Abraham Lincoln Strengths And Weaknesses Essay

Abraham Lincoln’s entire presidency was encompassed by the trials of the Civil War. As any successful leader, his time included failures that helped him in the long run. Lincoln was forced to make many difficult decisions that both did and did not turn result in his favor. The strengths and weaknesses which Lincoln displayed during the war led to the ultimate success for the Union in uniting the states. Lincoln’s failures can be considered part of what drove him to succeed. In terms of failures, many battles fought and lost in the war can be considered. The Seven Days battles can be considered significant in this case. “Even though only one of the four sizable battles during these days was a Confederate tactical victory (Gaines’ Mill on June …show more content…
Being Commander-in-Chief during the Civil war posed many issues for the president, but eventually he succeeded in leading the North towards victory. While Lincoln himself was not out fighting in the war, he was making many of the decisions that progressed it. “The day after Bull Run, Lincoln signed a bill for the enlistment of five hundred thousand three-year volunteers” (41). After this, another bill for an additional five hundred thousand was signed. This action showed that Lincoln was serious about the war. He knew they needed troops, so he made sure that the Union got them. Another instance of Lincoln’s direct involvement was when “at the end of January he issues two orders to force Halleck and Buell as well as McClellan into action” (69). With this order, Lincoln wanted “principle union armies to advance more or less simultaneously to threaten all enemy positions at the same time with superior force” (69). Lincoln knew what he wanted and he knew how he needed the war to go. He gave orders in an attempt to improve the functionality of his plan. However, as with this plan, they didn’t always work out the way that he intended. Something else that Lincoln did was issue orders that “among other provisions authorized the employment of confiscated slaves “for Military and Naval purposes, giving them reasonable wages for their labor” (105). This is a significant order because it allows the union army to use freed slaves in war. However, they were no longer slaves so the phrase “reasonable wages” matters a great deal as they were compensating the freed slaves in one way or another for their work and effort. Lincoln made this order because he understood that they needed more people to fight. Lincoln made an effort to make difficult decisions to the best of his ability, making sure they were well thought out and hopefully