Lincoln understood the importance of New York City, the nation’s largest and most prosperous city. Manhattan had voted for Stephen Douglas in the 1860 election, but Lincoln, typically, let bygones be bygones. He gave solid, if not sparkling, speeches, and to those who met him, the president-elect seemed optimistic. Where many other persons were lamenting the states in secession, Lincoln acted as if it were a temporary matter that would soon be overcome. Whether this light confidence was real or feigned cannot be known: he was not the type of person to reveal his full hand.