Lincoln’s Cabinet in the Civil War
Tribute to Abraham Lincoln: A History by John G. Nicolay and John HayThey came from different parts of the country and had different upbringings. They had different values. They believed in different ideologies and came from different political parties. However, President Abraham Lincoln chose them. They witnessed the disintegration of their country, but they each believed that their role in Lincoln's cabinet would be to help preserve the Union. William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, Edwin Stanton, Gideon Welles, and Montgomery Blair were the core members of the administration. They were some of the most renowned political figures of their time. As a meticulous political strategist, Abraham Lincoln maneuvered countless factors and chose each of them to face the most important crisis in American history. The dynamics of their relationship were deeply rooted in the events that led to the Civil War. Some of them couldn't bear each other's presence, but they each had a unique relationship with Lincoln. Lincoln’s Cabinet in the Civil War is a three-part documentary series that tells the story of political confrontations and personality mismatches amid the Civil War. From the fall of Fort Sumter to the surrender of Robert E. Lee's army, the cabinet members argued, quarreled, were jealous of one another, but took the decisions that led their nation to a new birth.