Ramtin Arablui

Initially, things looked good for Lincoln and his party, the Republicans.

They were winning on the battlefield and the days of the Confederacy seemed numbered.

They seemed to have the election in the bag.

But as winter turned to spring, the Confederates began to push back hard.

And the Federal Army faced some big losses.

And they hoped that the new president would be Democratic nominee General George B. McClellan.

Who was, of course, a very well-loved professional soldier.

McClellan had served under Lincoln, but as a candidate, his main position was that the war needed to end ASAP, and the Confederate states needed to be reunited with the Union.

Emancipation be damned.

Most soldiers in the Union or Federal Army leaned Republican, which remember was Lincoln's anti-slavery party.

And that was partly a reflection of where these soldiers came from.

Many were from places where having a voice wasn't a given.

And they came to the U.S.

hoping that right was guaranteed.

It's also important to note that nearly 10% of the federal army were black soldiers.

Which meant if they gave soldiers the vote, it would likely help them win the election.

So Lincoln tried to make some special arrangements.

But the reality was most soldiers weren't going to be able to get furloughs to go home and vote.

After all, it was the middle of a war, and there was only so much the federal government could do.

But it's easy to see how that might not go according to plan.