[x]

Politicians dislike each other. They have large egos and often envy each other. That's been true throughout the history of political life. So many of those you cite were vain, prickly, irritable or ambitious men, who naturally looked dimly upon rivals and superiors: Chase, Stanton, McClellan, Wade, Phillips, Freemont.

General Donald Piatt travelled with Lincoln when he was making his campaign speeches and knew him intimately.

There may not have been any such person. Abram Sanders Piatt was a general. His brother Donn Piatt was a colonel. He got into trouble enlisting slaves (apparently freedmen) before it became government policy and became something of a hot potato politically. There was political pressure for and against his promotion to Brigadier General. Lincoln felt Piatt was too controversial and vetoed the promotion. Consequently Piatt had a grudge against Lincoln. After the war he served in the Ohio state legislature, where his radicalism again made him enemies. Piatt became a Washington journalist, with the cynicism and nose for scandal of the profession. All in all, he's not a particularly creditable witness.

[nolu chan]

You are correct that Donn Piatt was a Colonel and not a General. His rank was given incorrectly in the source that I quoted.

Colonel Piatt did travel with Lincoln.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Politicians dislike each other. They have large egos and often envy each other. That's been true throughout the history of political life. So many of those you cite were vain, prickly, irritable or ambitious men, who naturally looked dimly upon rivals and superiors: Chase, Stanton, McClellan, Wade, Phillips, Freemont.

One of the themse of Lincoln's story is that he was not appreciated during his life. Whatshisname is going on about nothing special.

Walt