***deleted*** by moderator jgoodguy as off topic.
Lincoln had absolutely nothing to do with Valladingham's arrest by Burnside.
"Burnside had had enough. Without checking with his superiors, he ordered Vallandigham arrested for violating General Order No. 38. In the wee hours of May 5,150 soldiers arrived at Vallan-digham's Dayton home. Dressed in his nightshirt, the former congressman had just enough time to shout a warning to other Copperheads in his neighborhood before the troops broke down his front door."
Copperheads - The rise and Fall of Lincoln's Opponents in the North, Jennifer L. Weber, pg. 95
"On May 1, 1863, General Ambrose Burnside caused the most famous arrest of a civilian during the whole Civil War, that of ex-Congressman Clement L. Vallandigham, a Democrat from Ohio. A military commission the very next day sentenced him to imprisonment for the duration of the war. The president and his cabinet learned of the arrest and trial from the newspapers. They did not much like what Burnside had done, but they saw no alternative to backing up the general afterward "
The Fate of Liberty, Mark E. Neely, Jr., pg.65
"As for Burnside, he believed that suppression of dissent was the way to improve the North's chances of winning the war. According to Frank Klement, Burnside defined the issue too simplistically. 'He interpreted criticism of the administration as sympathy for the rebels, and naively believed the treason charges bandied about by the Republican propagandists.' Burnside established himself as de facto judge and jury of what constituted treasonous activities. He believed civil courts had failed to carry out their responsibility by not dealing with the problem. General Order No. 38 was no less than a military gag order on opposition sentiments."
Samuel Medary & The Crisis - Testing the Limits of Press Freedom, Reed W. Smith, pg. 114
"During Vallandigham's address, he insisted that his right to dissent under 'General Order No. 1—the Constitution' exceeded that of General Order No. 38, which he said he despised and wanted to 'spit upon ... and trample under [his] feet.' Four days later Burnside sent a train loaded with 150 soldiers from Cincinnati to Dayton. They broke down the door of Vallandigham's house before dawn, woke him from his sleep, and arrested him. The soldiers took Vallandigham to Cincinnati, where Burnside ordered him held in Kemper Barracks until a military court could try his case. Lincoln wired Burnside upholding his action. The president said, 'In your determination to support the authority of the government and suppress treason in your Department, you may count on [my]... firm support.'"
ibid., pp.115-116
"After Lincoln intervened to postpone the death sentence of one alleged traitor, Burnside stayed the execution of many men convicted under Order 38.
But the impulsive general showed no such reserve in dealing with Vallandigham, who made a particularly inflammatory speech on May 1, denouncing the administration of 'King Lincoln' and Order 38. In his closing remarks, Vallandigham warned his audience 'that an attempt would shortly be made to enforce the conscription act; that 'they should remember that this war was not a war for the preservation of the Union;' that 'it was a wicked abolition war! and that if those in authority were allowed to accomplish their purposes the people would be deprived of their liberties and a monarchy established; but that as for him he was resolved that he would never be a priest to minister upon the altar upon which his country was being sacrificed.' Four days later, soldiers apprehended the Democratic firebrand; soon thereafter a military commission found him guilty of violating Order 38 and sentenced him to confinement for the rest of the war."
Abraham Lincoln: A Life, Vol. II, Michael Burlingame, pp. 505-506
"Surprised and dismayed by Burnside's action, Lincoln sought to undo the damage it caused. Rightly fearing that he could not overrule the general without embarrassing him and simultaneously encouraging bitter dissenters, the president at first had Stanton send him a positive telegram: 'In your determination to support the authority of the Government and to suppress treason in your Department, you may count on the firm support of the President.'"
ibid., pg 506
"Upon learning of Burnside's high-handed act, Lincoln immediately had Stanton suggest to the general that he might want to rescind the order. The secretary of war explained that the president thought the 'irritation produced by such acts is ... likely to do more harm than the publication would do.' Though he 'approves of your motives and desires to give you cordial and efficient support,' and 'while military movements are left to your judgment,' nevertheless 'upon administration questions such as the arrest of civilians and the suppression of newspapers not requiring immediate action the President desires to be previously consulted.'"
ibid., pg 507
Bringing the