During a one-on-one evening carriage ride, he told Lincoln that he agreed with the president’s current silence on the slavery question. But he predicted that a moment would come when it would be opportune for Lincoln to invoke the war power and emancipate the slaves of rebel states. When the time came, he advised, Lincoln must be ready to strike. In the meantime, he assured the president that he would avoid criticizing the administration for its silence regarding slavery.
