Jefferson Davis and the Conspiracy

[L Verge]

A special mission such as this should not have left any paper trail, if performed properly. Therefore, we will likely always be able to only speculate on who gave the order to enter Richmond and dispose of the government officials. Wonder what was really in those papers that Stanton and Robert hurriedly destroyed? Were they protecting Stanton? Lincoln? Dahlgren (to please his influential father)?

If I'm not mistaken, Ed Steers was in on some of the research on the authenticity of the papers found on Dahlgren. I hope he weighs in. James O. Hall was pretty sure that it was a mission led from the top down, and I believe Dr. David Long wrote a book on the subject about twenty years ago supporting the theory that the U.S. government sanctioned the Raid.

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I also meant to say that March of 1864 was a pivotal time for Lincoln's political career. There was an election coming up in November that he was afraid he would lose to Peace Democrats or others who wanted that war over with. Any measure that would assure a quick end to the conflict would be worth a try.

Wiping out a few Confederate leaders to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens would appear "humane" to me if I were placed in that position. I also don't think Lincoln achieved sainthood until April 15, 1865 -- and I really don't mean that as harsh as it sounds. I say that because I consider Lincoln a supreme example of a pragmatist.