Lincoln & Stanton

[Craig Hipkins]

Lincoln had a sort of contentious relationship with his Secretary of War before he became President. Stanton gave Lincoln the cold shoulder while the two men were working on the "Reaper Case" in 1855. Stanton all but ignored Lincoln referring to him as "a long, lank creature, from Illinois, wearing a dirty linen duster for a coat."

It has always boggled my mind why Lincoln chose Stanton to be his Secretary of War after Cameron left. I believe that Lincoln's first choice was Joseph Holt, but he was pressured into picking Stanton. I wonder if Seward had anything to do with this?

Craig