Abraham Lincoln is heralded as the savior of the Union. Many would consider him to be the greatest president in the history of our nation. His Gettysburg Address is renowned for its place in history. He was the Commander-In-Chief of the Union army during the War Between the States.

But did you know that Lincoln’s own family was one that was greatly divided by the war?

Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, came from a well bred Kentucky family. She was one of 14 children. Of the fourteen, five supported the Union and eight supported the Confederacy.

This proved to be a point of embarrassment for the Lincolns through the war years. Those in the Union government even accused Mary of treason because of her correspondence with her Confederate relatives.

Let’s look at a few of their relatives that fought in the Confederacy.

1. Lieutenant Alexander Todd

Alexander Todd was reported as having been Mary Todd Lincoln’s favorite brother. He served as a Lieutenant in the Confederate Army.

At the battle for Baton Rouge in 1862, he was severely wounded. He died two weeks later. His death greatly affected Mary, who was still grieving the death of two sons.

2. General Benjamin Helm and Emilie Todd

One of Mary’s sisters, Emilie Todd, was married to the Confederate General, Benjamin Helm.

Helm was a West Point graduate. At the start of the War Between the States, Lincoln offered him the opportunity for a commission in the Union Army. He turned it down, and then proceeded to raise a cavalry regiment of Kentucky volunteers for the CSA Army.

Quickly rising through the ranks, Helm soon took the command of the First Kentucky Infantry Brigade. Sadly, he was killed at the battle of Chickamauga in 1863.

It is reported that when Abraham Lincoln received news of Helm’s death, he wept like a child. Mary requested that her sister be allowed to come stay with them during her time of mourning. After all, Mary herself was still mourning for their brother, Alexander, and family is the greatest comfort in times of tragedy.

Emilie spent a month in the White House with Mary as they grieved the losses of their family. The Union press had a heyday with the entire affair, as many Northerners were enraged by the situation.

Can you imagine the scandal of the President of the Union opening the doors of the White House to the wife of a Confederate General?

3. Martha Todd

Martha Todd was another of Mary’s sisters. She was vehemently Confederate, and had even sewn the battle flag for the 4th Alabama Infantry.

When Emilie traveled to the White House after the death of General Helm, Martha accompanied her.

Lincoln then gave her a pass to be able to go back through Union lines to Alabama. This was an action that caused him a lot of problems. When the public became aware of the pass given to Martha, they accused Lincoln of giving her special privileges. She was, after all, the enemy.

They even went so far as to accuse her of using her pass to smuggle contraband through to Confederate lines. This accusation was later proved to be false.

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These were only a few of the Confederate relatives of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. There were many other brothers, sisters, and cousins who sided with the Confederacy.

In all, Mary Todd Lincoln lost three brothers in the Confederate army during the war. As many Americans discovered, the Todd family proved that the war was indeed “brother against brother”.

Did you know that Lincoln had so many Confederate relatives? Do you have an interesting fact about the Lincoln’s that you would like to share? Let me know in the comments!

A. M. Watson

Hebrews 13:8