274 The American Civil Wareventually locked into a siege with Lee
around Petersburg. Sherman's columns did
not suffer the same number of losses as
Federals back east did, but to observers it
appeared as if the Rebels under Johnston
were holding their own for quite a few weeks.
More than just the antiwar supporters,
more than just the loyalists of the Democratic
Party, Lincoln had generated a fair amount of
opposition within his own party
Conservative Republicans saw him as caving
in to the Radicals, while the Radicals believed
that Lincoln catered too much to the
opponents of abolitionism and to those who
interpreted the Constitution narrowly.
Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase
tested the political waters with certain
elements of the Republican Party, and
Major-General John C. Fremont, the party's
nominee for president in 1856, openly courted
support to replace Lincoln on the ticket. Both
insurgencies failed, but they represented
uneasiness with Lincoln's candidacy.
During the summer months, the situation
grew tense for Lincoln. After the President
withheld his signature and prevented the
Wade-Davis Bill, a congressional plan for
reconstruction, from becoming law, Wade
and Davis drafted a critical manifesto that
stoked the fires of opposition against
Lincoln. In July, Jubal Early's raid northward
nearly seized Washington. The value of
Union currency plummeted. And for a while,
a sullen Lincoln believed his defeat at the
polls was a real possibility. He drafted a letter
which he required every cabinet member to
sign unseen, declaring,This morning, as for some days past, it seems
exceedingly probable that this Administration will
not be re-elected. Then it will be my duty to so
co-operate with the President elect, as to save the
Union between the election and the inauguration;
as he will have secured his election on such ground
that he can not possibly save it afterwards.
But just as quickly, the tide shifted. The
Wade-Davis manifesto went too far, and it
pulled Republicans together, at least for the
election. The Democratic Party endorsed apeace platform, and then nominated
Major-General George B. McClellan, who
promptly announced his continued support
for the war. The fall ot Atlanta sent
assurances to the Northern public that the
Union was going to win the war, and that
Lincoln was the nation's proper steward.
Then, three weeks later, a large Federal force
under Major-General Philip Sheridan
delivered a powerful blow against Early's
raiders and followed it up with yet another.
Lincoln won re-election with
overwhelming support from the army.
Although not all soldiers were old enough to
vote, and some states prohibited their troops
in the field from participating, they rallied
behind their commander-in-chief and aided
his election cause any way they could. Of
those who could vote, close to 80 percent
cast their ballot for Lincoln, compared to
53 percent of the civilian population. In
Sherman's army, about 90 percent cast their
ballots for Old Abe. And whether they could
vote or not, they clearly expressed their
preferences to the folks at home. A
Wisconsin man explained to his brother that
every man who voted against Lincoln was 'a
soldier's enemy.' An Illinois fellow coached
his dad to 'Shun all disloyal company and do
not vote the copperhead [Democratic] ticket,
no matter who might say it is right.' But the
bluntest talk came from an Ohioan, who
instructed his sister. 'Tell Ben if he votes for
Mc[Clellan] I will never speak to him again.'
Bursting with confidence after their
victory at Atlanta, soldiers were assured that
they would win by Lincoln's victory at the
polls. 'We go with our Hartes contented,' an
infantryman explained to a friend, 'nowing
that we have a President that will not declare
peace on no other tirmes then an
Uncondishnell Surrender.'Planning for the great march
After the fall of Atlanta, Sherman decided not
to pursue Hood's army. The two forces had
been in continuous contact for over
100 days, and Sherman believed his men