A Glorious Union or America: the New Sparta

[TheKnightIrish]

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty

A New Beginning
Part I​

From “The Radicals 1860-1872” by Hugh W. McGrath
New England Press 2001

“Privately Senator Wade made it clear that when he looked at his potential rivals for the Republican nomination, Chase, Hamlin, Holt or Butler he had no doubt that he could beat them all. For Wade there was only one fear – that the party would turn to a war hero and there was one hero above all, Philip Kearny Jr, who could, with a single word, crush his chances of the presidency…”

From “Philip Kearny – The Myth and The Man” by Dr. P. Capaldi
University of Illinois Press 2003

“As both an emissary for himself and on behalf of others, it was Dan Sickles who approached his friend about his political ambitions. Writing to Kearny while he was away in Europe, Sickles asked whether, if offered, Kearny would accept the Republican nomination for President.

“The Republican Party of Wade and his cabal is still a sectional party and I will not stand as a candidate for one part of our country against another…” replied Kearny. Sickles next letter was “pure Dan” (Kearny).

“Would you view an offer of the Democratic nomination any more favorably?” Kearny’s answer remained the same…

The question remains whether Kearny intended or expected Sickles to disseminate this information as widely as he did. The fact remains that in short order Sickles had informed his intimates in both parties and breathed life into a multitude of presidential hopefuls…”

From “The Rivals – Lincoln and his Cabinet” by Amelia Doggett
Grosvenor 2008

“Months before the scheduled Republican convention in Chicago the names of the likely contenders were on every lip: Benjamin Wade, Salmon P. Chase, Joseph Holt, Benjamin Butler, David Davis and Hannibal Hamlin. First Phil Kearny and then John F. Reynolds had rejected any approach from party operatives who were less than impressed by the likely candidates. Joseph Hooker flirted with the idea of candidacy but he was also being tempted with office in Massachusetts…

“Wade represents the wrath of God on earth; Spoons Butler all seven deadly sins; Hamlin killers who abhor killing; Holt the lovers of dull competency; Chase represents anyone who’ll let him; and Davis those too cowardly to choose another…” was William Seward’s scathing view…”

Senator Benjamin Wade of Ohio, Former Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase of Ohio, Vice President Joseph Holt of Kentucky, Congressman Benjamin Butler of Massachusetts, Chief Justice David Davis of Illinois, and Former Vice President Hannibal Hamlin of Maine​

From “Chasing the White House – Salmon P. Chase and his Campaign to be President” by Albert Niven
Grosvenor 2001

“It was agonizing for Chase. The Democratic convention was to be held in Tammany Hall, New York well before the Republican convention. It was obvious that the Republicans were infinitely better placed to win the election but the Democrats were so desperate for a viable candidate that they would consider a willing former Republican. Their desperation was matched only by Chase’s own to be President. Chase’s great fear however was that, with his fellow Ohioan Benjamin Wade in the race, he could not guarantee the support of his own state. He had many willing supporters as the result of his former patronage as Secretary of Treasury but he knew that support was ephemeral. It would harden if he could show the support of the Ohio delegation but it would vanish like mist if Wade gained momentum…

Chase was not above swapping horses in mid-stream if the Democrats would offer him the nomination but he wanted to fight for the Republican nomination first. The timing of the Democrat’s Convention denied him that opportunity and no amount of scheming on his part could have it delayed. Thus, did Chase finally commit to a Republican candidacy and he approached the one Ohioan whose support might provide critical, General Jacob Dolson Cox, Director of the Bureau of Collectors…”

From “A True Deputy – The Vice Presidency of Joseph Holt” by Justice McClintock
Grosvenor 2004

“Those who thought Reconstruction perfected in its current form feared the consequences of a Wade presidency and did not see much attraction in the alternatives. “Ben Wade will drive every white southerner with a pistol or a musket to become a bushwhacker and Butler will have us at war with England in a week. We need a sound man more in the mould of Lincoln…” (Governor James Wadsworth of New York)…

It was felt that Holt, as Lincoln’s Vice President, could command the loyalty of the newly enfranchised black voters of the South; as a Kentuckian the border states; and as a man who had served under Buchanan and Lincoln he could encourage the less radical elements of the party…

Although initially reluctant a meeting with Governor Bull Nelson and Senator Rousseau of Kentucky in which they pledged the support of his home delegation convinced Holt that it was his duty to allow his name to go forward…”

From “Tammany Ablaze – Democratic Politics from 1864-1900” by Otis R. Mayhew
Buffalo 2003

“The Democrats were desperate to avoid the chaos of the Columbus Convention of 1864, though it had been some time prior since a Democratic convention had not resulted in chaos, and yet once again there was no clear candidate…

The Democrats were keen to leave their ‘Copperhead’ label behind and thus looked first for a unifying war hero. Kearny’s refusal was mere proforma as few Democrats dreamed that miracle would come to pass but they did seek out other politician-generals who might take up the baton...

The most obvious candidate in blue was General Winfield Scott Hancock who was known to have voiced opposition to the scope of Reconstruction and his gentle hand in North Carolina had left a lasting impression. His absence in the depths of Abyssinia and the uncertain outcome of that campaign meant they dare not risk his nomination. It was a matter of question in any event if such a committed soldier would accept a nomination while on active service…

Lew Wallace’s name was circulated and it was obvious he was interested but even he doubted he could muster the support to win outright in an early Convention ballot and instead looked to his native Indiana for advancement…

In the absence of a committed Democrat in uniform the old names from the 1864 Convention bubbled back to the surface: Horatio Seymour, Lazarus Powell, George Pendleton, Thomas A. Hendricks and even Andrew Johnson. Added to these were favorite sons such as James E. English of Connecticut and Joel Parker of New Jersey…

That is not to say many actively sought the nomination. Most senior Democrats understood that their nominee would be a sacrificial lamb in the name of keeping the party alive on the national level…

Horatio Seymour quashed any suggestion he might accept the nomination to run again. One humiliation was enough. Having already turned down nomination once in 1864 and been selected anyway he announced his intentions clearly “If nominated again I will announce my intentions to vote the Republican straight ticket for the rest of my days”…

Fernando Wood’s view was that the party needed someone who thought they deserved to win; believed they had even the faintest chance of winning; who would not humiliate the Party in running; but whom the party could afford to see humiliated by the result. Wood’s conclusion was clear – George Hunt Pendleton of Ohio. A committed Democrat who, however much he had been a Copperhead, was pragmatic enough now to moderate his tone against all but the worst excesses of Reconstruction; who had a big enough name in the country; and who, Wood understood, was unlikely to win re-election to Congress from his Ohio district in any event. What is more Pendleton’s name had risen to the top twice during the endless balloting of the 64 Convention…

With the Ohio, New York and New Jersey delegations leading the way it only took four ballots to propel Pendleton to the nomination. One anonymous wit in the Democratic Party was quoted in the New York Tribune as saying “if he wins Pendleton is fool enough to do no harm and if he loses he’s fool enough to be no loss”…

The real controversy started on the nomination for the vice-president. Having put a former Copperhead at the top of the ticket many thought it necessary to lure back the War Democrats with a more moderate name at the bottom of the ticket. The old men of the Democratic party in their smoke filled backrooms decided upon Governor James E. English of Connecticut. English had actually voted with the Republicans more often that not while part of the 38th Congress on all the key legislation, opposing only the Confiscation Act…

It took six rather stormy ballots to force through English with both Wood and Joel Parker having to disavow their home states delegations' attempts to have them nominated instead of English. Neither of them intended to play second fiddle to Pendleton on a losing ticket…

Pendleton was furious when he found out his running mate was English. They had not spoken since the stormy scenes in the 38th Congress when English had led a handful of Democrats to join the War Democrats and Republicans in passing key legislation. Indeed, it was well that the candidates adhered to the convention that they should not actively travel and campaign for no evidence has been found that the two men either spoke or corresponded directly at any time between the end of the 38th Congress and the death of James English in 1889…”

George Hunt Pendleton of Ohio and James Edward English of Connecticut​

From “The Rivals – Lincoln and his Cabinet” by Amelia Doggett
Grosvenor 2008

“In the run up to the Republican convention in Chicago Republican backed newspapers began their campaigns in support of their anointed candidates. Men like Wade, Chase and particularly Butler and their adherents would stoop far to smear their opponents with accusations of every species of corruption, moral turpitude and, in Butler’s case, every sin listed in the bible and some entirely of his own invention…

President Lincoln wrote many letters to the potential candidates, their supporters and newspaper editors asking them to conduct a respectful campaign. “Never before have I engaged in so much spitting into the wind…and just like Canute my feet are getting wet.” With the exception of Joseph Holt, Lincoln did not have a high opinion of any of his potential successors…”

From “The 100 Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time” by George Gregory and Amy Li
Morrison Bros. 2011

With One Hand Behind My Back 1949 – Marlborough Pictures

Marcus Graves as Robert Todd Lincoln: “It can't end this way. It mustn't. Father isn’t time you picked the successor you want? The successor the country needs?”

James J. Bierce as President Lincoln in "With One Hand Behind My Back"​

From “The Radicals 1860-1872” by Hugh W. McGrath
New England Press 2001

“The National Union Party’s convention at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia was supposed to mark the end of the party. It was supposed to be adjourned with a pledge to endorse the candidate chosen at the Republican Party Convention in 10 days’ time. A 25 year old delegate from the District of Columbia would ensure it was anything but…”

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty One

A New Beginning
Part II​

From “Profoundly Wrong – A Re-assessment of American Historical Criticism by Bertram James
Collingwood-German 1933

“The great man theory of history so permeates the story of Phil Kearny that it seems to infect those around him. The story of Robert Lincoln’s speech at the Philadelphia convention of the National Union party is but one of the many mythologised events that make up the Kearny story. However it ignores the huge support for Kearny from all the veterans who had gravitated towards the banner of National Unionism…

It also ignores the many homeless Democrats in search of a party. There were plenty of former Democrats who eschewed the perceived Copperheadism of their old party but who still believed in the political tenants of the party: states’ rights over federal centralism; the promotion of mercantile, banking and railroad interests; opposition to imperialism and overseas expansion; support for the gold standard; and who opposed high taxes and tariffs. They did not, could not see themselves supporting the Republican party of Benjamin Wade or Thaddeus Stevens. That is why the revolt against the merging of the National Union Party into the Republican Party occurred…”

The Academy of Music, Broad and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia​

From "The Uneasy Alliance – The National Union Party 1864 - 1900" by Fergus Glubb and Eleanor Bell-Hamer
Northwestern 2008

“The Convention at times seemed almost an official United States Legion affair so many were the veterans, sashes and badges. Indeed the convention coincided with a parade of the Legion through the city. Whether the parade or the convention was organised first is unclear but they certainly seemed to complement one another…

There was palpable discontent with the potential candidates from both parties. There were some rumblings about the wisdom of General Kearny’s denial of either nomination but those had not yet coalesced around any acceptable alternative. Nonetheless there were rumblings…

Further when one looks at the delegates sent to the Convention what transpired is perhaps unsurprising: Daniel Sickles of New York, Anson George McCook of Ohio, Lew Wallace (very much a homeless Democrat) of Indiana, John C. McClernand (who was also slated as a delegate to the Republican convention), John A. Logan and Michael Crawford Kerr of Illinois, Isaac Stevens from the Washington Territory; and Robert T. Lincoln (formerly of Kearny’s staff) from the District of Columbia….

The chair had scheduled speeches praising President Lincoln, the army and the Union prior to a scheduled vote which would commit the party to supporting the candidate chosen at the Republican Convention in 10 days’ time. Failing that the chair was prepared for the unlikely contingency that a vote to delay a nomination until after the Republican convention mighty be necessary, which would render the question largely mute…

Robert T. Lincoln had been asked to speak briefly in praise of his father and on the great struggle of the Civil War. While indeed he did speak on those subjects he labored the idea of his father’s legacy – the quest for National Union. He then quoted General Kearny directly describing the Republican and Democrat parties as “sectional parties which fail to encompass the ambitions, aspirations and dreams of all Americans”. He exhorted the convention to nominate a candidate in competition with those parties in the name of National Union. Heckled and challenged from the floor to make a suggestion Lincoln put Philip Kearny Junior’s name into consideration. The crowd in the Music Academy went wild! The chair lost control for some time. The Ohio delegation had come armed with a band which promptly broke into “Thunder on the Wabash” Kearny’s favorite march. “Once the bottle had been uncorked there was no stopping them until everyone had drunk their fill” (John A. Logan)…

Robert Todd Lincoln spoke at the Convention despite his father's advice to stay out of politics and get into an honest profession​

The chair was prevailed upon to abandon the agenda and accept that Kearny’s name had been put into nomination and seconded (by no less than Dan Sickles and the New York delegation). Were there other names for consideration demanded the chair? “NO!”. State by state the convention was unanimous in proclaiming Kearny their nominee...

The lack of premeditation was obvious from the first. Kearny had to be wired from the Convention seeking his acceptance of the nomination. All was in abeyance while the Convention awaited his response…”

From “Raging Bull – A Life of Kentucky’s William “Bull” Nelson” by Haigher Kearny Brown
Memphis 1998

“Nelson had foreseen at least some move to nominate a candidate at the Convention. Unlike may other delegations whose slates had been filled on an adhoc basis, often with an eye to the National Legion event rather then the convention, he had carefully stuffed Kentucky’s delegation with his loyalists…

Nelson’s hand-picked delegation was not idle during the intermission as deledates, reporters and telegraphs flew about. Kearny was an ‘Easterner’ from New York and New Jersey. Any vice president should be from the heartlands and perhaps even the south. It was, after all, a National Union ticket. Few delegations were as organised or as united (Illinois nominated both McClernand and Logan) as the Kentucky delegation...”

Governor William Nelson and Senator Lovell Rousseau of Kentucky​

From "The Uneasy Alliance – The National Union Party 1864 - 1900" by Fergus Glubb and Eleanor Bell-Hamer
Northwestern 2008

“No one had really expected this turn of events. When Kearny’s acceptance telegram was received and read out there were shouts of joy and the Ohio band struck up again…”

From “Raging Bull – A Life of Kentucky’s William “Bull” Nelson” by Haigher Kearny Brown
Memphis 1998

“Then consideration of a vice presidential candidate began. Of course the Kentucky delegates, primed with their instructions, nominated Senator Lovell Rousseau of Kentucky as their candidate but they were not alone. The Illinois delegation split and nominated both John C. McClernand and John A. Logan. Isaac Stevens of Washington Territory was nominated by Massachusetts. Other names too were added: Isaac Rodman of Rhode Island, Governor Austin Blair of Michigan and John J. Peck of New York. Crucially every one, save Blair, had been a general with a fighting command...”

From "The Uneasy Alliance – The National Union Party 1864 - 1900" by Fergus Glubb and Eleanor Bell-Hamer
Northwestern 2008

“Isaac Stevens, perhaps fearing the possibility he might actually become Vice President, a position he held in contempt, was quick to throw his weight behind the Kentucky delegation. The ticket needed political experience but Stevens had heard rumours about Austin Blair’s health. That left Senator Rousseau as the other senior officeholder in the young party. Stevens knew Kearny liked and respected him. Stevens, ever the political animal, also knew Rousseau was Nelson’s man and that could do no harm either…

With Stevens moving to Rousseau momentum swung his way. It took only the second ballot to give Rousseau the majority. A third ballot occurred anyway to make matters unanimous…

A convention which was to be no more that the death sigh of a party not yet out of its cradle became the rallying cry of a party that learned to run before it could walk...”

Isaac Stevens was a close friend and ally of both President Lincoln and General Kearny​

From "War and Politics: The career of John A. McClernand" by Alfonso M. Mitchell
Rushbridge Press 1983

“Surprised by the sudden significance of the Convention McClernand was caught unprepared. He had been Captain-General of the Illinois branch of the United States Legion for less than three months. He had only joined the delegation to attend both the Convention and the Legion parade with a view to getting his name in the Chicago papers. Yet the former congressman worked his native delegation swiftly. To his agonising frustration he discovered John A. Logan, his fellow former Democrat and former Congressman, was working the delegation as well. They were too well matched and, though both were nominated having split their delegation, neither were taken seriously enough…

McClernand was furious. He resolved never to be caught unprepared again and he marked the name of John A. Logan down as requiring a very personal and fitting punishment...”

From “Profoundly Wrong – A Re-assessment of American Historical Criticism by Bertram James
Collingwood-German 1933

“What did the party stand for? National Unionism is viewed through the lens of what it became but at its outset it was a chameleon. It reflected the values its’ supporters wanted it to reflect even though its supporters fundamentally disagreed on everything. It could be whatever the voters and its candidates wished it to be...at least at the beginning...”

General Philip Kearny Junior of New Jersey and Senator Lovell Rousseau of Kentucky
National Union Party 1868​

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Two
​

A New Beginning
Part III​

From "The Uneasy Alliance – The National Union Party 1864 - 1900" by Fergus Glubb and Eleanor Bell-Hamer
Northwestern 2008

"As news of the nomination of Kearny by the National Union party spread out by wire across the country there were spontaneous outbursts of support. The United States Legion was foremost in its early commitment with branches across the country officially endorsing the Kearny/Rousseau ticket within days. Newspapers from San Francisco to Boston trumpeted the nomination with huge enthusiasm for the Kearny the candidate…and all this without Kearny or the party having given any indication of its platform…"

From “The Rivals – Lincoln and his Cabinet” by Amelia Doggett
Grosvenor 2008

To say the leadership of the Republican party was dismayed was an understatement. Their thunder had been stolen mere days before their own nominating convention. A Union war hero. The most popular man in the country save, arguably, President Lincoln himself. It was assumed Kearny would appropriate the Republican platform. Ben Butler observed that “we’ve had the privilege of having our clothes stolen by one of the richest men in the country”…

All anyone wanted to know in Washington was President Lincoln’s view on Kearny’s nomination. While occasionally his interlocutor would receive the ‘My friend Phil’ anecdote that began “I have known Phil Kearny since we first talked horseflesh in Springfield 22 years ago. He was a fine young lieutenant then...” there was also the ‘Service’ speech where Lincoln highlighted that Kearny could have lived a life of comfort and ease with his wealth but instead had dedicated his life to the service of the country. Neither would satisfy the committed Washington politico. The lethal phrase then offered was that “my party could endorse no better candidate”. In a single phrase Lincoln not only endorsed Kearny but specifically aligned himself with the National Union party. Before it had been seen as a label of convenience, now…

Holt immediately followed his chief’s example and endorsed Kearny. In truth he had little appetite himself for the presidency but would have preferred instead a seat on the Supreme Court…

The Kentucky Republican Party, under Bull Nelson, defected en masse to the National Union Party overnight. They were followed, across the nation, by a stampede of Republicans and War Democrats who had served in the Civil War…"

From “The Radicals 1860-1872” by Hugh W. McGrath
New England Press 2001

"While Senator Wade was seething with rage, Chase was desperate. Chase felt that, having been on the cusp of achieving the presidency, it was now about to be stolen. It was an indication of his desperation that he arranged an urgent meeting with his fellow Ohioan, Wade, to discuss what steps could be taken to stem the tide. Though no record of their discussion in Wade’s Washington residence exists it is difficult to see what they could have done together or separately to hamstring the Kearny candidacy…"

Chase had turned down nomination for the Democratic nomination, a decision he was to profoundly regret.​

From “Profoundly Wrong – A Re-assessment of American Historical Criticism by Bertram James
Collingwood-German 1933

"The Republican Convention proceeded in Chicago but the outcome was inevitable. In a surprising turn of fortune it was the Republican Party that endorsed the National Union Party ticket of Kearny and Rousseau. It was not a unanimous vote, indeed there was some acrimony, but Kearny was a hugely popular figure among delegates and had been the party’s first choice for president before he had declined to stand. It would often go ill for any Republican delegates’ future prospects of political office if it was discovered he had voted against the adoption of the Kearny ticket…"

"A worthless goddam article" was how one worthy described his Republican Convention Ticket​

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Three

The Emperor is Enthroned

Though born in New York, following his appointment as a Brigadier from New Jersey, Kearny would always refer to himself as a Jerseyman
​

From “The Uneasy Alliance – The National Union Party 1864 – 1900” by Fergus Glubb and Eleanor Bell-Hamer
Northwestern 2008

“That Republicans the nation over could happily fall in behind the National Union platform could be seen from a simple parsing of that Platform:

First: We congratulate the country on the assured success of the reconstruction policy of Congress, as evinced by the adoption, in all the States lately in rebellion, of constitutions securing equal civil and political rights to all loyal citizens, and regard it as the duty of the Federal Government to sustain those constitutions, and to prevent the people of such States from being remitted to a state of anarchy or military rule;

Second: The guarantee by Congress of equal suffrage to all loyal men of the nation regardless of race or religion was demanded by every consideration of public safety, of gratitude, and of justice, and must be maintained;

Third: Of all who were faithful in the trials of the late war, there were none entitled to more especial honor than the brave soldiers and seamen who endured the hardships of campaign and cruise, and imperilled their lives in the service of the country. The bounties and pensions provided by law for these brave defenders of the nation, are obligations never to be forgotten. The widows and orphans of the gallant dead are the wards of the people and constitute a sacred legacy bequeathed to the nation's protecting care;

Fourth: We denounce all forms of debt repudiation as a national dishonour; that honor requires the payment of the public indebtedness in the utmost good faith to all creditors at home and abroad, not only according to the letter, but the spirit of the laws under which it was contracted;

Fifth: The National Debt, contracted as it has been for the preservation of the Union for all time to come, should be extended over a fair period of redemption, and it is the duty of Congress to reduce the rate of interest thereon whenever it can be done honestly;

Sixth: The Government of the United States should be administered with the strictest economy that can be maintained without imperilling the security of the nation;

Seventh: Foreign immigration, which in the past has added so much to the wealth, development of resources, and increase of power to this nation should be fostered and encouraged by a liberal and just policy;

Eighth: This Convention declares its sympathy with all oppressed peoples which struggle for their rights;

Ninth: While we highly commend the spirit of magnanimity and repentance with which many men of the South now frankly and honestly co-operate with us in restoring the peace of the country and reconstructing the Southern State Governments upon the basis of impartial justice, we continue to uphold and support the doctrines of abandonment and exile, and such other restrictions and disqualifications as the Government has imposed, as are consistent with the safety and security of the loyal people of the nation;

Tenth: We recognize the great principles laid down in the immortal Declaration of Independence as the true foundation of Democratic Government; and we hail with gladness every effort toward making these principles a living reality on every inch of American soil and commit ourselves the renewal and maintenance of the spirit of National Union…

These could easily have been Republican planks, though Republicans were more likely to have elaborated on the National Debt…”

The death of the Democratic Party would be predicted many times over the following decades but it remained strong in many states particularly once it embraced the rural farmers' cause​

From “Tammany Ablaze – Democratic Politics from 1864 – 1900” by Otis R. Mayhew
Buffalo 2003

“The Democrats were rather at sea about their planks but had ultimately come out against proscription and the confiscation of private property. They called for the abolition of the Office of Proscription and the Bureau of Collectors as being consistent with this policy. They also called for the abolition of the Freedmen’s Bureau in the interests of “national economy”. While consistent with the small government/states’ rights policy of the Democratic Party these were brave positions to adopt. All three organisations had the support of widespread vested interests. In particular the Bureau of Collectors was an extremely effective tool of the spoils system and many a former Southern Democrat had 'spun' in order to be appointed as an agent. This would further undermine the effectiveness of the Democratic machine…

There were also ugly slogans published in anonymous pamphlets which condemned the "negrofication" of certain southern states like South Carolina and Georgia and saw proscription as the tool “by which our beloved Southern States will be n*****fied”. Where the authors and printers could be identified their names quickly found their way onto a list in the Office of Proscription. This however was a rare occurrence as the propagandists were very careful. Some pamphlets were being smuggled in from Confederate colonies abroad, particularly Havana.

In many cases such slanders were counterproductive. Many Union veterans, including Democrats, had developed a less prejudiced view of the negro during the war. Furthermore few, outside the effected states, had any issue with concentration of freedmen and their families in some Southern States. “Better they be kings in the Carolinas than competing for our jobs in the North” (The Irish News of New York) was the view expressed by one Irish-American newspaper editorial in the north. It was very difficult in deed for Tammany to interest their machine voters in the so called “white flight” from a handful of former Confederate states…”

From “Philip Kearny – The Myth and The Man” by Dr. P. Capaldi
University of Illinois Press 2003

“In towns across the North, and indeed in some Southern ones too, branches of the United States Legion marched on mass to the polls to cast a vote for General Kearny…

It has often been observed that, for a nation historically distrustful of standing armies, in not one election poster or handbill was Philip Kearny jr portrayed out of uniform. No one in their letters, diaries or recollections claimed to support Mr Kearny, or Philip Kearny, or Phil Kearny. The man they were voting for was always “General Kearny”…”

Edward Bragg was a rare thing - a former Union general who rejected National Unionism and remained a committed Democrat. He would be a thorn in the side of the new administration​

From “A Voice in the Wilderness – Edward Bragg and the Democratic party” by Morris Tolliver
PCUP 2001

“I suspect had General Kearny declared his intent to crown himself Emperor of the Americas he would nonetheless have carried a plurality of the states” (Edward Bragg). It cannot have come as much surprise to the nation when the National Union ticket of Phil Kearny and Lovell Rousseau swept the nation. It only failed to carry North Carolina, Alabama and Texas. Not a single Northern State came close to voting Democrat.”

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Four

The Emperor's Coat-tails
Part One​

From "A Summary of the Elections in the Transition from the Second to the Third Party System" by Prof. James Gilmore
Mississippi State 1964

“The gubernatorial elections throughout 1868 would both predict and replicate the results of the national election of that year. Veterans of the Civil War were very much the flavor across the country…

With the tapping of James S. Wadsworth for a cabinet role, a fresh face was needed in New York. A National Unionist was elected but he was anything but a fresh face: John A. Dix was a 70 year old former volunteer major-general. A War Democrat, he had no difficultly wearing the mantle of National Unionism…

John A. Dix of New York and Joshua Chamberlain of Maine​

In Maine it was the 40 year old hero of Union Mills and Kings Mountain, Joshua Chamberlain, who would win the governorship for the National Unionists. Unlike Dix, Chamberlain was a Republican to his fingertips, but he idolized Phil Kearny and was a great advocate of the spirit of unity that National Unionism espoused…

Wisconsin returned Lucius Fairchild. He did not wear the cloak of National Unionism but still proudly called himself a Republican. The word unspoken was ‘radical’ and he was a staunch supporter of the principles of proscription and confiscation…

It was not entirely a story of combat veterans in 1868. John Quincy Adams II had been a colonel on Governor Andrews’ staff in Maine but had never seen a moment’s action or a day’s drill. Although a conservative Republican at the start of the war he had become increasingly horrified with the outrages perpetrated by the rebels during the war. “His principles vied with sentiments” according to his biographer. In such a mind he was of course drawn to the compromise that national Unionism offered. “Like a loving parent we invite the Southerners to repent and be embraced in forgiveness but we reserve the right to chastise the unrepentant unremittingly” (John Quincy Adams II in his election address)…

John Quincy Adams II of Massachusetts​

A man alone, Joel Parker of New Jersey, was the only Democrat governor elected in 1868. He would be the last Democratic governor there for some time in what would become “The Kearny State”…

Of perhaps more significance was that 1868 saw the first elections for governor in the South since the re-establishment of state government in the former rebel states…

In Texas, German Americans united with the Tejanos to elect Frederick ‘Fritz’ Tegener. A bear of a man, Tegener had founded the Union Loyal League in Texas at the outset of the war. Barely escaping Texas with his life he had returned upon the peace to become a leader of the pro-union immigrant rump. The fact that huge numbers of former Texas voters had been proscribed, voluntarily fled into exile, or simply had not applied to take the oath of alligience following the renunciation of their American citizenship during the war meant that Texas was fought over by native Unionists, German and Polish immigrants, Tejanos and freedmen. The Tejano-German alliance under Tegener stole a march on his rivals and he was elected as a Republican. The turbulent state of Texas meant however that he had to “sleep with a pistol under the pillow and shotgun under the bed” (Galveston Union Courier)…

Fritz Tegener of Texas​

In Arkansas the tiny community of freedmen made up nearly a quarter of the reduced electorate in 1868. Many rebels were reluctant to apply to the Courts to take the oath of allegiance in fear that they might cause the Office of Proscription might look again at their file. This presented Joseph Brooks, a fiery preacher and former chaplain of a Negro regiment of Fighting Lambs fame to take office. A radical Republican he would, in later terms, be one of the first senior politicians to be influenced by the works of Selah Merrill and early communalism…

Joseph Brooks of Arkansas and Andre Cailloux of Louisiana​

Andre Cailloux would become the first Negro elected to a generalship in the history of the Union. He would not be the last. Injured hero of the Louisiana Native Guard; holder of the Kearny Cross; and, uniquely, a former Confederate Lieutenant, he defeated Dan Sickles picked man, Henry Tremain, to become the National Unionist candidate for and then governor of Louisiana…

Unable to find “one honest man” (Jackson Chronicle) in Mississippi the National Union Party of Mississippi turned to a Northerner who, having served ably on Albion P. Howe’s staff, had done much to improve life in Jackson – Doctor Latimer McCook. A member of the huge McCook clan of Ohio (his branch was called the ‘Tribe of Dan’) McCook had worked wonders in sanitation and disease prevention during the military governorship. He now faced the daunting task of dealing with a state in flux. Originally divided into three contending camps of disenfranchised former rebels, white unionists and freedmen, Mississippi had suffered badly with partisan violence after the peace. The result had been a flight of former rebels either into exile or to other more accommodating states and territories. This was balanced by an influx of freedmen and their families from Georgia, Alabama and western Tennessee. Little did he know it, but Dr. McCook was fast becoming the governor of the second majority Negro state in the Union…

Dr. Latimer McCook - one of several McCooks who would rise to high office​

William Hugh Smith’s election in Alabama made the freedmen there nervous. A former slave-owner he had opposed secession on purely practical grounds. Having raised and led the 1st Alabama Union Cavalry and ridden with McClernand he had the army’s seal of approval. However, though he wore the mantle of National Unionism, he quickly came to be viewed by the freedmen of his state as a barely concealed conservative Democrat. His perceived prejudice against Negroes and his preference for the most transparent spinners encouraged many freedmen to move to Mississippi, South Carolina and further afield…

In Georgia Joshua Hill was elected governor. While a committed unionist himself many in his family were not. Although initially reluctant to run because of his concerns about the enfranchisement of freedmen it has subsequently been argued he ran in order to protect his crippled son (injured under Cleburne in Hooker’s advance on Atlanta) from proscription. Forced to associate with the Negro leaders of National Unionism in his state did not sit well with him and he ultimately only served one term...

The Bureau of Collectors saw their man in Florida, Harrison Reed, elected to the governor’s mansion. At the time his opponents claimed he had misused public funds to buy his election. Of course he had been responsible for distributing some confiscated rebel property to the freedmen of the state and therefore the lines between his duties and bribery of the electorate were ‘naturally’ confused…

Born in Alabama, raised in Kentucky William Birney would become governor of South Carolina. In a state where almost the entire white population had been disenfranchised because of their rebellion it was the freedmen who elected their National Unionist governor. Initially reluctant to nominate one of their own the Negro leadership of the party sought a Southern white who would be happy to carry the standard in South Carolina. Birney was a fierce partisan of the freedmen’s cause having led Negro regiments and brigades from their formation in the war. He would be an incredibly popular governor of the state but he would also be the last white governor of that state…

William Birney- "A southerner fit to be governor" (attributed to Israel Richardson)​

John Milton Worth was only free to become governor of North Carolina because General Hancock had ensured a more liberal hand in the state. Proscription was a less resorted to remedy and the Courts seemed happier administering the oath of alligience. John M. Worth therefore did not join his brother in exile, but as he was only a junior officer in the state reserves during the Rebellion he was quickly rehabilitated. This was in no small part to his history as an anti-secessionist Union man before the war. North Carolina was, alongside Alabama, the least secure state to be a freedman in, and thus many moved south to the other Carolina…

Perhaps the most surprising successful candidate for governor was in Virginia. The political class in Virginia had been wiped out by proscription. The many spinners who had revolved around the military administration were loath to run lest their record be re-examined by the Office of Proscription. The spinners needed a popular but benign candidate to clothe in the National Unionism otherwise the freedmen might elect some radical republican. General John Sedgwick had been a popular governor during his military tenure in that state. Why risk change was the question the spinners asked. A delegation of Richmond notables was deputised to approach the General to request he run for the office. Initially reluctant, the Connecticuter had his patriotism pled to. His friends in the army also advised him to take advantage of the opportunity. Thus Uncle John became the Governor of Virginia. Who could have imagined but a mere 8 years before that Virginia would elect an anti-slavery Yankee as governor...”

Virginia would settle for 'Uncle John' Sedgwick as governor for another four years​

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Five

The Emperor's Coat-tails
Part Two
​

From "A Summary of the Elections in the Transition from the Second to the Third Party System" by Prof. James Gilmore
Mississippi State 1964

"Following re-admittance of the Southern States and Kearny's nomination for the National Union Party there was tumultuous change in the House of Representatives in 1868/69. The Democrats rose from 40 to 52 seats. The Republicans fell from 141 to 128. However these were not losses to the Democrats. Rather many Republicans re-branded themselves as National Unionists and in doing so held onto both the votes of War Democrats and Radical Republicans. In fact National Unionists rose from 28 to 61 seats...

The Senate of the 41st Congress contained many familiar faces but it was nonetheless a changed body. Aside from the return of the Class 1 Senators, the readmitted Southern States began appointing fresh Class 2 and 3 Senators according to their new state constitutions…

Alabama:

​

Charles Christopher Sheats (National Unionist) – One of the youngest senators ever, Sheats barely met the age requirement for the Senate. However as an unconditional unionist at the Alabama Secessionist Convention, at a mere 21 years of age, he was one of the few who refused to sign any Secessionist document or declaration. Forced to hide for a time in the mountains of northern Alabama he was ultimately captured and jailed by the Rebels for his unionism. His repeated election by the “Free State of Winston County” and his refusal to co-operate or even attend the rebel institutions to which he was elected served to further burnish his unionist credentials…

Henry C. Sanford (Republican) – Another anti-secessionist delegate to the Alabama Convention in 1861 this Methodist Episcopal minister was a self-described radical republican and darling of both freedmen and committed Alabama Unionists alike…

Arkansas:

​

William Meade Fishback (National Unionist) – A former pro-Union delegate to the Arkansas Secession Convention, he had fled the state to Missouri where he gathered other Arkansas exiles into the 4th Arkansas Cavalry (USA) as their Colonel. Upon his return to the state his newspaper, The National Unionist, encouraged the remaining Arkansas voters to support the rights of freedmen and the powers of the Office of Proscription...

Andrew Hunter (National Unionist) – “The Grand Old Man of Arkansas” and “The Patriarch of Methodism” this Ulsterman was the chosen candidate of the spinners and enfranchised democrats left in Arkansas. He fervently believed in the reuniting of the Southern and Northern churches and was comfortable with the abolition of slavery…

California:

James McClatchy (Republican) – Editor of the Sacramento Bee and nemesis of the corrupt businessman and politician McClatchy was a confirmed Radical Republican.

John Conness (National Unionist) – Formerly identifying as a Republican, Conness’ rebranding as a National Unionist may have saved his bacon. Returned by the legislature by just one vote, Conness was an early proponent of equal rights for non-whites. Not only was he a champion of freedmen but also of Chinese immigrants to the state of California…

Connecticut:

​

Orris S. Ferry (National Unionist) – former division commander in XVIII Corps of The Fighting Lambs/The Army of the James...

William Alfred Buckingham (Republican)

Delaware:

Henry du Pont (National Unionist)

Thomas F. Bayard (Democrat)

Florida:

​

James Chaplin Beecher (Republican) – half-brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, this Presbyterian minister had been a missionary in China at the outbreak of war. Serving as Colonel of the 2nd South Carolina Colored Infantry during Rodman’s invasion of that state, Beecher was later transferred to the occupation of Florida. Remaining in that state, initially as an agent of the Freedmen’s Bureau, Beecher quickly became active in state politics. After notable service in the state constitutional convention he was the first to be nominated by the new legislature to the Senate where he would serve the radical cause…

Josiah T. Walls (Republican) – born a slave, Walls rose to become a sergeant in the 3rd United States Colored Infantry. A significant figure in the Floridian Constitutional Convention, Walls would be the first African American to serve in Congress from Florida…

Georgia:

​

Joshua Hill (National Unionist)

William Washington Gordon II (Nationalist Unionist) – initially a Lieutenant in the Georgia Hussars in the Confederate service, Gordon resigned his commission following the murder of his wife’s uncle, General David Hunter, by the Confederate Government. Initially uncooperative with rebel government, he slowly became a more and more outspoken unionist. By birth and education a southern gentleman; by bitter experience a genuine spinner; Gordon is generally popular across the remaining enfranchised whites of Georgia. However the Office of Proscription has a file on Gordon as a former junior rebel officer...

Illinois:

Richard Yates (Republican)

Lyman Trumbull (Republican)

Indiana:

Oliver H.P.T. Morton (Republican)

Robert H. Milroy (Republican) – Milroy parleyed his fame from the post-war military tribunal into a political career in his home state of Indiana. A red rag radical Milroy was forever invoking the name of David Hunter and, to quote one opponent “to hear him you would have thought that Robert H. Milroy himself had hung Jeff Davis by his own hand”…

Iowa:

James W. Grimes (Republican)

James Harlan (Republican)

Kansas:

James H. Lane (Republican)

Samuel C. Pomeroy (Republican)

Kentucky:

Thomas E. Bramlette (Republican)

Green Clay Smith (National Unionist) – Former Congressman and Colonel of the 4th Kentucky Cavalry, he had risen to command a brigade of cavalry. Following Lovell Rousseau’s elevation to the Vice-Presidency he was chosen by the legislature (i.e. Bull Nelson) to serve out Rousseau’s term…

Louisiana:

Louis Charles Roudanez (Republican) – founder of the first newspaper in the South aimed at African-Americans, he was opposed to the nomination of “yankees” to political office in the South. Uniting the prosperous creoles and “mulattoes” with the state spinners in the legislature he secured nomination to the Senate...

Francis E. Dumas (Republican) – an octroon who spoke five languages and lived in France for several years, he had inherited his father’s plantation just before the war. Rising to Major in the Louisiana Native Guards during the war he had a distinguished war record. A close ally of Roudanez he formed part of the state’s creole Republican alliance in trying to keep Sickles’ and his yankee nominees out of office...

Maine:

Hannibal Hamlin (Republican)

William Pitt Fessenden (Republican)

Maryland:

Reverdy Johnson (Democrat)

George Vickers (Democrat)

Massachusetts:

Charles Sumner (Republican)

Henry Wilson (Republican)

Michigan:

Zachariah Chandler (Republican)

Jacob M. Howard (Republican)

Minnesota:

Alexander Ramsey (Republican)

Daniel S. Norton (Republican)

Mississippi:

​

Bernard G. Farrar Jr (Republican) - originally from Missouri Farrar quickly rallied to the Union cause and was appointed first to General Nathaniel Lyon's staff and later to General Halleck's. Transferred to serve under Grant and then McClernand Farrar would, by the end of the war, command an all-black (enlisted) brigade. Remaining in Mississippi after his mustering out Farrar was an outspoken Republican and advocate of the rights of freedmen...

Henry P. Jacobs (Republican) - escaping slavery in Alabama with most of his family, Jacobs lived in Canada and Michigan where he became a Baptist minister. Moving Jackson during the war to serve a mission he became active in the Freedmen's Bureau and helped organise negro ex-soldiers into cooperative farming communities on former plantations. Serving in the Constitutional Convention he was nominated by the legislature to the Senate...

Missouri:

Benjamin Gratz Brown (Republican)

Carl Schurz (National Unionist)

Nebraska:

Robert Ramsay Livingstone (National Unionist) - A surveyor and mine owner who rose to command of the 1st Nebraska Infantry he was a notable figure in the state.

John M. Thayer (Republican)

Nevada:

William Morris Stewart (Republican)

James W. Nye (Republican)

New Hampshire:

John P. Hale (Republican)

Thomas M. Edwards (Republican)

New Jersey:

John P. Stockton (Democrat)

Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (Republican)

New York:

Roscoe Conkling (Republican)

Edward D. Morgan (Republican)

North Carolina:

George Washington Kirk (National Unionist) - first a rebel officer his Union sympathies led him to resign and flee to Union lines where he ultimately became Colonel of the 3rd North Carolina (USA) Cavalry. Serving as a aide during Hancock's military governorship he had built up a sufficient network to get nominated to the Senate...

Tod Robinson Caldwell (Republican)

Ohio:

Benjamin Wade (Republican)

John Sherman (Republican)

Oregon:

George H. Williams (Republican)

Henry W. Corbett (Republican)

Pennsylvania:

Simon Cameron (Republican)

James Shields (Republican) - the famous Irish American general (who almost fought a duel with Lincoln) was another officer who turned his fame arising out the coverage of the military tribunals to his favor. Already a senator from Illinois and Minnesota before the war, he settled in Pennsylvania after the war. He holds the record for holding senatorial office from three separate states...

Rhode Island:

William Sprague IV (Republican)

Henry B. Anthony (Republican)

South Carolina:

​

Richard H. Cain (Republican) - born in what would become West Virginia, Cain's calling to preach would take him all over the Union. He became a notable bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church and he was a delegate to the South Carolina Constitutional Convention while editing the South Carolina Recorder

Thomas Wentworth Higginson (Republican) - a fierce abolitionist and secret supporter of John Brown, Higginson had become the colonel of the First South Carolina Volunteers made up of freedmen. "I did not join to teach lessons, but to receive them" he proclaimed. Initially a popular figure, his advocacy of women's rights would cause contravesy.

Tennessee:

William H. Wisener (Republican) - one of just five representatives in the Tennessee Secession Convention to oppose secession Wisener was an outspoken unionist. He continued to vote against acts opposing the federal government and supporting the rebellion. His record did come under intense scrutiny during the Constitutional Convention but he had the support of Andrew Jackson who, though waning in influence in the state, still had enough to swing Wisener's appointment.

Samuel Mayes Arnell (National Unionist) - no amount of insult or injury to his person or property would dissuade Arnell from his pro-Union stance during the war. He played a major role in drafting the new state constitution and was rewarded with nomination to the Senate...

Texas:

​

Morgan Calvin Hamilton (Republican)

Jacob Kuechler (Republican) - originally from Hesse-Darmstadt he immigrated to Texas in 1847. An early communalist, before the American form of that ideology coalesced, he was part of the failed Bettina colony in Texas. A graduate, with degrees in Civil Engineering and Forestry, he is noted for pioneering the science of dendrochronology. Commissioned by Sam Houston to raise a militia he enrolled only pro-Union Germans before being dismissed by Houston's rebel successor. Kuechler remained a thorn in the rebel side, helping smuggle pro-Union Germans out of the state and supporting deserters from his base in New Mexico. On his return to the state he initially sought only to be state surveyor but his popularity amongst the newly empowered German-Texan community propelled him to the Senate...

Vermont:

George F. Edmunds (Republican)

George J. Stannard (National Unionist) - Vermont's senior war hero Stannard was an ardent supporter of Kearny's election to the Presidency. In order to ensure the state's voice was heard the legislature sent Stannard as a National Unionist to the Senate...

Virginia:

John Francis Lewis (Republican)

Franklin Stearns (National Unionist) - one of the state's largest property owners he was considered an enemy of the Confederacy and had spent part of the war in jail or under house arrest. Stearns was considered the leader of the spinners in the state and was partially responsible for the choice of John Sedgwick as their candidate for the governorship. Nonethless he couldn't quite bring himself to identify as a Republican and, arriving in the capitol, declared to President Kearny that he was, himself, a National Unionist...

West Virginia:

Peter G. Van Winckle (Republican)

Waitman T. Wiley (Republican)

Wisconsin:

James R. Doolittle (Republican)

Timothy O. Howe (Republican)"

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Six

The Consuls of His Empire
​

From “Men of Proven Merit - Kearny and His Cabinet” by Amelia Doggett
Grosvenor 2017

"When it was suggested to Kearny that he wait for the new leadership of the newish National Union Party to get organised before making major appointments he had a simple view - "I will strike now before the enemy organises" (a comment reported by Lovell Rousseau). Kearny was not exaggerating when he hinted there may be opposition to his cabinet appointments. He intended to deviate from principles that had governed cabinet appointments for many years. Kearny had no interest in sectional appeasement with geographically balanced appointments. He also had no interest in rewarding political favours. As far as Kearny was concerned he was President on his own merits and the slew of National Unionist senators, congressmen, governors etc had been elected on his coattails. No Kearny intended to appoint his cabinet on a simple measure: who did Phil Kearny think was the best man for the job...?"

​

Secretary of State - Isaac Ingalls Stevens (Massachusetts and Washington Territory)

Stevens had become close to Kearny through the course of the war. Kearny considered him to be an excellent organiser and a good judge of men. He also shared Kearny's ill temper and had no difficult intimidating those he felt had not come up to scratch. Crucially Stevens had proven himself aligned with Kearny and his key advisor, his cousin John Watts de Peyster, on most issues of foreign affairs. A fact amply proven during long discussions on their tour of European capitals. Stevens concurred with de Peyster's view that the United States was an emergent Great Power who should have a greater say in affairs, not only in the Americas, but further afield where her interests and trade were affected. He combined Seward's opportunistic attitude to territorial acquisition with his President's attitude to the use of force (liberally where appropriate)...

Secretary of the Treasury - Joseph Seligman (New York)

In an astonishing move Kearny offered the post of Secretary of the Treasury to the Jewish financier Joseph Seligman. Seligman was the president of J & W Seligman & Co, probably the largest finance firm in the United States after the Civil War. During the War, Seligman was responsible for aiding the Union by disposing of $200,000,000 in bonds a feat which Robert Todd Lincoln later said was "scarcely less important than the Battle of Union Mills". Seligman sought to refuse the position initially but Kearny would not take no for an answer. "You are not only the right man for the job, you are the only right and honest man for the job" (Kearny in a letter to Seligman). It was with a great deal of trepidation that the somewhat shy and retiring Seligman bowed to the pressure and became to the first man of the Jewish faith to be appointed to cabinet rank in the United States...

Secretary of War - John Watts de Peyster (New York)

Of all the professional generals and military heroes that could have been appointed to the office who would have discharged it honourably and competently, it might at first seem surprising that Kearny chose a militia officer who had seen limited action during the war for the role of Secretary of War. However, John Watts de Peyster was not only Kearny's trusted cousin - he was a man of vision and ideas who united that with a skill in getting things done. In fact de Peyster had a hand in the formation and organisation of both the New York police and fire departments prior to the war. As a New York militia general he had briefly served against the rebels with great distinction at the Battle of Harrisburg. His experience and his strong opinions led him to write 'New American Tactics', a work on infantry and cavalry tactics that promoted the use of skirmishers and was considered cutting edge at the time. Indeed his beau ideal of a soldier was not his cousin but rather John Buford who de Peyster considered the pre-eminent cavalry general of the war...

De Peyster also had a vision of a militarily strong United States exercising a more robust role on the world stage. The behaviour of the European powers during the war had convinced him they had but little sympathy for the American experiment and that unless the United States proactively moved to protect its long term interests it would always remain at risk from a combination of potential hostile powers...

Attorney General - Joseph Holt (Kentucky)

Postmaster General, Secretary of War, Judge Advocate General, Vice-President - Joseph Holt had proven himself an effective operator in a wide range of political posts. It was Lincoln who strongly recommended Holt to the new President. In any event as a sound National Unionist, a southerner, and a vocal supporter of the government's policies on proscription and confiscation, he was a good fit for Kearny's cabinet. He had been intimately involved in the creation and implementation of the proscription legislation (as the most active Vice President up to that point in American history) and as such he was well placed to support Kearny's administration in the face of a variety of legal challenges to the constitutionality of proscription, expatriation, confiscation etc etc that the new administration expected...

Postmaster General - Jacob Dolson Cox (Ohio)

Rewarded for successfully helming the first four years of the Bureau of Collectors, Cox was rewarded with the position of Postmaster General (a much more powerful role that people in the modern era might imagine). Cox had, by design, built up a strong network of political allies through the liberal application of the spoils system within the Bureau. The office of Postmaster General offered similar opportunities. However, Cox had seemingly always tempered his use of the spoils system with the good sense to appoint apparently competent candidates to the various roles within his gift. Edward Bragg called Cox "the very ideal of what the Greeks name the Benevolent Tyrant". He had Kearny's confidence, not only as a supporter of the Lincoln Administration's policies but as a competent and experienced field commander who had served under Kearny...

Secretary of the Navy - Austin Blair (Michigan)

Former Governor Austin Blair had almost bankrupted himself in supporting the Union cause during the war. Moreover, he had ensured that out of a population of 110,000 men of fighting age at the start of the war, almost 90,000 would volunteer to fight from the state of Michigan. It was an incredible achievement and Blair's interest in the men had not ended at the point of volunteering. Michigan under Blair had an excellent record for caring for the welfare of its men on campaign and its convalescents elsewhere. Blair had ensured that Michigan passed legislation that would allow the men of Michigan to vote even when they were many miles from home on campaign...

Blair's actions had caught the attention of General Kearny and they had become regular correspondents. It was Bull Richardson, not always considered the most caring of men, who had drawn Kearny's attention to the impact of office on Blair's finances. Kearny resolved to award a man of like principle with a guaranteed government salary and duties that, at best, could be described as low on Kearny's list of priorities - the Navy. It was not to be the happiest of appointments...

Secretary of the Interior - James S. Wadsworth (New York)

As Wadsworth stepped down from the rough and tumble of New York gubernatorial politics his intention was to focus once again on his neglected business interests. He was not to be given the opportunity. Wadsworth had served Kearny (and indeed Lincoln) well on both the battlefield and in office. Kearny wanted another man of business in the cabinet and Wadsworth was one that was familiar with all of Kearny's worlds: business, politics and the military. Furthermore Wadsworth was someone who Kearny trusted implicitly to carry out any task with tact and sound judgment. Finally Wadsworth had proven himself a loyal friend to Kearny. It is therefore not surprisingly that the telegram 'appointing' Wadsworth to the office reads more like an order given to a trusted subordinate that an offer to a political ally. Indeed the majority of the cabinet could best be described as loyal and efficient subordinates...

Secretary to the President - James Cuffe Briscoe (Dublin and Pennsylvania)

A busy president needs a secretary and Lincoln had needed more than one. Kearny was used to working with an established staff and it is not surprising that he looked to that old pool of support for his secretary. James Cuffe Briscoe had been appointed as a engineering officer on Kearny's staff as long ago as Fair Oaks. He had remained with Kearny throughout the rest of the war. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, as a civil engineer Briscoe was seen as an asset on Kearny's European tour and thus remained in uniform (though technically still a volunteer) and 'on staff'. He has to prove himself quite adept at managing the business of a busy and ambitious president and was to become a key member of the new President's inner circle. Influence and the proximity of power were, in the end, to prove an intoxicating temptation for the gregarious Irishman..."