Why were the majority of US Presidents sporting beards directly after the US Civil War?

by JazzyHugh

I was wondering if the string of bearded presidents following Lincoln was about. Was this facial hair style a unique trait of the North (with the Tennessee born Johnson being the clear hairless outlier) or was it a generally popular style in the States? I so, did the popularity of a full beard originate in Europe, or if not, did it spread there? Thanks.

grantimatter

You might be interested in this older discussion on bearded presidents, especially the copious examples provided by /u/captmonkey .