Lincoln's Gamble: The Tumultuous Six Months that Gave America the Emancipation

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thanks, Roger!
Re: "I knew it would help our cause in Europe" - stating this as the reason, especially towards a reverent, seems odd to me. Of all possible motives (political ones and aspects of humanity), Europe, I would think, was the least on Lincoln's mind. Towards a reverent I would have expected he had pointed out something "anti-slavery" - though to "strike at the pillar of their strenght", and such as the political pressure after General Hunter's order freeing the slaves of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida in May actually might have ranked higher. But I doubt Europe had much influence on his thinking after the Trent Affair being settled in January 1862.