By most accounts I've seen, it seems like he was not a very pleasant man. On the other hand, I don't think anyone would disagree that he was a massive upgrade from Simon Cameron.
1) How much credit does Stanton deserve for Union success? Was he a mastermind who engineered the Union war machine? Or a very competent clerk who looks exceptional because his predecessor was so mediocre?
2) Depending on your answer to 1, was he Lincoln's best cabinet pick? I used to think Seward was, but while I'm sure he was an essential adviser, Lincoln himself had a magnificent political mind, versus a less sophisticated understanding of war and industrial policy. So perhaps a SoW pick was more essential than a good SoS one
1) How much credit does Stanton deserve for Union success? Was he a mastermind who engineered the Union war machine? Or a very competent clerk who looks exceptional because his predecessor was so mediocre?
2) Depending on your answer to 1, was he Lincoln's best cabinet pick? I used to think Seward was, but while I'm sure he was an essential adviser, Lincoln himself had a magnificent political mind, versus a less sophisticated understanding of war and industrial policy. So perhaps a SoW pick was more essential than a good SoS one
Bringing the