Name the man most responsible for the re-election of Abraham Lincoln in 1864.....?

Question

The re-election of Lincoln in 1864 was not a foregone conclusion. In fact, had it not been for the direct actions of one man, who changed the course of the election, Lincoln would not have been re-elected, the Democratic candidate would have taken office, and most likely the Civil War would have resulted in a negotiated end with two seperate countries. Who is this man? The only hint I will provide right now is that he didn't like Lincoln very much in 1864, but knew what the result would be if Lincoln lost. You might like this man, you might hate him, or most of you have probably never heard of him - but he did something directly responsible, more than any one person, for it happening. Ten points to the first person who can tell me who and how.

McLellan is not the answer. Actually, he is the man who would have become President had the person I refer to not done what he did. It did not involve a military victory, either - I admit that the trend of the war did help, but those were really the actions of thousands of men. These are good attempts, but what I refer to did not take place on the battlefield - or any engagement of the enemy - or anything military in nature. This was political.

Not Andrew Johnson, but an interesting answer! Why do you feel that Linccoln would not have been elected had it not been for Johnson?

The single person most responsible was Zachariah Chandler. Although by 1864 Chandler believed Lincoln to be an ineffective leader and "weak as water" in his prosecution of the war, he belived that Lincoln's re-election was essential. The Republican Party was bitterly divided, and many didn't want Lincoln in office any longer. The Democratic candidate was Gen. McLellan, whom Lincoln had removed from leadership of the army, and he was very popular. The third candidate was John C. Fremont, who, though not technically running as a Republican, came from those ranks and was immensely popular, too. Chandler knew that if Fremont ran, the Republican vote would be split and McLellan would win. The result would almost certainly have been a negotiated peace and two seperate countries. Chandler - with a lot of effort - convinced Fremont to withdraw from the race, using political deals that today we would find distasteful, and got Lincoln to agree to the deal. Lincoln won because of that.

Answer 1

George B. McClellan - he would have taken office, but by putting himself up against the Commander-in-Chief/President with four years of leadership and victories under his belt - "Little Mac" didn't stand a chance.

Answer 2

J.S. above me got the answer. I would merely add that McClellan could not even so much as muster the Veteran votes at the time.

He was a good General for training the troops - but lacked the ability to lead effectively toward a "fight".

Answer 3

William T Sherman by the burning of Atlanta and the march to the sea

Answer 4

I'd venture William T. Sherman. By his Atlanta campaign.

Answer 5

McClellan is probably the answer you're looking for, but if Meade hadn't won at Gettysburg.........

Answer 6

Andrew Johnson...if it wasn't for him, Lincoln would never gotten elected.