AUGUST 9, 1863:
France
has invaded Mexico, and has set up a puppet regime under Emperor Maximilian I.
The puppet regime, though officially neutral, is friendly to the Confederacy.
Although the United States is outraged at this gross violation of the Monroe
Doctrine, there is little that the U.S. can do so long as the Rebels hold the
border. However, with the Confederacy on the wane, Lincoln fears that France may seize the opportunity to occupy the Trans-Mississippi States. President Lincoln writes a letter to General Grant which reads in part:
“I see by a despatch
of yours that you incline quite strongly towards an expedition against Mobile.
This would appear tempting to me also, were it not that in view of recent
events in Mexico, I am greatly impressed with the importance of re-establishing
the national authority in Western Texas as soon as possible.”
On this same day, Lincoln sits for a new portrait photograph
at Alexander Gardiner’s studios.
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