Gideon Welles, the Connecticut journalist-politician who served as Lincoln’s secretary of the navy, was not only an architect of Union victory but also a shrewd observer of people, issues, and events. Fortunately for posterity, he recorded many of his observations in his extensive diary. A Connecticut Yankee in Lincoln’s Cabinet brings together 250 of the most important and interesting excerpts from the diary, dealing with topics as varied as the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Marine Band’s concerts in Washington’s Lafayette Square, Lincoln’s sense of humor, rivalries among cabinet members, Welles’s often caustic opinions of prominent politicians and military leaders, demands for creation of a navy yard in his home state, the challenge of blockading 3, 500 miles of Confederate coastline, the struggle against rebel commerce raiders, the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg, the Fort Pillow massacre of African American troops, and Lincoln’s assassination. Together, the excerpts provide a candid insider’s view of the Civil War as it unfolded, and an introduction provides the reader with context. Published by the Acorn Club.
Table of Content
Introduction
Editorial Note
The Emancipation Proclamation and Beyond
Cabinet Problems and Cabinet Crisis
Welles on Lincoln
Taking the Measure of Men
Generals and Admirals at War
Navy Department Challenges
Home-State Matters
Sidelights and Personal Notes
Reflections on the War
Lincoln’s Assassination
Afterword
Appendix: Members of Lincoln’s Cabinet
Members of the Acorn Club
About the author
J. Ronald Spencer is associate academic dean and lecturer emeritus in history at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He lives in West Hartford.
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