These words should not really have come from Lincoln, but by now the American North had been reduced to a scorched wasteland. If the fighting continued, the Union would completely lose its ability to control the Southern states.
With vast swaths of the American North fallen, Northern legislators had no choice but to yield to the South. As a result, American South politicians occupied many important positions within the government.
Especially in the military—almost every post, from logistics to the front lines, was held by Southern generals. That old diehard had risen to power not only because of Franklin Pierce's trust, but also with the aid of Northern politicians.
Otherwise, given Franklin Pierce's prestige at the time, trying to override all opposition would have been nothing but a fantasy.
With the war dragging on without end, the North's financial and industrial sectors had suffered grievous losses. The big shots behind the scenes were therefore desperate to bring the war to an end.
Moreover, the consequences of the British treating people like dirt in the occupied territories had begun to show. Those Northern politicians and bankers who had previously defected to Britain were also preparing to abandon darkness and turn toward the light.
To put it bluntly, Lincoln hoped for a smooth landing. If the war continued, Britain's future was uncertain—but was America's any different?
A resounding victory might not drive out the British, but it would definitely smash the American North to pieces.
Lincoln was by no means the idealist people had deified him into. At heart, he was still a politician. He had to answer to the interest groups behind him; he could not simply stand by and watch the American South grow stronger, much less watch Northern interests suffer.
Yet the Southern faction and the pro-war faction could