F. P. Blair was sent by A. Lincoln to meet with Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Va., in December of 1864. In the published accounts of the meeting, after saying the South had given up slavery.... the following statement by Blair to Davis is recorded.

"I then said to him, 'There is my problem, Mr. Davis; do you think it possible to be solved?' After consideration he said,' I think so.' I then said, 'You see that I make the great point of this matter that the war is no longer made for slavery, but monarchy. You know that if the war is kept up and the Union divided, armies must be kept afoot on both sides, and this state of things has never continued long without resulting in monarchy on one side or the other, and on both generally.'

Was this a threat? Was Lincoln going to become a dictator?

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David Upton