Erastus Corning - Civil War Politics

Civil War Politics

In 1856, shortly after finishing the St. Mary's River project, Corning was elected as a Democrat to the 35th, 37th and 38th United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1857, to March 3, 1859, and from March 4, 1861, to October 5, 1863, when he resigned. He was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Convention.

In 1861, before taking office in Congress, he was a delegate to the Peace Congress in Washington, D.C., but once the Civil War began he took his seat in Congress and, at least initially, supported the Abraham Lincoln Administration. He resigned his seat in October 1863 because of failing health and disagreements with the administration over prosecution of the Civil War. In February 1863, he was the Democratic caucus nominee for U.S. Senator from New York, but was defeated by Republican Edwin D. Morgan.

Back home in Albany, Corning organized a public meeting on the war, which resulted in a formal letter sent to President Lincoln under Corning's hand, offering support for maintaining the integrity of the Union, but censuring the administration for certain tactics it was employing in the war, most notably the making of military arrests of civilians in New York accused of avoiding service. This incident is notable for the response it generated from Lincoln, a lengthy letter wherein the president sets out his views on what the Constitution allowed him to do in wartime.

Despite his disagreements with Lincoln's handling of the war, Corning fully supported the effort to maintain the Union. The United States Navy contracted with Corning's iron works to manufacture parts and materials for the USS Monitor, the Navy's first ironclad warship.