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Election of 1864

Lincoln’s bid for reelection in 1864 faced serious challenges from a popular opponent and a nation weary of war

For a good part of 1864—the year he faced reelection—Abraham Lincoln had little faith that he would win or even be renominated.

To Union Colonel Charles S. Wainwright, Lincoln was a weak President, Grant an uninspired commander, Lee a slippery foe. His outspoken diary, never published before, memorably describes the Civil War’s final year

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