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General Fremont issues his own Emancipation Proclamation...
General Fremont issues his own Emancipation Proclamation...
Item # 702753
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September 16, 1861
NEW YORK HERALD, Sept. 16, 1861 Certainly the most notable content is the front page: "Proclamation of Major General Fremont" issued from St. Louis, Aug. 31, 1861, and the response by President Lincoln.
In late August 1861. Fremont placed all of Missouri under martial law believing that slavery aided the guerrillas and that a direct strike at that institution would crush them. He issued his own "emancipation proclamation", declaring Missouri's slaves free, without informing President Lincoln. See the photos for the full text. This act, of course, far exceeded the authority of his position.
When he found out what Fremont had done, Lincoln asked him to modify his proclamation to conform to official policy, his letter printed here headed: "The President's Letter". Fremont refused. This placed the president, who later called Fremont's act "dictatorial", in a very difficult political position. He could not risk alienating the conservatives in this crucial border state; yet he did not wish to upset the Radical Republicans who were pressing for abolition. The President felt he needed to be cautious as Union victories were not numerous enough to justify bold political actions. Within weeks, Fremont was relieved of his command and his proclamation was revoked.
Printed above this controversial text is: "Confiscation of Slave Property" which has a related "Proclamation" signed in type by the President: Abraham Lincoln.
Eight pages, reglued at the spine, various small tears at margins, minor loss to a margin of the back leaf.
AI notes: Fremont’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1861 refers to a controversial order issued on August 30, 1861, by Major General John C. Frémont, who was commanding the Union’s Department of the West during the early months of the American Civil War. In his proclamation, Fremont declared martial law in Missouri and ordered the emancipation of all slaves owned by Confederate sympathizers in the state. This was one of the first attempts by a Union general to free enslaved people as a war measure. However, President Abraham Lincoln, worried that such a move would push the border states and some Unionists away, quickly overruled Fremont, ordering the rescission of the emancipation part of the proclamation. This early emancipation effort foreshadowed Lincoln’s later, more comprehensive Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.
Category: Yankee
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