The election after that was

in American history.

The presidential election after that was still important,

but it has the distinction of being perhaps the oddest presidential election in history, if for no other reason,

then it was conducted in the middle of a civil war.

Learn more about the election of 1864, in all the ways we've never seen anything like it

before or since, on this episode of Everything Everywhere. in all the ways we've never seen anything like it before since

on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Abraham Lincoln is considered by many historians to be the greatest American president.

However, he certainly wasn't considered that while he was in office.

He was elected with the second lowest percentage of the popular vote in history.

And he probably would have been the lowest

if more states had popular voting back in 1824.

While he was in office, he also wasn't that popular.

The war took a horrible toll on the country and Lincoln was

the personification of everyone's anger towards the war. Moreover in 1864 the

outcome of the war was still in doubt. In hindsight it might now seem obvious that the Union was going to

win for no other reason than manpower and economics but it wasn't perceived to be the

case at the time. It wasn't just the incredible loss of life from the war, but the fact that the Union lost several major battles early on.

Being in a war is one thing, but being in a losing war is quite another.

On August 23, 1864, Lincoln wrote a letter to his cabinet that said the following, quote,

This morning, as for some days past, it seems exceedingly probable that this administration will not be re-elected.

It will then be my duty to so

...