Stanton
13th Amendment
While researching Stanton yesterday at the Massachusetts Historical Society, I came across several letters that illuminate the history of the Thirteenth Amendment. Everyone “knows” this story now: we have seen it in great detail in the movie version of Lincoln. But one of the joys of research is that new details are always emerging, often…
Read MoreCarriage Ride Redux
On page 340 of my Seward book, I assert that the famous “carriage ride conversation,” in which Lincoln first raised with Seward and Welles an emancipation proclamation, did not occur. Yes, there was a carriage ride, to a funeral of Stanton’s infant child, but no, there was no discussion of emancipation. Among other reasons I…
Read MoreStanton update
As I believe I have reported before, I have now signed an agreement with Simon & Schuster to write a biography of Edwin McMasters Stanton. More than that: I am working away on the book, almost daily, gathering materials, taking notes, thinking about what I am going to say about particular periods in his life.…
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