Chapter 20: “The Tycoon Is in Fine Whack”: Summer 1863

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Welcome, Deep Divers.

Imagine Washington, D .C., summer of 1863.

It's boiling hot, humid.

Yeah, and the mood is just as heavy.

The Civil War is pressing down hard.

Exactly.

The Union just got hit hard at Chancellorsville.

Morale is low and there's dissent everywhere, even on the home front.

It's a really precarious moment.

So today we're diving deep into that pressure cooker summer, specifically looking at Abraham Lincoln's leadership through the lens of Doris Kearns Goodwin's team of rivals.

It's a fantastic source for understanding how he managed not just the war but the politics, the personality.

Right.

Our mission here is to unpack how Lincoln, this master political strategist, kept his team, his ambitious, often difficult cabinet together.

And how he maintained public trust while navigating these huge military turning points and internal political fights.

We'll look at how he walked that tightrope between civil liberties and wartime necessity, how he handled his generals, the cabinet squabbles.

And guided the Union towards those two massive victories that summer, Gettysburg and Vicksburg.

All while dealing with some really tough personal stuff too.

This summer really shows Lincoln's genius, not just in war but in managing people and core principles.

It truly tests him.

He's juggling constitutional questions, bruised egos, military strategy, the whole nine yards.

Okay, so let's jump in.

The first big political storm he weathers is the Volandium affair.

Tell us about Clement Volandium.

Right.

Volandium.

He's a former Ohio congressman and Goodwin calls him a demagogue of defeat.

Basically, he's openly arguing for the Union to lose.

Wow.

Openly.

Oh yeah, inciting crowds, saying things like hurl King Lincoln from his throne,

real inflammatory stuff.

So how does the military react?

Well, General Burnside, who's in charge of the Department of the Ohio, he's had enough.

He issues General Orders Number 38.

Which said what, basically?

Essentially, sympathy for the enemy will not be allowed, cut and dry.

And Volandium?

He defies it immediately, gives another fiery speech.

So Burnside arrests him middle of night, soldiers break down the door, shots fired, very.

He's tried by a military court, sentenced to prison, his habeas corpus request,

denied.

Burnside even shuts down the Chicago Times for its coverage.

That's a strong reaction.

How did Lincoln find out?

Get this, he reads about it in the morning paper.

No way.

He wasn't consulted.

Apparently not initially.

And suddenly, he's got this huge mess on his hands.

Goodwin suggests maybe privately he was a bit relieved to have Volandicum sidelined.

But politically...

Politically, he knew it was dynamite.

The potential fallout was massive.

And the criticism wasn't just from Democrats, right?

Not at all.

Loyal Republicans like Senator Trumbull were deeply worried.

They feared the military overriding civilian courts.

And the cabinet.

Usually they disagreed on everything.

This time, rare unity.

Every single member, even Seward, opposed Burnside's actions.

That tells you how serious the concern about civil liberties was.

So Lincoln's in a bind.

Undermine his general in wartime or condone in action his whole cabinet.

And many Republicans oppose.

What does he do?

Classic Lincoln balancing act.

He publicly supports Burnside.

Gotta back your commanders.

There's always a but.

He commutes the sentence.

Instead of prison, Volandicum is banished to the Confederacy.

Huh.

Sent him where his sympathies supposedly lay.

Exactly.

Lincoln apparently quipped his copperhead body could go where his heart already was.

The New York Times said people were generally satisfied it avoided making Volandicum a martyr.

And he ends up in Canada, right?

Out of the way.

Pretty much neutered his influence for a while.

And Stanton, the Secretary of War, quickly revoked the Chicago Times suspension.

Reaffirming press freedom wasn't the target.

So Lincoln defuses the immediate crisis.

But he still needs to justify this level of military intervention.

Right.

And he later really defined his thinking.

When radicals wanted to shut down the Chicago Times again, Lincoln warned them,

I fear you do not fully comprehend the danger of abridging the liberties of the people.

Nothing but the very sternest necessity can ever justify it.

Setting a very high bar.

Extremely high.

He needed that sternest necessity.

And he explained this necessity publicly.

He did, in a really powerful letter to Erastus Corning, responding to New York Democrats who condemn the military arrests.

The Corning letter, yeah.

What was his core argument?

He acknowledged, look, in normal times, these arrests would be unconstitutional.

But these aren't normal times.

It's a rebellion.

And the Constitution does allow suspending habeas corpus in rebellion or invasion.

And he had that killer question.

Oh, it's brilliant.

Must I shoot a simple -minded soldier boy who deserts, while I must not touch a hair of a wily agitator who induces him to desert?

Puts it in stark terms.

How was the letter received?

Hugely positive, generally.

Goodwin notes extravagant praise.

It was printed everywhere, reached maybe 10 million people.

It really helped shift public understanding of why the administration felt these actions were necessary.

A masterclass in public reasoning, really.

Absolutely.

Using logic and that sort of plain -spoken eloquence to defend a tough position.

Okay, so while he's putting out these public fires, what's going on inside the White House with his team of rivals?

Things weren't exactly smooth sailing there either, right?

Not at all.

As that summer approached, Goodwin describes tempers getting shorter.

A real feeling of a lack of mutual confidence.

Specific complaints.

Oh, yeah.

Wells, Secretary of the Navy, grumbled about Stanton, the War Secretary, holding private meetings, or Seward letting his son represent the State Department.

Bates, the Attorney General, felt ambitious members like Seward, Chase, and Stanton were trying to corner Lincoln individually rather than deliberating as a group.

Sounds like standard office politics, but with the nation's fate at stake.

Exactly.

And Monty Blair, the Postmaster General, was particularly sharp.

He blamed Seward and Stanton's machinations for problems, even suspecting they were plotting for succession.

He apparently believed Stanton would cut the president's throat if he could.

Wow, that's intense.

How did Lincoln manage that?

Just ignore it.

He didn't ignore it, but he had a pragmatic approach.

He knew about the resentment, the backbiting,

but his view was, as long as they did their jobs well, he didn't need to make changes.

Focus on the work, not the drama.

Pretty much.

He relied heavily on Seward and Stanton for the day -to -day running of the war and diplomacy, but he also knew he had to keep the team, well, functioning.

So how did he do that, beyond just letting them work?

Small things, sometimes.

Acts of generosity.

He kept his door open to the Blairs,

recognizing Monty's loyalty despite the friction.

And Monty Blair was doing incredible work as postmaster general.

What kind of work?

Transforming the postal system, setting up army post offices, free mail for soldiers.

Stuff that seemed small but was huge for morale, keeping soldiers connected to home.

Goodwin calls them marvels.

That's significant.

And with others.

He made time for Wells, his Neptune, having private chats, sending letters, affirming his admirable success.

That personal touch went a long way.

And then there was his humor.

Goodwin highlights that.

Yes.

His humor was a key management tool.

There's a great story, Chase and Monty Blair having this bitter argument.

And Lincoln breaks the tension by telling a story about a guy pretending to be crazy to dodge a debt collector.

And then he admits, you know, sometimes he's had to appear very mad himself.

Using humor to deflect, to lower the temperature.

Exactly.

He could take a joke at his own expense and dish them out gently.

It helped bridge some of those divides or at least make them manageable.

It's like you said earlier, running a high -states therapy session sometimes.

It really shows his skill with people, not just policy.

This management style extended to his generals too, right?

They weren't exactly a harmonious bunch either.

Far from it.

Constant bickering, jealousy over rank,

strategy disputes.

Lincoln spent a lot of time soothing egos, reassuring generals, even when he had to remove them.

But he wasn't infinitely patient.

No, definitely not.

He called out Major General Milroy pretty sharply for constantly blaming his superiors.

And he had that fantastic line for General Rosecrans, who was complaining about rank compared to Grant.

He basically told him, the world will not forget that you fought the Battle of Stone River.

And it will never care a fig whether you rank General Grant on paper or he so ranks you.

Ouch.

But clear, results matter, not titles.

Precisely.

Focus on winning, not on the org chart.

Classic Lincoln cutting through the noise.

And speaking of Grant, this is when he really starts to shine in Lincoln's eyes, isn't it?

Yes.

Grant's campaign towards Vicksburg, that crucial Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi, was progressing steadily and uncomplainingly.

Lincoln was hugely impressed calling Grant's May campaign one of the most brilliant in the world.

He saw something different in Grant.

He saw competence, determination, and a lack of political maneuvering.

Charles Dana, sent to observe Grant,

reported back that Grant was a terse man of character and action, willing to serve where needed.

But even with Grant, Lincoln had to step in forcefully at one point.

Tell us about Grant's Order No.

11.

Right.

This was a significant misstep by Grant.

In what Goodwin calls a misguided effort to stop wartime profiteering and smuggling, Grant issued General Orders No.

11.

Which did what?

It expelled the Jews as a class from his entire military department within 24 hours.

No individual hearings, just a blanket expulsion based on religion.

That's shocking.

How did Lincoln react?

A delegation of Jewish leaders went directly to Washington, to Lincoln.

He apparently hadn't been fully briefed.

When told, his first reaction, with that sort of biblical resonance he had, was, and so the children of Israel were driven from the happy land of Canaan.

Wow.

And the leader replied, yes, and that is why we have come under Father Abraham's bosom, asking protection.

Father Abraham.

Powerful imagery.

Incredibly.

And Lincoln's response was immediate and absolute.

And this protection they shall have at once.

He didn't hesitate.

Not for a second.

He ordered General -in -Chief Halleck to revoke the order immediately.

He made it clear.

Expel specific traitors and Jew peddlers.

Fine.

But prescribing an entire religious class?

Unacceptable.

Especially, he noted, when Jewish soldiers were fighting and dying for the Union.

It really underscores his moral compass, even amidst the war's brutality.

Absolutely.

It wasn't just about winning.

It was about what they were fighting for.

Principles mattered.

And it shows his pragmatism with Grant, too, right?

He dealt with the problematic order, but didn't lose faith in the general.

Exactly.

He addressed the serious issue, corrected it firmly, but kept his eye on Grant's military value, which connects to those persistent rumors about Grant's drinking.

Yeah, Goodwin mentions chase, among others, complaining Grant was drunk much of the time.

Right.

Lincoln and Stanton investigated.

Their conclusion.

Whatever his habits, it did not affect his unmatched ability to plan, execute, and win battles.

Which leads to that famous quip.

The classic story.

If Lincoln knew what brand of whiskey Grant drank, he'd send a barrel of it to his other generals.

Results trumped rumors.

If Grant was winning, the whiskey wasn't the core issue for Lincoln.

Okay, so Lincoln's managing the home front crises, his cabinet, his generals, and back in Grant.

Then comes the summer's military climax.

Things have been relatively quiet in the East.

A deceptive quiet on the Rappahannock River line.

But then rumors start swirling.

Lee is on the move, invading the North.

And this time it's serious.

Very serious.

Seward initially dismissed the rumors, but soon it was confirmed.

Lee's army had crossed the river heading north.

This must have been incredibly tense in Washington, personally, too.

Yes.

Mary and Tad Lincoln actually left for Philadelphia.

Lincoln himself seemed anxious.

Goodwin recounts him having a nightmare about Tad's toy revolver, wiring Mary to put Tad's pistol away.

There was real fear.

And concern about the Union commander, Hooker.

Big concerns.

Lincoln worried Hooker was being out -generaled.

When Hooker sent a rather prickly telegram, basically asking to be relieved if he didn't get his way.

Lincoln took him up on it.

Instantly.

He and Stanton replaced Hooker with General George Meade.

A huge command change right on the eve of battle.

Chase, who'd backed Hooker, was apparently quite upset.

And just days later.

Three days later, Meade confronts Lee near a small town in Pennsylvania called Gettysburg, July 1st.

The start of a massive three -day battle.

The stakes couldn't have been higher.

Mince.

A major Confederate victory on northern soil.

It could have led to European recognition of the Confederacy, maybe even ended the war differently.

How did Lincoln cope during those three days?

Goodwin paints a picture of him as a constant fixture in the telegraph office.

Barely sleeping, pacing, studying maps, showing painful anxiety, desperate for news.

Just waiting.

Waiting.

Until July 4th.

News arrives from Meade.

The battle is won.

Lee is withdrawing.

Huge Union victory.

But at a terrible cost, nearly 50 ,000 casualties combined.

A turning point.

The turning point, many historians argue.

But the news doesn't stop there.

Because on the same day.

July 4th.

News from the West.

Krant has done it.

After a brutal 46 -day siege, Vicksburg has surrendered.

Pemberton gave up his starving army.

Wow.

Twin victories on Independence Day.

Incredible timing.

Wells gets the dispatch about Vicksburg from Admiral Porter, and he's so thrilled he reportedly executed a double shuffle and threw up his hat.

I bet.

What did Lincoln say?

Wells rushed to tell him Lincoln was ecstatic.

What can we do for the Secretary of the Navy for this glorious intelligence?

I cannot in words tell you my joy over this result.

It is great, Mr.

Wells.

It is great.

He understood the strategic importance immediately.

Absolutely.

Vicksburg falling meant the Union controlled the entire Mississippi River.

As Lincoln declared, the father of waters again goes unvexed to the sea.

It cut the Confederacy in two.

And Lincoln's reaction to Grant personally?

He wrote Grant this truly remarkable letter.

He admitted he'd had doubts about Grant's specific plan for Vicksburg, but now,

I now wish to make the personal acknowledgement that you were right and I was wrong.

That takes humility, especially for a president to his general.

It really does.

Shows Lincoln's character.

The North of course went wild with celebration.

Crowds marched to the White House.

And Lincoln spoke to them.

Gave an impromptu speech.

And interestingly, Goodwin notes he started touching on themes government by the people, the founding principles of equality that would echo later in his Gettysburg address.

He framed the victories around the nation's founding ideals.

A moment of incredible national triumph, but shadowed by personal tragedy for the Lincolns.

Yes, it's such a stark contrast.

Right in the middle of this, on the second day of Gettysburg, Mary Lincoln has a terrible carriage accident.

It seems someone intentionally tampered with the driver's seat.

The carriage bolt came loose, the driver was thrown, the horses bolted, and Mary was thrown out, hitting her head hard on a rock.

How bad was it?

Very serious.

A severe head wound, followed by a dangerous infection.

She was incapacitated for weeks.

Robert Lincoln later said his mother never quite recovered from the lingering effects.

And Lincoln consumed by the war.

He had to bring in a nurse.

It just underscores that immense personal toll even amidst national celebration, profound public success and private suffering, side by side.

So after these huge victories, did Lincoln feel the end of the war was near?

He certainly hoped so.

He desperately urged Meade to follow up Gettysburg, to trap and destroy Lee's retreating army before it could cross the Potomac River back into Virginia.

Complete his work was the phrase.

Yes.

He saw a chance to potentially end it right there.

But Meade hesitated.

The Union army was exhausted too, and Lee managed to escape across the river.

How did Lincoln take that news?

He was crushed.

Stanton found him so troubled, so dejected and discouraged.

Lincoln compared it to working hard to harvest a crop, only to see it rot in the field, an unharvested victory.

Did he blame Meade?

He drafted a very frank, very critical letter to Meade.

Express gratitude for Gettysburg, but also the magnitude of the misfortune of Lee's escape.

But he didn't send it.

No, he held onto it.

Another example of him managing his own frustration for the bigger picture.

But he later told someone that Meade's failure to destroy Lee then was one of maybe three times the war could have ended sooner with better management.

So elation followed by deep disappointment.

And then things got even worse on the home front.

Yeah.

Just as they're processing Lee's escape, the New York City draft riots erupt.

Mid -July.

What triggered them?

It was the first federal draft in U .S.

history, and it was deeply unpopular.

Especially a provision allowing wealthier men to pay $300 to commute their service or hire a substitute.

The rich man's war, poor man's fight perception.

Exactly.

And New York's Governor Seymour had given a pretty inflammatory speech that many felt encouraged resistance.

On the second day of the draft lottery, a mob attacked the draft office, burned it down.

But it didn't stop there.

No, it turned incredibly ugly.

The mob, largely poor Irish immigrants, turned their fury on the city's black population.

Horrific violence, beatings, lynchings, burning the colored orphan asylum, looting was widespread.

Just terrible.

How long did it last?

Five days of mayhem.

Over a thousand people killed or wounded.

It only stopped when Union troops fresh from Gettysburg arrived in the city to restore order.

This must have been a staggering blow.

What did Lincoln do about the draft itself?

Suspend it.

There was pressure to do that, but Lincoln refused.

He insisted the draft resume, again citing that phrase,

sternest necessity.

The Union needed soldiers.

It really highlights those deep social and racial fractures, doesn't it?

Even as the Union fights for emancipation, this violent race -based resistance flares up in the North.

It's a crucial counterpoint, absolutely.

Shows the complexity of the home front.

The war wasn't just North versus South.

It was also internal conflict over class, race, and the war's costs.

Did the riot spread?

There were fears.

Frances Seward, William Seward's wife, wrote about daily apprehension of a riot in their hometown of Auburn.

Copperheads tried to stir things up, blaming Seward.

But Seward was more optimistic.

He predicted the riots would ultimately clear the political skies.

And in a way, they did.

Public opinion turned sharply against Governor Seymour for his perceived role.

When the draft finally resumed in New York City, it went smoothly.

Seward felt confident things would work out.

So Lee escapes.

The draft riots explode.

Lincoln must have been reeling.

How did he personally cope with these setbacks?

Remarkably well, considering.

Goodwin notes that despite the deep disappointment over Lee and the horror of the riots,

Lincoln shook off his gloom relatively quickly.

John Hay, his secretary, found him in very good humor not long after, even writing a funny little verse mockingly.

Humor is a coping mechanism again.

Seems so.

And he was gracious to me publicly, telling him I am now profoundly grateful for what was done, without criticism for what was not done.

Where did he find solace or renewal?

Goodwin suggests he found real relief in reviewing courts martial cases.

He had the power to pardon, and he used it extensively, especially for soldiers sentenced to death for things like desertion or cowardice.

He was known for being lenient.

Very.

He'd look for any excuse to save a life.

Stories of young boys overwhelmed by fear, exhausted pickets who fell asleep, men with families back home.

He famously said about one deserter who kept reenlisting and running away, let him fight instead of shooting him.

Did his officers complain?

Sometimes, yes.

They worried it undermined discipline.

But Lincoln explained his perspective.

He saw the frightened individuals, not just the infraction.

He told the story about a soldier who claimed his legs just ran away without him.

Lincoln worried he used his pardon power too little, not too much.

That compassion is striking.

It is.

And his humor surfaced here, too.

The anecdote about the captain charged with looking through keyholes, Lincoln laughingly suggested promoting him to count peeper.

So he finds ways to stay grounded.

What was Washington like that summer, physically?

Brutally hot.

Record -breaking heat, according to Goodwin.

Many officials fled Stanton, Hay, Nicolay, Mary Lincoln, once she recovered somewhat.

But not Lincoln.

No.

Lincoln stayed.

Hay reported him always at his post.

He seemed to thrive on the long days, maybe enjoyed the relative quiet with fewer office seekers around.

Hay wrote, The tycoon is in fine whack.

I have rarely seen him more serene and busy.

And that Hay felt the hand of God placed him where he is.

He seemed to find strength in the work itself, who was around him.

John Hay was a close companion during this time.

They'd talk late into the night, Shakespeare, politics, reconstruction plans.

Lincoln enjoyed Hay's company and wit.

There's a poignant mention of a photo section where Lincoln's naturally sad expression was captured.

A glimpse of the man behind the public figure.

While Lincoln held down the fort in D .C., Seward was busy elsewhere.

Yes.

Seward undertook a really important diplomatic mission.

He led a two -week tour of upstate New York with foreign ministers.

Why?

To counteract the narrative abroad, especially after the draft riots, that the North was falling apart or exhausting its resources.

Seward showcased the region's industry, agriculture, its boundless resources.

It was a P .R.

masterstroke.

It worked?

It seems to have helped significantly, especially in smoothing over tensions with Britain and France about Confederate warships being built in their ports.

Quiet diplomacy yielding big results.

Interesting contrast in personal styles, too.

Goodwin notes that Lincoln's communications were quite practical, while the Seward's exchanged very effusive, supportive letters.

Yeah, a different dynamic.

And also mentions Robert Lincoln feeling distant from his father, simply because Lincoln was so consumed by work.

And briefly, what about Chase?

Any personal developments there?

Yes.

His ambitious daughter, Kate, rekindled her romance with the wealthy, somewhat controversial Senator Williams -Prague.

They got engaged.

It set up a complex household dynamic, with Chase planning to live with them.

He also seemed to be trying to distance himself financially from potential conflicts of interest.

Always maneuvering, it seems.

Chase was always thinking about his own path, even amidst everything else.

Okay, so as we wrap up this deep dive into the summer of 63,

what are the key takeaways about Lincoln's leadership during this crucible?

Well, you see him masterfully navigating that tension between

wartime necessity and civil liberties with volandum.

He's pragmatic but principled.

And managing his team, the cabinet, the generals with patience, humor, but also firmness when needed.

Recognizing talent like Grant, even with his flaws.

Absolutely.

And that crucial moral clarity and instantly revoking Grant's anti -Semitic order, that stands out.

Then the huge military turning points, Gettysburg and Vicksburg, followed immediately by the despair of Lee's escape and the horror of the draft riots.

It shows his incredible resilience, his ability to process immense highs and lows, public triumphs and private grief, and just keep going.

His strategic mind, his compassion, his unwavering focus on preserving the union,

it all solidifies during this period.

He really is the eye of the storm.

So for our listeners, a final thought to ponder.

Think about Lincoln's response to the draft riots.

This horrific explosion of class and racial hatred,

violent resistance to the war effort itself.

And yet, Lincoln insists the draft must go on.

Sternist necessity, he calls it.

Right.

So what does that unwavering commitment to the union, even when faced with such brutal internal dissent, tied directly to the costs of the war and emancipation, tell us?

What does it reveal about the true price and perhaps the true meaning of holding a nation together?

It's not just about battlefield glory.

It's about confronting those deep, painful societal fractures and deciding what sacrifices are necessary for unity.

A lot to think about there.