Abraham Lincoln offered him the command of the whole Union army, the very same he fought against later. He refused, instead staying “loyal” to his home state of Virginia.
Tag: Abraham Lincoln
Fun Fact: The Republican Who Challenged Lincoln For President
During the 1864 presidential election, many prominent Republicans doubted that Abraham Lincoln could win re-election. Even Lincoln himself heavily doubted the potential outcome. Salmon P. Chase was the only major candidate to challenge Lincoln in the party-primary but only on the belief that the President could not win the general election. Lincoln later won the…
Fun Fact: Holding Lincoln’s Hat
Even though he was defeated by Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential election, Stephen A Douglas did attend his inauguration. Before giving a speech Lincoln took off his hat, but had no place to put it. Douglas offered to hold it and remarked “If I can’t be the President, at least I can hold his…
Fun Fact: Almost Wife To an Almost President
In the 19th century, a young woman named Mary Ann Todd was courted by a Democratic politician named Stephen A. Douglas. Todd eventually married a fellow Whig, which Douglas later defeated in a Senate race in Illinois. The two gentlemen faced each other in politics one last time in the 1860 President election, and Mary…
Fun Fact: How Abraham Lincoln Helped Thanksgiving
Abraham Lincoln set one of the first dates for Thanksgiving in America. In 1863, he made the last Thursday in November the date of the holiday. This was later changed to the third Thursday of November.