|
Lincoln vs. Jefferson |
|
|
|
|
Abraham Lincoln was a very effective leader throughout the Civil War. Although
he had no prior military experience, he proved to be an asset throughout the
war. According to his contemporary critics, Abraham Lincoln\'s Presidential
record was notable for his despotic use of power and his blatant disregard for
the Constitution. Lincoln ordered thousands of arrests, kept political enemies
in prison without bringing charges against them, refused these hapless men
their right to trial by a jury of their peers, and ignored orders from the
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to release them. In his first few months in
office he made the most direct violations of the Constitution in the Nation\'s
history. He increased the size of the Regular Army without Congressional
approval, spent money without Congressional authorization, suspended the writ
of habeas corpus without authority and generally acted as if he had never heard
of the other two branches of the government. He threw out the Constitution and
retained popular appeal of the masses.
Davis lacked popular appeal. At no time in his life did he mingle freely with
the masses under circumstances that might have enabled him to develop an
appreciation of their aspiration and virtues. He never felt close to them, and
they didn’t to him. Davis never succeeded in dramatizing the issues of the war
or in arousing public enthusiasm for their support. Confederates like to
compare their struggle with the Colonial revolt against England. But their
President was never able to infuse the Southern movement with the lofty
purposes and timeless qualities that Jefferson and Paine breathed into the
American Revolution.
Jefferson Davis was known for his integrity. He was not always as forthright as
he might have been in dealing with difficult persons and situations, but he
observed a strict code of conduct with respect to money, favors and gifts. As
President he repeatedly demonstrated his moral courage by unwavering support of
unpopular individuals and measures. He had rich experiences in public affairs.
He was an effective public speaker, known for their clarity and logic. He was
profoundly dedicated to the Southern cause. It seems quite contradictory when
you think about it. Jefferson Davis was never known as \"Honest
Jeff,\" and Lincoln, the man who led the Union by basically ignoring the
Constitution, was known as \"Honest Abe.\"
When Lincoln felt it was necessary he could act in the most undemocratic manner
(as he delivered the Gettysburg Address, his troops guarded the polls at a
state election in Delaware, insuring a Republican victory). Realizing that the
Constitution was not made for war, especially civil war, and knowing that it
took too long to change it, he was willing to bypass it and create his own
emergency powers in order to preserve it for peacetime. Events were moving too
rapidly to stay within the due process of the law.
Both presidents hovered closely to the War Department. Davis began to become
very unpopular with the populace of the South for his persistent support of
discredited officers such as Lucius B. Northrop, the Confederate commissary
General, and Generals Theophilus Holmes, John Pemberton, and Braxton Bragg.
Northrop and Bragg were grossly incompetent and their long retention in high
position, against an ever- increasing tide of public criticism, cannot be
justified on any reasonable ground. There was a great deal of criticism of
Davis for his removal of General Beauregard. Also a major destructive
relationship took place between Davis and Joe Johnston.
Lincoln on the other hand either fired or sat back and let the Joint Committee
on the Conduct of the War fire popular or unpopular generals for perceived
ineptitude. McClellan and Buell (too slow for the northern voters) -- Porter
(we\'ll hang this one on the Joint Committee, thus keeping Lincoln clean) --
Pope (no one likes a braggart, especially one who nearly gets his army
annihilated...easy call) -- Butler in New Orleans (good move, it places the
Beast in the den of depravity...he can\'t lose battles and he can place his
scorn and the contempt of the folks up north on the folks down south) -- Sigel
brought in to command the 11th Corps when recruitment\'s were down-- (dismissed
temporarily when campaigning began, brought back in 1864 only to be humiliated
at New Market by the cadets...he could now remove him permanently). There were
most definitely others, but Lincoln remained unscathed.
Known to history as the Great Emancipator, Lincoln believed-and often said-that
it was impossible for white and black men to live together in freedom. His only
solution for America\'s greatest problem was for all the blacks to return to
Africa. In his Emancipation Proclamation he carefully drew the boundaries
within which it would operate, and deliberately excluded all areas in which his
armies had control. However, it should be recalled that Congressional actions
and the activities of certain generals had already freed thousands of blacks,
and would continue to be more important as a source of emancipation.