Lincoln confidentially pledged in writing that if he should lose the election, he would still defeat the Confederacy before turning over the White House; Lincoln did not show the pledge to his cabinet, but asked them to sign the sealed envelope.
lˈɪŋkən kˌɑːnfɪdˈɛnʃəli plˈɛdʒd ɪn ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ ðæt ɪf hiː ʃˌʊd lˈuːz ðɪ ᵻlˈɛkʃən, hiː wʊd stˈɪl dᵻfˈiːt ðə kənfˈɛdɚɹəsi bᵻfˌoːɹ tˈɜːnɪŋ ˌoʊvɚ ðə wˈaɪt hˈaʊs; lˈɪŋkən dɪdnˌɑːt ʃˈoʊ ðə plˈɛdʒ tə hɪz kˈæbᵻnət, bˌʌt ˈæskt ðˌɛm tə sˈaɪn ðə sˈiːld ˈɑːnvəlˌoʊp.