Catholic Archbishop Asks Lincoln To Free Confederate General

I am going to be talking a bit about Lincoln this year. partly because we are celebrating his memory this year as a Nation and also because he is getting unfairly bashed in some conservative quarters.

Anyway this very interesting blog The Catholic Telegraph Photography Project has a interesting bit of Catholic and Lincoln History at New Light on an Old Act of Kindness


A few things to note about this Archbishop. First he was very Pro-Union. While Cincinnati of course was in a very pro-Union State this part of Ohio had some major Southern leanings. So his actions took some courage.

Anyway here is a little on the Archbishop

What is interesting was this was written on Behalf of Lincoln's Lincoln’s own sister-in-law, Miss Catherine Todd. Perhaps this gives us some indication that Lincoln was tired of his wife's family pestering him about this and that that she felt compelled to go a Catholic Archbishop to reinforce her efforts

There is some confusion I think in the post and letter . The post mentions that the Confederate General in question was captured during the siege of Vicksburg. However the letter states that General William Beall, captured long ago at Port Hudson . Port Hudson is not in Mississippi but a good distance down South in Louisiana just north of Baton Rouge. Though the battle at Fort Hudson occurred at the same time period as the battles around Vicksburg.

We see that Lincoln Releases him. However in showing the peculiar times this war was in he was sent to NEW YORK where the Govt allowed him to work for the Confederate Govt on behalf of Confederate Prisoners. He appears to have upset Sec Stanton and was put into jail again at a later date.

Tip of the hat to Ten Reasons