"Lincoln" legal mistake

[David Lockmiller]

I agree whole-heartedly with your assessment, Roger (including your commentary on Mary Lincoln's opinion). F. B. Carpenter strikes me as a quite honest person and the first-hand, detailed observations that he relates in his book, on many occasions, would have been lost to history if not for the reporting in his book.

I was again reading last night this book and came across this story on Lincoln's selection of Chase to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (pages 218-19).

The Hon. Mr. Frank, of New York, told me (Carpenter) that just after the nomination of Mr. Chase as Chief Justice, a deeply interesting conversation upon this subject took place one evening between himself and the President, in Mrs. Lincoln's private sitting-room. Mr. Lincoln reviewed Mr. Chase's ploitical course and aspirations at some length, alluding to what he had felt to be an estrangement from him personally, and to various sarcastic and bitter expressions reported to him as having been indulged in by the ex-Secretary, both before and after his resignation. The Congressman replied that such reports were always exaggerated, and spoke very warmly of Mr. Chase's great services in the hour of the country's extremity, his patriotism, and integrity to principle. The tears instantly sprang into Mr. Lincoln's eyes. "Yes," said he, "that is true. We have stood together in the time of trial, and I should despise myself if I allowed personal differences to affect my judgment of his fitness for the office of Chief Justice."

This text was followed by an important story from the Hon. H. C. Deming of Connecticut (the person you refer to in your post, Roger) on two questions that he asked directly of President Lincoln: 1) If President Lincoln had ever despaired of the country? and 2) Had there ever been a period in which he thought that better management upon the part of the commanding general might have terminatd the war?

I would be happy to expand upon Lincoln's answers to these two questions in Carpenter's book, upon request. And, I would add another story in explanation from a different source in answer to the first question.