. As a member of the cabinet he frequently clashed with the more radical members .

Caleb B. Smith - Secretary of the Interior

Smith helped Lincoln secure the nomination for president, and was rewarded by his cabinet appointment. He disliked the job and resigned after his disagreement over the Emancipation Proclamation in 1864.






1. Rufus Rockwell Wilson, editor, Intimate Memories of Lincoln, p. 503 (from Chauncey M. Depew, My Memories of Eighty Years).