Lincoln Seward in "Saving Lincoln"

[Sheltowee]

Apologies if this has already been discussed- I could find no recent reference.

Watched "Saving Lincoln" tonight. In one scene, Lincoln and some cabinet members are debating the Ft. Sumter situation and the dissolution of the Union. Seward advises Lincoln to invade Mexico, in hopes of unifying the nation against a common enemy.

Is this account accurate? If so, was any serious consideration given by Lincoln? Was Seward eying some additional gains by invading Mexico?

I had never heard this.......curious. A Seward bio on Wikipedia does mention his suggestion of declaring war on France or Spain, "if certain conditions were not met".

 

[Copperhead-mi]

Seward wrote a memorandum on April 1, 1861 to Lincoln which called for war against Spain that in violation of the Monroe Doctrine, had annexed San Domingo on March 17, 1861:

"In the hope of avoiding hostilities, he had, through intermediaries, been in touch with the official commissioners the Confederate government sent to Washington in order to negotiate terms of separation, and he had given his word that the troops would be withdrawn from Fort Sumter. He was still confident he could negotiate a settlement of the crisis if Anderson's garrison was evacuated. Now he was trapped between his pledge and Lincoln's determination to proceed with a relief expedition.

Seward first sought to escape his dilemma by bluster. On April 1 he handed Lincoln a memorandum headed 'Some thoughts for the President's consideration.' It began with the pronouncement, 'We are at the end of a month's administration and yet without a policy either domestic or foreign.' From there the Secretary went on to urge that the question before the public be changed from slavery, which was a party issue, to 'Union or Disunion.' In order to bring about this shift Fort Sumter should be evacuated but Fort Pickens and the other minor forts in the Gulf of Mexico should be reinforced. Public interest should be diverted from domestic quarrels to foreign policy. In order 'to rouse a vigorous continental spirit of independence,' he would demand explanations from Spain, which had sent troops to assist rebels in Santo Domingo, and France, which was showing too great an interest in Mexican affairs; he even added Great Britain and Russia to his list. If the French and Spanish governments did not give satisfactory answers, he would convene Congress and declare war against them."
Donald, David Herbert, Lincoln, pg. 289

 

[huskerblitz]

Apologies if this has already been discussed- I could find no recent reference.

Watched "Saving Lincoln" tonight. In one scene, Lincoln and some cabinet members are debating the Ft. Sumter situation and the dissolution of the Union. Seward advises Lincoln to invade Mexico, in hopes of unifying the nation against a common enemy.

Is this account accurate? If so, was any serious consideration given by Lincoln? Was Seward eying some additional gains by invading Mexico?

I had never heard this.......curious. A Seward bio on Wikipedia does mention his suggestion of declaring war on France or Spain, "if certain conditions were not met".

Never really heard about invading Mexico but rather force a war against France, Spain or Britain as a way to invoke the Monroe Doctrine and unite North and South against European armies.

 

[Copperhead-mi]

According to Lincoln author David Herbert Donald, the president left no record about how he felt about the memorandum "which he must have been tempted to dismiss as an April Fool's Day joke."

 

[Zack]

Apologies if this has already been discussed- I could find no recent reference.

Watched "Saving Lincoln" tonight. In one scene, Lincoln and some cabinet members are debating the Ft. Sumter situation and the dissolution of the Union. Seward advises Lincoln to invade Mexico, in hopes of unifying the nation against a common enemy.

Is this account accurate? If so, was any serious consideration given by Lincoln? Was Seward eying some additional gains by invading Mexico?

I had never heard this.......curious. A Seward bio on Wikipedia does mention his suggestion of declaring war on France or Spain, "if certain conditions were not met".

What did you think of it overall? Did you like the visual style?

 

[Sheltowee]

What did you think of it overall? Did you like the visual style?

Thanks all for the explanation. I was unaware there was this type of maneuvering even being discussed.

I was also unfamiliar with Laman. Additional reading raises a lot of questions- as it appears his competency is questionable. But his dedication to Lincoln was sincere.

As far as the film's production, I was initially turned off by the use of CGI. But I was able to move past it- and actually rather liked the use of period photos being used as scenic backdrops.

I enjoyed the film. As you can see, I'm not well read enough to vouch for the complete historical accuracy. Example- did Lincoln pick up a bullet hole in his hat At Ft Stevens? Dunno….

What you think Zack?