Joe Courtney was correct that there was an historical inaccuracy in the enthralling “Lincoln” film, regarding how the Connecticut congressional delegation voted on the proposed 13th Amendment as portrayed in the film. (There was no Augustus Baldwin in the Connecticut delegation as shown in the movie and who is depicted as voting “Nay,” although there was in fact an Augustus Brandegee, a Republican who voted in favor of the amendment. Brandegee, from New London, had a New Haven connection in that he attended Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven and then Yale.)
But with all due respect, I disagree with Rep. Courtney’s assessment that the film puts “Connecticut on the wrong side of history.” Yes, Connecticut did vote for Lincoln in the 1860 Presidential election, but its record on fighting slavery does not seem to deserve a “passionate defense.”
 In Professor Matthew Warshauer’s excellent and important book, “Connecticut in the American Civil War,” he quotes William Lloyd Garrison, the famous abolitionist, as referring to Connecticut as the “Georgia of New England.” It was not until 1848 that the Connecticut General Assembly finally outlawed slavery in Connecticut.
The film might have taken some minor artistic licenses, but it is a marvelous way for millions to learn more about one of our greatest presidents.
Myles H. Alderman
North Haven