Secretary of State William Seward, who at the time saw himself as the real governor or "prime minister" behind the throne of the inexperienced Lincoln, engaged in unauthorized and indirect negotiations that failed.
Državni tajnik William Seward, koji je u to vrijeme sam sebe smatrao pravim guvernerom ili "premijerom" iza lika neiskusnog Lincolna, ušao je u neodobrene i indirektne pregovore koji su propali.