Abolitionist, Thomas Garrett, a well-known operator on the clandestine system set up to assist fugitive slaves called the Underground Railroad, was saved by his community who stepped forward as the war between the states became a reality. As far as politics went, you might say that Lincoln's worst fears were realized. The nation had pulled itself apart and settled itself into two warring factions, North and South, on his watch.
With the beginning of the Civil War, Lincoln had to realize that normal politics had failed and that his first step in trying to preserve the union of states, or what was left of it, was to issue notice, to the Confederate forces, that the union planned to reclaim all of its forts, compounds, and territories, up to and including Fort Sumter, that had been taken over by the rebel forces. For Lincoln, it was a time for consorting with his generals and deploying his forces to answer all of the unknown questions necessary for a rookie commander and chief to prosecuting a war that would pit Americans against Americans.
His new presidency starting with a Constitutional crisis Lincoln public addresses turned more toward managing the war. Knowing his enemies strengths, and understanding his own militaries standing was key to prosecuting the war with the Confederates, Another consideration for Lincoln was managing the worries presented to him by those gathered around him. Could the Union end up in a war with a superpower and the Confederacy? Could the British be talked into joining the south in its battle against the Union to preserve Great Britain's southern supply of cotton?
During that time Fredrick Douglass recognized that the words in Lincoln's speeches to the public continued to assure the south that the newly elected president did not intend to ignore enforcing fugitive slave laws. Prompting stories that reached Douglass that told of Union Generals turning away fugitive slave along with any useful intelligence they must have had. Fredrick Douglass continued to speak to the public too, through his publication the Douglass Monthly. In his May 1861 issue, Douglass put forth the idea in print that free colored people and slaves be called up for military service, but where Douglass saw the formation of a liberating free black regiment trampling on the moral of the south, Lincoln saw adding more fuel to an already out of control fire.
When the reality of "war" began to sink into Washington DC politics many of the politicians were suddenly concerned about appeasing the Confederacy, further complicating Lincoln's ability to map out a clear war plan I'm sure, and perhaps the real reason Lincoln's words, when it came to the issue of slavery, fell so flat on Fredrick Douglass' ears.
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