THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF DELAWARE DURING THE CIVIL WAR DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Harold Bell Hancock, B. A., A. M. The Ohio State University 19& Approved by: Department of History Preface Among the unexplored subjects in Delaware history is the story of politics during the Civil War. With the exception of an honor's thesis at Princeton University and a monograph upon Lincoln's emanci­ pation plan, no special studies of the period have ever been undertaken. The key to the era is politics, or the study of the relationships of the state and federal governments and of the state and citizen. There­ fore, it is worthwhile to examine closely these political connections. The most important source of information lies in the newspaper and manuscript collection in the Historical Society of Delaware. Indis­ pensable are the legislative journals, laws, and miscellaneous papers at the State Archives. The Wilmington Public Library, the Longwood Foundation, and Memorial Library at the University of Delaware furnished some material. Some letters and diaries were loaned by Delawareans. Outside of Delaware, the most rewarding material was found in the manuscript collections of the Library of Congress and National Archives. Through personal visits or by correspondence, letters of importance were located at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, University of North Carolina, Duke University, University of Chicago, Stanford University, University of Rochester, and Friends' Historical Society at Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Contacts with other institutions were disappointing. The author is indebted to many persons for assistance. Miss Gertrude Brinckle, Mrs. Marie Windell, and Miss Ruthanna Hindes of the ii iii staff of the Historical Society of Delaware graciously extended aid and service beyond the line of duty. Mr. Leon deValinger, Mr. George Dickens, and M s s Virginia Shaw at the State Archives contributed Dimerous suggestions. Mr. Frank Battan and Mr. Arthur Kenney at the longwood Foundation, arranged for an examination of the papers of S. F. duPont. Mr. "William. D. Lewis, Dr. John A. Munroe, and Dr. Henry Clay Reed of the University of Delaware made available materials of importance. The staff of the Wilmington Public Library was always courteous and ef Tic lent. The editor of the Smyrna Times permitted an examination of the files of that publication in the newspaper office. Some manuscripts were provided through the kindness of Henry P. Cannon, M s s Elizabeth Houston, Spencer Turmell, Judge Richard S. Rodney, George V. Massey, James B. Jackson, and Edwin Hurley. Without the encouragement of his sister, Miss Elizabeth Hancock, and Miss Martha "Whiteraft, he would probably have never attempted the project. At Otterbein College the author is appreciative of the cooper­ ation of the librarian, Mrs. Mary Crumrine, and of the stimulation furnished by his friends, Professor and Mrs. Marion Chase. He enjoyed the services of a corps of able student assistants in typing, filing, and miscellaneous tasks. They were Duane Hopkins, Robert Richardson, Gary Murray, and Carol Jaynes, At Ohio State University he is grateful to the staff of the University Library and to Dr. Henry H. Simms, his adviser, who guided him through the writing of the thesis, read the paper critically iv several times, and gave the paper the benefit of his broad knowledge in southern history. Harold Hancock TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. DELAWARE IN i860 .................................... 1 The Land and the P e o p l e ....................... 1 The Three Counties ............................... 5 Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Transportation.... 8 Education and Religion ............................ lU The Pattern of L i f e ............................ 16 II. THE PARTIES AND THE NATIONAL CONVENTIONS IN i860 .... 19 (January-June, i860) Political Background .............................. 19 The Democrats and the National Convention........... 21 The People’s Party and its "Allies"............. 35 III. PARTIES AND THE STATE CONVENTIONS IN i860............. U3 (July-August, i860) The Democrats and the State Conventions..........U3 The Union and Republican Parties Struggle for Control of the People’s Pa r t y .........................5l IV. THE CAMPAIGN AND ELECTION OF i860 59 (September-November, i860) The Democrats and the Campaign................... 60 The "Allies" of the People's Party and the Campaign. 6I4 Concluding Phases and the Results of the Campaign. 69 V. THE CRISIS........................................ 77 (November 5, 1860-March U, 1861) The Opinion of the Press............... .......... 77 \ ■' ' CHAPTER PAGE Individual Views . ................................ 81 The Legislature Provides no Leadership............... 88 Delawareans Lose H o p e .............................. 95 Growing Division...................................101 VI. THE COMING OF THE W A R .............................. 108 (March k, 1861-July h, 1861) A New President ....... .................... 108 Preparation for W a r ............................... 113 Fort S u m t e r ...................................... Il6 The Response in New Castle C o u n t y .................. 117 The Response in Kent C o u n t y ........... 138 The Response in S\issex C o u n t y .................... lUU A House Dividing...................................l5l VII. THE MILITARY PROBLEM........ l6l (April-December, l86l) Rival Militia Companies .......................... lol Delaware Complies with Lincoln*s Requests for Troops . 173 VIII. A DIVIDED H O U S E ..................................177 (April-December, 1861) Division in Feeling ........ ............... 177 The Routine of Life Continues..................... 192 IX. LINCOLN'S EMANCIPATION PLAN FOR DELAWARE AND POLITICAL FEELING IN 1862 199 (November, l86l-December, 1862) Lincoln's Proposed P l a n ........................... 199 Political Problems ...................... 209 vii CHAPTER PAGE X. THE CAMPAIGN AND ELECTION OF 1862 236 (June-December, 1862) The Campaign..................................... 237 The Election..................................... 2^3 XI. THE CUSH OF CANNON AND THE L E G I S U T U R E ............. 260 (January-March, 1863) The Legislative Session of I8 6 3 .................. 260 The Report of the Investigating Committee into the Election of 1862 ............................... 267 XII. POLITICAL FEELING IN 1 8 6 3 .......................... 277 (January-December, I863) Union Men Demonstrate their L o y a l t y............... 277 The Draft, Political Arrest, and Economic Problems . 286 Gettysburg and its Effect upon Delaware........... 300 XIII. THE CAMPAIGN AND ELECTION OF I8 6 3 ......... 313 (October-November, 1863) The Campaign..................................... 313 The Election..................................... 318 XIV. POLITICAL FEELING IN 1 8 6 A .......................... 322 (January-Deeember, 186U) The Legislature and the D r a f t .................. 322 Senator Saulsbury Carries on Alone................. 329 The "Great Scare” ............................... 33U The Struggle to Keep the State Loyal............... 339 XV. THE CAMPAIGN AND ELECTION OF 1 8 6 U ...................... 3^0 (May-December, I86I4.) CHAPTER PAGE The National Conventions and the Reaction to the Nominations..................................... 35>0 The State Conventions and the Campaign............... 357 The Election....................................... 3&U XVI. THE END OF THE W A R ................................... 370 (January-May, 1865) Political Problems ............................... 370 Victory Celebrations .............................. 377 The Death of Lincoln................................ 381+ XVII. THE BEGINNING OF READJUSTMENT........................ 392 (May-December, 1865) The Returning Soldier ............................ 393 The Negro P r o blem ..................................397 The Treatment of the South.................. 1+02 The New President..................................1+06 The Court-Martial of Colonel Edwin Wi l m e r ........... 1+08 Economic Problems..................................1+12 XVIII. SOME CONCLUSIONS ................................... I+l6 BIBLIOGRAPHI .............................................. 1+26 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ILLUSTRATION PAGE I. The Delmarva Peninsula ............................. 3 (Map by J. Colton Company, Philadelphia, 18£5, Map Collection, Historical Society of Delaware) II. Delaware (18£3)............................... 7 (Map by Fanning Company, New York, 1853* Map Collection, Historical Society of Delaware) III. A Map of Delaware Showing Political Divisions of Delaware Counties Called Hundreds ................ 20 (Map from D. G. Beers, Atlas of the State of Delaware, Philadelphia, 1858, IV. James A. Bayard............................... 23 (From the Picture Collection of the Historical Society of Delaware) V. T. F. B a y a r d ..................................... 2h (From J. Thomas Scharf, History of Delaware, I, 589) VI. Willard Saulsbury............................. 26 (From J. Thomas Scharf, History of Delaware, I, 552) VII. An Illustration of Republican Campaign Music . 53 (Lincoln Quick Step by Charles Grobe (Phila­ delphia, i860). Another edition copyrighted in i860 shows the bearded Lincoln and is dedicated to “Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States.") VIII. Representative George P. Fi s h e r ................... 72 (From C.