MCCWRT Presentation-- Part 1: Lincoln and Seward, Far From Compatible

Presentation given March 8, 2016, to the McHenry County Civil War Round Table.

Tom Gavigam used to teach at Roosevelt University and is former president of the Northern Illinois Civil War Round Table and presented a look at Lincoln and Seward.

He described them as quite the Odd Couple in foreign affairs.  They were far from compatible with each other., but eventually became good friends as Seward was Lincoln's Secretary of State.

Seward recommended the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus in the Maryland secession crisis and ran it until Stanton took over in 1862. Many Marylanders suspected of being Southern sympathizers were arrested.

Seward was instrumental in raising the 300,000 troops after McClellan's failed Peninsular Campaign and did so on the sly.

Lincoln's Secretary of State was eight years older than Lincoln and from a prosperous family and even owned three slaves in New York until abolition occurred there.  Seward was college educated (Union College) and had formal law studies as well as considerable political experience, serving as a New York state senator, governor and U.S. senator.

Both Lincoln and Seward loved to tell stories and jokes and both had unusual wits.

--Old Secesh