“Stenhouse, when I was a boy on the farm in Illinois there was a great deal of timber on the farm which we had to clear away. Occasionally we would come to a log which had fallen down. It was too hard to split, too wet to burn, and too heavy to move, so we plowed around it. You go back and tell Brigham Young that if he will let me alone I will let him alone.”
(letter can be found in LDS Church Archives, Brigham Young Correspondence)

Brigham Young was elated. While it wasn’t support, it was actually what Young wanted–to simply be left alone to worship as he pleased. Contrary to what some have presented, Lincoln did not attack Mormonism. When the Saints complained to him about an unfiar, anti-Mormon territorial governor, Lincoln had him removed and replaced him with someone who shared his philosophy of simply “letting them alone.” Lincoln also supported and voted for the Nauvoo Charter. Furthermore, Lincoln did not send out Union troops to supress the Utah rebellion. The Utah War occurred before Lincoln was president, and the troops were sent by President Buchanan. They were recalled at the outbreak of the Civil War and Camp Floyd was abandoned. President Buchanan, Lincoln’s immediate predecessor, actually DID fight actively against the Mormons. Lincoln adopted the passive stance, and did not even enforce the anti polygamy that he signed after Congress wrote and passed the bill (Lincoln was not one to use the veto pen).

“Shattering the Truth: The Slandering of Abraham Lincoln” – by Dennis W. Brandt
“The Impending Crisis” – David M. Potter
“Lincoln and the Decision for War: The Northern Response to Secession” – Russell A. McClintock
“Lincoln, President Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter, 1860-1861″ – Harold Holzer
“Vindicating Lincoln” – Thomas Krannawitter

It’s a lot of reading, I know, but you can get through them pretty quick. Just remember to fairly study both sides before deciding which one to join.

There is certainly room to have a debate about Lincoln on strictly political issues, but if you’re going to bring religion into it, than BRING religion into it! Don’t try to measure Abraham Lincoln against Mormonism when you ignore Mormonism. And by doing this, it will quickly become obvious that any criticism you may find of him was spoken by his contemporaries before a full understanding of his life was available. Furthermore, all of those criticisms would be merely a drop in a large bucket when comared to the innumerable things other more recent prophets have said repeatedly about the man and his mission.

About the Author: Michael T. Griffith holds a Master’s degree in Theology from The Catholic Distance University, a Graduate Certificate in Ancient and Classical History from American Military University, a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Excelsior College, and two Associate in Applied Science degrees from the Community College of the Air Force. He also holds an Advanced Certificate of Civil War Studies and a Certificate of Civil War Studies from Carroll College. He is a graduate in Arabic and Hebrew of the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and of the U.S. Air Force Technical Training School in San Angelo, Texas. In addition, he has completed an Advanced Hebrew program at Haifa University in Israel. He is the author of five books on Mormonism and ancient texts, including How Firm A Foundation, A Ready Reply, and One Lord, One Faith.

http://www.mtgriffith.com/web_documents/lincolnandlds.htm

Two book reviews may be helpful
http://www.toqonline.com/archives/v4n1/TOQv4n1Griffin.pdf
http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0208h.asp