1864 elections went on during the Civil War – even though Lincoln thought it would be a disaster for himself and the Republican Party
The outlook was not promising in 1864 for President Abraham Lincoln’s reelection, yet he avoided calls to postpone the election, telling critics, “We cannot have free government without elections; and if the rebellion could force us to forego, or postpone a national election it might fairly claim to have already conquered and ruined us.”![]()