Book contents
- Pardons
- Pardons
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Table
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1Pardons and Kingship in Britain, 1066–1788
- 2Pardons in the British North American Colonies, 1607–1775
- 3Pardons in America in the Revolutionary Period, 1775–1787
- 4The Founders’ Pardon Power
- 5Presidential Pardons from George Washington to James Buchanan, 1789–1861
- 6Pardons and Amnesties during the Civil War
- 7Pardons and Amnesties during Reconstruction, Part 1
- 8Pardons and Amnesties during Reconstruction, Part 2
- 9Pardons from the End of Reconstruction to the Eve of World War I
- 10Pardons in the Era of the Administrative State and Global War
- 11The Pardon Process Begins to Wither
- 12Reagan to Obama (1981–2017)
- 13Pardons as Tools of Political Warfare
- 14The Pardons of Joe Biden and Trump’s Second Term
- 15The Law of Pardons
- 16The Law of Pardons
- 17The Law of Pardons
- 18Executive Discretion and the Rule of Law
- 19The Constitution Should Be Amended to Abolish or Modify the Presidential Pardon Power
- Notes
- Index
6 - Pardons and Amnesties during the Civil War
Lincoln’s Clemency, 1861–1865
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 October 2026
Book contents
- Pardons
- Pardons
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Table
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1Pardons and Kingship in Britain, 1066–1788
- 2Pardons in the British North American Colonies, 1607–1775
- 3Pardons in America in the Revolutionary Period, 1775–1787
- 4The Founders’ Pardon Power
- 5Presidential Pardons from George Washington to James Buchanan, 1789–1861
- 6Pardons and Amnesties during the Civil War
- 7Pardons and Amnesties during Reconstruction, Part 1
- 8Pardons and Amnesties during Reconstruction, Part 2
- 9Pardons from the End of Reconstruction to the Eve of World War I
- 10Pardons in the Era of the Administrative State and Global War
- 11The Pardon Process Begins to Wither
- 12Reagan to Obama (1981–2017)
- 13Pardons as Tools of Political Warfare
- 14The Pardons of Joe Biden and Trump’s Second Term
- 15The Law of Pardons
- 16The Law of Pardons
- 17The Law of Pardons
- 18Executive Discretion and the Rule of Law
- 19The Constitution Should Be Amended to Abolish or Modify the Presidential Pardon Power
- Notes
- Index
Summary
Explores President Abraham Lincoln’s use of presidential clemency powers during the Civil War. Examines Lincoln’s pardons in ordinary criminal cases and in cases of military crime or crimes of allegiance. Focuses particularly on Lincoln’s offers of clemency to former Confederates or Confederate sympathizers as a tool of wartime policy and attempted reconciliation. Notes tension between Lincoln and Congress over which branch controlled general pardons or amnesties.
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- Information
- PardonsDiscretionary Mercy and the Rule of Law in Britain and America, 1066–2026, pp. 153 - 175Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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