jazzeum
Four Star General
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2005
- Messages
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Today is the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Blind Memorandum, one of the more unusual pieces of Lincoln's writing.
At a cabinet meeting on August 23, 1864, Lincoln asked his cabinet, sight unseen, to sign the memo and they all dutifully did (hence the name The Blind Memorandum). The memorandum said:
"Executive Mansion
Washington, Aug. 23, 1864.
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.
A. LINCOLN"
The war was not going well and he expected to lose and lose probably to his arch nemesis, McClellan. He proposed that, notwithstanding his defeat, the two work together to save the Union on the basis that Lincoln had been doing, which was, of course, anathema to the Peace Democrats and which would have been the reason he lost to begin with. Lincoln contemplated that after Mac's inauguration, the Peace Democrats would give away what he had been fighting for. Possibly, Lincoln hoped that this statement would drive a wedge between Mac and his supporters although that is probably doubtful.
Lincoln was prone to depression and was possibly in a deep funk when he wrote this.
At at any rate, he never had to use it because he won the election. As promised, he revealed the contents to the Cabinet on November 11 and they were all surprised by its contents.
Here is Prof. Allen Guelzo discussing the Blind Memorandum.
http://youtu.be/5bBc2nSTgAk
At a cabinet meeting on August 23, 1864, Lincoln asked his cabinet, sight unseen, to sign the memo and they all dutifully did (hence the name The Blind Memorandum). The memorandum said:
"Executive Mansion
Washington, Aug. 23, 1864.
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.
A. LINCOLN"
The war was not going well and he expected to lose and lose probably to his arch nemesis, McClellan. He proposed that, notwithstanding his defeat, the two work together to save the Union on the basis that Lincoln had been doing, which was, of course, anathema to the Peace Democrats and which would have been the reason he lost to begin with. Lincoln contemplated that after Mac's inauguration, the Peace Democrats would give away what he had been fighting for. Possibly, Lincoln hoped that this statement would drive a wedge between Mac and his supporters although that is probably doubtful.
Lincoln was prone to depression and was possibly in a deep funk when he wrote this.
At at any rate, he never had to use it because he won the election. As promised, he revealed the contents to the Cabinet on November 11 and they were all surprised by its contents.
Here is Prof. Allen Guelzo discussing the Blind Memorandum.
http://youtu.be/5bBc2nSTgAk
