Many were quick to blame the debacle on Lincoln, for it was widely believed that in response to popular pressure he had ordered Scott to attack against his better judgment. Although Lincoln did acknowledge that if Scott had been allowed to conduct the campaign as he wished, the defeat “would not have happened,” he nevertheless took umbrage at the general’s suggestion that he had been coerced to take the offensive prematurely.
Source: Abraham Lincoln ∶ A Life ▫𓂃
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