Lincoln canceled the illegal proclamation as politically motivated and lacking military necessity
As a result, Union enlistments from Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri increased by over 40,000
Internationally, Lincoln wanted to forestall foreign military aid to the Confederacy
He relied on his combative Secretary of State William Seward while working closely with Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Charles Sumner
In the 1861 Trent Affair, which threatened war with Great Britain, the U.S
Navy illegally intercepted a British mail ship, the Trent, on the high seas and seized two Confederate envoys; Britain protested vehemently while the U.S
Lincoln ended the crisis by releasing the two diplomats
Randall dissected Lincoln's successful techniques:

Lincoln painstakingly monitored the telegraph reports coming into the War Department
He tracked all phases of the effort, consulting with governors, and selecting generals based on their success, their state, and their party
In January 1862, after complaints of inefficiency and profiteering in the War Department, Lincoln replaced War Secretary Simon Cameron with Edwin Stanton
Stanton centralized the War Department's activities, auditing and canceling contracts, saving the federal government $17,000,000
Stanton was a staunch Unionist, pro-business, conservative Democrat who gravitated toward the Radical Republican faction
He worked more often and more closely with Lincoln than any other senior official
"Stanton and Lincoln virtually conducted the war together", say Thomas and Hyman
Lincoln's war strategy embraced two priorities: ensuring that Washington was well-defended and conducting an aggressive war effort for a prompt, decisive victory
Twice a week, Lincoln met with his cabinet in the afternoon
Occasionally Mary prevailed on him to take a carriage ride, concerned that he was working too hard
Lincoln began to appreciate the critical need to control strategic points, such as the Mississippi River
Lincoln saw the importance of Vicksburg and understood the necessity of defeating the enemy's army, rather than merely capturing territory
In directing the Union's war strategy, Lincoln valued the advice of Gen
Winfield Scott, even after his retirement as Commanding General of the United States Army
General McClellan
After the Union rout at Bull Run and Winfield Scott's retirement, Lincoln appointed Major General George B
McClellan then took months to plan his Virginia Peninsula Campaign
McClellan's slow progress frustrated Lincoln, as did his position that no troops were needed to defend Washington
McClellan, in turn, blamed the failure of the campaign on Lincoln's reservation of troops for the capital
In 1862, Lincoln removed McClellan for the general's continued inaction
He elevated Henry Halleck in July and appointed John Pope as head of the new Army of Virginia
Pope satisfied Lincoln's desire to advance on Richmond from the north, thus protecting Washington from counterattack
But Pope was then soundly defeated at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the summer of 1862, forcing the Army of the Potomac back to defend Washington
Despite his dissatisfaction with McClellan's failure to reinforce Pope, Lincoln restored him to command of all forces around Washington
Two days after McClellan's return to command, General Robert E
Lee's forces crossed the Potomac River into Maryland, leading to the Battle of Antietam
That battle, a Union victory, was among the bloodiest in American history; it facilitated Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in January
Lincoln replaced Buell with William Rosecrans; and after the 1862 midterm elections he replaced McClellan with Ambrose Burnside
The appointments were both politically neutral and adroit on Lincoln's part
Burnside, against presidential advice, launched an offensive across the Rappahannock River and was defeated by Lee at Fredericksburg in December
Desertions during 1863 came in the thousands and only increased after Fredericksburg, so Lincoln replaced Burnside with Joseph Hooker
Hooker was routed by Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May, then resigned and was replaced by George Meade
Meade followed Lee north into Pennsylvania and beat him in the Gettysburg Campaign, but then failed to follow up despite Lincoln's demands
At the same time, Grant captured Vicksburg and gained control of the Mississippi River, splitting the far western rebel states
Emancipation Proclamation

The Federal government's power to end slavery was limited by the Constitution, which before 1865 was understood to reserve the issue to the individual states
He sought to persuade the states to agree to compensation for emancipating their slaves
Lincoln rejected Major General John C
In June 1862, Congress passed an act banning slavery on all federal territory, which Lincoln signed
He felt such action could be taken only within the war powers of the commander-in-chief, which he planned to exercise
On July 22, 1862, Lincoln reviewed a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation with his cabinet
At the same time, during those 100 days, Lincoln made efforts to end the war with slavery intact
The Emancipation Proclamation having stated that freedmen would be "received into the armed service of the United States," enlisting these freedmen became official policy
By the spring of 1863, Lincoln was ready to recruit black troops in more than token numbers
By the end of 1863, at Lincoln's direction, General Lorenzo Thomas "had enrolled twenty regiments of African Americans" from the Mississippi Valley