Of All Mary Todd Lincoln's Siblings, Emilie Was Lincoln's Favorite. He

A HOUSE DIVIDED The Lincolns’ Confederate Relatives

Did you know ... Lincoln’s sister-in-law Emilie was sheltered at the White House even though she was a Confederate widow?

Of all Mary Todd Lincoln’s siblings, Emilie was Lincoln’s favorite. He met the young girl at the Todd’s Lexington home in 1847, calling her “Little Sister” the rest of his life. When her husband, Confederate general Benjamin Hardin Helm, was killed at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863, Emilie tried to return to the family home in Kentucky from Alabama. She was detained after refusing to pledge loyalty to the Union. Lincoln ordered her sent to Washington under his protection.

Within days of arriving at the White House, Emilie clashed with Pennsylvania Senator Ira Harris over her support for the South. Gettysburg veteran Dan Sickles stormed to the president’s office to complain, “You should not have that rebel in your house!” Lincoln calmly replied, “My wife and I are in the habit of choosing our own guests.” Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Library of Congress Mary Todd Lincoln House Collection Mary Todd University of Kentucky Battle of Chickamauga Emilie & Benjamin Hardin Helm By the autumn of 1863, Helm’s brigade had been The son of a former Kentucky governor, Benjamin resisting the advance of Union forces on the western Hardin Helm married Emilie Todd in 1856. front for two years. In September, after a brief reunion Although he owned no slaves, Helm disagreed with his wife and children, Helm joined efforts to drive with his brother-in-law’s position on slavery. Union troops from the Chattanooga area. The battle was He declined Lincoln’s offer of a commission as fought at a small creek in northern Georgia called the paymaster in the Union Army. He became an Chickamauga. Helm was killed there on September 20th. officer in the Confederacy’s famed “Orphan Lincoln reportedly wept on hearing of his death. Brigade.”

Amnesty & Loyalty Oath After a short visit to the White House, Emilie Todd Helm left for Lexington in mid-December 1863. She carried a pass and amnesty from Lincoln. On December 8, 1863, Lincoln had issued a proclamation of amnesty and reconstruction, whereby many former rebels could be granted a full pardon and restored their rights of property “except as to slaves.” Emilie’s amnesty, as required by the proclamation, was conditional upon her swearing a loyalty oath. She apparently never did so. Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress