Yesterday Zack pointed out that private letters written by Lincoln might shed more light on his views about slavery and emancipation. I mentioned a letter that Lincoln wrote in April 1864 to Albert G. Hodges, and you can view the original manuscript of the letter here. Does the letter change your mind about Lincoln’s positions? Or does it fit what you expected? Feel free to chime in below.
Elizabeth asked where the original copy of the Second Confiscation Act is housed, and I came up empty on that one. But in the process of searching the National Archives, I did discover some documents related to the confiscation of Robert E. Lee’s personal property under the terms of the Second Confiscation Act. You can view those documents by clicking here, and then searching for “confiscation.” Within the top thirteen or fifteen hits you should see several titles related to Lee’s case. After clicking on individual titles, you can click on the tab for “Digital Copies” and look at the original paperwork, including an inventory of Lee’s property.