The suggestion is that Emory Upton (no relation?) reviewed the law of Feb. 17, 1864, and believed it provided a proper framework for pursuit of the war.

It's profound that any U.S. career military officer having Emory Upton's rank, skill and intelligence thought the Southern Confederacy --

1) had a realistic chance for military victory or at least a favorable settlement, and
2) had anything positive to offer the U.S. government and its military establishment.