Abraham Lincoln: The Evolving Commander-in-Chief

By Frank J. Williams

Presentation to CCWRT on 20 October 2011, Summarized by Andy Simmons

Photography by Mike Rogers

©Cincinnati CWRT, 2011

In October, the Cincinnati Civil War Round Table was proud to have Frank J. Williams, former Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and a leading scholar on Abraham Lincoln, make a presentation entitled, Abraham Lincoln: The Evolving Commander-in-Chief. While President Lincoln was of his peers one of the least qualified to serve as commander-in-chief, his evolution from country lawyer to President put him at the center of the wheel.

Justice Williams predicated his remarks on Lincoln’s innate greatness through the words of historian Alan Brinkley, who noted that: “Great presidents are products not just of their own talents and ambitions, but of the circumstances they inherit.” Without the Civil War, there is not the great general; and if there is not the great occasion, there is no great statesman. If Lincoln had lived in a time of peace, no one would know his name now.

Although Lincoln had little military to prepare him for the Civil War, he did spend ninety days in the State Militia during the Black Hawk War. Lincoln later joked that his only combat experience was with the pesky mosquitoes. While short, Justice Williams believes that his war experience should not be underestimated. His men reported him as a kind-hearted, noble man, who did his duty well and had a somewhat good eye for military affairs. His experience would later prove invaluable when he lead the citizen soldiers of the Civil War. He understood that sharing equally in their hardships and possessing an absence of self-importance were the primary bases to provide leadership and to bind the men to him.

Due to the severity of the war, the lack of adequate leaders, and lack of precedent delineating the powers of the Commander-in-Chief gave Lincoln little choice but to take part in the conduct of the war. Not unexpectedly, some of his early actions revealed mistakes. Signing an order without reading it caused confusion over the re-supply to Fort Sumter with far reaching results. Never again would Lincoln sign an order without reading it. Winfield Scott and Irwin McDowell advised against fighting First Manassas on the grounds that more time was needed to drill and discipline the troops. Lincoln disregarded the advice of his professional military advisors, succumbing instead to the public who clamored for action. After that, Lincoln would be more careful before ignoring such advice. By 1862, his increased knowledge of military affairs and his growing self-confidence caused him to become not only the greatest wartime president, but perhaps the greatest general in the federal army save Grant.

The Constitution provides that the President shall be Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States. This confers a vast undefined power, the limits of which have never been fully explored and which test our mettle even today. Lincoln invoked the Commander-in-Chief clause of the Constitution to justify measures some considered to be those of a dictator. He assembled an army, called out the militia, closed the post office to treasonable correspondence, closed southern ports by blockade, and suspended the writ of habeas corpus in certain parts of the country. He later instituted a draft. The Emancipation Proclamation was first instituted as a military order from the Commander-in-Chief, freeing slaves in states then in rebellion and authorizing the military to enforce that order. Refusing to engage Chief Justice Roger Taney in a showdown over the constitutionality of the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, Lincoln skillfully avoided a constitutional crisis. Instead, applying his political genius and using his astute understanding of the people, he asked Congress to either ratify his actions or enact something else. Congress ratified every one of his actions.

Lincoln had qualities that made him a great wartime president. One was patience; he knew it would take time for people to accept change. However, he could assess public will and impose that will on opponents by the sheer force of his personality. He was also pragmatic. He was unwilling to be hamstrung by established doctrine or protocol. Lincoln revered the law and the Declaration of Independence, calling it “an apple of gold, framed in silver,” but he would always consider an unconventional approach. Lincoln succeeded because of these qualities and because of his keen political sensitivity, his deft touch as a manager, his willingness to make a hard call while assuming full responsibility, and perhaps mostly, his humor and humanity.

Finally, Justice Williams tells us that not only should Lincoln be remembered for his lack of selfishness and his lack of desire of power for power’s sake, but also for creating the modern command system. Under the new system, a joint product of Lincoln and Congress, Grant was named general in chief in charge with the function of planning and directing the movement of the armies. Henry Halleck was appointed Chief of Staff to function as a communicator between Lincoln and Grant and Grant and his Department heads. Lincoln would be Commander-in-Chief. Grant formed his strategy from Lincoln’s grand plan. This system contained elements studied by students of the military and leaders in many nations. Abraham Lincoln, without fully realizing his part, made a large contribution to the story of command organization.

Judge Williams and Professor Edna Greene Medford were interviewed on C-SPAN In Depth on 1 February 2009, and the program can be viewed at Williams-Medford In Depth. For a fascinating tour of Judge Williams' collection of Lincoln artifacts, go to 1:38 (1 hour, 38 minutes) in the program.

Guest Speaker Frank Williams with Mike Rogers (left) and Alan Berenson (right)