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diff --git a/42526.txt b/42526.txt deleted file mode 100644 index fc0dc2e..0000000 --- a/42526.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14132 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Abraham Lincoln, by William Eleroy Curtis - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Abraham Lincoln - -Author: William Eleroy Curtis - -Release Date: April 14, 2013 [EBook #42526] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ABRAHAM LINCOLN *** - - - - -Produced by Charlene Taylor, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - - ABRAHAM LINCOLN - - - - -Uniform with This Volume - - -GEORGE WASHINGTON - -By PAUL LEICESTER FORD - - "This work challenges attention for the really valuable - light which it throws upon the character of George Washington." - - --_Philadelphia Bulletin._ - - -THOMAS JEFFERSON - -By WILLIAM ELEROY CURTIS - - "The volume is particularly worth reading because it revives - the many-sided nature and activity of a truly great man." - --_Springfield Republican. - - "A most readable and entertaining volume. Jefferson will - stand higher in popular estimation because of the human touch in - the picture." - - --_Brooklyn Eagle._ - - -[Illustration: Copyright, 1891, by M. P. Rice - -ABRAHAM LINCOLN - -From an original, unretouched negative made in 1864] - - - - - ABRAHAM LINCOLN - - BY - - WILLIAM ELEROY CURTIS - - AUTHOR OF "THOMAS JEFFERSON", "THE TURK AND HIS LOST - PROVINCES", "THE UNITED STATES AND FOREIGN - POWERS", ETC. - - _WITH TWENTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS_ - - [Illustration] - - PHILADELPHIA & LONDON - J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - - - COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - - PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS - PHILADELPHIA, U.S.A. - - - - - He knew to bide his time, - And can his fame abide, - Still patient in his simple faith sublime, - Till the wise years decide. - Great captains, with their guns and drums, - Disturb our judgment for the hour, - But at last silence comes; - These all are gone, and, standing like a tower, - Our children shall behold his fame, - The kindly, earnest, brave, foreseeing man, - Sagacious, patient, dreading praise, not blame, - New birth of our new soil, the first American. - - --_Lowell, Commemoration Ode_ - - - - -Contents - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I.--THE MAN AND HIS KINDRED 13 - - II.--THE LEADER OF THE SPRINGFIELD BAR 56 - - III.--A GREAT ORATOR AND HIS SPEECHES 86 - - IV.--A PRAIRIE POLITICIAN 129 - - V.--A PRESIDENT AND HIS CABINET 179 - - VI.--A COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF AND HIS GENERALS 229 - - VII.--HOW LINCOLN APPEARED IN THE WHITE HOUSE 277 - - VIII.--THE EMANCIPATION OF THE SLAVES 314 - - IX.--A MASTER IN DIPLOMACY 342 - - X.--LINCOLN'S PHILOSOPHY, MORALS, AND RELIGION 370 - - - - -List of Illustrations - - - PAGE - - ABRAHAM LINCOLN _Frontispiece_ - - From an original, unretouched negative made in 1864, - when he commissioned Ulysses S. Grant Lieutenant-General - and commander of all the armies of the republic. - - THE BIRTHPLACE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 20 - - This cabin was long ago torn down, but the logs were - saved, and in August, 1895, it was rebuilt on the - original site. - - ROCK SPRING FARM, KENTUCKY, WHERE ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS BORN 22 - - From a photograph taken in September, 1895. - - ROCK SPRING ON THE FARM WHERE LINCOLN WAS BORN 26 - - From a photograph taken in September, 1895. The spring - is in a hollow at the foot of the gentle slope on which - the house stands. - - FAC-SIMILE OF AN INVITATION TO A SPRINGFIELD COTILLION - PARTY 38 - - By special permission, from the collection of C. F. - Gunther, Esq., Chicago. - - MARY TODD LINCOLN, WIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 44 - - From a photograph by Brady in the War Department - Collection. - - ABRAHAM LINCOLN EARLY IN 1861, WHEN HE FIRST BEGAN TO - WEAR A BEARD 60 - - From a photograph in the collection of H. W. Fay, Esq., - De Kalb, Illinois. By special permission. - - ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN THE SUMMER OF 1860 75 - - From a negative taken for M. C. Tuttle, of St. Paul, - Minnesota, for local use in the presidential campaign. - - ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN 1858 100 - - From a photograph owned by Hon. William J. Franklin, - Macomb, Illinois, taken in 1866 from an ambrotype made - in 1858 at Macomb. By special permission. - - ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN 1861 125 - - Copied from the original in the possession of Frank A. - Brown, Esq., Minneapolis, Minnesota. - - ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S HOUSE AT SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS 156 - - The tree in front of the house was planted by Lincoln. - - ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN 1861 169 - - From a photograph by Klauber, of Louisville, Kentucky, - taken especially for Mrs. Lucy G. Speed, in - acknowledgment of an Oxford Bible received from her - twenty years before. Reproduced by special permission - of James B. Speed, Esq., of Louisville, Kentucky. - - MONTGOMERY BLAIR, POSTMASTER-GENERAL 187 - - From a photograph by Brady. - - GIDEON WELLES, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY 196 - - From a photograph by Brady. - - WILLIAM H. SEWARD, SECRETARY OF STATE 201 - - From a photograph by Brady. - - GENERAL GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN AT THE HEAD-QUARTERS OF - GENERAL MORELL'S BRIGADE, MINOR'S HILL, VIRGINIA 206 - - From a contemporary photograph by M. B. Brady. - - EDWIN M. STANTON, SECRETARY OF WAR 224 - - From a photograph by Brady. - - GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT 254 - - From an original, unretouched negative made in 1864, - when he was commissioned Lieutenant-General and - commander of all the armies of the republic. - - GRAND REVIEW OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC BY PRESIDENT - LINCOLN AT FALMOUTH, VIRGINIA, IN APRIL, 1863 271 - - From a drawing by W. R. Leigh. - - PRESIDENT LINCOLN AND HIS SON "TAD" 287 - - From a photograph by Brady, now in the War Department - Collection, Washington, D. C. - - JOHN WILKES BOOTH 311 - - From a photograph by Brady. - - ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN 1864 320 - - From a photograph in the War Department Collection. - - FAC-SIMILE OF LETTER BY ABRAHAM LINCOLN TO HON. MICHAEL - HAHN, FIRST FREE STATE GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA 338 - - By special permission of John M. Crampton, Esq., New - Haven, Connecticut. - - SALMON P. CHASE, SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY 356 - - From a photograph by Brady. - - - - -A Lincoln Calendar - - - Born February 12, 1809 - - Removed to Indiana 1816 - - Nancy Hanks Lincoln died 1817 - - Thomas Lincoln married Sally Bush Johnston 1819 - - First trip to New Orleans 1828 - - Removed to Illinois March, 1830 - - Went to New Salem March, 1831 - - Second trip to New Orleans April, 1831 - - Enters Offutt's store August, 1831 - - Candidate for Legislature March, 1832 - - Black Hawk War April, 1832 - - Defeated for Legislature August, 1832 - - Buys store with Berry 1832 - - Appointed Postmaster May, 1833 - - Appointed Surveyor November, 1833 - - Elected to Legislature August, 1834 - - Removed to Springfield April, 1837 - - Re-elected to Legislature 1836-1838-1840 - - First meets Douglas in debate December, 1839 - - Duel with Shields 1842 - - Married November 4, 1842 - - Partnership with Logan 1842 - - Defeat for Congressional nomination 1844 - - Elected to Congress 1846 - - Candidate for United States Senator 1855 - - Assists organization of Republican party February 22, 1856 - - Delegate to Philadelphia Convention June 17, 1856 - - Challenges Douglas to joint debate July 17, 1858 - - Second defeat for Senator January, 1859 - - Cooper Institute speech February 27, 1860 - - Nominated for President May 16, 1860 - - Elected President November 6, 1860 - - Leaves Springfield for Washington February 11, 1861 - - Arrival at Washington February 23, 1861 - - Inaugurated President March 4, 1861 - - Renominated for President June 8, 1864 - - Re-elected President November 8, 1864 - - Second inauguration March 4, 1865 - - Assassinated April 14, 1865 - - - - -Abraham Lincoln - - - - -I - -THE MAN AND HIS KINDRED - - -This is not a conventional biography. It is a collection of sketches in -which an attempt is made to portray the character of Abraham Lincoln -as the highest type of the American from several interesting points of -view. He has doubtless been the subject of more literary composition -than any other man of modern times, although there was nothing eccentric -or abnormal about him; there were no mysteries in his career to excite -curiosity; no controversies concerning his conduct, morals, or motives; -no doubt as to his purposes; and no difference of opinion as to his -unselfish patriotism or the success of his administration of the -government in the most trying period of its existence. Perhaps there is -no other man of prominence in American history, or in the history of the -human family, whose reputation is more firmly and clearly established. -There is certainly none more beloved and revered, whose character is so -well understood and so universally admired, and whose political, moral, -and intellectual integrity is so fully admitted by his opponents as well -as his supporters. - -Of such a man, wrote a well-known writer, the last word can never -be said. Each succeeding generation may profit by the contemplation -of his strength and triumphs. His rise from obscurity to fame and -power was almost as sudden and startling as that of Napoleon, for it -may truthfully be said that when Mr. Lincoln was nominated for the -Presidency he was an unknown man. He had occupied no important position; -he had rendered no great public service; his reputation was that of a -debater and politician, and did not become national until he delivered -a remarkable speech at Cooper Union, New York. His election was not due -to personal popularity, nor to the strength of the party he represented, -nor to the justice of his cause; but to factional strife and jealousies -among his opponents. When the American people were approaching the -greatest crisis in their history, it was the hand of Providence that -turned the eyes of the loyal people of the North to this plain man of -the prairies, and his rugged figure rose before them as if he were -created for their leader. - -Napoleon became dizzy; yielded to the temptations of power, betrayed -his people, grasped at empire, and fell; but the higher Lincoln rose -the more modest became his manners, the more serene his temper, the -more conspicuous his unselfishness, the purer and more patriotic his -motives. With masterful tact and force he assumed responsibilities that -made men shudder. The captain of a company of uncouth volunteers began -to organize vast armies, undertook the direction of military campaigns -and of a momentous civil war, and conducted the diplomatic relations -of a nation with skill and statesmanship that astonished his ministers -and his generals. He, an humble country lawyer and local politician, -suddenly took his place with the world's greatest statesmen, planned -and managed the legislation of Congress, proposed financial measures -that involved the wealth of the nation, and alone, in the midst of -the confusion of war and the clamor of greedy politicians and the -dissensions of his advisers, solved problems that staggered the wisest -minds of the nation. The popular story-teller of the cross-roads, the -crack debater of the New Salem Literary Club, became an orator of -immortal fame. The rail-splitter of the Sangamon became the most honored -and respected man of his generation. - -Such men are not accidents. The strength of a structure depends upon -the material used and the treatment it has received. Poor material may -be improved and good material is often spoiled in the making; but only -when the pure metal has passed through the fire and the forge is it fit -to sustain a severe strain. Thus Abraham Lincoln, unconscious of his -destiny, by the struggles and privations of his early life was qualified -for the task to which Infinite Wisdom had assigned him. - -Abraham Lincoln's father was descended from Samuel Lincoln, who -emigrated from the west of England a few years after the landing of the -Pilgrims and settled at the village of Hingham, on the south shore of -Massachusetts Bay, between Boston and Plymouth. Eight men bearing that -name came over on the same ship and are supposed to have been related. -An army of their descendants is scattered over the Union. One of them, -Samuel Lincoln, left a large family which has produced several prominent -figures besides a President of the United States. One of his grandsons -in the third generation, Levi Lincoln, was recognized for a generation -as the leader of the New England bar. He was Secretary of State and -Attorney-General in the Cabinet of President Jefferson, a member of the -Legislature of Massachusetts, and one of the ablest and most influential -men of his day. - -The fourth son of Samuel Lincoln, Mordecai, I, acquired wealth as a -manufacturer. His eldest son, who inherited his name, moved to Berks -County, Pennsylvania, and had a son named John, who took up a tract of -land in Virginia about the year 1760, where, like the rest of his name, -he raised a large family. John Lincoln, II, his second son, became -prominent in public affairs, and was a member of the Convention that -framed the first Constitution of the State of Pennsylvania. - -On July 10, 1760, Abraham, I, the third of the five sons of John -Lincoln, II, married Anna Boone, a cousin of Daniel Boone, the most -famous of American pioneers, and his father gave him a farm in the -Shenandoah Valley. By frequent intermarriages between the Boones and the -Lincolns they were closely allied. By the will of Mordecai Lincoln, II, -his "loving friend and neighbor George Boone" was made executor of his -estate and Squire Boone, father of the celebrated Daniel, was appointed -to make an inventory of the property. Hananiah Lincoln was a partner of -Daniel Boone in the purchase of a tract of land on the Missouri River in -1798, and it was there that the great woodsman died. - -The name Abraham was a favorite among the Lincoln family. It occurs -frequently in their genealogy. A young man named Abraham Lincoln -distinguished himself for courage and brutality on the Confederate side -during the Civil War. He killed a Dunkard preacher whom he suspected of -furnishing information to the Union army. The Union President received -several letters of offensive tone from his kinsman in the South during -the earlier part of his administration. - -The farm of Abraham Lincoln, I, in the Shenandoah Valley, was on the -great national highway along which the course of empire took its -westward way, and, infected by continual contact with the emigrants and -encouraged by the greatest of American pioneers, he sold the property -his father had given him, packed his wife and five children into a -Conestoga wagon, and followed the great migration until it led him -to what is now Hughes Station, Jefferson County, Kentucky, where he -entered a large tract of land and paid for it one hundred and sixty -pounds "in current money." The original warrant, dated March 4, 1780, -is still in existence. By the blunder of a clerk in the Land Office the -name was misspelled Linkhorn, and Abraham, I, was too careless or busy -to correct it, for it appears that way in all the subsequent records. -Hananiah Lincoln, the partner of Daniel Boone, furnished the surveyor's -certificate. - -Four years later, in the spring of 1784, occurred the first tragedy -in the annals of the Lincoln family. Abraham, I, with his three sons, -were at work clearing ground upon his farm when they were attacked by -a wandering squad of Indians. The first shot from the brush killed the -father. Mordecai, III, the eldest son, started to the house for his -rifle; Josiah ran to the neighbors for assistance, leaving Thomas, a -child of six, alone with his father. After Mordecai had recovered his -rifle he saw an Indian in war-paint appear upon the scene, examine the -dead body of his father, and stoop to raise the lad from the ground. -Taking deliberate aim at a white ornament that hung from the neck of the -savage, he brought him down and his little brother escaped to the cabin. -The Indians began to appear in the thicket, but Mordecai, shooting -through the loopholes of the cabin, held them off until Josiah returned -with reinforcements. - -From circumstantial evidence we must infer that Anna Lincoln was a poor -manager, or perhaps she suffered from some misfortune. All we know is -that she abandoned the farm in Jefferson County and moved south into -the neighboring county of Washington, where she disappears from human -knowledge. Her eldest son, Mordecai, III, appears to have inherited -his father's money, as the rules of primogeniture prevailed in those -days. He was sheriff of Washington County, a member of the Kentucky -Legislature, and tradition gives him the reputation of an honorable -and influential citizen. Late in life he removed to Hancock County, -Illinois, where he died and is buried. Josiah, the second son, crossed -the Ohio River and took up a homestead in what is now called Harrison -County, Indiana. Mary, the eldest daughter, married Ralph Crume, and -Nancy, the fourth child, married William Brumfield. Their descendants -are still found in Hardin, Washington, and other counties in that -neighborhood. - -Explanations are wanting for the circumstance that Thomas, the youngest -son and brother of this prosperous family, whose father was slain -before his eyes when he was only six years old, was turned adrift, -without home or care, for at ten years of age we find him "a wandering, -laboring boy" who was left uneducated and supported himself by farm -work and other menial employment, and learned the trades of carpenter -and cabinet-maker. But he must have had good stuff in him, for when he -was twenty-five years old he had saved enough from his wages to buy a -farm in Hardin County. Local tradition, which, however, cannot always -be trusted, represents him to have been "an easy going man, and slow to -anger, but when 'roused a formidable adversary." He was above the medium -height, had a powerful frame, and, like his immortal son, had a wide -local reputation as a wrestler. - -While learning his trade in the carpenter shop of Joseph Hanks, Thomas -Lincoln married Nancy Hanks, his own cousin, and the niece of his -employer. He probably met her at the house of Richard Berry, with whom -she lived, and must have seen a good deal of her at the home of her -uncle. At all events, the cousins became engaged; their nuptial bond was -signed according to the law on June 10, 1806, and two days later they -were married by the Rev. Jesse Head, at the home of Richard Berry, near -Beechland, Washington County, Kentucky. - -Nancy Hanks was descended from William Hanks, who came to this country -in 1699 and settled at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Four of his five sons -moved to Amelia County, Virginia, where they had a large tract of land. -One of their descendants, Joseph Hanks, married Nancy Shipley, and in -1789 moved to Kentucky with a large party of his relatives. In 1793 he -died, leaving eight children, who were scattered among their relatives, -and Nancy, the youngest, when nine years old, found a home with her -aunt, Lucy Shipley, the wife of Richard Berry. She is represented to -have been a sweet-tempered and handsome woman, of intellect, appearance, -and character superior to her position; and could even read and write, -which was a remarkable accomplishment among the women of that day. She -taught her husband to write his name. But she had no means whatever, -being entirely dependent upon her uncle, and it is probable that she was -willing to marry even so humble a husband as Thomas Lincoln, for the -sake of securing independence and a home. - -Thomas Lincoln took his wife to a little log cabin in a hamlet called -Elizabethtown, probably because he thought that it would be more -congenial for her than his lonely farm in Hardin County, which was -fourteen miles away; and perhaps he thought that he could earn a better -living by carpenter work than by farming. Here their first child, Sarah, -was born about a year after the marriage. - -Thomas Lincoln either failed to earn sufficient money to meet his -household expenses or grew tired of his carpenter work, for, two years -later, he left Elizabethtown and moved his family to his farm near -Hodgensville, on the Big South Fork of Nolen Creek. It was a miserable -place, of thin, unproductive soil and only partly cleared. Its only -attraction was a fine spring of water, shaded by a little grove, which -caused it to be called "Rock Spring Farm." The cabin was of the rudest -sort, with a single room, a single window, a big fireplace, and a huge -outside chimney. - -In this cabin Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, and here he -spent the first four years of his childhood. It was a far reach to the -White House. Soon after his nomination for the Presidency he furnished -a brief autobiography to Mr. Hicks, an artist who was painting his -portrait, in which he said,-- - - "I was born February 12, 1809, in then Hardin County, - Kentucky, at a point within the now County of Larue, a mile or - a mile and a half from where Hodgen's mill now is. My parents - being dead, and my own memory not serving, I know no means of - identifying the precise locality. It was on Nolen Creek. - - "A. LINCOLN. - - "June 14, 1860." - -The precise spot has since been clearly identified, and the cabin was -still standing after his death. - -In 1813 the family removed to a more comfortable home on Knob Creek, six -miles from Hodgensville, where Thomas Lincoln bought a better farm of -two hundred and thirty-eight acres for one hundred and eighteen pounds -and gave his note in payment. This was Abraham Lincoln's second home, -and there he lived for four years. - -We know little about his childhood, except that it was of continual -privation in a cheerless home, for Thomas Lincoln evidently found it -difficult to supply his family with food and clothing. Mr. Lincoln -seldom talked freely of those days, even to his most intimate friends, -although from remarks which he dropped from time to time they judged -that the impressions of his first years were indelible upon his -temperament and contributed to his melancholy. On one occasion, being -asked if he remembered anything about the War of 1812, he said that when -a child, returning from fishing one day, he met a soldier in the road -and, having been admonished by his mother that everybody should be good -to the soldiers, he gave him his fish. - -[Illustration: Copyright, 1900, by McClure, Phillips & Co. - -THE BIRTHPLACE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN] - -Thomas and Nancy Lincoln had three children. Sarah, the eldest, at the -age of fourteen married Aaron Griggsby and died in childbirth a year -later. Thomas, the third child, died when only three days old. - -When Abraham was about seven years old his father became restless and -went across the river into Indiana to look for a new home. It has been -represented by some of Lincoln's biographers that the motive of his -removal was his dislike of slavery; that he wished to remove his son -from its influence; but Lincoln attributed the determination to other -reasons, particularly his father's difficulty in securing a valid -title to his land. It is quite as probable that, like other men of his -temperament, he thought he could do better in a new place; like other -rolling stones, that he could gather more moss in a new soil. He found -a purchaser for his farm who gave him in payment twenty dollars in -money and ten barrels of whiskey, which Thomas Lincoln loaded upon a -flat-boat, with his household furniture, floating it down Knob Creek to -Rolling Fork, to Salt River, to the Ohio River, and down the Ohio to -Thompson's Ferry in Perry County, Indiana. The boat upset on the way -and part of the whiskey and some of his carpenter tools were lost. He -plunged into the forest, found a location that suited him about sixteen -miles from the river, called Pigeon Creek, where he left his property -with a settler, and, as his boat could not float upstream, he sold it -and walked back to Hodgensville to get his wife and two children. He -secured a wagon and two horses, in which he carried his family and -whatever of his household effects were then remaining. - -Arriving at his location, which was a piece of timber land a mile and -a half east of what is now Gentryville, Spencer County, he built a log -cabin fourteen feet square, open to the weather on one side, and without -windows or chimney. This was Abraham Lincoln's third home, and the -family lived in that rude, primitive way for more than a year, managing -to raise a patch of corn and a few vegetables during the following -summer, which, with corn meal ground at a hand grist-mill seven miles -away, were their chief food. Game, however, was abundant. The streams -were full of fish and wild fruits could be gathered in the forest. The -future President of the United States slept upon a heap of dry leaves -in a narrow loft at one end of the cabin, to which he climbed by means -of pegs driven into the wall. A year after his arrival Thomas Lincoln -entered the quarter section of land he occupied and made his first -payment under what was familiarly known as the "two-dollar-an-acre law," -but it was eleven years before he could pay enough to obtain a patent -for half of it. He then erected a permanent home of logs which was -comparatively comfortable and was perhaps as good as those occupied by -most of his neighbors. - -In the fall of 1818 the little community of pioneers was almost -exterminated by an epidemic known as "milk sickness," and among the -victims was Nancy Hanks Lincoln, who was buried with her neighbors in a -little clearing in the forest in a coffin made of green lumber, cut with -a whip-saw by her husband. There were no ceremonies at her burial, but -several months later Abraham, then ten years old, wrote to Parson David -Elkin, the itinerant Free-will Baptist preacher at Hodgensville, of his -mother's death, and begged him to come to Indiana and preach her funeral -sermon. Nancy Lincoln must have been highly esteemed or this poor parson -would not have come a hundred miles through the wilderness in answer -to this summons from her child, for several months later he appeared -according to appointment, and all the settlers for many miles around -assembled to hear him. It was the most important event that had ever -occurred in the community and was remembered longer than any other. - -[Illustration: Copyright, 1900, by McClure, Phillips & Co. - -ROCK SPRING FARM, KENTUCKY, WHERE ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS BORN - -From a photograph taken in September, 1895. The cabin in which Lincoln -was born is seen to the right, in the background] - -The death of Mrs. Lincoln left the child Sarah, then only eleven years -old, to care for the household, and, with the assistance of her brother, -she struggled through the next year until the autumn of 1819, when -their father returned to Hodgensville and married Sally Bush Johnston, -a widow with three children (John, Sarah, and Matilda), whom he had -courted before he married Nancy Hanks. She seems to have been a woman -of uncommon energy and nobility of character, and in after-life her -step-son paid her a worthy tribute when he said that the strongest -influence which stimulated and guided him in his ambition came from her -and from his own mother. Under her management conditions improved. She -brought a little property and some household goods into the family as -well as three children, stimulated her husband to industry, and taught -his children habits of order, cleanliness, and thrift. There was never -any friction between her and her step-children, and her own brood, John, -Sarah, and Matilda, were received cordially and treated with affection. -Nor in their after-lives was any distinction made by either of the -parents. The step-mother recognized in Abraham a boy of unusual talent, -and encouraged and assisted him by every means within her power. - -Abraham's life was spent at hard labor. He was a boy of unusual stature -and, from the time he was ten years old, did a man's work. He learned -all the tricks in the trades that a pioneer's son must know; hired out -upon the neighboring farms when there was nothing for him to do at home, -and his wages (twenty-five cents a day) were paid to his father. He -cared little for amusement, and hunting, which was the chief recreation -of young men of his age, had no attractions for him. In his brief -autobiography, which was prepared for the newspapers the day after his -nomination for the Presidency, he says,-- - -"A flock of wild turkeys approached the new log cabin, and Abraham, -with a rifle gun, standing inside, shot through the cracks and killed -one of them. He has never since pulled a trigger on any larger game." -He joined in the rude amusements and sports of the community like other -boys and enjoyed them. His quick intelligence, ready sympathy, wit, -humor, and generous disposition made him a great favorite. He was the -best talker and story-teller in the neighborhood. His tall stature and -unusual strength made him a leader in athletic sports, and his studious -habits and retentive memory gave him an advantage among his comrades, a -few of whom had a little, but the most of them no education. His less -gifted comrades recognized his ability and superiority; they learned to -accept his opinions and to respect his judgment. He became an instructor -as well as a leader, and the local traditions represent him as a sort -of intellectual phenomenon, whose wit, anecdotes, doggerel verses, -practical jokes, muscular strength, and skill made him the wonder of the -community and are a part of the early history of that section. - -When he was sixteen he operated a ferry-boat at the mouth of Anderson's -Creek, transporting passengers across the Ohio River, and it was then -that he earned the first money that he could claim as his own. One -evening in the White House, while he was President, he told the story -to several members of his Cabinet, and Mr. Secretary Seward gives the -following account of it: - -"I was contemplating my new flat-boat, and wondering whether I could -make it stronger or improve it in any particular, when two men came down -to the shore in carriages with trunks, and looking at the different -boats singled out mine, and asked: 'Who owns this?' I answered, somewhat -modestly, 'I do.' 'Will you,' said one of them, 'take us and our trunks -out to the steamer?' 'Certainly,' said I. I was glad to have the chance -of earning something. I supposed that each of them would give me two -or three bits. The trunks were put on my flat-boat, and the passengers -seated themselves on the trunks, and I sculled them out to the steamer. - -"They got on board, and I lifted up their heavy trunks and put them on -deck. The steamer was about to put on steam again, when I called out -that they had forgotten to pay me. Each of them took from his pocket -a silver half-dollar and threw it on the floor of my boat. I could -scarcely believe my eyes as I picked up the money. Gentlemen, you may -think it was a very little thing, and in these days it seems to me a -trifle; but it was the most important incident in my life. I could -scarcely credit that I, a poor boy, had earned a dollar in less than a -day--that by honest work I had earned a dollar. The world seemed fairer -and wider before me. I was a more hopeful and confident being from that -time." - -When he was nineteen Mr. Gentry, the most prominent man in the -neighborhood, from whom the town of Gentryville was named, and who kept -the "store," embarked in a new enterprise, and sent Abraham with his son -Allen upon a flat-boat to New Orleans with a load of bacon, corn meal, -and other provisions, paying him eight dollars a month and his passage -home on a steamboat. Thus the future President obtained his first -glimpse of the world outside the Indiana forest, and the impressions -left upon his mind by this experience were never effaced. It was the -beginning of a new life for him and the awakening of new ambitions. - -"He was a hired man merely," wrote Lincoln of himself nearly thirty -years afterwards, "and he and a son of the owner, without any other -assistance, made the trip. The nature of part of the 'cargo load,' as -it was called, made it necessary for them to linger and trade along the -sugar-coast, and one night they were attacked by seven negroes with -intent to kill and rob them. They were hurt some in the melee, but -succeeded in driving the negroes from the boat, and then 'cut cable,' -'weighed anchor,' and left." - -The prairies of Illinois were becoming a great temptation to pioneers -in those days, and the restless disposition of Thomas Lincoln could not -be restrained; so he and several of his relatives joined the migration, -making a party of thirteen. Lincoln himself tells the story in these -words: - -"March 1st, 1830, Abraham having just completed his twenty-first year, -his father and family, with the families of the two daughters and -sons-in-law of his step-mother, left the old homestead in Indiana and -came to Illinois. Their mode of conveyance was wagons drawn by ox-teams, -and Abraham drove one of the teams. They reached the county of Macon, -and stopped there some time within the same month of March. His father -and family settled a new place on the north side of the Sangamon River, -at the junction of the timber land and prairie, about ten miles westerly -from Decatur. Here they built a log cabin, into which they removed, and -made sufficient of rails to fence ten acres of ground, fenced and broke -the ground, and raised a crop of sown corn upon it in the same year." - -[Illustration: Copyright, 1900, by McClure, Phillips & Co. - -ROCK SPRING ON THE FARM WHERE LINCOLN WAS BORN - -From a photograph taken in September, 1895] - -The sons-in-law of his step-mother referred to were Dennis Hanks and -Levi Hall, who had married Sarah and Matilda, Lincoln's step-sisters. -Hanks was a son of the Joseph Hanks with whom Thomas Lincoln learned the -carpenter's trade in Kentucky. Another son, John Hanks, was a member -of the family, and it was he who appeared at the State convention at -Decatur, May 9, 1860, bearing two weather-worn fence-rails decorated -with streamers and a banner inscribed to the effect that they were from -the identical lot of three thousand rails which Lincoln had cut on the -Sangamon River in 1830. This dramatic scene was devised by Richard J. -Oglesby, afterwards Governor and United States Senator, and one of -Lincoln's most ardent admirers and faithful supporters. Little did -Lincoln dream when he was splitting rails in the walnut woods with John -Hanks that he and his companion would appear in a drama of national -interest with samples of their handiwork to electrify the country with -enthusiasm and confer upon the long-legged farmer boy the sobriquet of -"The Illinois Rail-Splitter." - -Delegates had been elected to the second National Republican Convention -to be held at Chicago a week later, when Mr. Oglesby arose and announced -in a serious and mysterious manner that an old citizen of Macon County -had something to present to the Convention. Then, with great dramatic -effect, John Hanks entered, bearing the relics which were to become the -symbols of the National Convention. The assembly was transformed into a -tumult, and Lincoln was brought to the platform, where, when order could -be restored, he said,-- - -"Gentlemen: I suppose you want to know something about those things. -Well, the truth is, John Hanks and I did make rails in the Sangamon -bottom. I don't know whether we made those rails or not; fact is, I -don't think they are a credit to the maker [and his awkward frame shook -with suppressed laughter]; but I know this, I made rails then and I -think I could make better ones than these now." - -The rails were taken to the National Convention at Chicago and had a -prominent place at the Illinois head-quarters, where, trimmed with -flowers and lighted by tapers by enthusiastic ladies, they were the -subject of much private and newspaper attention. Later in the campaign -they were sent from place to place in the country and other rails -from the old farm were also used as campaign emblems. A Philadelphia -speculator sent to Illinois and purchased a car-load of them. - -Through the remainder of the year and the following winter (1830-31) -young Lincoln was employed about his father's new home and at intervals -assisted the neighbors in farm work in company with John Hanks. When he -reached his twenty-first year he started out for himself according to -the custom of the country. He was the most promising young man in that -neighborhood. He had a better education than any of the community, his -intellectual and conversational powers were beyond all rivalry, and his -physical strength and endurance were remarkable even among the giants of -those days. He stood six feet four inches in his stockings, and could -outlift, outwork, outrun, and outwrestle every man of his acquaintance. -And his pride in his physical accomplishments was greater than in his -intellectual attainments. For a man of his natural modesty he was very -vain of his stature and strength, and was accustomed to display and -boast of them even after he became President. He retained his muscular -strength to the end of his life, although he then took very little -physical exercise. The muscles of his body were like iron. General Veile -says that he could take a heavy axe and, grasping it with his thumb and -forefinger at the extreme end of the handle, hold it out on a horizontal -line from his body. "When I was eighteen years of age I could do this," -he said with pride, "and I have never seen the day since when I could -not do it." The attaches of the office of the Secretary of War relate -curious stories of his frequent displays of muscular strength when he -visited the War Department to read the despatches from his generals. -He frequently astonished visitors at the Executive Mansion by asking -them to measure height with him, and one day shocked Senator Sumner by -suggesting that they stand back to back to see which was the taller. A -delegation of clergymen appeared at the White House one morning bursting -with righteous indignation because slavery was still tolerated in the -rebellious States and bearing a series of fervid resolutions demanding -immediate abolition. One of the number was a very tall man, and the -President could scarcely wait until he had completed his carefully -prepared oration presenting the memorial. As soon as he had uttered the -last word, Mr. Lincoln asked eagerly,-- - -"Mr. Blank, how tall are you?" - -The clergyman turned scarlet and looked around at his colleagues in -amazement. - -"I believe I am taller than you," continued the President. "What is your -height?" - -"Six feet three inches," responded the divine with evident irritation. - -"Then I outmeasure you by an inch," said Mr. Lincoln with a satisfied -air, and proceeded to explain the situation as to slavery. - -A similar scene occurred on another occasion when, however, the visitor -happened to be a trifle taller than the President. One of his friends -who was present says that the latter showed more irritation than he -had ever seen him exhibit before; nor did he forget it, but the next -time his friend called he referred to the matter and remarked that he -considered himself the tallest man in Washington, although he didn't -pretend to be as handsome as General Scott. - -When the notification committee came from the Chicago Convention to his -home at Springfield, they were presented one after another to their -candidate, and, as Governor E. D. Morgan, of New York, reached him, he -asked his height and weight. Mr. Morgan gave the information with some -amusement, whereupon Lincoln remarked,-- - -"You are the heavier, but I am the taller." - -In 1859, when he went to Milwaukee to deliver an address at a State -fair, a cannon-ball tosser in a sideshow interested him more than -anything else on the grounds. Lincoln insisted upon testing the weights -he handled, and was quite chagrined because he was not able to throw -them about as easily as the professional. As they parted he remarked in -his droll way,-- - -"You can outlift me, but I could lick salt off the top of your hat." - -Thomas Lincoln did not remain long at his home on the bluffs overlooking -the Sangamon River. He was always afflicted with the fever of unrest. -Like so many of his class, he continued to advance westward, keeping on -the skirmish line of the frontier. He removed three times after he came -to Illinois in search of better luck, and never found it. He owned three -farms, but never paid for any of them, and was always growing poorer and -signing larger mortgages. Finally, when he had reached the end of his -credit, Lincoln bought him a tract of forty acres near Farmington, Coles -County, where he lived until January 17, 1851, long enough to enjoy the -satisfaction of seeing his son one of the foremost men in the State. He -was buried near the little hamlet. His wife survived both him and her -famous step-son, and was tenderly cared for as long as the latter lived. -Before starting for his inauguration he paid her a visit, in February, -1861, when they spent the day in affectionate companionship. She had a -presentiment that she should never see him again and told him so, but -neither dreamed that he would die first. She lived until April, 1869, a -pious, gentle, intelligent, and well-loved woman, and was buried beside -her husband. Robert T. Lincoln has erected a monument over their graves. - -John Johnston, Lincoln's step-brother, was an honest, but uneasy and -shiftless man, and gave him a great deal of trouble. He lived with his -mother and step-father most of his life, but never contributed much -to their support, and was always in debt, although Lincoln several -times give him means to make a fresh start. Lincoln's letters to his -step-brother, several of which have been preserved, throw considerable -light upon his character. - -In 1851, after Thomas Lincoln's death, Johnston proposed to leave his -mother and go to Missouri, where he thought he could do better than -in Illinois, and asked permission to sell the farm which Lincoln had -bought to secure his step-mother a home for life. - -"You propose to sell it for three hundred dollars," wrote Lincoln in -his indignation, "take one hundred dollars away with you, and leave her -two hundred dollars at eight per cent, making her the enormous sum of -sixteen dollars a year. Now, if you are satisfied with seeing her in -that way I am not." - -Then Johnston proposed that Lincoln should lend him eighty dollars to -pay his expenses to Missouri. - -"You say you would give your place in heaven for seventy or eighty -dollars," Lincoln wrote his step-brother. "Then you value your place in -heaven very cheap, for I am sure you can, with the offer I make, get -seventy or eighty dollars for four or five months' work. What I propose -is that you shall go to work 'tooth and nail' for somebody who will -give you money for it.... I now promise you, that for every dollar you -will, between this and the first of May, get for your own labor, either -in money or as your own indebtedness, I will then give you one other -dollar.... In this I do not mean that you shall go off to St. Louis, or -the lead mines in California, but I mean for you to go at it for the -best wages you can get close at home in Coles County. Now, if you will -do this, you will soon be out of debt, and, what is better, you will -have a habit that will keep you from getting in debt again. But, if I -should now clear you out of debt, next year you would be just as deep as -ever." - -A few months later Lincoln wrote Johnston again in regard to his -contemplated move to Missouri: - -"What can you do in Missouri better than here? Is the land any richer? -Can you there, any more than here, raise corn and wheat and oats without -work? Will anybody there, any more than here, do your work for you? If -you intend to go to work, there is no better place than right where you -are; if you do not intend to go to work, you cannot get along anywhere. -Squirming and crawling about from place to place can do you no good. You -have raised no crop this year; and what you really want is to sell the -land, get the money, and spend it. Part with the land you have, and, my -life upon it, you will never after own a spot big enough to bury you in. -Half you will get for the land you will spend in moving to Missouri, and -the other half you will eat, drink, and wear out, and no foot of land -will be bought. Now, I feel it my duty to have no hand in such a piece -of foolery." - -Shortly after leaving his father's primitive home in the spring of 1831, -Lincoln obtained employment with Denton Offutt, a trader and speculator, -who, having heard that he had already made a voyage on a flat-boat from -Indiana to New Orleans, engaged him for a similar expedition, in company -with John D. Johnston, his step-brother, and John Hanks, his cousin, -for twelve dollars a month each with their return expenses. It took -some time to build the boat, and at the very beginning of the voyage -it stuck midway across a dam at the village of New Salem. The bow was -high in the air, the stern was low in the water, and shipwreck seemed -absolutely certain when Lincoln's ingenuity rescued the craft. Having -unloaded the cargo, he bored a hole in the bottom at the end extending -over the dam; then he tilted up the boat and let the water run out. That -being done, the boat was easily shoved over the dam and reloaded. This -novel exhibition of marine engineering so impressed the inhabitants of -the neighborhood that Abraham Lincoln's genius was discussed at every -fireside for months thereafter, and he gained a reputation at New Salem -that proved to be of great value. He was so much interested in what he -had done that twenty years later he developed the idea and applied for a -patent for a curious contrivance for lifting flat-boats over shoals. - -The journey to New Orleans was a valuable experience. Lincoln's first -actual contact with the system of slavery made him an abolitionist for -life, and the impressions he received were retained throughout his -entire career. He returned to St. Louis by steamer, walked across the -country to New Salem, and became a clerk in the store of Denton Offutt, -measuring calico, weighing out sugar and nails, tending a grist-mill, -and making himself useful to his employer and popular with the people. - -The following year he engaged in a mercantile adventure on his own -account at New Salem which failed disastrously, and found himself loaded -with obligations which, in humorous satire upon his own folly, he called -"the national debt." His creditors accepted his notes in settlement, and -during the next seventeen years he paid them in instalments unto the -uttermost farthing, although the terrible responsibility darkened all -the days of his life. - -"That debt," he once said to a friend, "was the greatest obstacle I -have ever met in my life; I had no way of speculating, and could not -earn money except by labor, and to earn by labor eleven hundred dollars -besides my living seemed the work of a lifetime. There was, however, but -one way. I went to the creditors, and told them that if they would let -me alone I would give them all I could earn over my living, as fast as I -could earn it." - -As late as 1849, when a member of Congress, so we are informed by Mr. -Herndon, he sent home money saved from his salary to be applied on these -obligations. Only a single creditor refused to accept his promises. -A man named Van Bergen, who bought one of his notes on speculation, -brought suit, obtained judgment against him, and levied upon the horse, -saddle, and instruments used by him daily in surveying, and with which, -to use his own words, he "kept body and soul together." - -James Short, a well-to-do farmer living a few miles north of New Salem, -heard of the trouble which had befallen his young friend, and, without -advising Lincoln, attended the sale, bought in the horse and surveying -instruments for one hundred and twenty dollars, and turned them over to -their former owner. After Lincoln left New Salem James Short removed to -the far West, and one day thirty years later he received a letter from -Washington, containing the surprising but gratifying announcement that -he had been commissioned as Indian agent. - -It was this honorable discharge of the obligations in which he became -involved through the rascality of another man that gave Lincoln the -sobriquet of "Honest Old Abe," which one of his biographers has said -"proved of greater service to himself and his country than if he had -gained the wealth of Croesus." - -It was while he was struggling along, trying to do business with his -partner Berry, that he was appointed postmaster at New Salem, which -office he continued to hold until it was discontinued in May, 1836. His -duties as postmaster, as well as his compensation, were very light, -because there were only two or three hundred patrons of the office and -their correspondence was limited. He carried their letters around in his -hat and read all of their newspapers before he delivered them. - -A widely circulated story that Lincoln was once a saloon-keeper was -based upon the fact that the firm of Berry & Lincoln obtained a license -to sell liquors, which was the practice of all country storekeepers in -those days; but, as a matter of fact, the firm never had money or credit -sufficient to obtain a stock of that class of goods, and committed the -offence only by intention. - -In the great debate in 1858, Douglas, in a patronizing manner and -a spirit of badinage, spoke of having known Lincoln when he was a -"flourishing grocery-keeper" at New Salem. Lincoln retorted that he had -never been a "flourishing" grocery-keeper; but added that, if he had -been, it was certain that his friend, Judge Douglas, would have been his -best customer. - -His employment as surveyor began in 1834 and continued for several -years while he was serving in the Legislature. John Calhoun, the County -Surveyor, from whom he received an appointment as deputy, was a man -of education and talent, and an ambitious Democratic politician who -afterwards played a prominent part in the Kansas conspiracy. - -Judge Stephen T. Logan saw Lincoln for the first time in 1832. He -thus speaks of his future partner: "He was a very tall, gawky, and -rough-looking fellow then; his pantaloons didn't meet his shoes by -six inches. But after he began speaking I became very much interested -in him. He made a very sensible speech. His manner was very much the -same as in after-life; that is, the same peculiar characteristics -were apparent then, though of course in after-years he evinced more -knowledge and experience. But he had then the same novelty and the same -peculiarity in presenting his ideas. He had the same individuality that -he kept through all his life." - -Like other famous men of strong character and intellectual force, -Lincoln was very sentimental, and had several love-affairs which caused -him quite as much anxiety and anguish as happiness. The scene of his -first romance was laid in Indiana when he was a barefooted boy, and was -afterwards related by him in these words: - -"When I was a little codger, one day a wagon with a lady and two girls -and a man broke down near us, and while they were fixing up, they cooked -in our kitchen. The woman had books and read us stories, and they were -the first I had ever heard. I took a great fancy to one of the girls; -and when they were gone I thought of her a great deal, and one day, when -I was sitting out in the sun by the house, I wrote out a story in my -mind. I thought I took my father's horse and followed the wagon, and -finally I found it, and they were surprised to see me. I talked with the -girl and persuaded her to elope with me; and that night I put her on my -horse, and we started off across the prairie. After several hours we -came to a camp; and when we rode up we found it was the one we had left -a few hours before, and we went in. The next night we tried again, and -the same thing happened--the horse came back to the same place; and then -we concluded that we ought not to elope. I stayed until I had persuaded -her father to give her to me. I always meant to write that story out and -publish it, and I began once, but I concluded that it was not much of a -story. But I think that was the beginning of love with me." - -David R. Locke, of Toledo (Petroleum V. Nasby), said, "I was in -Washington once more in 1864, when the great struggle was nearer its -close. My business was to secure a pardon for a young man from Ohio -who had deserted under rather peculiar circumstances. When he enlisted -he was under engagement to a young girl, and went to the front very -certain of her faithfulness. It is needless to say that the young girl, -being exceptionally pretty, had another lover. Taking advantage of the -absence of the favored lover, the discarded one renewed his suit with -great vehemence, and rumors reached the young man at the front that his -love had gone over to his enemy, and that he was in danger of losing her -entirely. He immediately applied for a furlough, which was refused him, -and, half mad and reckless of consequences, deserted. He married the -girl, but was immediately arrested as a deserter, tried, found guilty, -and sentenced to be shot. I stated the circumstances, giving the young -fellow a good character, and the President at once signed a pardon, -saying,-- - -"'I want to punish the young man; probably in less than a year he will -wish I had withheld the pardon. We can't tell, though. I suppose when I -was a young man I should have done the same fool thing.'" - -Among his acquaintances at New Salem while he was clerk, postmaster, and -surveyor was a blue-eyed girl named Anne Rutledge, who, according to the -local traditions, was very beautiful and attractive. Her father, James -Rutledge, was one of the founders of the village and kept the tavern at -which Lincoln was a regular boarder. He came of a distinguished family -and was especially proud of the fact that his grandfather was one of -the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Before Lincoln met his -daughter she had become engaged to John McNeill, _alias_ McNamara, one -of the wealthiest and most prosperous of the young men in that part of -Illinois. After the announcement of their engagement, McNeill went East -to arrange certain business affairs before settling down permanently -in Illinois. At first he wrote frequently to his sweetheart, but the -intervals between letters grew longer and longer, and finally they -ceased altogether. - -About this time young Lincoln appeared upon the scene, and, of course, -as there were no secrets among neighbors in those days, he was informed -of the story. The poor girl's sorrow awakened a sympathy which soon -ripened into love. He saw her constantly at her father's tavern, sat -by her side at breakfast, dinner, and supper, and usually spent his -evenings with her upon the tavern steps or wandering in the lanes of -the neighborhood. It was a long time before the girl would listen to -his suit; but, convinced that her former lover was either dead or had -deserted her, she finally yielded and promised to become Lincoln's wife. -As she desired to complete her education, she went to Jacksonville to -spend the winter in an academy while he went to Springfield to attend -the session of the Legislature and continue his law studies, it being -agreed that in the spring, when he had been admitted to the bar, they -should be married; but in the mean time the girl fell ill and died. -The neighbors said that her disease was a broken heart, but the doctors -called it brain fever. Lincoln's sorrow was so intense that his friends -feared suicide. It was at this time that the profound melancholy which -he is believed to have inherited from his mother was first developed. -He never fully recovered from his grief, and, even after he had been -elected President, told a friend, "I really loved that girl and often -think of her now, and I have loved the name of Rutledge to this day." - -He finally recovered his spirits and continued his law studies, -politics, and surveying. He removed to Springfield two years later, -became a partner of one of the leading attorneys of the State, and -took quite an active part in the social affairs of the State capital. -Although careless of forms and indifferent to the conventionalities -of the day, he was recognized as a rising man, and his humor and -conversational powers made him a great favorite. His name appears -frequently in the reports of social events at that time; he was an -habitual speaker at public banquets and one of the managers of a -cotillion party given at the American House, December 16, 1839. - -[Illustration: - - COTILLION PARTY. - - The pleasure of your Company is respectfully solicited at - a Cotillion Party, to be given at the "American House", on - to-morrow evening at 7 o'clock, P. M. - - December 16th, 1839 - - M. H. RIDGELY, - J. A. M'CLENNAND, - R. ALLEN, - N. H. WASH, - F. W. TOLD, - G. A. DOUGLASS, - W. S. PRENTICE, - N. W. EDWARDS, - J. E. SPEED, - J. SHIELDS, - E. D. TAYLOR, - E. H. MERRYMAN, - N. E. WHITESIDE, - M. EASTHAM, - J. R. DILLER, - A. LINCOLN, - - Managers. - - Copyright, 1900, by McClure, Phillips & Co. - - AN INVITATION TO A SPRINGFIELD COTILLION PARTY - - By special permission, from the collection of C. F. Gunther, - Esq., Chicago -] - -About a year after the death of Anne Rutledge he became involved -in a rather ludicrous complication with Miss Mary Owens. It was an -undignified and mortifying predicament, but the way he carried himself -showed his high sense of honor and obedience to his convictions of duty. -It began with a jest. The young lady had visited Springfield, where she -had received considerable attention, and Mrs. Able, her sister, before -starting for a visit to Kentucky, told Lincoln that she would bring her -sister back with her if he would agree to marry her. The bantering offer -was accepted, and a few months later he learned with consternation that -the young lady expected him to fulfil the agreement. Lincoln was -greatly distressed, but his sense of honor would not permit him to deny -his obligations. To Mrs. O. H. Browning, whose husband was afterwards -a United States Senator and a member of the Cabinet, he explained his -predicament, as follows: "I had told her sister that I would take her -for better or for worse, and I make a point of honor and conscience in -all things to stick to my word, especially if others had been induced to -act on it, which in this case I have no doubt they had, for I was now -fairly convinced that no other man on earth would have her, and hence -the conclusion they were bent on holding me to my bargain. At once I -determined to consider her my wife, and this done, all my powers of -discovery were put to work in search of perfections in her which might -be fairly set off against her defects." - -She was several years his senior and not personally attractive, but he -assumed that she was an honorable woman with an affectionate regard -for him, and wrote her with the utmost candor, explaining his poverty -and the sacrifices that she would have to make in marrying him. "I am -afraid you would not be satisfied," he wrote; "you would have to be poor -without the means of hiding your poverty. Do you believe you could bear -that patiently? Whatever woman may cast her lot with mine, should any -ever do so, it is my intention to do all in my power to make her happy -and contented; and there is nothing I could imagine that would make me -more unhappy than to fail in the effort. I know I should be much happier -with you than the way I am, provided I saw no signs of discontent in -you. What you have said to me may have been in the way of a jest, -or I may have misunderstood it. If so, then let it be forgotten; if -otherwise, I much wish you would think seriously before you decide. What -I have said I will most positively abide by, provided you wish it. My -opinion is that you had better not do it. You have not been accustomed -to hardship, and it may be more severe than you now imagine. I know you -are capable of thinking correctly on any subject, and if you deliberate -maturely upon this before you decide, then I am willing to abide your -decision." - -Miss Owens was evidently not pleased with the situation, and replied -with equal candor, telling Lincoln, among other unpleasant things, -that she never had any intention or desire to marry him, for he -was "deficient in those little links which go to make up a woman's -happiness." He rejoiced at his release, but her words stung, and he -wrote Mrs. Browning, "I was mortified in a hundred different ways. My -vanity was deeply wounded by the reflection that I had so long been too -stupid to discover her intentions, and at the same time never doubting -that I understood them perfectly; and also that she, whom I had taught -myself to believe nobody else would have, had actually rejected me with -all my fancied greatness. And, to cap the whole, I then for the first -time began to suspect that I was a little in love with her. But let it -go; I will try and outlive it. Others have been made fools of by girls, -but this can never with truth be said of me. I most emphatically, in -this instance, made a fool of myself. I have now come to the conclusion -never again to think of marrying, and for this reason, I never can be -satisfied with any one who would be blockhead enough to have me." - -But it was not long before he was again involved in the chains of Cupid. -Miss Mary Todd, also of Kentucky, came to Springfield to visit her -sister, the wife of Ninian W. Edwards, one of Lincoln's colleagues in -the Legislature. She received much attention from the most prominent -young men in Springfield, including Stephen A. Douglas, James Shields, -and other of Lincoln's political associates and rivals; but it was -soon apparent that she preferred him, and against the protests of -Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, who were familiar with his hopeless pecuniary -circumstances, they became engaged. - -The course of their love did not run smooth. Their tastes were -different. Miss Todd was absorbed in social pleasures and demanded -admiration and devotion. Lincoln was absorbed in his studies and -political affairs and was not so ardent a lover as she desired. -Misunderstandings and reproaches were frequent, and at last Lincoln -became so thoroughly convinced that they were unsuited to each other -that he asked to be released from the engagement. The young woman -consented with tears of anger and grief, and Lincoln, having discovered, -when it was too late, the depth of her love for him, accused himself of -a breach of honor so bitterly that it preyed upon his mind. He wrote -Joshua F. Speed, of Kentucky, who was the most intimate friend he had, -and whose brother was afterwards a member of his Cabinet, "I must regain -my confidence in my own ability to keep my resolves when they are made. -In that ability I once prided myself as the only or the chief gem of my -character. That gem I have lost. How and where you know too well. I have -not yet regained it, and until I do I cannot trust myself in any matter -of much importance." - -Everybody in Springfield knew of the broken engagement and that it -was the cause of Mr. Lincoln's intense remorse and melancholy. He -did not deny or attempt to disguise it. He wrote Mr. Stuart, his law -partner, three weeks after the fatal first of January, "I am now the -most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to -the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth. -Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell; I awfully forebode that I -shall not. To remain as I am is impossible; I must die or get better." -To other of his intimates he spoke with equal freedom of the sense of -dishonor and despair that possessed him, and they persuaded him to -visit his friend Speed, who carried him off to Kentucky and kept him -for several months. The visit did much to brighten his spirits, and -his own distress was forgotten in his efforts to comfort Speed, who in -the meantime had become engaged, was afraid that he did not love his -sweetheart well enough to marry her, and confided his doubts to Lincoln. - -In the mean time Miss Todd appears to have regained her self-possession -and calmly awaited the will of the fates who were to restore relations -with her sensitive and remorseful lover. The incident which finally -brought them together was a comedy of national interest. - -Among the most conspicuous Democratic politicians in Illinois at that -time was James Shields, an impulsive Irishman of diminutive stature who -was afterwards a general in two wars and a member of the United States -Senate from two States. His ardent admiration for the ladies and his -personal eccentricities exposed him to ridicule, about which he was -very sensitive, and when he found himself the subject of a satirical -letter and doggerel poem in a Springfield newspaper he became enraged, -called upon the editor, and demanded the name of the author. The satires -happened to have been the joint composition of Miss Todd and Julia -Jayne, one of her girl friends, who afterwards became the wife of Lyman -Trumbull. In his dilemma the editor asked the advice of Mr. Lincoln, who -replied,-- - -"Tell Shields that I wrote them." - -Whereupon he received a challenge which was promptly accepted. According -to the code, Lincoln, being the party challenged, was entitled to the -choice of weapons, and, as he did not believe in duelling, he tried to -compel Shields to withdraw his challenge by proposing the most absurd -conditions, which, however, Shields accepted without appearing to -perceive the purpose of his antagonist. Lincoln was a very tall man -with unusually long arms. Shields was very short,--so short that his -head did not reach to Lincoln's shoulder,--yet the conditions were that -they should go down to an island in the Mississippi River and fight -with broadswords across a plank set up on edge, and whichever of the -contestants retreated three feet back of the plank lost the battle. - -The parties actually went across the country,--a journey of three days -on horseback,--the plank was set on edge, and the battle was about to -begin when mutual friends intervened and put an end to the nonsense. One -of the spectators described the scene in most graphic language; how the -two antagonists were seated on logs while their seconds arranged the -plank. "Lincoln's face was grave and serious," he said, "although he -must have been shaking with suppressed amusement. Presently he reached -over and picked up one of the swords, which he drew from its scabbard. -Then he felt along the edge of the weapon with his thumb like a barber -feels of the edge of his razor, raised himself to his full height, -stretched out his long arm, and clipped off a twig above his head -with the sword. There wasn't another man of us who could have reached -anywhere near that twig, and the absurdity of that long-reaching fellow -fighting with cavalry sabres with Shields, who could walk under his arm, -came pretty near making me howl with laughter. After Lincoln had cut off -the twig, he returned the sword solemnly to the scabbard and sat down -again on the log." - -Upon the return of the duelling party to Springfield, several -conflicting explanations were made by friends, the supporters of Lincoln -making the affair as ridiculous as possible, while the defenders of -Shields endeavored to turn it to his credit. It was Lincoln's last -personal quarrel. Happily, more ink than blood was shed, but the -gossips of Springfield were furnished the most exciting topic of the -generation, and Miss Todd and Mr. Lincoln, who had been estranged for -nearly a year, were brought together with mutual gratification. On -November 4, 1842, they were married at the residence of Mr. Edwards, the -brother-in-law of the bride, and Mr. Lincoln's melancholy disappeared -or was dissipated by the sunshine of a happy home. He took his bride to -board at the Globe Tavern, where, he wrote his friend Speed, the charges -were four dollars a week for both, and returned to the practical routine -of his daily life with the patience, industry, and intelligence which -were his greatest characteristics. His partnership with Stuart lasted -four years until the latter was elected to Congress, when a new one was -formed with Judge Stephen T. Logan, who had studied Lincoln's character -and learned his ability while presiding upon the circuit bench. - -[Illustration: MARY TODD LINCOLN, WIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN - -From a photograph by Brady in the War Department Collection] - -Mr. Lincoln's talent was acknowledged by every one who knew him. He -was rapidly assuming leadership in politics and at the bar. Compared -with most of his neighbors and associates he was a man of learning, -and his wisdom and sense of justice made him an umpire and arbitrator -in all forms of contest from wrestling matches to dissensions among -husbands and wives. His gentle sympathy, sincerity, candor, and fearless -honesty were recognized and appreciated by the entire community. No -man in Springfield or in that part of the State where he was best -known ever questioned his word or his integrity of character. With the -encouragement of Judge Logan, he undertook a deeper and more serious -study of the law, and the eminence of his partner brought to the firm -much lucrative business which Lincoln was able to manage. His income -increased in a corresponding manner, and he was able to indulge his wife -and family in greater comforts and luxuries; but at the same time he -was very poor. His step-mother and step-brother were burdens upon him; -he was still struggling to pay what he called "the national debt" as -rapidly as possible, and laid aside every cent he could spare from his -household expenses for that purpose. - -But he was never a money-maker. That talent was sadly lacking in him -as in other great men. While he was in New York to make his Cooper -Institute speech in the spring of 1860, he met an old acquaintance from -Illinois, whom he addressed with an inquiry as to how he had fared -since leaving the West. "I have made a hundred thousand dollars and -lost all," was his reply. Then, turning questioner, he said, "How is it -with you, Mr. Lincoln?" "Oh, very well," he said; "I have a cottage at -Springfield and about eight thousand dollars in money. If they make me -Vice-President with Seward, as some say they will, I hope I shall be -able to increase it to twenty thousand; and that is as much as any man -ought to want." - -With the fee received from one of his earliest important cases he -purchased a modest frame house in an unfashionable part of Springfield, -which was afterwards enlarged, and was his only home. It was also the -only piece of property he ever owned, with the exception of two tracts -of wild land in Iowa which he received from Congress for his services in -the Black Hawk War. In that house he received the committee that came to -notify him of his nomination for the Presidency, and its members were -impressed with the simplicity of his life and surroundings. It was more -comfortable than commodious, and not unlike the residences of well-to-do -members of his profession throughout the country. He lived well, he was -hospitable to his friends, and Mrs. Lincoln took an active part in the -social affairs of the community. - -One who often visited him, referring to "the old-fashioned hospitality -of Springfield," writes, "Among others I recall with a sad pleasure the -dinners and evening parties given by Mrs. Lincoln. In her modest and -simple home, where everything was so orderly and refined, there was -always on the part of both host and hostess a cordial and hearty Western -welcome which put every guest perfectly at ease. Their table was famed -for the excellence of many rare Kentucky dishes, and for venison, wild -turkeys, and other game, then so abundant. Yet it was her genial manner -and ever-kind welcome, and Mr. Lincoln's wit and humor, anecdote and -unrivalled conversation, which formed the chief attraction." - -They had four children: Edward Baker, born March 10, 1846, who died in -infancy; William Wallace, born December 21, 1850, died in the White -House February 20, 1862; Thomas, born April 4, 1853, died in Chicago -July 15, 1871; and Robert Todd, the only survivor, born August 1, -1843, a graduate of Harvard University and a lawyer by profession. -He filled with distinction the office of Secretary of War during -the administrations of Presidents Garfield and Arthur, was minister -to England under President Harrison, and now resides in Chicago as -President of the Pullman Sleeping Car Company. - -Mr. Lincoln was very fond of his children, and many anecdotes are -related of his adventures with them. He frequently took his boys about -with him, finding more satisfaction in their companionship than among -his old associates. He seldom went to his office in the morning without -carrying his youngest child down the street on his shoulder, while the -older ones clung to his hands or coat-tails. Every child in Springfield -knew and loved him, for his sympathy seemed to comprehend them all. It -has been said that there was no institution in Springfield in which -he did not take an active interest. He made a daily visit to a drug -store on the public square which was the rendezvous of politicians and -lawyers, and on Sunday morning was always to be found in his pew in the -First Presbyterian Church. He was one of the most modest yet the most -honored member of the community, and his affection for his neighbors -could have been no better expressed than in his few words of farewell -when he left Springfield for his inauguration at Washington: - -"My friends: no one not in my position can realize the sadness I feel at -this parting. To this people I owe all that I am. Here I have lived more -than a quarter of a century. Here my children were born and here one of -them lies buried. I know not how soon I shall see you again. I go to -assume a task more difficult than that which has devolved upon any other -man since the days of Washington. He never would have succeeded except -for the aid of Divine Providence, upon which he at all times relied. -I feel that I cannot succeed without the same Divine blessing which -sustained him; and on the same Almighty Being I place my reliance for -support. And I hope you, my friends, will all pray that I may receive -that Divine assistance, without which I cannot succeed, but with which -success is certain. Again I bid you an affectionate farewell." - -Mrs. Lincoln died at the residence of her sister, Mrs. Ninian W. -Edwards, in Springfield, July 16, 1882. Dr. Thomas W. Dresser, her -physician during her last illness, says of her, "In the late years of -her life mental peculiarities were developed which finally culminated -in a slight apoplexy, producing paralysis of which she died. Among -the peculiarities alluded to, one of the most singular was the habit -she had during the last year or so of her life of immuring herself -in a perfectly dark room and, for light, using a small candle-light, -even when the sun was shining bright out of doors. No urging would -induce her to go out into the fresh air. Another peculiarity was the -accumulation of large quantities of silks and dress goods in trunks -and by the cart-load, which she never used and which accumulated until -it was really feared that the floor of the storeroom would give way. -She was bright and sparkling in conversation, and her memory remained -singularly good up to the very close of her life. Her face was animated -and pleasing, and to me she was always an interesting woman; and while -the whole world was finding fault with her temper and disposition, it -was clear to me that the trouble was really a cerebral disease." - -In appearance Lincoln was a very plain man. Folks called him ugly, but -his ugliness was impressive. He was gaunt and awkward, his limbs and -arms were very long, his hands and feet were large, and his knuckles -were prominent. His neck was long, the skin was coarse and wrinkled and -the sinews showed under it. There was so little flesh upon his face that -his features were more pronounced than they otherwise would have been. -His nose and chin were especially prominent. In all his movements he was -as awkward as he was uncouth in appearance, but it was an awkwardness -that was often eloquent. - -General Fry left this pen portrait: "Lincoln was tall and thin; his long -bones were united by large joints, and he had a long neck and an angular -face and head. Many likenesses represent his face well enough, but none -that I have ever seen do justice to the awkwardness and ungainliness -of his figure. His feet, hanging loosely to his ankles, were prominent -objects; but his hands were more conspicuous even than his feet,--due, -perhaps, to the fact that ceremony at times compelled him to clothe them -in white kid gloves, which always fitted loosely. Both in the height -of conversation and in the depth of reflection his hand now and then -ran over or supported his head, giving his hair habitually a disordered -aspect." - -Mr. Lincoln's indifference about dress did not improve his appearance. -His old-fashioned "stovepipe hat" was as familiar an object around -Washington as it was in Springfield, and his family and associates -were unable to induce him to purchase a new one. He usually wore a suit -of broadcloth with a long frock coat, the customary garments of the -legal profession in the West and South in those days, and, instead of -an overcoat, a gray shawl which was more than half the time hanging -carelessly over one shoulder. - -He enjoyed jokes at the expense of his personal appearance, and used to -appropriate to himself this ancient incident which has been told of so -many other ugly men. "In the days when I used to be on the circuit," he -often said, "I was once accosted in the cars by a stranger, who said, -'Excuse me, sir, but I have an article in my possession which belongs to -you.' 'How is that?' I asked, considerably astonished. The stranger took -a jack-knife from his pocket. 'This knife,' said he, 'was placed in my -hands some years ago with the injunction that I was to keep it until I -found a man uglier than myself. I have carried it from that time until -this. Allow me now to say, sir, that I think you are fairly entitled to -the property.'" - -Another of his stories about himself concerned a certain honest old -farmer who, visiting the capital for the first time, was taken by the -member from his "deestrick" to some large gathering at which he was told -he could see the President. Unfortunately, Mr. Lincoln did not appear; -and the Congressman, being a bit of a wag and not liking to have his -constituent disappointed, pointed out a gentleman of a particularly -round and rubicund countenance. The worthy farmer, greatly astonished, -exclaimed, "Is that Old Abe? Well, I do declare! He's a better-looking -man than I expected to see; but it does seem as if his troubles had -driven him to drink." - -One night Lincoln had a dream which he used to relate with great gusto -to his friends and family. He said that he was in some great assembly -and the crowd opened to let him pass. One of the multitude remarked, -"He is a common-looking fellow," whereupon Lincoln turned and rebuked -him, saying, "Friend, the Lord prefers common-looking people; that is -why he made so many of them." - -As is well known, Mr. Lincoln's nature sought relief in trying -situations by recalling incidents or anecdotes of a humorous character. -It was his safety-valve, and when his memory awakened the story he -sought, there would be a sudden and radical transformation of his -features. His face would glow, his eyes would twinkle, and his lips -would curl and quiver. His face was often an impenetrable mask, and -people who watched him when a perplexing question was proposed, or when -he was in doubt as to his duty, could never interpret what was going -on in his mind. He never declined to face any person, however annoying -or dangerous, and this faith in his own strength sufficed to guide him -through some of the severest trials that have ever fallen to the lot of -a public man. - -At times Mr. Lincoln stood almost transfigured, and those who were with -him declare that his face would light up with a beauty as if it were -inspired. When in repose it wore an expression of infinite sadness, -which was due to his natural melancholy temperament as well as to -the continual strain of anxiety and his familiarity with the horrors -inseparable from war. There was no heart so tender for the sufferings -and sorrows of the soldiers and their families in all the country, and -he seemed to share the anguish of the broken-hearted mothers whose sons -had fallen in battle or were starving in prison beyond his rescue. -When death entered his own household his sorrow could scarcely be -measured; his sympathetic soul yielded so often to importunities that -his generals declared that he was destroying the discipline of the army. -His own career had been an incessant struggle, a ceaseless endeavor, -and his tenderness is traceable to impressions thus formed. No man -ever occupied a similar position whose experience had been so closely -parallel with that of the plain people he represented. Nowhere in all -literature can be found a more appropriate or touching expression of -sympathy than his letter to Mrs. Bixby, of Boston, who, it was then -supposed, had given five sons to her country: - - "DEAR MADAM:--I have been shown, in the files of the - War Department, a statement of the Adjutant-General of - Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have - died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and - fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to - beguile you from a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain - from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the - thanks of the Republic that they have died to save. I pray that - our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, - and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost - and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a - sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. - - "Yours very sincerely and respectfully, - "ABRAHAM LINCOLN." - -Mr. D. R. Locke (Petroleum V. Nasby), of whose writings he was so fond, -said, "Those who accuse Lincoln of frivolity never knew him. I never -saw a more thoughtful face, I never saw a more dignified face, I never -saw so sad a face. He had humor of which he was totally unconscious, -but it was not frivolity. He said wonderfully witty things, but never -from a desire to be witty. His wit was entirely illustrative. He used -it because, and only because, at times he could say more in this way -and better illustrate the idea with which he was pregnant. He never -cared how he made a point so that he made it, and he never told a story -for the mere sake of telling a story. When he did it, it was for the -purpose of illustrating and making clear a point. He was essentially -epigrammatic and parabolic. He was a master of satire, which at times -was as blunt as a meat-axe and at others as keen as a razor; but it was -always kindly except when some horrible injustice was its inspiration, -and then it was terrible. Weakness he was never ferocious with, but -intentional wickedness he never spared." - -One day the Hon. Thaddeus Stevens called at the White House with -an elderly lady in great trouble, whose son had been in the army, -but for some offence had been court-martialled and sentenced either -to death or imprisonment at hard labor for a long term. There were -extenuating circumstances, and after a full hearing the President -said, "Mr. Stevens, do you think this is a case which will warrant my -interference?" "With my knowledge of the facts and parties," was the -reply, "I should have no hesitation in granting a pardon." "Then," -returned Mr. Lincoln, "I will pardon him," and he proceeded forthwith -to execute the paper. The gratitude of the mother was too deep for -expression, save by tears, and not a word was said until half-way down -the stairs, when she suddenly broke forth, in an excited manner,-- - -"I knew it was a Copperhead lie!" - -"What do you mean, madam?" asked Mr. Stevens. - -"Why, they told me he was an ugly looking man," she replied with -vehemence. "He is the handsomest man I ever saw in all my life." - -The doorkeepers at the White House had standing orders that, no matter -how great might be the throng, the President would see every person who -came to him with a petition for the saving of life. A woman carrying a -baby came three days in succession. Her husband had deserted from the -army, and had been caught and sentenced to be shot. While going through -the anteroom, Mr. Lincoln heard the child cry, rang a bell, and, when -the doorkeeper came, asked,-- - -"Daniel, is there a woman with a baby in the anteroom? Send her to me at -once." - -She went in, told her story, and the President pardoned her husband. As -she came out from his presence her lips were moving in prayer and the -tears were streaming down her cheeks. - -"Madam, it was the baby that did it!" said the messenger. - -Mr. A. B. Chandler, who had charge of the telegraph office at the War -Department, says that on several occasions Lincoln came to the office -near midnight with a message written by his own hand in order that -there should be no mistake or delay in sending respite to a condemned -soldier. "I think," said Mr. Chandler, "he never failed to interpose his -power to prevent the execution of a soldier for sleeping at his post, -or any other than a wilful and malicious act; and even in such cases, -when brought to his attention, he made the most careful review of the -facts, and always seemed more anxious to find the offender innocent than -guilty; and when guilty he was disposed to take into consideration, -as far as possible, any extenuating circumstances in favor of the -wrong-doer. - -"On New Year's morning, 1864," continued Mr. Chandler, "Mr. Lincoln was -about opening the door of the military telegraph office. A woman stood -in the hall, crying. Mr. Lincoln had observed this, and as soon as he -was seated he said to Major Eckert, 'What is the woman crying about just -outside your door? I wish you would go and see,' said Mr. Lincoln. So -the major went out and learned that the woman had come to Washington -expecting to be able to go to the army and see her soldier husband, -which was not altogether unusual for ladies to do while the army was in -the winter-quarters; but very strict orders had recently been issued -prohibiting women from visiting the army, and she found herself with her -child, in Washington, incurring more expense than she supposed would -be necessary, with very little money, and in great grief. This being -explained to the President, he said, in his frank, off-hand way, 'Come, -now, let's send her down: what do you say?' - -"The major explained the strict orders that the Department had issued -lately, the propriety of which Mr. Lincoln recognized, but he was still -unwilling to yield his purpose. Finally the major suggested that a leave -of absence to come to Washington might be given the woman's husband. -The President quickly adopted the suggestion, and directed that Colonel -Hardie, an assistant adjutant-general on duty in an adjoining room, -should make an official order permitting the man to come to Washington." - -But when provoked, or when his sense of justice was violated, Lincoln -showed a terrible temper. It is related that on one occasion when the -California delegation in Congress called upon him to present a nominee -for an office, they disputed the right of Senator Baker, of Oregon, -to be consulted respecting the patronage of the Pacific coast. One of -them unwisely attacked the private character and motives of the Oregon -Senator, forgetting that he had been one of Lincoln's oldest and closest -friends in Illinois. The President's indignation was aroused instantly, -and he defended Baker and denounced his accusers with a vehemence that -is described as terrible. The California delegation never questioned the -integrity of his friends again. - -"Of all public men," said John B. Alley, "none seemed to have so little -pride of opinion. He was always learning, and did not adhere to views -which he found to be erroneous, simply because he had once formed and -held them. I remember that he once expressed an opinion to me, on an -important matter, quite different from what he had expressed a short -time before, and I said, 'Mr. President, you have changed your mind -entirely within a short time.' He replied, 'Yes, I have; and I don't -think much of a man who is not wiser to-day than he was yesterday.' A -remark full of wisdom and sound philosophy. Mr. Lincoln was so sensible, -so broad-minded, so philosophical, so noble in his nature, that he saw -only increasing wisdom in enlarged experience and observation." - -Senator Conners, of California, said, "One morning I called on the -President to talk with him on some public business, and as soon as -we met he began by asking if I knew Captain Maltby, now living in -California, saying, 'He is visiting here and his wife is with him.' -I replied that I knew of him, and had heard he was in Washington. He -said that when he first came to Springfield, where he was unknown, and -a carpet-bag contained all he owned in the world, and he was needing -friends, Captain Maltby and his wife took him into their modest -dwelling; that he lived with them while he 'put out his shingle' and -sought business. - -"He had known Maltby during the period of the Black Hawk War. No one -was ever treated more kindly than he was by them. He had risen in -the world and they were poor, and Captain Maltby wanted some place -which would give him a living. 'In fact,' said he, 'Maltby wants to -be Superintendent of the Mint at San Francisco, but he is hardly -equal to that. I want to find some place for him, and into which he -will fit, and I know nothing about these things.' I said, 'There is -a place--Superintendent of Indian Affairs in California--where the -incumbent should be superseded for cause, and the place is simply a -great farm, where the government supplies the means of carrying it -on; there is an abundance of Indian labor, and making it produce and -accounting for the products are the duties principally.' He replied, -'Maltby is the man for this place,' and he was made entirely happy by -being able to serve an old and good man." - - - - -II - -THE LEADER OF THE SPRINGFIELD BAR - - -Abraham Lincoln inherited his love of learning from his mother, who was -superior in intelligence and refinement to the women of her class and -time. His ambition to become a lawyer was inspired by a copy of the -Revised Statutes of Indiana which accidentally fell into his hands when -he was a mere boy in the swampy forests of the southern section of that -State. In the brief autobiography already referred to, which he prepared -for the newspapers to gratify public curiosity when he was nominated as -a candidate for President, he says that he "went to school by littles; -in all, it did not amount to more than a year," and he afterwards told -a friend that he "read through every book he ever heard of in that -country for a circuit of fifty miles." These included Weems's "Life of -Washington," Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," AEsop's "Fables," "Robinson -Crusoe," a History of the United States whose author is not named, the -Bible, and the Statutes of Indiana. - -This is the catalogue he gave of the books he knew in his youth. His -biographer included Plutarch's "Lives," and when the advanced sheets -of the campaign sketch reached Lincoln he gave a curious exhibition of -his habitual accuracy by calling attention to the fact that this was -not exact when it was written, "for, up to that moment in my life, I -had never seen that early contribution to human history; but I want -your book, even if it is nothing more than a mere campaign sketch, to -be faithful to the facts, and, in order that the statement might be -literally true, I secured the book (Plutarch's 'Lives') a few weeks ago -and have sent for you to tell you that I have just read it through." - -It is quite remarkable that a country lad, almost illiterate, should -have found a volume of statutes interesting reading, but Lincoln read -and reread it until he had almost committed its contents to memory, and -in after-years, when any one cited an Indiana law, he could usually -repeat the exact text and often give the numbers of the page, chapter, -and paragraph. The book belonged to David Turnham, who seems to have -been a constable or magistrate in that part of Indiana, and this -volume constituted his professional library. The actual copy is now -preserved in the library of the New York Law Institute. The binding -is worn and the title-page and a few leaves at the end are missing. -Besides the statutes as enacted up to 1824, it contains the Declaration -of Independence, the Constitutions of the United States and the State -of Indiana, and the Act of Virginia, passed in 1783, by which "The -territory North Westward of the river Ohio" was conveyed to the United -States, and the ordinance of 1787 for governing that territory, of which -Article VI. reads: - -"There shall neither be slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said -territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crime, whereof the party -shall be duly convicted; provided always, that any person escaping -into the same, from whom labor or service is lawfully claimed, in any -one of the original States, such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed, -and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labor or service as -aforesaid." - -It is an interesting coincidence that Abraham Lincoln should not only -have received the impressions which guided him in the choice of his -career from this volume, but also his first knowledge of the legal side -of slavery. Before he finished that book he knew the principles upon -which the government of the United States was founded and how they were -applied in the States. Its contents were fastened upon his memory by -copying long extracts with a quill of a turkey-buzzard and ink home-made -from the juice of the brier root. When he had no paper he wrote upon -a shingle, and, after he had committed to memory the paragraphs so -preserved, he would shave off the shingle with his knife and write -others. When he was in the field ploughing or cultivating he took a book -with him, and when he stopped to rest would pull it from his pocket and -read until it was time to resume work again. In after-life, even when -he came to the White House, he used to speak of the impressions made -upon his mind by the "Life of Washington," and always contended that it -was better for the young men of the country to regard Washington in the -light of a demigod, as Parson Weems describes him, than to shake their -faith in the greatest hero of American history by narrating his mistakes -and follies as if he were a common man. - -He never lost his love for "Pilgrim's Progress" or "Robinson Crusoe." -The characters in both were real to him, and to the end of his days he -could repeat AEsop's "Fables" verbatim. - -In those days schools were very scarce and poor; the teachers were -usually incompetent itinerant adventurers or men too lazy or feeble to -do the manual labor required of frontiersmen. They were paid a trifling -fee for each scholar and "boarded 'round." Nothing was expected of -them in the way of education beyond a knowledge of the three R's, and -Lincoln, of all famous self-made men, owed the least of his intellectual -strength and knowledge to teachers and books and the most to observation -and human contact. When he was upon his eventful "speaking trip," as -he called it, in New England, in the spring of 1860, a clergyman of -Hartford was so impressed by the language and logic of his address that -he inquired where he was educated. Mr. Lincoln replied,-- - -"Well, as to education, the newspapers are correct. I never went to -school more than six months in my life. I can say this: that among -my earliest recollections I remember how, when a mere child, I used -to get irritated when anybody talked to me in a way that I could not -understand. I can remember going to my little bedroom, after hearing the -neighbors talk of an evening with my father, and spending no small part -of the night trying to make out what was the exact meaning of some of -their, to me, dark sayings. - -"I could not sleep, although I tried to, when I got on such a hunt for -an idea until I had caught it; and when I thought I had got it I was -not satisfied until I had repeated it over and over again, until I had -put it in language plain enough, as I thought, for any boy I knew to -comprehend. This was a kind of passion with me, and it has stuck by me; -for I am never easy now, when I am handling a thought, until I have -bounded it north and bounded it south and bounded it east and bounded it -west." - -Among the papers of the late Charles Lanman there is a sketch of -Mr. Lincoln, written in his own hand. Mr. Lanman was editor of the -_Congressional Directory_ at the time that Mr. Lincoln was elected to -Congress, and, according to the ordinary custom, forwarded to him, as -well as to all the other members-elect, a blank to be filled out with -facts and dates which might be made the basis for a biographical sketch -in the _Directory_. Lincoln's blank was returned promptly filled up in -his own handwriting, with the following information: - -"Born February 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. - -"Education defective. - -"Profession, lawyer. - -"Military service, captain of volunteers in the Black Hawk War. - -"Offices held: postmaster at a very small office; four times a member -of the Illinois Legislature, and elected to the Lower House of the next -Congress." - -Mr. Leonard Swett, who was closely identified with Mr. Lincoln for many -years, says,-- - -"In the fall of 1853, as I was riding with Mr. Lincoln, I said, 'I have -heard a great many curious incidents of your early life, and I would be -obliged if you would begin at your earliest recollection and tell me the -story of it continuously.' - -"'I can remember,' he said, 'our life in Kentucky: the cabin, the -stinted living, the sale of our possessions, and the journey with my -father and mother to Southern Indiana.' I think he said he was then -about six years old. Shortly after his arrival in Indiana his mother -died. 'It was pretty pinching times at first in Indiana, getting the -cabin built, and the clearing for the crops, but presently we got -reasonably comfortable, and my father married again.' - -"He had very faint recollections of his own mother, he was so young when -she died; but he spoke most kindly of her and of his step-mother, and -her cares for him in providing for his wants. - -"'My father,' he said, 'had suffered greatly for the want of an -education, and he determined at an early day that I should be well -educated. And what do you think his ideas of a good education were? We -had a dog-eared arithmetic in our house, and father determined that -somehow, or somehow else, I should cipher clear through that book.' - -"With this standard of an education, he started to a school in a -log-house in the neighborhood, and began his educational career. He -had attended this school but about six weeks, however, when a calamity -befell his father. He had endorsed a man's note in the neighborhood for -a considerable amount, and the prospect was he would have it to pay, -and that would sweep away all their little possessions. His father, -therefore, explained to him that he wanted to hire him out and -receive the fruits of his labor and his aid in averting this calamity. -Accordingly, at the expiration of six weeks, he left school and never -returned to it again." - -[Illustration: Copyright, 1900 by McClure, Phillips & Co. - -ABRAHAM LINCOLN EARLY IN 1861, WHEN HE FIRST BEGAN TO WEAR A BEARD - -From a photograph in the collection of H. W. Fay, Esq., De Kalb, -Illinois. By special permission] - -He first attended school when he was about seven years old and still -living in Kentucky. It was held in a little log-hut near their cabin, -and was taught by Zachariah Riney, an Irish Catholic of whom he retained -a pleasant memory, for it was there that he learned to read. The next -year Caleb Hazel opened a school about four miles distant, which Lincoln -attended for three months with his sister Sarah, and both of them -learned to write. He had no more teaching while he lived in Kentucky, -except from his mother. There is no record of his schooling in Indiana, -but the neighbors testify that in his tenth year he attended school for -a few months in a small cabin of round logs about a mile and a half from -the rude home of his father; there he went again for a few months when -he was fourteen years old, and again in 1826, when he was seventeen, to -a man named Swaney, who taught at a distance of four miles and a half -from the Lincoln cabin. He had little encouragement from his father, -for the latter considered the daily walk of nine miles and the six -hours spent in the school-room a waste of time for a boy six feet tall. -His step-mother, however, endeavored to encourage and protect him in -his efforts to learn, and they studied together. He read her the books -he borrowed, and they used to discuss the unintelligible passages. He -was not remarkably quick at learning. On the contrary, his perceptions -were rather dull; but that is often an advantage to a studious mind, as -everything increases in value with the effort required to attain it. -His memory was good, his power of reasoning was early developed, and a -habit of reflection was acquired at an early age. He once remarked to -a friend that his mind did not take impressions easily, but they were -never effaced. "I am slow to learn, and slow to forget that which I -have learned," he said. "My mind is like a piece of steel--very hard to -scratch anything on it, and almost impossible after you get it there -to rub it out." The fact that he never abandoned an idea until it was -thoroughly understood was the foundation of a healthy mental growth. - -At this time, when he was seventeen years old, he had a general -knowledge of the rudiments of learning. He was a good arithmetician, he -had some knowledge of geography and history, he could "spell down" the -whole county at spelling-school, and wrote a clear and neat hand. His -general reading embraced poetry and a few novels. He even attempted to -make rhymes, although he was not very successful. He wrote several prose -compositions, and it is related that "one of the most popular amusements -in the neighborhood was to hear Abe Lincoln make a comic speech." - -Lincoln received no more teaching, but continued his reading and study -until his family removed to Illinois. When he went to New Salem, after -he had made his second voyage to New Orleans, and was waiting for Denton -Offutt to open his store, a local election was held. One of the clerks -of election being unable to attend, Menton Graham, the other clerk, who -was also the village school-master, asked Lincoln if he could write. - -"I can make a few rabbit tracks," was the reply, and upon that admission -he was sworn into his first office. - -Thus began one of the most useful friendships he ever enjoyed, for -Graham was an intelligent and sympathetic friend who inspired the future -President with ambition, nourished his appetite for knowledge, loaned -him books, assisted him in his studies, heard him recite, corrected his -compositions, and was his constant companion while he was clerking in -Offutt's store. One day Graham told him that he ought to study grammar, -and the next morning Lincoln walked six miles to a neighboring town -to obtain a copy of Kirkham's "Grammar." This volume was found in his -library after his death. It was Graham, too, who in six weeks taught -him the science of surveying after Lincoln was appointed deputy to John -Calhoun. From none of his many friends did he receive more valuable -counsel and assistance. - -After he was admitted to the bar and became a member of the Legislature, -he continued a regular course of study, including mathematics, logic, -rhetoric, astronomy, literature, and other branches, devoting a certain -number of hours to it every day. He followed this rule even after his -marriage, and several years after his return from Congress he joined a -German class which met in his office two evenings a week. - -His early friends have always contended that his devotion to study -hastened the failure of the mercantile enterprise which caused him so -much anxiety and left the burden of debt upon his shoulders which he -carried so many years; for when he should have been attending to the -store and watching the dissolute habits of his partner, he was absorbed -in his books. - -His ambition to be a lawyer was stimulated by a curious incident that -occurred soon after he went into partnership with Berry. He related it -himself in these words: - -"One day a man who was migrating to the West drove up in front of my -store with a wagon which contained his family and household plunder. -He asked me if I would buy an old barrel for which he had no room in -his wagon, and which he said contained nothing of special value. I did -not want it, but to oblige him I bought it, and paid him, I think, -half a dollar for it. Without further examination I put it away in the -store and forgot all about it. Some time after, in overhauling things, -I came upon the barrel, and emptying it upon the floor to see what it -contained, I found at the bottom of the rubbish a complete edition of -Blackstone's 'Commentaries.' I began to read those famous works, and I -had plenty of time; for during the long summer days, when the farmers -were busy with their crops, my customers were few and far between. The -more I read"--this he said with unusual emphasis--"the more intensely -interested I became. Never in my whole life was my mind so thoroughly -absorbed. I read until I devoured them." - -It was while he was still a deputy surveyor that Lincoln was elected to -the Legislature, and in his autobiographical notes he says, "During the -canvass, in a private conversation, Major John T. Stuart (one of his -fellow-candidates) encouraged Abraham to study law. After the election -he borrowed books of Stuart, took them home with him and went at it in -good earnest. He never studied with anybody. As he tramped back and -forth from Springfield, twenty miles away, to get his law books, he read -sometimes forty pages or more on the way. The subject seemed to be never -out of his mind. It was the great absorbing interest of his life." The -rule he gave twenty years later to a young man who wanted to know how to -become a lawyer, was the one he practised: "Get books and read and study -them carefully. Begin with Blackstone's 'Commentaries,' say twice, take -Chitty's 'Pleadings,' Greenleaf's 'Evidence,' and Story's 'Equity,' in -succession. Work, work, work is the main thing." - -Immediately after his election he went to Springfield and was admitted -to the bar on September 9, 1836. His name first appears upon the list -of the attorneys and counsellors-at-law published at the opening of the -next term, March 1, 1837. As there was no lawyer in the neighborhood -of New Salem, and none nearer than Springfield, Lincoln had obtained a -little practice in petty cases before the village magistrate, and it is -stated that, poor as he was, he never accepted a fee for such services -because he felt that he was fully paid by the experience. - -For a long time he was in doubt as to the expediency of abandoning his -work as surveyor, which brought him from twelve to fifteen dollars a -month, for the uncertain income of a lawyer, for he was still burdened -by debt, and was constantly called upon for money by his step-mother -and step-brother; but John T. Stuart, with whom he had been associated -in politics and in the Black Hawk War, and who had proved to be a true -friend, offered him a partnership, and Stuart was one of the leading -lawyers of the State. Therefore, Lincoln decided to take the chances, -and, on April 15, 1837, rode into Springfield, says his friend Joshua -Speed, "on a borrowed horse, with no earthly property save a pair of -saddle-bags containing a few clothes." - -His first case was that of Hawthorne vs. Woolridge, his first fee was -three dollars, and he made his first appearance in court in October, -1836. We do not know the details. He created a sensation the following -summer, and for the first time revealed some of the characteristics -which afterwards made him famous by his merciless pursuit of a rascal -named Adams who had swindled the widow of one Joseph Anderson out of -some land. His treatment of this case advertised him far and wide in -the country around Springfield as a shrewd practitioner and a man of -tireless energy, and it doubtless brought him considerable business. -The account-book of Stuart & Lincoln is still preserved, and shows that -their fees were very small,--not exceeding sixteen hundred dollars for -the year and seldom more than ten dollars in a case; while many of them -were traded out at the town groceries, and, in the case of farmers, were -paid in vegetables, poultry, butter, and other produce. But that was the -custom of the time, and at that date a fee of one hundred dollars was as -rare as one of ten thousand dollars now. - -In those days, because of the scattering population and the absence of -transportation facilities, it was customary for courts to travel in -circuits, each circuit being presided over by a judge who went from -one county-seat to another twice a year to hear whatever cases had -accumulated upon the docket. Springfield was situated in the Eighth -Judicial Circuit, which at that time was one hundred and fifty miles -square, including fifteen counties comprising the central part of -Illinois. As there were no railroads, the judge travelled on horseback -or in a carriage, followed by a number of lawyers. The best-known -lawyers had central offices at Springfield and branch offices at the -different county-seats, where they were represented permanently by -junior partners, who prepared their cases and attended to litigation of -minor importance. - -When the county-seat was reached the judge was given the best room at -the hotel and presided at the dining-room table, surrounded by lawyers, -jurors, witnesses, litigants, prisoners out on bail, and even the men -who drove their teams. The hotels were primitive and limited, and, -as the sitting of a court usually attracted all the idle men in the -vicinity, the landlords were taxed to accommodate their guests, and -packed them in as closely as possible; usually two in a bed and often -as many as could find room on the floor. The townspeople made the -semi-annual meeting of the court an occasion for social festivities, -the judge being the guest of honor at dinners, receptions, quiltings, -huskings, weddings, and other entertainments, while the lawyers ranked -according to their social standing and accomplishments. - -In some of the towns there was no court-house, and trials were held in a -church or a school-house, and sometimes, when the weather was favorable, -in the open air. - -When there was no entertainment of an evening, the members of the bar -and their clients who were not preparing for a trial on the morrow -amused themselves by playing cards, telling stories, and discussing -public affairs, so that all who "followed the circuit" became -thoroughly acquainted and each was estimated according to his true -value. Trials of general interest were attended by the entire cavalcade, -but dull arguments and routine business attracted the attention of those -only who were personally concerned. In the mean time the rest of the -party would sit around the tavern or court-house yard, entertaining -themselves and one another in the most agreeable manner, and naturally -Mr. Lincoln's talents as a story-teller made him popular and his -personal character made him beloved by every one with whom he came in -contact. The meeting of the Supreme Court once a year at Springfield -was the great event, next to the assembling of the Legislature, and -served as a reunion of the ablest men in the State. These usually had -causes to try or motions to submit, or if they had none would make some -excuse for attending the gathering. The Supreme Court Library was their -rendezvous, and Lincoln was the centre of attraction, even when he was a -young man; when he became older his presence was regarded as necessary -to a successful evening. His stories were as much a part of these annual -gatherings as the decisions of the court, and after this custom became -obsolete the older lawyers retained with an affectionate interest the -memories of their association with him. - -David Davis, afterwards Justice of the United States Supreme Court and -a member of the United States Senate from Illinois, presided over the -Eighth Circuit for many years while Lincoln was in practice, and was -one of his most ardent admirers and devoted friends. It is said that -he would not sit down at the table for dinner or supper until Lincoln -was present. One day, during the trial of a cause, when Lincoln was the -centre of a group in a distant corner of the court-room, exchanging -whispered stories, Judge Davis rapped on the bench and, calling him by -name, exclaimed,-- - -"Mr. Lincoln, this must stop! There is no use in trying to carry on two -courts; one of them will have to adjourn, and I think yours will have to -be the one;" and as soon as the group scattered, Judge Davis called one -of the group to the bench and asked him to repeat the stories Lincoln -had been telling. - -Books of reminiscences written by the men who lived in Illinois in those -days are filled with anecdotes of him, and, even now, it is common in -arguments before the courts in that part of the State to quote what -Lincoln said or did under similar circumstances, and his opinions have -the force of judicial decisions. - -In his autobiography, Joseph Jefferson tells an interesting story of the -experience of his father's theatrical company when it was travelling -through Illinois in 1839. He was then a child of ten years. After -playing at Chicago, Quincy, Peoria, and Pekin, the company went to -Springfield, where the presence of the Legislature tempted the elder -Jefferson and his company to remain throughout the season. There was no -theatre, so they built one; it was scarcely completed before a religious -revival turned the influence of the church people against their -performances so effectually that a law was passed by the municipality -imposing a license which was practically prohibitory. In the midst of -their troubles, says Jefferson, a young lawyer called on the managers -and offered, if they would place the matter in his hands, to have the -license revoked, declaring that he only desired to see fair play, and -would accept no fee whether he failed or succeeded. The young lawyer -handled the case with tact, skill, and humor, in his argument tracing -the history of the drama from the time when Thespis acted in a cart to -the stage of to-day. He illustrated his speech with pointed anecdotes -which kept the City Council in a roar of laughter. "This good-humor -prevailed," relates the famous actor, "and the exhibition tax was taken -off." The young lawyer was Lincoln. - -Many of the reminiscences relate to Lincoln's skill at -cross-examination, in which, it is asserted, he had no equal at the -Illinois bar. Judge Davis declared that he had the rare gift of -compelling a witness, either friendly or unfriendly, to tell the whole -truth, and seldom resorted to the browbeating tactics so often used by -attorneys. He never irritated a witness, but treated him so kindly and -courteously as to disarm him of any hostile intention. - -He never used a word which the dullest juryman could not understand. A -lawyer quoting a legal maxim one day in court, turned to Lincoln and -said, "That is so, is it not, Mr. Lincoln?" - -"If that's Latin," Lincoln replied, "you had better call another -witness." - -Mr. T. W. S. Kidd says that he once heard a lawyer opposed to Lincoln -trying to convince a jury that precedent was superior to law, and that -custom made things legal in all cases. When Lincoln rose to answer, he -told the jury he would argue his case in the same way. Said he, "Old -Squire Bagly, from Menard, came into my office and said, 'Lincoln, I -want your advice as a lawyer. Has a man what's been elected justice of -the peace a right to issue a marriage license?' I told him he had not; -when the old squire threw himself back in his chair very indignantly, -and said, 'Lincoln, I thought you was a lawyer. Now, Bob Thomas and me -had a bet on this thing, and we agreed to let you decide; but if this is -your opinion I don't want it, for I know a thunderin' sight better, for -I have been squire now eight years and have done it all the time.'" - -Lincoln always felt and frequently expressed a deep sense of gratitude -to Judge Stephen T. Logan, his second partner, with whom he became -associated in 1841. Judge Logan was the recognized head of his -profession in the central part of the State, a man of high ideals, -noble character, and excellent professional habits. Such example -and instruction were of the greatest service in forming Lincoln's -professional habits, because he was naturally careless in his methods, -and at that period of his life was inclined to depend upon his wits -rather than his knowledge and to indulge in emotional bursts of oratory -rather than simple, convincing logic. He attributed his superior faculty -in presenting a case to Judge Logan's instructions. Nor was he the only -man who owed much of his success in life to this great preceptor. Four -of Judge Logan's law students found their way to the United States -Senate and three were Governors of States. - -When Lincoln's experience in Congress had extended his reputation, -broadened his ideas, and given him a better knowledge of men and things, -his practical value as a partner was recognized by the members of one -of the most prominent law firms in Chicago, who invited him to join -them; but he declined on the ground that his family ties as well as his -professional connections were in Springfield, and he feared that his -health would not endure the close confinement of a city office. - -Among Lincoln's manuscripts after his death were found a few pages of -notes evidently intended or, perhaps, used at some time for a lecture to -law students, and which express in a very clear manner his opinions as -to the ethics of practice. His words should be printed upon card-board -and hung in every law office in the land. - -"... Extemporaneous speaking should be practised and cultivated. It is -the lawyer's avenue to the public. However able and faithful he may be -in other respects, people are slow to bring him business if he cannot -make a speech. And yet, there is not a more fatal error to young lawyers -than relying too much on speech-making. If any one, upon his rare -powers of speaking, shall claim an exemption from the drudgery of the -law, his case is a failure in advance. Discourage litigation. Persuade -your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how -the nominal winner is often a real loser--in fees, expenses, and waste -of time. As a peacemaker, the lawyer has a superior opportunity of -being a good man. There will still be business enough. Never stir up -litigation. A worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this. -Who can be more nearly a fiend than he who habitually overhauls the -register of deeds in search of defects in titles, whereon to stir up -strife and put money in his pocket? A moral tone ought to be infused -into the profession which should drive such men out of it.... There is -a vague popular belief that lawyers are necessarily dishonest. I say -vague because, when we consider to what extent confidence and honors -are reposed in and conferred upon lawyers by the people, it appears -improbable that their impression of dishonesty is very distinct and -vivid. Yet the impression is common,--almost universal. Let no young man -choosing the law for a calling for a moment yield to the popular belief. -Resolve to be honest at all events; and if, in your own judgment, you -cannot be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a lawyer. -Choose some other occupation rather than one in the choosing of which -you do, in advance, consent to be a knave." - -Lincoln and McClellan first met three or four years before the war, -when the latter was Vice-President and Chief Engineer of the Illinois -Central Railroad and the former was attorney for that company. General -McClellan, in his autobiography, gives an account of his relations with -Lincoln at that time, but they were never intimate. - -In 1859, when Lincoln appeared for the Illinois Central Railroad in -a case which it did not wish to try at that term, he remarked to the -court,-- - -"We are not ready for trial." - -"Why is not the company ready to go to trial?" remarked Judge Davis. - -"We are embarrassed by the absence of Captain McClellan," was Lincoln's -reply. - -"Who is Captain McClellan and why is he not here?" asked Judge Davis. - -"All I know," said Mr. Lincoln, "is that he is the engineer of the -railroad, and why he is not here deponent saith not." - -It has been frequently said that General McClellan refused to pay -Lincoln a fee charged for trying a case for the Illinois Central -Railroad, but it is not true. At the time referred to (1855) Captain -McClellan was in the regular army and a military attache in Europe -during the Crimean War. It was, however, the only time that Lincoln sued -for a fee, and the circumstances were as follows. By its charter the -Illinois Central Railroad was exempt from taxation on condition that it -pay into the State treasury seven per cent. of its gross earnings. The -officials of McLean County contended that the Legislature of the State -had no authority to exempt or remit county taxes, and brought a suit -against the road to compel payment. Lincoln defended the company, won -the case, and presented a bill for two thousand dollars. An official -of the railroad, whose name has been forgotten, declined payment on -the ground that it was as much as a first-class lawyer would charge. -Lincoln was so indignant that he withdrew the original bill of charges, -consulted professional friends, and later submitted another for five -thousand dollars with a memorandum attached, signed by six of the most -prominent lawyers in the State, giving as their opinion that the fee was -not unreasonable. As the company still refused to pay, Lincoln sued and -recovered the full amount. - -Lincoln's theory regarding fees for professional services is expressed -in the notes of the law lecture previously referred to, and was as -follows: - -"The matter of fees is important, far beyond the mere question of bread -and butter involved. Properly attended to, fuller justice is done to -both lawyer and client. An exorbitant fee should never be claimed. As -a general rule, never take your whole fee in advance, nor any more -than a small retainer. When fully paid beforehand, you are more than -a common mortal if you can feel the same interest in the case as if -something was still in prospect for you as well as for your client. And -when you lack interest in the case the job will very likely lack skill -and diligence in the performance. Settle the amount of fee and take a -note in advance. Then you will feel that you are working for something, -and you are sure to do your work faithfully and well. Never sell a fee -note,--at least not before the consideration service is performed. It -leads to negligence and dishonesty,--negligence by losing interest in -the case, and dishonesty in refusing to refund when you have allowed the -consideration to fail." - -If a client was poor he charged him accordingly, and if he was unable to -pay asked nothing for his services. It was one of his theories that a -lawyer, like a minister of the Gospel or a physician, was in duty bound -to render service whenever called upon, regardless of the prospects -of compensation, and in several cases he offered his services without -compensation to people who had suffered injustice and were unable to -pay. As a rule, his fees were less than those of other lawyers of his -circuit. Justice Davis once remonstrated with him, and insisted that he -was doing a grave injustice to his associates at the bar by charging so -little for his services. From 1850 to 1860 his income varied from two -to three thousand dollars, and even when he was recognized as one of -the ablest lawyers of the State his fee-book frequently shows charges -of three dollars, five dollars, and one dollar for advice, although he -never went into court for less than ten dollars. During that period -he was at the height of his power and popularity, and lawyers of less -standing and talent charged several times those amounts. But avarice -was the least of his faults. - -While he was President a certain Senator was charged with an attempt -to swindle the government out of some millions. Discussing the scandal -one day with some friends, he remarked that he could not understand why -men should be so eager after wealth. "Wealth," said he, "is simply a -superfluity of what we don't need." - -An examination of the dockets of the Illinois Supreme Court shows that -during a period of twenty years, beginning with 1840 and ending with his -election to the Presidency, he had nearly one hundred cases before that -court, which is an unusual record and has been surpassed by few lawyers -in the history of the State and by none of his contemporaries. It was -declared, in an oration delivered by one of his associates, that "In his -career as a lawyer he traversed a wide range of territory, attended many -courts and had a variety of cases, and in all his conflicts at the bar -he was successful in every case where he ought to have been." - -When he went to Washington to become President his debts were entirely -paid and he was worth about ten thousand dollars in real estate and -other property. - -[Illustration: Copyright, 1900, by McClure, Phillips & Co. - -ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN THE SUMMER OF 1860 - -From a negative taken for M. C. Tuttle, of St. Paul, Minnesota, for -local use in the presidential campaign] - -A singular story is told of a case in which a good many prominent men -were involved besides Lincoln. Abraham Brokaw, of Bloomington, loaned -five hundred dollars to one of his neighbors and took a note, which -remained unpaid. Action was brought, the sheriff levied on the property -of the debtor and collected the entire amount, but neglected to turn the -proceeds over. Brokaw employed Stephen A. Douglas, who collected the -amount from the bondsman of the sheriff, but returned to his seat in the -Senate at Washington without making a settlement. Like some other great -men, Douglas was very careless about money matters, and, after appealing -to him again and again, Brokaw employed David Davis to bring suit -against the Senator. Being an intimate friend and fellow-Democrat, -Davis disliked to appear in the case, and by his advice Brokaw engaged -the services of Lincoln. The latter wrote to Douglas at Washington -that he had a claim against him for collection and must insist upon -prompt payment. Douglas became very indignant and reproached Brokaw for -placing such a political weapon in the hands of an abolitionist. Brokaw -sent Douglas's letter to Lincoln, and the latter employed "Long John" -Wentworth, then a Democratic member of Congress from Chicago, as an -associate in the case. Wentworth saw Douglas, persuaded him to pay the -money, and forwarded five hundred dollars to Lincoln, who, in turn, paid -it to Brokaw and sent him a bill of three dollars and fifty cents for -professional services. - -Lincoln's greatest legal triumph was the acquittal of an old neighbor -named Duff Armstrong, who was charged with murder, and several witnesses -testified that they saw the accused commit the deed one night about -eleven o'clock. Lincoln attempted no cross-examination, except to -persuade them to reiterate their statements and to explain that they -were able to see the act distinctly because of the bright moonlight. -By several of the prosecuting witnesses he proved the exact position -and size of the moon at the time of the murder. The prosecution there -rested, and Lincoln, addressing the court and the jury, announced that -he had no defence to submit except an almanac, which would show that -there was no moon on that night. The State's attorney was paralyzed, but -the court admitted the almanac as competent testimony, and every witness -was completely impeached and convicted of perjury. The verdict was not -guilty. - -One of the most important cases in which Lincoln was ever engaged -involved the ownership of a patent for the reaping machines manufactured -by Cyrus H. McCormick, of Chicago, who sued John Manny, of Rockford, -for infringement. McCormick was represented by E. N. Dickerson and -Reverdy Johnson. Manny was represented by Edwin M. Stanton, who -was afterwards Lincoln's Secretary of War; Peter H. Watson, who -was afterwards Assistant Secretary of War; and George Harding, of -Philadelphia. The case was tried in Cincinnati, and, to his intense -disappointment and chagrin, Lincoln was not allowed to make an argument -he had prepared because the court would not permit four arguments on -one side and only two on the other. Lincoln was extremely anxious to -meet in debate Reverdy Johnson, of Baltimore, who was then regarded by -many as the leader of the American bar; but he accepted the situation -gracefully though regretfully, watched the case closely as it proceeded, -took careful notes which he furnished Mr. Harding, and gave the latter -the benefit of his written argument, but requested him not to show it to -Mr. Stanton. There is no doubt that he felt that Mr. Stanton had been -guilty of professional discourtesy in refusing to insist that the court -hear Lincoln as well as himself, believing that this concession would -have been granted if the demand had been pressed, or if Mr. Stanton had -proposed that the time allowed for argument be divided. Mr. Stanton was -not unaware of Lincoln's wishes, for they were fully explained to him by -Mr. Harding, who urged him to give Lincoln an opportunity to speak, but, -being the senior counsel in the case, he assigned Mr. Harding, who was a -patent expert, to submit the technical side of the case, and assumed the -entire responsibility of making the legal argument himself. - -This incident is particularly interesting in connection with the future -relations between the two men, and it is certain that Lincoln was -profoundly impressed with Mr. Stanton's ability in the presentation of -his case. The matter was never alluded to by either during their long -and intimate association at Washington. A young lawyer from Rockford who -had studied with Lincoln was in Cincinnati at the time and attended the -trial. When the court adjourned after Stanton's argument they walked -together to their hotel. Mr. Emerson says that Lincoln seemed dejected, -and, turning to him suddenly, exclaimed in an impulsive manner,-- - -"Emerson, I am going home to study law." - -"'Why,' I exclaimed, 'Mr. Lincoln, you stand at the head of the bar in -Illinois now! What are you talking about?' - -"'Ah, yes,' he said, 'I do occupy a good position there, and I think -I can get along with the way things are done there now. But these -college-trained men, who have devoted their whole lives to study, are -coming West, don't you see? And they study their cases as we never -do. They have got as far as Cincinnati now. They will soon be in -Illinois.' Another long pause; then stopping and turning towards me, his -countenance suddenly assuming that look of strong determination which -those who knew him best sometimes saw upon his face, he exclaimed, 'I am -going home to study law! I am as good as any of them, and when they get -out to Illinois I will be ready for them.'" - -While Mr. Lincoln was not a sensitive man in the ordinary sense of that -term, he felt keenly his own deficiencies in education; nor did he lose -this feeling when his ability as a statesman was recognized by the -entire universe and he held the destiny of a nation in his grasp. Once, -when a famous lawyer called at the White House and referred courteously -to his eminent position at the bar, he replied, "Oh, I am only a -mast-fed lawyer," referring to his limited education. "Mast" is a kind -of food composed of acorns, grass, and similar natural substances which -was commonly given to cattle and hogs in Indiana and other frontier -States when he was a boy. - -Conscious of his deficiencies, he never ceased to be a student. Until -the very day of his death he was eager to acquire knowledge, and no new -subject was ever presented to him without exciting his inquisitiveness -and determination to learn all there was to know about it. Of this -characteristic he once remarked to a friend,-- - -"In the course of my law reading I constantly came upon the word -demonstrate--I thought at first that I understood its meaning, but soon -became satisfied that I did not. I consulted Webster's Dictionary. That -told of certain proof, 'proof beyond the probability of doubt;' but I -could form no sort of idea what sort of proof that was. - -"I consulted all the dictionaries and books of reference I could find, -but with no better results. You might as well have defined blue to a -blind man. At last I said, 'Lincoln, you can never make a lawyer if you -do not understand what demonstrate means;' and I left my situation in -Springfield, went home to my father's house, and stayed there until I -could give any proposition in the six books of Euclid at sight. I then -found out what demonstrate meant, and went back to my law studies." - -He met every new question with the same disposition, and nobody -ever knew better how to dig for the root of a subject than he. When -his children began to go to school, he used to study with them, and -frequently referred to the many interesting points of information and -the valuable knowledge he acquired in that way. The lawyers who were -associated with him upon the circuit relate how often he was accustomed -to pull a book from his pocket whenever he had an idle moment, and it -was quite as frequently a treatise on astronomy or engineering or a -medical lecture as a collection of poems or speeches. - -But, with all his modesty and diffidence, he never hesitated to meet -with confidence the most formidable opponent at the bar or on the stump, -and frequently, when reading accounts of litigation in which famous -lawyers were engaged, he would express a wish that he might some time -"tackle" them in a court-room. He once said that in all his practice at -the bar he had never been surprised by the strength of the testimony or -the arguments of his adversary, and usually found them weaker than he -feared. This was due to a habit he acquired early in his practice of -studying the opposite side of every disputed question in every law case -and every political issue quite as carefully as his own side. When he -had an important case on hand he was accustomed to withdraw himself into -a room where he would not be disturbed, or, what he liked better, to -get out into the fields or the woods around Springfield where there was -nothing to distract his thoughts, in order to "argue it out in my own -mind," as he put it; and when he returned to his house or his office he -would usually have a clear conception of his case and have formed his -plan of action. - -He argued great causes in which principles were involved with all the -zeal and earnestness that a righteous soul could feel. Trifling causes -he dismissed with the ridicule in which he was unsurpassed, and his -associates relate many incidents when a verdict was rendered in a gale -of laughter because of the droll tactics used by Lincoln. He never -depended upon technicalities or the tricks of the profession. He never -attempted to throw obstacles in the way of justice, or to gain an -unfair advantage of his adversaries, but was capable of executing legal -manoeuvres with as much skill as any of his rivals. He adapted himself -to circumstances with remarkable ease, and his thorough knowledge of -human nature enabled him to excite the interest and sympathy of a jury -by getting very close to their hearts. He argued much from analogy; he -used old-fashioned words and homely phrases which were familiar to the -jurymen he desired to impress, and illustrated his points by stories, -maxims, and figures often droll and sometimes vulgar, because he knew -that he could make it plainer to them in that way and that they would -better understand the force and bearing of his arguments. He relied more -upon this method of convincing a jury than upon exhibitions of learning -or flights of eloquence, and his acquaintance with human nature was even -more intimate than his knowledge of the law. - -Few of his speeches at the bar have been preserved, but his -contemporaries have left us many interesting reminiscences of his -originality and power. His ungainly form and awkward gesticulations -enhanced the force of his arguments and attracted the attention and -sympathy of a country jury more than the most graceful manners and -elegant rhetoric could have done. It was always his rule, in presenting -a case, to cut out all of the "dead wood" and get down to "hard pan," -as he called it, as soon as possible. In making such concessions he -would establish a position of fairness and honesty, and often disarmed -his opponent by leaving the impression that he had accidentally "given -away his case." Then he would rely upon his remarkable habit of order -and command of logic to bring his evidence forward in a clear and strong -light, keeping unnecessary details away from the attention of the -jury and pressing only the essential points with which he expected to -convince them. Sometimes, when his opponent seemed to have captured a -verdict, he would abandon his serious argument and begin to tell stories -one after another with more or less application, until by such diversion -he had effaced from the minds of the jury every impression that the -other side had made. - -Justice Lawrence Weldon, of the United States Court of Claims, in his -reminiscences says, "One of the most interesting incidents in my early -acquaintance with Mr. Lincoln was a lawsuit in which Mr. Lincoln was -counsel for the plaintiff and I was counsel for the defendant. Even -then, in a trial that was the sensation of an obscure village on the -prairies, Mr. Lincoln showed that supreme sense of justice to God and -his fellow-men. - -"It was a family quarrel between two brothers-in-law, Jack Dungee and -Joe Spencer. Dungee was a Portuguese, extremely dark-complexioned, but -not a bad-looking fellow; and after a time he married Spencer's sister, -with the approval of Spencer's family. I don't remember the origin of -the quarrel, but it became bitter; and the last straw was laid on when -Spencer called Dungee a 'nigger' and followed it up, they say, by adding -'a nigger married to a white woman.' The statute of Illinois made it -a crime for a negro to marry a white woman, and, because of that, the -words were slanderous. Dungee, through Mr. Lincoln, brought the suit for -slander. Judge David Davis was on the bench, and the suit was brought in -the De Witt Circuit Court. When the case came up, Mr. Moore and myself -appeared for the defence and demurred to the declaration, which, to -the annoyance of Mr. Lincoln, the court sustained. Whatever interest -Mr. Lincoln took in the case before that time, his professional pride -was aroused by the fact that the court had decided that his papers -were deficient. Looking across the trial table at Moore and myself and -shaking his long, bony finger, he said, 'Now, by jing, I will beat you -boys!' - -"At the next term of the court Mr. Lincoln appeared with his papers -amended, and fully determined to make good his promise to 'beat the -boys!' and we thought his chances pretty good to do it, too. We knew our -man was a fool not to have settled it, but still we were bound to defend -and clear him if we could. - -"In the argument of the case on the testimony Mr. Lincoln made a most -powerful and remarkable speech, abounding in wit, logic, and eloquence -of the highest order. His thoughts were clothed in the simplest garb of -expression and in words understood by every juror in the box. After -the instructions were given by the court the jury retired, and in a few -moments returned with a judgment for the plaintiff, in a sum which was a -large amount for those days. - -"Mr. Lincoln's advice to his client was that Dungee agree to remit -the whole judgment, by Spencer paying the costs of the suit and Mr. -Lincoln's fee. Mr. Lincoln then proposed to leave the amount of his -fee to Moore and myself. We protested against this, and insisted that -Mr. Lincoln should fix the amount of his own fee. After a few moments' -thought he said, 'Well, gentlemen, don't you think I have honestly -earned twenty-five dollars?' We were astonished, and had he said one -hundred dollars it would have been what we expected. The judgment was -a large one for those days; he had attended the case at two terms of -court, had been engaged for two days in a hotly contested suit, and his -client's adversary was going to pay the bill. The simplicity of Mr. -Lincoln's character in money matters is well illustrated by the fact -that for all this he charged twenty-five dollars." - -Justice David Davis, of the Supreme Court of the United States, said, -"In all the elements that constitute the great lawyer he had few equals. -He was great both at _nisi prius_ and before an appellate tribunal. He -seized the strong points of a cause and presented them with clearness -and great compactness. His mind was logical and direct, and he did -not indulge in extraneous discussion. Generalities and platitudes had -no charms for him. An unfailing vein of humor never deserted him; and -he was able to claim the attention of court and jury, when the cause -was the most uninteresting, by the appropriateness of his anecdotes. -His power of comparison was large, and he rarely failed in a legal -discussion to use that mode of reasoning. The framework of his mental -and moral being was honesty, and a wrong cause was poorly defended by -him. He hated wrong and oppression everywhere, and many a man whose -fraudulent conduct was undergoing review in a court of justice has -writhed under his terrific indignation and rebukes. The people where -he practised law were not rich, and his charges were always small. -When he was elected President, I question whether there was a lawyer -in the circuit, who had been at the bar so long a time, whose means -were not larger. It did not seem to be one of the purposes of his life -to accumulate a fortune. In fact, outside of his profession, he had no -knowledge of the way to make money, and he never even attempted it." - -Lincoln was associated at the Springfield bar with many famous men, -and there was a keen rivalry among them. Stephen A. Douglas, David -Davis, James Shields, Edward D. Baker, John M. Palmer, Lyman Trumbull, -Oliver H. Browning, Shelby M. Cullom, and others afterwards sat in the -United States Senate and some of them held positions in the Cabinets -of Presidents. Others were afterwards Governors of States and members -of the House of Representatives; others led armies during the war with -Mexico and the war between the States. One of the strongest groups of -men that ever gathered at the capital of a State was to be found in -Springfield in those days, and Lincoln was their equal in ability and -learning and the superior of many of them in the qualities that make -a statesman. They recognized him as their superior on many occasions, -and whether or not he was the ablest lawyer on the circuit, there was -never any doubt that he was the most popular. He was always a great -favorite with the younger members of the bar because of his sympathy -and good-nature. He never used the arts of a demagogue; he was never a -toady; he was always ready to do an act of kindness; he was generous -with his mind and with his purse; although he never asked for help, was -always ready to give it; and while he received everybody's confidence, -he rarely gave his own in return. Whatever his cares and anxieties may -have been, he never inflicted them upon others; he never wounded by his -wit; his humor was never harsh or rude; he endeavored to lighten the -labors and the cares of others, and beneath his awkward manner was a -gentle refinement and an amiable disposition. - -For twenty-five years he practised at the Springfield bar. He was not -a great lawyer according to the standard of his profession, but the -testimony of his associates is that he was a good one, enjoying the -confidence of the judiciary, the bar, and the public to a remarkable -degree. He was conspicuous for several honorable traits, and, above -all, for that sense of moral responsibility that can always distinguish -between duty to a client and duty to society and the truth. On the -wrong side of a case he was always weak, and, realizing this, he often -persuaded his clients to give up litigation rather than compel him to -argue against truth and justice. - -Leonard Swett, of Chicago, for years an intimate associate, and himself -one of the most famous of American lawyers, says that, "sometimes, after -Lincoln entered upon a criminal case, the conviction that his client was -guilty would affect him with a sort of panic. On one occasion he turned -suddenly to his associate and said, 'Swett, the man is guilty; you -defend him, I can't,' and so gave up his share of a large fee. - -"At another time, when he was engaged with Judge S. C. Parks in -defending a man accused of larceny, he said, 'If you can say anything -for the man, do it, I can't; if I attempt it, the jury will see I think -he is guilty, and convict him.' - -"Once he was prosecuting a civil suit, in the course of which evidence -was introduced showing that his client was attempting a fraud. Lincoln -rose and went to his hotel in deep disgust. The judge sent for him; he -refused to come. 'Tell the judge,' he said, 'my hands are dirty; I came -over to wash them.' We are aware that these stories detract something -from the character of the lawyer; but this inflexible, inconvenient, and -fastidious morality was to be of vast service afterwards to his country -and to the world. The fact is that, with all his stories and jests, his -frank companionable humor, his gift of easy accessibility and welcome, -he was a man of grave and serious temper and of unusual innate dignity -and reserve. He had few or no special intimates, and there was a line -beyond which no one ever thought of passing." - -Mr. Chauncey M. Depew said, "He told me once that, in his judgment, -one of the two best things he ever originated was this. He was trying -a cause in Illinois where he appeared for a prisoner charged with -aggravated assault and battery. The complainant had told a horrible -story of the attack, which his appearance fully justified, when -the district attorney handed the witness over to Mr. Lincoln for -cross-examination. Mr. Lincoln said he had no testimony, and unless -he could break down the complainant's story he saw no way out. He had -come to the conclusion that the witness was a bumptious man, who rather -prided himself upon his smartness in repartee, and so, after looking at -him for some minutes, he inquired, 'Well, my friend, what ground did you -and my client here fight over?' The fellow answered, 'About six acres.' -'Well,' said Mr. Lincoln,'don't you think this is an almighty small crop -of fight to gather from such a big piece of ground?' The jury laughed, -the court and district attorney and complainant all joined in, and the -case was laughed out of court." - - - - -III - -A GREAT ORATOR AND HIS SPEECHES - - -The fame of Abraham Lincoln as an orator was made secure by his debate -with Douglas in 1858, his political speech at Cooper Institute in -February, 1860, his oration at the dedication of the Soldiers' Cemetery -at Gettysburg in 1863, and his second inaugural address in March, 1865. -Neither of these four distinct examples of argument and eloquence has -ever been surpassed in their separate fields. That was the judgment of -his contemporaries, and it is confirmed by the succeeding generation, -not only of his own countrymen, but of competent critics throughout the -English-speaking world. His style commanded the highest praise from the -French Academy. It was commended as a model for the imitation of princes. - -His debate with Douglas was a gladiatorial combat between oratorical -Titans. It had no precedent and has not been repeated. His speech -at Cooper Institute, as an example of political reasoning, made him -pre-eminent upon what the Americans call the "stump." His historical -analysis, concise statement, faultless logic, and irresistible -conclusions made it a model which has been studied and imitated by -campaign speakers ever since its delivery. The brief oration at -Gettysburg, covering only thirty lines of print, ranks with the noblest -utterances of human lips. No orator of ancient or modern times produced -purer rhetoric, more beautiful sentiment, or elegant diction. - -Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Many passages in his letters, messages, and -speeches ... are destined to wide fame. What pregnant definitions, -what unerring common sense, what foresight, and on great occasions -what lofty and, more than national, what human tones. His brief speech -at Gettysburg will not easily be surpassed by words on any recorded -occasion." - -The occasion was the dedication of the battle-field as a soldiers' -cemetery, November 19, 1863. Edward Everett delivered a masterly -oration, and President Lincoln, being present, was introduced for a few -remarks. With profound earnestness and solemnity he spoke five minutes -to a breathless audience. His remarks were so brief that it is possible -and appropriate to include them here. They could not be considered out -of place in any volume of literature on any subject. They cannot be -printed or read too often: - -"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this -continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the -proposition that all men are created equal. - -"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, -or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met -on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion -of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their -lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper -that we should do this. - -"But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate--we cannot consecrate--we -cannot hallow--this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who -struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or -detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, -but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, -rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who -fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be -here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these -honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they -gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that -these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, -shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by -the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." - -The next day Mr. Everett, who was considered one of the most -accomplished of American orators, sent Lincoln a note in which he said,-- - -"Permit me to express my great admiration of the thoughts expressed -by you with such eloquence, simplicity, and appropriateness at the -consecration of the cemetery. I should be glad if I could flatter myself -that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as -you did in two minutes." - -It has always been a popular impression that Lincoln's speech was -written upon the cars, _en route_ to Gettysburg from Washington on -the morning of the ceremonies, but General Fry, of the army, who was -detailed from the War Department as his escort on that occasion and was -with him every moment, says that he has no recollection of seeing him -writing or even reading a manuscript, nor was there any opportunity -during the journey for him to do so. Colonel Hay, his private secretary, -says that he wrote out a brief speech at the White House before leaving -Washington, and, as usual on such occasions, committed it to memory; but -the inspiration of the scene led him to make material changes, and the -version given here, copied from Nicolay and Hay's Biography, was written -out by the President himself after his return. While it may not be -exact, it is nearly accurate. - -The _London Times_ pronounced Lincoln's second inaugural address to be -the most sublime state paper of the century. Equally competent critics -have called it a masterpiece of political literature. The following -extract will show its style and sentiment: - -"Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes -his aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare -to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat -of other men's faces; but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The -prayers of both could not be answered--that of neither has been answered -fully. The Almighty has his own purposes. 'Woe unto the world because of -offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man -by whom the offence cometh.' If we shall suppose that American slavery -is one of those offences which, in the providence of God, must needs -come, but which, having continued through his appointed time, he now -wills to remove, and that he gives to both North and South this terrible -war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence came, shall we discern -therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers -in a living God always ascribe to him? Fondly do we hope--fervently do -we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if -God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondman's -two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until -every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn -with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must -be said, 'The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.' - -"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the -right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish -the work we are in: to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him -who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to -do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among -ourselves, and with all nations." - -General Sherman described it accurately when he said, "I have seen and -heard many of the famous orators of the century, but Lincoln's speeches -surpassed them all. They have never been equalled. It was not his -scholarship; it was not rhetoric; it was not elocution; it was the -unaffected and spontaneous eloquence of the heart. There was nothing of -the mountain-torrent in his manner; it was rather the calm flow of the -river." - -Lincoln's own comments upon his inaugural address, like everything he -ever said about himself, are unique. In reply to a complimentary letter -from Thurlow Weed, he wrote, "I expect the latter to wear as well as, -perhaps better than, anything I have produced; but I believe it is not -immediately popular. Men are not flattered by being shown that there -has been a difference of purpose between the Almighty and them. To deny -it, however, in this case, is to deny that there is a God governing the -world. It is a truth which I thought needed to be told, and, as whatever -of humiliation there is in it falls most directly on myself, I thought -others might afford for me to tell it." - -Messrs. Hay and Nicolay, who were nearer to him and knew him better than -any other men, say, "Nothing would more have amazed Mr. Lincoln than -to hear himself called a man of letters; but this age had produced few -greater writers. Emerson ranks him with AEsop; Montalembert commends his -style as a model for princes. It is true that in his writing the range -of subjects is not great. He was chiefly concerned with the political -problems of the time and the moral considerations involved in them. But -the range of treatment is remarkably wide, running from the wit, the -gay humor, the florid eloquence of his stump speeches to the marvellous -sententiousness and brevity of the address at Gettysburg and the -sustained and lofty grandeur of his second inaugural; while many of his -phrases have already passed into the daily use of mankind." - -But he made other speeches, equally admirable, and some of them -unsurpassed by the greatest political or platform orators. Wendell -Phillips, Henry Ward Beecher, Robert G. Ingersoll, James G. Blaine, -Benjamin Harrison, and others who have gained fame for oratory have -each given testimony for the simple yet sublime eloquence of the great -master. Many critics consider Lincoln's Peoria speech of 1854 the ablest -political argument ever delivered, and assert that no master of logic in -the world could have answered it. One of its epigrams has been quoted -thousands of times. "When the white man governs himself," he said, -"that, I acknowledge, is self-government; but when the white man governs -himself and another man besides, that I call despotism." - -If Lincoln had been born in old England or in New England, if he had -been educated at a university, if he had spent his childhood and youth -in luxury and under refining influences, he might have been a greater -orator, statesman, and politician than he was, but a nature and a mind -like his required the discipline and conditions which he passed through -to attain their full development. It is an interesting subject of -speculation, concerning other self-taught men as well as Lincoln; but, -as a rule, the most powerful minds and the most influential characters -have been without the training of the schools, and by contact with -gentler and refining influences Lincoln might have acquired polish at -the cost of his rugged greatness, his quaint habits of thought and -odd but effective phrases, the homely illustrations, and the shrewd -faculty of appealing to the simple every-day experience of the people -to convince them of the force of his facts and the soundness of his -reasoning. His logic was always as clear as his candor. He never failed -to state the argument of his adversary as fairly and as forcefully as -his own. His power of analysis was extraordinary. He used the simplest -words in the language, but they strengthened every case he stated, -and no fact, or anecdote, or argument ever lost force or effect from -his style of presentation. It has frequently been asserted--and his -speeches, state papers, and private correspondence are sufficient -proof--that he could state a proposition more clearly and forcibly than -any man of his time; yet his language was that of "the plain people," -as he used to call them. This faculty was doubtless due to his early -experience among the illiterate classes on the frontier, and certain -errors of grammar and construction which are familiar to all who have -lived among that portion of the population frequently occurred in his -compositions. At one time during his early days as a speaker he adopted -the flamboyant redundancy of style that is still popular in the South -and certain parts of the West, and often used many of the familiar -tricks of emotional orators; but his own common sense and the advice -of Judge Logan, his law partner, soon corrected this fault, and he -studied a simpler style which was much more effective. If he had been -less gifted in language he would have been quite as clear in statement, -quite as persuasive in his presentation of an argument, because he aimed -not to excite admiration, but to be understood. His earnestness was not -intended to excite the emotions, but to appeal to the reasoning powers -of the persons addressed, and his knowledge of human nature taught him -how the mind of the average man worked. At the same time he could reach -the most accomplished scholar and the most thoughtful philosopher. For -example, his letters in explanation of his delay in proclaiming freedom -to the slaves, especially that addressed to Mr. Greeley in 1863, are -masterpieces of clear and forcible writing. - -One reason for Lincoln's power over his audiences was his intense -sincerity. He carried his conscience into every discussion, he took no -position that he did not believe was right, and he made no statements -that he did not believe to be fair and true. Another was the sympathy -he excited; when he related a story he laughed all over, and his own -enjoyment was so contagious that the effect was greatly increased. - -He once said to Mr. Depew, in reference to some criticisms which had -been made upon his story-telling, "They say I tell a great many stories; -I reckon I do, but I have found in the course of a long experience that -common people"--repeating it--"common people, take them as they run, -are more easily influenced and informed through the medium of a broad -illustration than in any other way, and as to what the hypercritical few -may think I don't care." - -His pathos was quite as effective as his humor. His natural tenderness, -his affectionate disposition, his poetic temperament, his sympathy for -the weak and the sorrowful, and his comprehensive love of all that was -good inspired him with a power to touch the hearts of the people as no -other man in this country has ever been able to do. James H. McVicker, -the famous actor, once told the author that the most marvellous -exhibition of elocution he ever witnessed was Lincoln's recitation of -the Lord's Prayer, and said that Lincoln told him at the time that it -was the sublimest composition in the English language. - -Lincoln had the advantage of a photographic memory which could retain -almost any passage in literature, and he was able to repeat long -passages from Shakespeare and other plays and poems which pleased him. -It was only necessary for him to read them over once or twice and they -remained in his memory forever. He developed this faculty early in life, -and it was the greatest enjoyment allowed the humble people among whom -he lived to hear him recite passages from the books he had read and -declaim selections from "The Kentucky Preceptor," which was a standard -text-book in those days. He could repeat with effect all the poems and -speeches in other school-readers, and his talent at mimicry furnished -amusement for the neighborhood. The traditions of Gentryville tell us -that the neighbors seldom gathered for a "raising," or a "quilting," -or a "paring," or a "husking-bee" without hearing Abe Lincoln "take -off" the itinerant preachers and politicians whose peculiarities had -attracted his attention and appealed to his sense of humor. He attended -all the trials in the neighborhood, and frequently walked fifteen miles -to the town of Boonevile when court was in session there. His faculty -was so well known in that part of the State that the lawyers and others -who gathered on such occasions would invariably induce him to make a -stump speech or imitate some backwoods orator. His essays and rhymes -were much admired, and an itinerant Baptist preacher was so impressed -with one of his speeches on temperance that he sent it to friends in -Ohio, where it was published in a newspaper; the first of his writings -to appear in print. Another essay on "National Politics," written when -he was nineteen, gave him great local reputation for literary talent. -One of the lawyers who practised in that circuit and was considered a -very high authority declared that "the world couldn't beat it." - -It is also related that he frequently interrupted harvesting, threshing, -and other business events which drew the neighbors together by -delivering political speeches, burlesquing local orators and preachers, -and repeating doggerels of his own composition that referred to local -affairs. His humor often exceeded his discretion, and we are told of -coarse satires and rhymes which excited the amusement and admiration of -a community, but did him no credit. Sometimes these ebullitions of wit -involved him in trouble, particularly on two occasions when he wrote -some verses about the deformed nose of his employer, of which the owner -was very sensitive. - -Lincoln never attempted serious oratory until he went to New Salem, -where he discovered Shakespeare and Burns, whose writings had a -powerful influence upon his literary style and taste. These eminent -authorities were introduced to him by a worthless loafer and fisherman -named Jack Kelso, who was too lazy to work, but had a love of learning -and literature and an unusually good education for his time and -surroundings. Mutual tastes brought the two together, and Lincoln would -sit evening after evening on the porch of Offutt's store or lie all -day Sunday on the ground under the shade of a tree listening to Kelso -discourse upon his favorite authors and repeat over and over the poems -of Burns and fine passages from Shakespeare which he had committed to -memory long before. There is no doubt that Burns, Shakespeare, and Kelso -seriously interfered with the grocery business and contributed to the -financial disaster which terminated Lincoln's first and only commercial -enterprise. It was a long time before he obtained copies of his favorite -poets, but no books were prized more highly by any man. - -Lincoln's first experience in debate was gained while he was a clerk in -Offutt's store and attended the meetings of a debating club, which were -held at different places in the neighborhood and sometimes so far away -that he was compelled to walk seven or eight miles for the privilege. -He used to call it "practising polemics." Occasionally the club met in -a vacant store at New Salem, and Lincoln's first serious speech was -delivered on one of those occasions. - -His first political speech was delivered at Pappsville, where a -crowd had been attracted by an auction sale. He was then beginning -his first campaign for the Legislature, and although his remarks are -not remembered, an incident of the occasion remains one of the most -precious heritages of that neighborhood. While he was speaking, one of -his friends became involved in a fight on the edge of the audience, -and when the orator saw that he was getting the worst of it, Lincoln -suspended his remarks, jumped from the dry-goods box which served as -his platform, seized the assailant of his friend by the collar and the -seat of his trousers, threw him ten or twelve feet, resumed his place, -and finished his argument. - -In the reminiscences of Joshua Speed, who was perhaps the most intimate -friend Lincoln ever knew, is an account of a great mass-meeting at -Springfield at which Lincoln made a speech that produced a lasting -impression and "used up" George Forquer, a prominent lawyer and -politician, so completely that he was practically driven out of the -campaign. Forquer had been a Whig, but changed his politics, and was -rewarded by the Democrats with an appointment as Register of the United -States Land Office. He owned and occupied one of the finest houses in -Springfield and attached to its chimney the only lightning-rod in that -part of the State. Forquer had made a long address at the meeting and -Lincoln had been assigned to the duty of answering him. Forquer alluded -to this arrangement in a contemptuous manner, and spoke slightingly of -Lincoln's youth and inexperience. When Lincoln came to reply he admitted -his youth and inexperience, which, he added, were faults that would be -corrected by time, and then said,-- - -"I am not so young in years as I am in the tricks and trade of the -politician; but whether I live long or die young, I would rather die -now than change my politics for an office worth three thousand dollars -a year, and have to erect a lightning-rod over my house to protect my -conscience from an offended God." - -The people of Springfield appreciated this hit so keenly and quoted -it so freely that Forquer was compelled to retire from the canvass to -escape ridicule. - -From this time on Lincoln was always on the stump whenever there was a -political contest in Central Illinois, and was recognized as one of the -ablest, as he was one of the most popular and effective, campaigners. -His speeches began to show maturer intellect, a more careful study and -expanding power, and his hold upon his friends and his influence in his -party and with the public at large were increasing with every political -campaign. As early as 1837, when he was a candidate for Speaker of the -Lower House of the Legislature, he had acquired considerable reputation. -In the fall of that year, with a few other young men of Springfield, -he organized a lyceum for mutual improvement, and his ability was -recognized when he was the first of its members to be invited to make a -public address, which was carefully prepared and delivered in January, -1838. The subject was "The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions," -and it created such an impression that it was published in full in the -_Sangamon Journal_, February 3, 1838. Few men of twenty-nine years, -with the advantage of a university education and a complete library -for reference, could produce so profound and statesmanlike a paper, -and his philosophical analysis of the principles of the Declaration of -Independence and his conception of the political duty of the citizen -were remarkable for their truth and force. - -Lincoln had acquired such great fame as a speaker that in 1840 he was -named upon the Harrison electoral ticket, with the stipulation that -he should canvass the State. He was then only thirty-one years old, -but was regarded as the ablest of the Whig stumpers in Illinois. In -the Clay campaign of 1844, in the Taylor campaign of 1848, and in the -Scott campaign of 1852 he devoted almost his entire time to political -work, for which he received no compensation. Ambitious politicians and -loyal party men were expected to contribute their services free and pay -their own expenses in those days, and while Lincoln's pocket suffered, -his fame and popularity spread, and he had the satisfaction of knowing -that in all the State no man possessed the confidence of the public so -completely as he and none was listened to with more attention or greater -respect. In 1856, during the Fremont campaign, he was recognized as the -foremost leader on the Republican side, and had a narrow escape from -being nominated for Vice-President. - -While in Congress he made three set speeches in the Hall of -Representatives, all carefully prepared and written out. The first was -an elaborate defence of Whig doctrines and an historical discussion -of the Mexican War, the next was on the general subject of internal -improvement, and the third was a humorous and satirical criticism of -General Cass, the Democratic candidate for President. All of these -speeches were printed in pamphlet form for home circulation and were not -intended to influence the action of the House. His first participation -in debate was, however, a great success. Soon after the Presidential -campaign of 1848 opened, Representative Iverson, of Georgia, accused the -Whigs of "having taken shelter under the military coat-tails of General -Taylor," their Presidential candidate. This seemed to touch Lincoln's -sense of humor, and he made a brief reply, taking "Military Coat-Tails" -as his text. Ben Perley Poore, the famous newspaper correspondent, who -was then in his prime, describes the scene as follows: - -"He had written the heads of what he intended to say on a few pages of -foolscap paper, which he placed on a friend's desk, bordering on an -alley-way, which he had obtained permission to speak from. At first -he followed his notes; but, as he warmed up, he left his desk and his -notes, to stride down the alley towards the Speaker's chair, holding -his left hand behind him so that he could now and then shake the tails -of his own rusty, black broadcloth dress-coat, while he earnestly -gesticulated with his long right arm, shaking the bony index-finger at -the Democrats on the other side of the chamber. Occasionally, as he -would complete a sentence amid shouts of laughter, he would return up -the alley to his desk, consult his notes, take a sip of water, and start -off again." - -The _Baltimore American_ called it "the crack speech of the day," and -said of Lincoln: "He is a very able, acute, uncouth, honest, upright -man and a tremendous wag withal.... Mr. Lincoln's manner was so -good-natured, and his style so peculiar, that he kept the House in a -continuous roar of merriment for the last half-hour of his speech. He -would commence a point in his speech far up one of the aisles, and keep -on talking, gesticulating, and walking until he would find himself, at -the end of a paragraph, down in the centre of the area in front of the -clerk's desk. He would then go back and take another head, and work down -again. And so on, through his capital speech." - -Referring to another brief speech made in defence of his Committee on -Post Roads, Lincoln wrote a friend at home, "As to speech-making, by -way of getting the hand of the House, I made a little speech two or -three days ago on a post-office question of no general interest. I find -speaking here and elsewhere about the same thing. I was about as badly -scared, and no worse, as I am when I speak in court. I expect to make -one within a week or two in which I hope to succeed well enough to wish -you to see it." - -The speech he was then preparing was delivered four days later. It was -his first formal appearance in Congress, and, according to custom, he -finished the occasion by a series of resolutions referring to President -Polk's declaration that the war of 1848 had been begun by Mexico's -"invading our territory and shedding the blood of our citizens on our -own soil," and calling upon him to give the House specific information -as to the invasion and bloodshed. These resolutions were frequently -referred to afterwards in his political contests, and were relied upon -to sustain a charge of lack of patriotism during the Mexican War made by -Mr. Douglas against their author. - -Like all young members of the House of Representatives, Lincoln was -compelled to remain in the background most of the time; but he learned -a great deal in his brief experience, and created such an impression -by his speeches that upon the adjournment he was invited to enter the -Presidential campaign of 1848 in New England, making his first speech -at Worcester, where the meeting was presided over by ex-Governor Levi -Lincoln, who was also a descendant of Samuel Lincoln, of Hingham. The -New England newspapers and people gave him many compliments and in -subsequent campaigns repeated their invitations. - -[Illustration: Copyright, 1895 by S. S. McClure Co. - -ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN 1858 - -From a photograph owned by Hon. William J. Franklin, Macomb, Illinois, -taken in 1866 from an ambrotype made in 1858 at Macomb. By special -permission] - -The first collision between Lincoln and Douglas occurred during the -Harrison Presidential campaign of 1840, and from that time they were -regarded as active rivals. These two remarkable men became acquainted -in 1834 during Lincoln's first session in the Legislature at Vandalia, -then the capital of Illinois. Mr. Douglas was four years younger and -equally poor. In his youth he had been apprenticed to a cabinet-maker -in Vermont, had studied law under very much the same difficulties as -Lincoln, was admitted to the bar as soon as he was twenty-one, and came -to Springfield, with no acquaintances and only thirty-seven cents in his -pocket, to contest for the office of State attorney with John J. Hardin, -one of the most prominent and successful lawyers of the State. By the -use of tactics peculiar to his life-long habits as a politician, he -secured the appointment, made a successful prosecutor, and in 1836 was -elected to the Legislature, and occupied a position on the Democratic -side of that body similar to that occupied by Lincoln on the Whig side. -In 1837 he secured from President Van Buren the appointment of Register -of the Public Land Office, and made Springfield his home. In the fall -of the same year he was nominated to Congress against John T. Stuart, -Lincoln's law partner and friend, and the campaign which followed was -one of the most remarkable in the history of the State, with Lincoln, -as usual, the conspicuous figure upon the Whig stump. When the vote -was counted, Stuart received a majority of only fourteen out of a total -of thirty-six thousand. - -Douglas charged fraud, and his reckless attack upon the integrity of -Stuart aroused in Lincoln's breast a resentment which never died. From -that time he regarded Douglas with strong dislike and disapproval, -and, although his natural generosity as well as his sense of propriety -silenced his tongue in public, he never concealed from his friends his -conviction that Douglas was without political morals. At the same time -he recognized the ability and power of "the Little Giant" as Douglas -was already called, and no one estimated more highly his ability as -an orator and his skill as a debater. Personally, Douglas was a very -attractive man. He had all the graces that Lincoln lacked,--short -and slight of stature, with a fine head, a winning manner, graceful -carriage, a sunny disposition, and an enthusiastic spirit. His personal -magnetism was almost irresistible to the old as well as the young, and -his voice was remarkable for its compass and the richness of its tones. -On the other hand, Lincoln was ungainly and awkward; his voice was not -musical, although it was very expressive; and, as I have before said, he -often acknowledged that there was no homelier man in all the States. - -Douglas recognized an antagonist who was easier to avoid than to meet, -and attempted to keep Lincoln out of his path by treating him as an -inferior. On one occasion, when both happened to be in the same town, -there was a strong desire among the people to hear them discuss public -questions. The proposition irritated Judge Douglas, who, with his usual -arrogance, inquired,-- - -"What does Lincoln represent in this campaign? Is he an abolitionist or -a Whig?" - -The committee replied that Lincoln was a Whig, whereupon Douglas -dismissed the subject in his pompous way, saying,-- - -"Oh, yes, I am now in the region of the Old Line Whig. When I am in -Northern Illinois I am assailed by an abolitionist, when I get to the -centre I am attacked by an Old Line Whig, when I go to Southern Illinois -I am beset by an Anti-Nebraska Democrat. It looks to me like dodging a -man all over the State. If Mr. Lincoln wants to make a speech he had -better get a crowd of his own, for I most respectfully decline to hold a -discussion with him." - -Lincoln calmly ignored this assumption of superiority at the time, but -never failed to punish Mr. Douglas for it when they met upon the stump, -and, according to the testimony of their contemporaries, he was equal to -his able and adroit opponent from the beginning of their rivalry either -in the court-room, or in a rough-and-tumble debate, or in the serious -political discussion of great political questions. Only one of Lincoln's -speeches of this period of his life is preserved. That is an address -delivered at a sort of oratorical tournament at Springfield. There was -such a demand for it that a few days after its delivery he wrote out as -much as he could remember and the Whig managers printed it in pamphlet -form as a campaign document; but it was the last time he indulged in -the old-fashioned flights of eloquence. From that hour the topics he -discussed demanded his serious attention and his closest argument, and -he spoke to convince, not to excite admiration or merely to stir the -emotions of his audiences. - -In 1854 the moral sense of the nation was shocked by the repeal of -what is called "The Missouri Compromise." That was a law passed in -1820 for the admission of the Territory of Missouri to the Union as -a slave State, upon a condition that slavery should not go north of -its northern boundary, latitude 36 deg. 30'. Lincoln shared the national -indignation. Douglas, then in the United States Senate, was one of the -advocates of the repeal, and his powerful influence in Congress made -it possible. As soon as the action of Congress was announced, the -entire country was plunged into a discussion of the question on the -platform, in the pulpit, in the press, in the debating societies, by the -firesides, at the corner groceries, at the post-office, and wherever -people met together. Lincoln took no public part in the controversy for -several months, but during the interval studied the question in its -moral, historical, and constitutional bearings, and while the Democrats -accused him of "mousing around" the libraries of the State-House, he was -preparing himself for a controversy which he knew was sure to come. - -That fall (1854) Richard Yates was up for Congress and Lincoln took -the stump in his behalf. In the mean time Mr. Douglas was speaking in -other sections of the State, but came to Springfield to attend the State -Agricultural Fair, and, being a United States Senator and a political -idol, was of course a great attraction. He made a speech justifying -the action of Congress, and, by common impulse, the opponents of the -repeal called upon Lincoln to answer him. There is no doubt of the zeal -and ardor with which he accepted the invitation, and he spoke for four -hours, as one of his friends testifies, "in a most happy and pleasant -style, and was received with abundant applause." At times he made -statements which brought Senator Douglas to his feet, and their passages -at arms created much excitement and enthusiasm. It was evident that the -force of Lincoln's argument surprised and disconcerted Mr. Douglas, for -he insisted upon making a two-hours' rejoinder, which of itself was a -confession of his defeat. - -Lincoln's triumph on this occasion placed him at the head of the -political debaters of the State, and, in order that Mr. Douglas might -have another chance to retrieve himself, they met again twelve days -later at Peoria. Lincoln yielded to Douglas the advantage of the opening -and closing speeches, explaining that he did so from selfish motives, -because he wanted to hold the Democratic portion of the audience through -his own speech. At the request of the Whig leaders and politicians in -other parts of the State who had not been able to hear the discussion, -Mr. Lincoln wrote out his speech from memory and we have it in full. It -was by far the ablest and most profound composition he had produced up -to that time, and even now, after the lapse of half a century, it is -recognized as a model of political argument. He here rose from the rank -of the politician to that of the statesman, and never fell below it in -his future addresses. Lincoln and Douglas were understood by themselves -as well as by the public to be contesting for a seat in the United -States Senate, and the latter was so alarmed by Lincoln's unexpected -manifestation of power that he sought an interview on the pretence of -friendship and persuaded him into an agreement that neither should -make any more speeches before the actual campaign began,--an agreement -violated by Douglas during the next week. - -Horace White, now editor of the _New York Evening Post_, says of the -speech just mentioned, "I was then in the employ of the _Chicago Evening -Journal_. I had been sent to Springfield to report the political -doings of State Fair week for that newspaper. Thus it came about that -I occupied a front seat in the Representatives' Hall, in the old -State-House, when Mr. Lincoln delivered the speech already described -in this volume. The impression made upon me by the orator was quite -overpowering. I had not heard much political speaking up to that time. -I have heard a great deal since. I have never heard anything since, -either by Mr. Lincoln, or by anybody, that I would put on a higher -plane of oratory. All the strings that play upon the human heart and -understanding were touched with masterly skill and force, while beyond -and above all skill was the overwhelming conviction pressed upon the -audience that the speaker himself was charged with an irresistible and -inspiring duty to his fellow-men. Having, since then, heard all the -great public speakers of this country subsequent to the period of Clay -and Webster, I award the palm to Mr. Lincoln as the one who, although -not first in all respects, would bring more men of doubtful or hostile -leanings around to his way of thinking by talking to them on a platform -than any other." - -The next occasion upon which Lincoln displayed unusual power as an -orator was the Bloomington Convention for the organization of the -Republican party early in 1856. Never was an audience more completely -electrified by human speech. The Convention, which was composed of -former members of all political parties had adopted the name Republican, -had taken extreme grounds against slavery, and had launched a new -political organization; but it contained many discordant, envious, and -hostile elements. Those who had watched the proceedings were anxious -and apprehensive of dissension and jealousy, and Lincoln, with his -acute political perceptions, realized the danger, perhaps, more keenly -than any other man in the assembly. He saw before him a group of -earnest, zealous, sincere men, willing to make tremendous sacrifices -and undertake Titanic tasks, but at the same time most of them clung -to their own theories and advocated their individual methods with a -tenacity that promised to defeat their common purpose. Therefore, when -he arose in response to the unanimous demand for a speech from the great -orator of Springfield, his soul was flooded with a desire and a purpose -to harmonize and amalgamate the patriotic emotions of his associates. He -realized that it was a crisis in the history of his country, and rose to -the full height of the occasion. - -Those who were present say that at first he spoke slowly, cautiously, -and in a monotone, but gradually his words grew in force and intensity -until he swept the discordant souls of the assembly together and his -hearers "arose from their chairs with pale faces and quivering lips and -pressed unconsciously towards him." His influence was irresistible. -Even the trained reporters, accustomed to witness the most touching and -impressive scenes with the indifference of their profession, dropped -their pencils, and what was perhaps the greatest speech of Lincoln's -entire career was unreported. Joseph Medill, afterwards editor of the -_Chicago Tribune_, who was then a reporter for that paper, says,-- - -"I did make a few paragraphs of what Lincoln said in the first eight -or ten minutes, but I became so absorbed in his magnetic oratory that -I forgot myself and ceased to take notes. I well remember that after -Lincoln sat down, and calm had succeeded the tempest, I waked out of a -sort of hypnotic trance, and then thought of my report to the _Tribune_. -It was some sort of satisfaction to find that I had not been 'scooped,' -as all the newspaper men present had been equally carried away by the -excitement caused by the wonderful oration and had made no report or -sketch of the speech." - -But every reporter and editor went home bursting with enthusiasm, and -while none of them could remember it entire, fragments of "Lincoln's -Lost Speech," as it was called, floated through the entire press of the -United States. No one was more deeply moved than Lincoln himself, and, -although continually appealed to by his political associates and the -newspapers, he admitted his inability to reproduce his words or even his -thoughts after the inspiration under which he had spoken expired. But -his purpose was accomplished. Those who assumed the name "Republicans" -were thereafter animated by a single purpose and resolution. - -As in former campaigns, Lincoln was placed upon the electoral ticket and -made fifty or more speeches in Illinois and the adjoining States for -Fremont in his contest against Buchanan for the Presidency in 1856. - -Soon after the inauguration of President Buchanan, the Supreme Court -of the United States delivered an opinion in that famous trial known -as the Dred Scott case which created intense excitement. A slave of -that name sued for his freedom on the ground that his master had taken -him from Missouri to reside in the State of Illinois and the Territory -of Wisconsin, where slavery was prohibited by law. Judge Taney and a -majority of the Supreme bench, after hearing the case argued twice by -eminent counsel, decided that a negro was not entitled to bring suit in -a court. In addition, it indirectly announced its opinion that under the -Constitution of the United States neither Congress nor a territorial -Legislature had any power to prohibit slavery within Federal territory. -The people of the North cried out in protest, the people of the South -defended the decision as just and righteous altogether, and then began -a series of discussion which ended only with the emancipation of the -bondsmen. - -Senator Douglas was left in a curious situation, for he had justified -the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, which prohibited the extension -of slavery, on the ground of popular sovereignty, holding that under -the Constitution each Territory was authorized to decide the question -for itself, and in defence of that position he had made many speeches. -It became necessary, therefore, for him to reconcile it with the -decision of the Supreme Court, which he attempted to do by an able -argument at Springfield shortly after. It was the first presentation -of his ingenious and celebrated "Freeport Doctrine," which, briefly, -was that while the Supreme Court was correct in its interpretation of -the Constitution, a Territory cannot be divested of its right to adopt -and enforce appropriate police regulations. As such regulations could -only be made by Legislatures elected by a popular vote, he argued, the -great principle of popular sovereignty and self-government was not only -sustained, but was even more firmly established by the Dred Scott -decision. - -This argument naturally excited the interest of Lincoln, who answered it -in an elaborate speech two weeks later, and thus forced the issue into -the campaign for the election of a Legislature which was to choose the -successor of Mr. Douglas in the United States Senate. Douglas was in an -unpleasant predicament. He was compelled to choose between the favor -and support of the Buchanan administration and that of the people of -Illinois. As the latter alternative was necessary to his public career, -he adopted it, and when Congress met he attacked the administration -with his usual force and ability. His course was approved by a large -majority of the Democratic party in Illinois, but stimulated the hope -of the Republicans of that State that they might defeat him and elect -Abraham Lincoln, who was entitled to the honor because he had yielded -his priority of claim to Lyman Trumbull in 1854 and was now recognized -as the foremost champion of the new Republican party in Illinois. -Therefore, when the Republican State Convention met in June, 1858, it -adopted by acclamation a resolution declaring that he was the first and -only choice of the Republican party for the United States Senate. - -Mr. Herndon, Lincoln's law partner, says,-- - -"He had been led all along to expect his nomination to the Senate, and -with that in view had been earnestly and quietly at work preparing -a speech in acknowledgment of the honor about to be conferred upon -him. This speech he wrote on stray envelopes and scraps of paper, as -ideas suggested themselves, putting them into that miscellaneous and -convenient receptacle, his hat. As the Convention drew near he copied -the whole on connected sheets, carefully revising every line and -sentence, and fastened them together for reference during the delivery -of the speech and for publication. A few weeks before the Convention, -when he was at work on the speech, I remember that Jesse K. Dubois, -who was Auditor of the State, came into the office and, seeing Lincoln -busily writing, inquired what he was doing or what he was writing. -Lincoln answered gruffly, 'It's something you may see or hear some time, -but I'll not let you see it now.' After the Convention Lincoln met him -on the street and said, 'Dubois, I can tell you what I was doing the -other day when you came into my office. I was writing that speech, and I -knew if I read the passage about 'the house divided against itself' to -you, you would ask me to change or modify it, and that I was determined -not to do. I had willed it so, and was willing, if necessary, to perish -with it.' - -"Before delivering his speech he invited a dozen or so of his friends to -the library of the State-House, where he read and submitted it to them. -After the reading he asked each man for his opinion. Some condemned -and no one endorsed it. Having patiently listened to these various -criticisms from his friends, all of which, with a single exception, -were adverse, he rose from his chair, and after alluding to the careful -study and intense thought he had given the question, he answered all -their objections substantially as follows: 'Friends, this thing has been -retarded long enough. The time has come when those sentiments should be -uttered; and if it is decreed that I should go down because of this -speech, then let me go down linked to the truth--let me die in the -advocacy of what is just and right.'" - -After completing its routine work, the Convention adjourned to meet -in the Hall of Representatives at Springfield that evening to hear -Lincoln's speech, and it was anticipated with intense interest and -anxiety because the gentlemen whom Lincoln had taken into his confidence -had let it be known that he was to take a very radical position. It was -the most carefully prepared speech he ever made, although he delivered -it from memory, and after a few opening sentences he uttered this bold -and significant declaration which evoked an enthusiastic response from -all of the free States of the Union: - -"'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' I believe this -government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not -expect the Union to be dissolved--I do not expect the house to fall--but -I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or -all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further -spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the -belief that it is in course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates -will push it forward until it shall become alike lawful in all the -States, old as well as new, North as well as South." - -Shortly after this event, Senator Douglas returned from Washington and -took the stump, attracting immense crowds and exciting great enthusiasm. -His speeches, however, were evasive and contained much special pleading -as well as misstatement. Lincoln watched him closely, and, recognizing -that Douglas was fighting unfairly, decided to bring him to terms. Hence -he addressed him a challenge to joint debate. Judge Weldon, who was -living in Illinois at the time, tells the story as follows: - -"We wrote Mr. Lincoln he had better come and hear Douglas speak at -Clinton, which he did. There was an immense crowd for a country town, -and on the way to the grove where the speaking took place, Mr. Lincoln -said to me,-- - -"'Weldon, I have challenged Judge Douglas for a discussion. What do you -think of it?' - -"I replied, 'I approve your judgment in whatever you do.' - -"We went over a little to one side of the crowd and sat down on one of -the boards laid on logs for seats. Douglas spoke over three hours to an -immense audience, and made one of the most forcible speeches I ever -heard. As he went on he referred to Lincoln's Springfield speech, and -became very personal, and I said to Mr. Lincoln,-- - -"'Do you suppose Douglas knows you are here?' - -"'Well,' he replied, 'I don't know whether he does or not; he has not -looked in this direction. But I reckon some of the boys have told him I -am here.' - -"When Douglas finished there was a tremendous shout for 'Lincoln,' which -kept on with no let up. Mr. Lincoln said,-- - -"'What shall I do? I can't speak here.' - -"'You will have to say something,' I replied. 'Suppose you get up and -say that you will speak this evening at the court-house yard.' - -"Mr. Lincoln mounted the board seat, and as the crowd got sight of his -tall form the shouts and cheers were wild. As soon as he could make -himself heard he said,-- - -"'This is Judge Douglas's meeting. I have no right, therefore, no -disposition to interfere. But if you ladies and gentlemen desire to hear -what I have to say on these questions, and will meet me this evening at -the court-house yard, east side, I will try to answer this gentleman.' - -"Lincoln made a speech that evening which in volume did not equal the -speech of Douglas, but for sound and cogent argument was the superior. -Douglas had charged Mr. Lincoln with being in favor of negro equality, -which was then the bugbear of politics. In his speech that evening Mr. -Lincoln said,-- - -"'Judge Douglas charges me with being in favor of negro equality, and -to the extent that he charges I am not guilty. I am guilty of hating -servitude and loving freedom; and while I would not carry the equality -of the races to the extent charged by my adversary, I am happy to -confess before you that in some things the black man is the equal of -the white man. In the right to eat the bread his own hands have earned -he is the equal of Judge Douglas or any other living man.' - -"When Lincoln spoke the last sentence he had lifted himself to his -full height, and as he reached his hands towards the stars of that -still night, then and there fell from his lips one of the most sublime -expressions of American statesmanship. The effect was grand, the cheers -tremendous." - -Senator Douglas accepted the challenge, and the famous debate was -arranged which for public interest and forensic ability has never -been surpassed or equalled in any country. Seven dates and towns were -selected, and the debaters were placed on an equal footing by an -arrangement that alternately one should speak an hour in opening and the -other an hour and a half in reply, the first to have half an hour in -closing. - -In addition to his seven meetings with Douglas, Lincoln made thirty-one -other set speeches arranged by the State Central Committee during the -campaign, besides many brief addresses not previously advertised. -Sometimes he spoke several times a day, and was exposed to a great -deal of discomfort and fatigue which none but a man of his physical -strength could have endured. He paid his own expenses, travelled by -ordinary cars and freight trains, and often was obliged to drive in -wagons or to ride horseback to keep his engagements. Mr. Douglas enjoyed -a great advantage. He had been in the Senate several years and had -influential friends holding government offices all over the State, who -had time and money to arrange receptions and entertainments and lost no -opportunity to lionize him. Every Federal official, for weeks before -the joint meetings, gave his attention to the arrangements and was -held responsible by Mr. Douglas for securing a large and enthusiastic -Democratic audience. He was accompanied by his wife, a beautiful -and brilliant woman, and by a committee of the most distinguished -Democratic politicians in the State. He travelled in a special train -furnished by the Illinois Central Railroad, and in charge of Captain -George B. McClellan, who was then its general manager. Every employee -of that road was a partisan of Douglas, voluntary or involuntary, and -several times Lincoln was compelled to suffer unnecessary delay and -inconvenience because of their partisanship. Many a time when he was -trying to get a little sleep in a wayside station, while waiting for -a connection, or lay in a bunk in the caboose of a freight train, the -special car of his opponent, decorated with flags and lithographs, would -go sweeping by. - -A gentleman who accompanied him during the canvass relates this: -"Lincoln and I were at the Centralia Agricultural Fair the day after -the debate at Jonesboro. Night came on and we were tired, having been -on the fair grounds all day. We were to go north on the Illinois -Central Railroad. The train was due at midnight, and the depot was full -of people. I managed to get a chair for Lincoln in the office of the -superintendent of the railroad, but small politicians would intrude so -that he could scarcely get a moment's sleep. The train came and was -filled instantly. I got a seat near the door for Lincoln and myself. -He was worn out, and had to meet Douglas the next day at Charleston. -An empty car, called a saloon car, was hitched on to the rear of the -train and locked up. I asked the conductor, who knew Lincoln and myself -well,--we were both attorneys of the road,--if Lincoln could not ride -in that car; that he was exhausted and needed rest; but the conductor -refused. I afterwards got him in by stratagem." - -The meetings were attended by enormous crowds. People came twenty and -thirty miles in carriages and wagons, devoting two or three days to -the excursion, and the local excitement was intense. The two parties -endeavored to excel each other in processions, music, fireworks, and -novel features. At each town salutes would be fired and an address -of welcome delivered by some prominent citizen. Sometimes committees -of ladies would present the speakers bouquets of flowers, and on one -occasion they wound garlands around the lank and awkward form of the -future President, much to his embarrassment and dismay. After a debate -at Ottawa, the enthusiasm was so great that a party of his admirers -carried him on their shoulders from the meeting to the house where he -was being entertained. - -Lincoln did not underrate the ability or the advantages of his opponent. -He realized fully the serious character and importance of the contest -in which he was engaged. He was aware that the entire country was -watching him with anxious eyes, and that he was addressing not only the -multitudes that gathered around the platforms, but the entire population -of the United States. He knew also that whatever he might say would have -a permanent effect upon the fortunes of the Republican party, then only -two years old, not to speak of his own personal destiny. - -He knew Douglas as well and perhaps better than Douglas knew himself. -They had been acquainted from boyhood, and their lives had run in -parallels in a most remarkable manner. They had met at the threshold of -their political careers. They had served together in the Legislature -twenty-three years before. They were admitted to practice at the bar -of the Supreme Court together. They had been rivals for the hand of -the same lady, as related in a previous chapter. They served together -in Congress. They had met repeatedly, and had measured strength in the -Legislature, in the courts, and on the platform. They had always been -upon outwardly friendly terms, but each knew that the other disliked him -intensely. It is probable that his inquisitive nature and analytical -habits gave Lincoln a better knowledge of the strong and weak points of -his antagonist. He was very thorough in whatever he undertook, while -Douglas was more confident and careless in his preparation. Lincoln -knew that in the whole field of American politics there was no man so -adroit or aggressive or gifted in the tricks and strategy of debate, -and in this contest Douglas showed his fullest power. Lincoln's talents -and habits were entirely different. He indulged in no tricks and made -no effort to dazzle audiences. His fairness of statement and generosity -were well known and understood by Mr. Douglas, who took advantage -of them. His high standard of political morals and his devotion to -constitutional principles were equally well understood, and Douglas took -advantage of those also. - -Douglas electrified the crowds with his eloquence and charmed them -by his grace and dexterity. He was forcible in statement, aggressive -in assertion, and treated Lincoln in a patronizing and contemptuous -manner; but Lincoln's simplicity of statement, his homely illustrations, -quaint originality, and convincing logic were often more forcible than -the lofty flights of eloquence in which his opponent indulged. He was -more careful and accurate in his statement of facts, and his knowledge -of the details of history and the legislation of Congress was a great -advantage, for he convicted Douglas of misrepresentation again and -again, although it seemed to have had no effect whatever upon the -confidence of the latter's supporters. As usual, Mr. Lincoln kept close -to the subject and spoke to convince and not to amuse or entertain. When -one of his friends suggested that his reputation for story-telling was -being destroyed by the seriousness of his speeches, Lincoln replied that -this was no time for jokes. - -One of the gentlemen who accompanied Mr. Lincoln has given us the -following description of his appearance and manner of speaking: "When -standing erect he was six feet four inches high. He was lean in flesh -and ungainly in figure: thin through the chest, and hence slightly -stoop-shouldered. When he arose to address courts, juries, or crowds -of people his body inclined forward to a slight degree. At first he -was very awkward, and it seemed a real labor to adjust himself to the -surroundings. He struggled for a time under a feeling of apparent -diffidence and sensitiveness, and these only added to his awkwardness. -When he began speaking, his voice was shrill, piping, and unpleasant. -His manner, his attitude, his dark, yellow face wrinkled and dry, -his oddity of pose, his diffident movements,--everything seemed to -be against him, but only for a short time. After having arisen, he -generally placed his hands behind him, the back of his left hand -in the palm of his right, the thumb and fingers of his right hand -clasped around the left arm at the wrist. For a few moments he played -the combination of awkwardness, sensitiveness, and diffidence. As he -proceeded he became somewhat animated, and to keep in harmony with his -growing warmth his hands relaxed their grasp and fell to his side. -Presently he clasped them in front of him, interlocking his fingers, -one thumb meanwhile chasing the other. His speech now requiring more -emphatic utterance, his fingers unlocked and his hands fell apart. -His left arm was thrown behind, the back of his hand resting against -his body, his right hand seeking his side. By this time he had gained -sufficient composure, and his real speech began. He did not gesticulate -as much with his hands as he did with his head. He used the latter -frequently, throwing it with vim this way and that. This movement was a -significant one when he sought to enforce his statement. It sometimes -came with a quick jerk, as if throwing off electric sparks into -combustible material. He never sawed the air nor rent space into tatters -and rags, as some orators do. He never acted for stage effect. He was -cool, considerate, reflective--in time self-possessed and self-reliant. -His style was clear, terse, and compact. In argument he was logical, -demonstrative, and fair. He was careless of his dress, and his clothes, -instead of fitting, as did the garments of Douglas on the latter's -well-rounded form, hung loosely on his giant frame. - -"As he moved along in his speech he became freer and less uneasy in his -movements; to that extent he was graceful. He had a perfect naturalness, -a strong individuality; and to that extent he was dignified. There was -a world of meaning and emphasis in the long, bony finger of his right -hand as he dotted the ideas on the minds of his hearers. Sometimes, -to express joy or pleasure, he would raise both hands at an angle of -about fifty degrees, the palms upward. If the sentiment was one of -detestation,--denunciation of slavery, for example,--both arms, thrown -upward and the fists clinched, swept through the air, and he expressed -an execration that was truly sublime. This was one of his most effective -gestures, and signified most vividly a fixed determination to drag down -the object of his hatred and trample it in the dust. He always stood -squarely on his feet, toe even with toe; that is, he never put one -foot before the other. He neither touched nor leaned on anything for -support. He made but few changes in his positions and attitudes. He -never ranted, never walked backward and forward on the platform. To ease -his arms he frequently caught hold, with his left hand, of the lapel of -his coat, keeping his thumb upright and leaving his right hand free to -gesticulate. The designer of the monument erected in Chicago has happily -caught him in just this attitude. As he proceeded with his speech the -exercise of his vocal organs altered somewhat the tone of his voice. It -lost in a measure its former acute and shrilling pitch, and mellowed -into a more harmonious and pleasant sound. His form expanded, and, -notwithstanding the sunken breast, he rose up a splendid and imposing -figure. His little gray eyes flashed in a face aglow with the fire of -his profound thoughts, and his uneasy movements and diffident manner -sunk themselves beneath the wave of righteous indignation that came -sweeping over him. Such was Lincoln the orator." - -Mr. Lincoln's own impressions were expressed to a friend as follows: -"Senator Douglas is of world-wide renown," he said. "All of the anxious -politicians of his party, or who have been of his party for years -past, have been looking upon him as certainly at no distant day to be -President of the United States. They have seen in his round, jolly, -fruitful face post-offices, land-offices, marshalships, and Cabinet -appointments, charge-ships and foreign missions, bursting and sprouting -out in wonderful exuberance ready to be laid hold of by their greedy -hands. And as they have been gazing upon this attractive picture so -long, they cannot, in the little distraction that has taken place in -the party, bring themselves to give up the charming hope; but with -greedier anxiety they rush about him, sustain him, and give him marches, -triumphal entries, and receptions beyond what even in the days of -highest prosperity they could have brought about in his favor. On the -contrary, nobody has ever expected me to be President. In my poor, lean, -lank face nobody has ever seen that any cabbages were sprouting out. -These are disadvantages, all taken together, that the Republicans labor -under. We have to fight this battle upon principle, and principle alone." - -As a rule, when both occupied the same platform their manners and -language were very courteous; but occasionally, when speaking elsewhere, -Mr. Douglas lost his temper and indulged in personal attacks upon his -opponent. Mr. Horace White, who reported the debate for one of the -Chicago papers, describes one of these occasions as follows; - -"We arrived at Havana while Douglas was still speaking. I strolled up to -the Douglas meeting just before its conclusion, and there met a friend -who had heard the whole. He was in a state of high indignation. He said -that Douglas must certainly have been drinking before he came on the -platform, because he had called Lincoln 'a liar, a coward, a wretch, -and a sneak.'" When Mr. Lincoln replied, on the following day, he took -notice of Douglas's hard words in this way: - -"I am informed that my distinguished friend yesterday became a little -excited, nervous(?) perhaps, and that he said something about fighting, -as though looking to a personal encounter between himself and me. Did -anybody in this audience hear him use such language? ['Yes, yes.'] I am -informed, further, that somebody in his audience, rather more excited -or nervous than himself, took off his coat and offered to take the job -off Judge Douglas's hands and fight Lincoln himself. Did anybody here -witness that warlike proceeding? [Laughter and cries of 'Yes.'] Well, I -merely desire to say that I shall fight neither Judge Douglas nor his -second. I shall not do this for two reasons, which I will explain. In -the first place, a fight would prove nothing which is in issue in this -election. It might establish that Judge Douglas is a more muscular man -than myself, or it might show that I am a more muscular man than Judge -Douglas; but that subject is not referred to in the Cincinnati platform, -nor in either of the Springfield platforms. Neither result would prove -him right nor me wrong. And so of the gentleman who offered to do his -fighting for him. If my fighting Judge Douglas would not prove anything, -it would certainly prove nothing for me to fight his bottle-holder. My -second reason for not having a personal encounter with Judge Douglas is -that I don't believe he wants it himself. He and I are about the best -friends in the world, and when we get together he would no more think of -fighting me than of fighting his wife. Therefore when the Judge talked -about fighting he was not giving vent to any ill-feeling of his own, but -was merely trying to excite--well, let us say enthusiasm against me on -the part of his audience. And, as I find he was tolerably successful in -this, we will call it quits." - -The crisis of the debate came at Freeport on August 27, 1858, when -Lincoln proposed a series of questions for Douglas to answer. At the -previous meeting at Ottawa, Douglas propounded a series of questions for -Lincoln which were designed to commit him to strong abolition doctrines. -He asked whether Lincoln was pledged to the repeal of the fugitive-slave -law, to resist the admission of any more slave States, to the abolition -of slavery in the District of Columbia, to the prohibition of the -slave-trade between the States, to the prohibition of slavery in the -Territories, and to oppose the acquisition of any new Territory unless -slavery was prohibited therein. Lincoln replied with great candor that -he was pledged to no proposition except the prohibition of slavery in -all the Territories of the United States. It was then that he turned -upon Douglas with four questions, the second of which was laden with the -most tremendous consequences not only to the debaters personally, but to -the entire nation and the cause of human freedom: - -"Can the people of a United States Territory in any lawful way, against -the wish of any citizen of the United States, exclude slavery from its -limits prior to the formation of a State Constitution?" - -In proposing this question Lincoln rejected the advice and disregarded -the entreaties of his wisest friends and most devoted adherents, for -they predicted that it would give Douglas an opportunity to square -himself with the people of Illinois and to secure his re-election to the -United States Senate. Lincoln replied,-- - -"I am killing larger game; if Douglas answers he can never be President, -and the battle of 1860 is worth a hundred of this." - -This prediction, which was afterwards fulfilled, shows Lincoln's -remarkable political foresight perhaps better than any single incident -in his career. A private letter, written more than a month before, shows -that Lincoln had long and carefully studied the probable consequences -of the answer that Douglas must make to such an interrogatory, and its -fatal effect upon his political fortunes; for, even then, he foresaw -that Douglas was to be the Democratic candidate for the Presidency of -the United States, and that his reply would deprive him of the support -of more than half of the members of that party. With extraordinary -sagacity, he pointed out that Douglas would eagerly seize upon such an -opportunity as this interrogatory afforded to place himself right before -his constituents in Illinois, and thus would recover his popularity and -insure his re-election to the Senate. And he was confident that Douglas -was so shortsighted as to do this and then trust to his cunning to set -himself right afterwards with the people of the slave States, which -Lincoln believed would be impossible. But even he did not realize the -tremendous and far-reaching results of his inquiry, for the answer which -Douglas gave split the Democratic party into irreconcilable factions, -and enabled the Republican minority to select the President of the -United States at the most critical period of the nation's history, and -thus to save the Union. - -"You will have hard work to get him [Douglas] directly to the point -whether a territorial Legislature has or has not the power to exclude -slavery," said Lincoln to a friend; "but if you succeed in bringing -him to it, though he will be compelled to say it possesses no such -power, he will instantly take the ground that slavery cannot exist in -the Territories unless the people desire it, and so give it protection -by territorial legislation. If this offends the South, he will let it -offend them, as, at all events, he means to hold on to his chances in -Illinois." And that was exactly what Douglas did do. He repeated the -sophism he had advanced in his speech at Springfield on the Dred Scott -decision the previous year, and said,-- - -"It matters not what way the Supreme Court may hereafter decide as to -the abstract question whether slavery may or may not go into a Territory -under the Constitution; the people have the lawful means to introduce -it or exclude it as they please, for the reason that slavery cannot -exist a day or an hour anywhere unless it is supported by local police -regulations. Those police regulations can only be established by the -local Legislature, and if the people are opposed to slavery, they will -elect representatives to that body who will, by unfriendly legislation, -effectually prevent the introduction of it into their midst. If, on the -contrary, they are for it, their legislation will favor its extension." - -The supporters of Douglas shouted with satisfaction at the clever way in -which he had escaped the trap Lincoln had set for him. His re-election -to the Senate was practically secured, and Lincoln had been defeated -at his own game. Lincoln's friends were correspondingly depressed, and -in their despondency admitted that their favorite had no longer any -prospect of election; that he had thrown his own chances away. - -Mr. Douglas was re-elected; but when Congress met in December, and he -was removed by the Democratic caucus from the chairmanship of the Senate -Committee on Territories, which he had held for eleven years, because he -had betrayed the slave-holders in his answer to Lincoln, at Freeport, -the Republicans of Illinois began to realize the political sagacity of -their leader. Then when, for the same reason, the Democratic National -Convention at Charleston was broken up by the Southern delegates rather -than accept Douglas as the Democratic candidate for the Presidency, -Lincoln's reputation as a political prophet was established. - -In 1861 Lincoln asked Joseph Medill, of the _Chicago Tribune_, if he -recalled his opposition to putting that fatal question to Douglas. - -"Yes," replied Medill, "I recollect it very well. It lost Douglas the -Presidency, but it lost you the Senatorship." - -"Yes," said Mr. Lincoln. "And I have won the place he was playing for." - -Douglas was the regular Democratic candidate for President against -Lincoln in 1860, but was opposed by the Southern faction. At Lincoln's -inauguration he appeared with his usual dignity, and stood beside -his rival upon the platform. As a member of the Senate he criticised -Lincoln's policy until hostilities actually broke out, when his -patriotism overcame his partisanship and he became an earnest supporter -of the government. On the evening of April 14, the day of the fall of -Sumter, he called at the White House by appointment and spent two hours -alone with the President. Neither ever revealed what occurred at the -interview, but it was not necessary. From that hour until his death on -June 3 following he stood by Lincoln's side in defence of the Union. His -last public utterance was a patriotic speech before the Legislature on -April 25, urging the people of Illinois to stand by the flag. His last -interview with Lincoln occurred a few days previous. - -"Douglas came rushing in," said the President afterwards, "and said he -had just got a telegraph message from some friends in Illinois urging -him to come out and help set things right in Egypt, and that he would go -or stay in Washington, just where I thought he could do the most good. -I told him to do as he chose, but that he would probably do best in -Illinois. Upon that he shook hands with me and hurried away to catch the -next train. I never saw him again." - -The country at large had watched the debate between Lincoln and Douglas -with profound interest, and thinking men of both parties realized that -a new leader as well as a great orator and statesman had appeared -upon the horizon. Lincoln was overwhelmed with congratulations and -invitations came from every direction to make speeches and deliver -lectures, but most of them were declined. He spoke twice in Ohio, at -Columbus and at Cincinnati, where he excited great enthusiasm and left -so deep an impression that the State Committee published his speeches -and the debate with Douglas as a campaign document. In December he went -to Kansas and delivered five lectures, and in the spring of 1860 he -received an invitation from a young men's association in Brooklyn to -deliver a lecture in Plymouth Church, of which Henry Ward Beecher was -then pastor. They offered a fee of two hundred dollars which was very -acceptable because his practice had been sadly neglected and he was -feeling very poor. At the same time his natural diffidence made him -reluctant to appear before an Eastern audience, and when he arrived in -New York and discovered that he was to speak in Cooper Institute instead -of in Brooklyn, he was fearful that he had made a mistake. Henry C. -Bowen invited him to be his guest in Brooklyn, but he declined, saying -that he was afraid his lecture would not be a success and he must give -his whole time to revising it. He was afraid his audience would be -disappointed and the young men who had kindly invited him would suffer -financially. - -[Illustration: Copyright, 1896, by S. S. McClure Co. - -ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN 1861 - -Copied from the original in the possession of Frank A. Brown, Esq., -Minneapolis, Minnesota] - -This was perhaps the first time Lincoln ever misjudged his situation. -His intuitions as well as his reasoning powers were usually very -accurate, but in this case they were far out of the way, for when he -arrived at Cooper Institute he was amazed to find the immense hall -crowded with the representatives of the culture, commerce, finance, and -industry of the metropolis. It was a notable audience in many respects. -He was escorted to the platform by Horace Greeley and David Dudley -Field, and introduced by William Cullen Bryant. Every man of importance -in New York City was present, many of them, no doubt, attracted by -curiosity to see and hear the homely lawyer from the prairies of whom -they had read in the newspapers. But he captivated his audience from -the start. Every hearer was impressed not only with his convincing -arguments, but with his dignity and eloquence. - -Lincoln began his address in a low monotone, and was evidently -embarrassed, but the respectful attention with which he was heard gave -him confidence, his tones rose in strength and gained in clearness, and -his awkward manner disappeared, as it always did when his consciousness -was lost in the earnest presentation of his thoughts. His style was so -simple, his language so unstudied and terse, his illustration so quaint -and apt, his reasoning so concise and compact that his critics asked -themselves and one another, as Henry M. Field says, "What manner of -man is this lawyer from the West who has set forth these truths as we -have never heard them before?" Lincoln made no effort at display. He -estimated the intelligence of his hearers accurately, and introduced -neither anecdote nor witticism, nor is there a figure of speech or -a poetic fancy in the first half of his oration. There was no more -sentiment than he would have introduced in a legal argument before the -Supreme Court, but he nevertheless arrested and held the attention of -his hearers, and they gave abundant testimony that they recognized -him as a master. No man ever made a more profound impression upon an -American audience. His speech was published in full in four of the -morning papers and extracts were copied widely throughout the country. - -The Honorable Joseph H. Choate, ambassador to Great Britain, himself one -of the most eminent of American orators, in an address at Edinburgh in -1900, has given us the following graphic description of Lincoln's Cooper -Institute speech: - -"It is now forty years since I first saw and heard Abraham Lincoln, but -the impression which he left on my mind is ineffaceable. After his great -successes in the West he came to New York to make a political address. -He appeared in every sense of the word like one of the plain people -among whom he loved to be counted. At first sight there was nothing -impressive or imposing about him, except that his great stature singled -him out from the crowd; his clothes hung awkwardly on his giant frame, -his face was of a dark pallor, without the slightest tinge of color; his -seamed and rugged features bore the furrows of hardship and struggle; -his deep-set eyes looked sad and anxious; his countenance in repose gave -little evidence of that brainpower which had raised him from the lowest -to the highest station among his countrymen. As he talked to me before -the meeting he seemed ill at ease, with that sort of apprehension which -a young man might feel before presenting himself to a new and strange -audience whose critical disposition he dreaded. - -"It was a great audience, including all the noted men--all the learned -and cultured--of his party in New York: editors, clergymen, statesmen, -lawyers, merchants, critics. They were all very curious to hear him. -His fame as a powerful speaker had preceded him, and exaggerated rumor -of his wit had reached the East. When Mr. Bryant presented him on the -high platform of the Cooper Institute a vast sea of eager, upturned -faces greeted him, full of intense curiosity to see what this rude -child of the people was like. He was equal to the occasion. When he -spoke he was transformed; his eye kindled, his voice rang, his face -shone and seemed to light up the whole assembly. For an hour and a half -he held his audience in the hollow of his hand. His style of speech -and manner of delivery were severely simple. What Lowell called 'the -grand simplicities of the Bible,' with which he was so familiar, were -reflected in his discourse. With no attempt at ornament or rhetoric, -without parade or pretence, he spoke straight to the point. If any -came expecting the turgid eloquence or the ribaldry of the frontier, -they must have been startled at the earnest and sincere purity of his -utterances. It was marvellous to see how this untutored man, by mere -self-discipline and the chastening of his own spirit, had outgrown all -meretricious arts, and found his way to the grandeur and strength of -absolute simplicity. - -"He spoke upon the theme which he had mastered so thoroughly. He -demonstrated by copious historical proofs and masterly logic that the -fathers who created the Constitution in order to form a more perfect -union, to establish justice, and to secure the blessings of liberty -to themselves and their posterity, intended to empower the Federal -government to exclude slavery from the Territories. In the kindliest -spirit, he protested against the avowed threat of the Southern States to -destroy the Union if, in order to secure freedom in those vast regions, -out of which future States were to be carved, a Republican President -were elected. He closed with an appeal to his audience, spoken with all -the fire of his aroused and kindling conscience, with a full outpouring -of his love of justice and liberty, to maintain their political purpose -on that lofty and unassailable issue of right and wrong which alone -could justify it, and not to be intimidated from their high resolve and -sacred duty by any threats of destruction to the government or of ruin -to themselves. He concluded with this telling sentence, which drove the -whole argument home to all our hearts: - -"'Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to -the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.' - -"That night the great hall, and the next day the whole city, rang -with delighted applause and congratulations, and he who had come as a -stranger departed with the laurels of a great triumph." - -While in New York he visited the Five Points House of Industry, and the -following account of what occurred is given by a teacher there: "Our -Sunday-School in the Five Points was assembled, one Sabbath morning, -when I noticed a tall, remarkable man enter the room and take a seat -among us. He listened with fixed attention to our exercises, and his -countenance expressed such genuine interest that I approached him and -suggested that he might be willing to say something to the children. -He accepted the invitation with evident pleasure, and, coming forward, -began a simple address which at once fascinated every little hearer and -hushed the room into silence. His language was strikingly beautiful and -his tones musical with the intensest feeling. The little faces around -him would droop into sad conviction as he uttered the sentences of -warning, and would brighten into sunshine as he spoke cheerful words -of promise. Once or twice he attempted to close his remarks, but the -imperative shouts of 'Go on!' 'Oh, do go on!' would compel him to -resume. As I looked upon the gaunt and sinewy frame of the stranger -and marked his powerful head and determined features, now touched into -softness by the impressions of the moment, I felt an irresistible -curiosity to learn something more about him, and when he was quietly -leaving the room I begged to know his name. He courteously replied,-- - -"'Abraham Lincoln, from Illinois.'" - -Lincoln received many invitations to speak in New England and delivered -addresses in all of the prominent cities, where he created the same -favorable impression and awakened the same popular enthusiasm. - -After his inauguration as President, Lincoln made no formal speeches -except his two inaugural addresses, but scarcely a week passed that he -did not deliver some pleasant little speech from the balcony of the -White House or at one of the military camps, and during his journey -to Washington he was especially happy in his treatment of the serious -questions which were troubling the public mind. - - - - -IV - -A PRAIRIE POLITICIAN - - -When Abraham Lincoln was twenty-two years old and a clerk in Denton -Offutt's store he offered himself to the voters of New Salem and -vicinity as a candidate for the Illinois Legislature. It was the year -that the Whigs held their first National Convention and nominated -Henry Clay as their candidate for President; and from that time, as -has been seen, Lincoln made politics as well as law a profession, and -participated actively in every campaign until he was elected President. - -In those days nominations for office were made by announcement and not -by conventions, and, according to custom, with thirteen other citizens -fired with similar ambition, Lincoln issued a circular or "handbill," -as it was familiarly called, setting forth in quaint and characteristic -candor his "sentiments with regard to local affairs." It was his -platform, and no utterance of his entire life is more interesting than -the few personal remarks which he addressed to his neighbors: - -"Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true -or not, I can say, for one, that I have no other so great as that of -being truly esteemed of my fellow-men by rendering myself worthy of -their esteem. How far I shall succeed in gratifying this ambition is -yet to be developed. I am young, and unknown to many of you. I was -born, and have ever remained, in the most humble walks of life. I have -no wealthy or popular relations or friends to recommend me. My case -is thrown exclusively upon the independent voters of the county, and -if elected they will have conferred a favor upon me for which I shall -be unremitting in my labors to compensate. But if the good people in -their wisdom shall see fit to keep me in the background, I have been too -familiar with disappointments to be very much chagrined." - -It was an audacious act for a young man who had been in the county -only about nine months to aspire to the honor and responsibility of a -law-maker, but, compared with his neighbors, Lincoln's qualifications -were conspicuous. He could read and write, had a fair knowledge of -literature, had read two or three law-books, was a practical surveyor, -and by reason of his two journeys to New Orleans had seen a good -deal more of the world than any one in that neighborhood. But these -qualifications did not count for much in comparison with his ability -as a public speaker and his faculty of doing things which had already -made him a reputation throughout the county. Although his advantages -had been limited, they were superior to those enjoyed by three-fourths -of the young men in Sangamon County, and for education, experience, -and other qualifications he surpassed a majority of the members of -the Legislature. There were only a few men of culture and education -in that body. It was chiefly made up of illiterate pioneers who mixed -politics with farming and carried on their campaigns at camp-meetings, -horseraces, country stores, and taverns, and resorted to every -subterfuge that their shrewd minds could invent to secure votes. At the -same time they were generally honest, patriotic, and earnest for the -welfare of their constituents and their personal characters commanded -the esteem and confidence of the public. Among such men Lincoln's talent -for talking and writing, his knowledge of poetry and literature, and, -more than all, his genius as a story-teller excited admiration and -respect, and he was regarded as the most promising young man in the -neighborhood. His announcement "handbill" discussed the several topics -which at that time were being agitated, such as the improvement of the -Sangamon River. He related his experience with flat-boats, and declared -that by straightening the channel and clearing away the drift-wood -the stream could be made navigable. "The improvement of the Sangamon -River," he sagely remarked, "is an object much better suited to our -infant resources" than the construction of a railway, and, indeed, it -was fifteen years later that the first whistle of a locomotive was heard -in Illinois. He took broad grounds in favor of internal improvements, -advocated a law prohibiting money-loaners from charging exorbitant rates -of interest, and favored liberal appropriations for education. - -"For my part," he said, "I desire to see the time when education, and -by its means morality, sobriety, enterprise, and industry, shall become -much more general than at present, and should be gratified to have it in -my power to contribute something to the advancement of any measure which -might have a tendency to accelerate that happy period." - -Perhaps, if he could have made a thorough campaign and extended his -acquaintance and popularity throughout the county, he might have been -elected, but just a month after his announcement was published he went -off to the Black Hawk War (as is told in Chapter VI.) and did not -return until a few days before the election, so that his canvass was -limited. It was long enough, however, for him to make a record as a -man of moral courage and ability. Although the great majority of the -population were Democrats, he boldly declared himself a Whig, which must -have cost him many votes. National issues were not usually brought into -local politics, but the contest between Clay and Jackson was animated -and bitter; the Democrats were despotic and intolerant towards the -opposition, and were so much in the majority that a Whig had very little -consideration. Lincoln has left us a brief account of the campaign, in -which he says that he ran as "an avowed Clay man," and in his speeches -advocated the principles and policy of Henry Clay's platform. "I am -in favor of a national bank; I am in favor of an internal improvement -system and a high protective tariff," he announced boldly, and it must -have cost him a severe struggle with his ambition to have placed himself -upon the unpopular side and to have joined a hopeless minority at the -beginning of his political career; but he obeyed his convictions, and -nothing better illustrates the stuff of which the man was made. - -The returns show that out of 2168 votes Lincoln received only 657, less -than one-third of the whole. In New Salem, where he lived, he received -all but three of the votes cast, although a few months later Andrew -Jackson carried the same precinct with 185 votes against 70 for Henry -Clay. - -This was the only time that Abraham Lincoln was defeated on a direct -vote of the people. He was greatly gratified by the evidence of his -popularity, and was confident that if he could extend his acquaintance -through the county he would be successful at the next election; but -how was he to get a living in the mean time? Offutt's store had failed -and he was out of employment. He describes the situation himself as -follows: "He was now without means and out of business, but was anxious -to remain with his friends, who had treated him with so much generosity, -especially as he had nothing elsewhere to go to. He studied what he -should do; thought of learning the blacksmith trade, thought of trying -to study law, rather thought he could not succeed at that without a -better education." - -It was a crisis in his life, but he was conscious of his own ability -and his faith in himself was strong. If his judgment had been equally -accurate, he would have been saved great anxiety and trouble, for it was -at this time that he was induced to go into the mercantile speculation -which turned out so badly. He managed to make a living, however, and -pull through, and when the campaign of 1834 came it was a matter of -course that he should again be a candidate for the Legislature. He spent -almost the entire summer electioneering, most of the time in those parts -of the county where he was least acquainted, appealing for votes in his -own peculiar way. It was a rough-and-tumble canvass, often in company -with other candidates. "Wherever he saw a crowd of men, he joined them, -and he never failed to adapt himself to their point of view in asking -for votes," says one of his friends. "If the degree of physical strength -was their test for a candidate, he was ready to lift a weight or wrestle -with any countryside champion. If the amount of grain a man could cut -would recommend him, he seized the cradle and showed the swath he could -cut." One of the farmers of the neighborhood tells this story: - -"He [Lincoln] came to my house, near Island Grove, during harvest. There -were some thirty men in the field. He got his dinner and went out in -the field where the men were at work. I gave him an introduction, and -the boys said that they could not vote for a man unless he could make a -hand. 'Well, boys,' said he, 'if that is all, I am sure of your votes.' -He took hold of the cradle, and led the way all the round with perfect -ease. The boys were satisfied, and I don't think he lost a vote in the -crowd." - -Thirteen candidates were contesting for the four seats in the -Legislature and all were engaged in the campaign, besides candidates for -Governor, for Congress, and for the State Senate. When the votes were -counted, Lincoln's name headed the list. He received 1376, considerably -more than a majority, and more than double the total he had received at -the election two years before. - -At this point Lincoln's political career actually begins, and although -during his first session in the Legislature he showed no particular -talent and took a modest position in the background, he secured the -respect of his colleagues both for his abilities and his character, and -among them were several men who afterwards became almost as prominent -as himself. They included future governors, generals, senators, judges, -and cabinet ministers. In this and future sessions of the Legislature -he sat beside Stephen A. Douglas, afterwards United States Senator and -Democratic candidate for the Presidency against Lincoln; Edward D. -Baker, Senator from both Illinois and Oregon, who was killed at the -battle of Ball's Bluff; Orville H. Browning, afterwards United States -Senator and Secretary of the Interior; John A. McClernand, for several -years a member of the House of Representatives and a major-general in -the Civil War; John Logan, father of the late General John A. Logan; -Robert M. Cullom, father of Senator Shelby M. Cullom, and others of -comparative distinction. These were new associates for the poor young -man, and more to his taste as well as his advantage. From this time he -cultivated men from whom he could learn, but never lost his affection -for those who had shared his humble hardships. He was re-elected to -the Legislature four successive terms, in 1836, 1838, and 1840, and -spent eight years in the service of his State, making many mistakes and -enjoying several triumphs, growing in the esteem and confidence of the -people, extending his usefulness and influence, and gradually advancing -to a high place among the leaders of the Whig party, which was rapidly -gaining in strength. - -Among the interesting features of Lincoln's legislative career is a -declaration in favor of a limited woman suffrage which appeared in his -"handbill" in the campaign of 1836, when he was twenty-seven years old -and unmarried. - -"I go for all sharing the privileges of the government who assist in -bearing its burdens," he said; "consequently I go for admitting all -whites to the right of suffrage who pay taxes or bear arms, by no means -excluding females." - -The Legislature of 1836 and 1837 was responsible for many "wild-cat" -schemes which brought disaster upon the people of the young State, -and Lincoln was guilty of the same folly and lack of judgment which -characterized his associates. It should be said, however, that he was -enthusiastically supported by his constituents and public opinion -generally, and believed that he was doing the best that could be done -for the community. - -His greatest triumph was won as the leader of the movement to remove the -State capital from Vandalia to Springfield. Being given the management -of the bill, he applied all his energy and ability to the task, here -showing the same strategic genius which was afterwards demonstrated -in the management of the war. His plan of campaign was simple but -shrewd. He first persuaded the Legislature to pass a bill removing the -capital from Vandalia, then he secured a succession of votes upon other -locations, and finally succeeded in carrying a direct vote in favor of -Springfield, which was accomplished by his personal influence. Jesse -K. Dubois, who represented another part of the State, says, "We gave -the vote to Lincoln because we liked him, because we wanted to oblige -him, our friend, and because we wanted to recognize him as our leader," -which is a great tribute considering the fact that the delegation from -Sangamon County was an unusually strong one. It was famous for the -stature of its nine members, which, combined, was fifty-five feet. The -delegation was known as "the Long Nine." - -When the law was signed the citizens of Springfield tendered a banquet -to their representatives, and among the toasts was this: - -"Abraham Lincoln: one of Nature's noblemen; he has fulfilled the -expectations of his friends and disappointed the hopes of his enemies." - -In 1838 and again in 1840 Lincoln was the Whig candidate for Speaker -of the House of Representatives, which was the highest tribute his -colleagues could pay him and illustrates his rapid advancement in -influence. Nor did he take this leading position without rivalry. There -were strong men among the Whigs of Illinois even at that date. That -party represented the wealth, education, and culture of the State, as -the Republican party does to-day, while the masses of the people were -Democrats. Notwithstanding this rivalry, he pushed rapidly forward, and -the qualities which he had shown from the beginning of his political -career were strengthened by experience, knowledge, and self-confidence. -His kindly disposition and good-nature, his wit and his stories, his -willingness to accept any responsibility that might be thrust upon him -or undertake any duty, no matter how laborious or disagreeable, and his -determination to succeed in everything he attempted made him a leader; -while his skill in debate, in parliamentary tactics, and political -organization made his co-operation necessary to the success of any -movement. - -Lincoln organized the Whig party in Illinois. Up to 1832 the convention -system was unknown. In that year it was introduced by the Democrats -and was denounced with great vigor by the Whigs, who declared it an -invention "intended to abridge the liberties of the people by depriving -individuals of the privilege of becoming candidates for office, and -depriving them of the right to vote for candidates of their own choice;" -nevertheless, all good Whigs, and Lincoln among them, immediately -recognized the advantages of the new plan. It concentrated the strength -of a party upon single candidates for offices instead of allowing -it to be scattered and wasted upon several who voluntarily offered -themselves. The "machine" organized by Jackson's supporters worked well; -Lincoln watched it closely, and although he was reluctant to accept the -principle, he was compelled to admit the advantage of the practice, -and prepared, at the request of his fellow-Whigs, a confidential -circular which formed the basis of a remarkably complete and effective -organization of the Whig party in the State. - -In 1841, the year previous to his marriage, Lincoln was offered the Whig -nomination for Governor, but declined it. He also declined renomination -for the Legislature the following year, and became a candidate for -Congress. He did not wait to be invited, but sought the nomination and -managed his own canvass. He never believed in concealing his ambition; -he was never guilty of false modesty; he held that it was an honorable -aspiration, and acted accordingly; but, to his disappointment, Sangamon -County was instructed for his friend and colleague, Edward D. Baker. He -was the more sensitive because he, "a stranger, friendless, uneducated, -penniless boy, working on a flat-boat at ten dollars a month," he wrote -a friend, had "been put down here as the candidate of pride, wealth, and -aristocratic family distinction. Yet so, chiefly, it was. There was, -too, the strangest combination of church influence against me. Baker is -a Campbellite, and therefore, as I suppose, with few exceptions, got all -that church. My wife has some relations in the Presbyterian churches and -some with the Episcopal churches; and therefore, wherever it would tell, -I was set down as either the one or the other, while it was everywhere -contended that no Christian ought to go for me, because I belonged to no -church, was suspected of being a deist, and had talked about fighting a -duel. With all these things Baker, of course, had nothing to do. Nor do -I complain of them. As to his own church going for him, I think that was -right enough, and as to the influences I have spoken of in the other, -though they were very strong, it would be grossly untrue and unjust to -charge that they acted upon them in a body, or were very near so. I only -mean that those influences levied a tax of a considerable per cent. -upon my strength throughout the religious community." - -Lincoln was appointed a delegate to the Convention and instructed to -look after Baker's interests. This, he said, "was a good deal like -acting as bridegroom for a man who has cut you out;" but he was loyal -and energetic and as skilful as usual, although unsuccessful. J. M. -Ruggles, one of the delegates, says, "The ayes and noes had been taken -and there were fifteen votes apiece, and one in doubt that had not -arrived. That was myself. I was known to be a warm friend of Baker, -representing people who were partial to Hardin. As soon as I arrived -Baker hurried to me, saying, 'How is it? It all depends on you.' On -being told that, notwithstanding my partiality for him, the people -I represented expected me to vote for Hardin, and that I would have -to do so, Baker at once replied, 'You are right--there is no other -way.' The Convention was organized, and I was elected secretary. Baker -immediately arose and made a most thrilling address, thoroughly arousing -the sympathies of the Convention, and ended by declining his candidacy. -Hardin was nominated by acclamation and then came the episode. - -"Immediately after the nomination, Mr. Lincoln walked across the room -to my table and asked if I would favor a resolution recommending Baker -for the next term. On being answered in the affirmative, he said, 'You -prepare the resolution, I will support it, and I think we can pass it.' -The resolution created a profound sensation, especially with the friends -of Hardin. After an excited and angry discussion, the resolution passed -by a majority of one." - -Thus Lincoln defeated his own prospects for a Congressional nomination -for four years. Baker was elected in 1844, and then his turn came in -1846, when the Democrats gave him for a competitor the famous Methodist -circuit rider, Peter Cartwright, one of the best-known and beloved men -of that period on the frontier. He was the highest type of the itinerant -preacher. For sixty years he travelled on horseback throughout the -Western country, marrying the young people, baptizing their children, -burying the dead, preaching by the wayside and in the forests, and -when he died in 1872, at eighty-seven years of age, the record of his -ministry showed that he had admitted to the church twelve thousand -persons, had preached fifteen thousand sermons, and a procession of one -hundred and twenty-nine children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren -followed him to his grave. With all his piety and devotion to the -Methodist Church, Peter Cartwright was an ardent admirer of Andrew -Jackson and a Democrat of the most intolerant pro-slavery type. He -probably had a larger acquaintance than any other man in the State, was -an exhorter of magnetic intensity, and his energy was unsurpassed; but, -nevertheless, Lincoln defeated him by 1511 majority when Henry Clay -carried the district by only 914. - -When the Thirtieth Congress was called to order on December 6, 1847, -Abraham Lincoln answered to his name. The rolls also bore the name of -Stephen A. Douglas, but before the House of Representatives met he had -been elected to the United States Senate. Lincoln was the only Whig -member from Illinois. In those days the House met in the old Hall of -Representatives, now used for statuary, and he was so unfortunate as to -draw one of the most undesirable seats far in the background. He was -assigned to the Committee on Post-Offices and Post-Roads, at the foot of -the list, attended its meetings regularly, and occasionally took part -in the debates on the bills appropriating money for the support of the -postal service and other matters pertaining to that committee. He also -was a member of the Committee on Expenditures in the War Department, -which, however, never met. He devoted a good deal of time trying to -secure amendments to the laws relating to bounty lands for soldiers, -a subject of which he had some personal knowledge, having himself -received a patent for some wild land in Iowa. He looked after certain -grants of land made to railroads in Illinois, and endeavored to protect -actual settlers who might possibly have been interfered with. During his -first session he made the personal acquaintance of but few members, and -lived at a quiet Congressional boarding-house kept by a Mrs. Sprigg, on -Capitol Hill, where his messmates were Joshua R. Giddings, of Ohio, and -several other Whigs. His favorite place of resort was the post-office -of the House of Representatives, where he was in the habit of meeting -and exchanging stories with several congenial spirits. Among them -were Robert Toombs and Alexander H. Stephens, who, like himself, were -destined to become conspicuous figures in the great impending drama. -Several writers have described encounters between Lincoln and Jefferson -Davis at this period, but they were imaginary. Although Mr. Davis was -appointed to the Senate the same year, it is not probable that he ever -met the obscure member of the Lower House from Illinois. - -From the recollections of his colleagues we have many incidents and -anecdotes of more or less interest, which show that he retained the same -unassuming, simple habits that characterized him as a member of the -Legislature. - -Daniel Webster, who was then in the Senate, used occasionally to have -Lincoln at one of his pleasant Saturday breakfasts, where the Western -Congressman's humorous illustrations of the events of the day, sparkling -with spontaneous and unpremeditated wit, would give great delight -to "the solid men of Boston" assembled around the festive board. At -one time Lincoln had transacted some legal business for Mr. Webster -connected with an embryo city laid out where Rock River empties into the -Mississippi. Mr. Fletcher Webster had gone there for a while; but Rock -Island City was not a pecuniary success, and much of the land on which -but one payment had been made reverted to the original owners. Lincoln -had charged Mr. Webster for his legal services ten dollars, which the -great expounder of the Constitution regarded as too small a fee, and he -would frequently declare that he was still Lincoln's debtor. - -The librarian of the United States Supreme Court remembers that Lincoln -came to the library one day for the purpose of procuring some law-books -which he wanted to take to his room for examination. He placed them in a -pile on the table, tied them up with a large bandanna handkerchief from -his pocket, and, putting a stick which he had brought with him through a -knot in the handkerchief, shouldered his burden and marched off to his -room. In a few days he returned the books in the same way. - -He saw very little of the social life of the capital, although Mrs. -Lincoln was with him during the long session. His experience was similar -to that of the average green Congressman who comes to Washington -unheralded and who is compelled to live on his salary. The only social -adventure of which we have any knowledge was in attending the inaugural -ball, March 4, 1849, of which Mr. E. B. Washburne writes,-- - -"A small number of mutual friends, including Mr. Lincoln, made up a -party to attend Taylor's inauguration ball together. It was by far the -most brilliant inauguration ball ever given. Of course Mr. Lincoln had -never seen anything of the kind before. One of the most modest and -unpretending persons present, he could not have dreamed that like honors -were to come to him almost within a little more than a decade. He was -greatly interested in all that was to be seen, and we did not take our -departure until three or four o'clock in the morning. When we went to -the cloak and hat room, Mr. Lincoln had no trouble in finding his short -coat, which little more than covered his shoulders, but after a long -search was unable to find his hat. After an hour he gave up all idea of -finding it. Taking his cloak on his arm, he walked out into Judiciary -Square, deliberately adjusted it on his shoulders, and started off -bareheaded for his lodgings. It would be hard to forget the sight of -that tall and slim man, with his short cloak thrown over his shoulders, -starting for his long walk home on Capitol Hill, at four o'clock in the -morning, without any hat on." - -After the election of President Taylor, in 1848, Lincoln, being the -only Whig member of Congress from Illinois, was required to recommend -candidates for office and practically controlled the patronage of the -State. He was not a civil service reformer. Even while he was President -he adhered to the time-honored doctrine that the victors in politics, -as in war, were entitled to the spoils, while at the same time he -endeavored to get the most efficient men available for the public -offices and recognized merit as the first claim for promotion. While in -Congress he performed his duty with absolute fairness to his political -foes and with loyalty to his political friends so far as he was able -to control appointments. Some of his recommendations are unique, for -example: - -"I recommend that William Butler be appointed Pension Agent for the -Illinois agency when the place shall be vacant. Mr. Hurst, the present -incumbent, I believe has performed his duties very well. He is a decided -partisan, and I believe expects to be removed. Whether he shall be, I -submit to the Department. This office is not confined to my district, -but pertains to the whole State; so that Colonel Baker has an equal -right with myself to be heard concerning it. However, the office is -located here (at Springfield), and I think it is not probable that any -one would desire to remove from a distance to take it." - -In another instance he writes the Secretary of Interior, "I recommend -that Walter Davis be appointed Receiver of the Land Office at this -place, whenever there shall be a vacancy. I cannot say that Mr. Herndon, -the present incumbent, has failed in the proper discharge of any of the -duties of the office. He is a warm partisan, and openly and actively -opposed to the election of General Taylor. I also understand that since -General Taylor's election he has received a reappointment from Mr. Polk, -his old commission not having expired. Whether this is true the records -of the Department will show. I may add that the Whigs here almost -universally desire his removal." - -In another case he forwards the recommendations of the man whom he does -not prefer, with an endorsement calling attention to the importance of -the writers, and adding, "From personal knowledge I consider Mr. Bond -every way worthy of the office and qualified to fill it. Holding the -individual opinion that the appointment of a different gentleman would -be better, I ask especial attention and consideration of his claims, and -for the opinions expressed in his favor by those over whom I can claim -no superiority." - -In all his communications to the Executive Department concerning -appointments to office, he never claims a place because of his position -and influence; nor does he demand patronage on behalf of his party or -his State; nor does he ask for the removal of an incumbent, although in -several cases he says that it is desired by the public and the patrons -of the office. He always puts himself in the position of an adviser -to the government, and modestly expresses his opinion as to the best -man for appointment. If there are two candidates, he describes their -qualifications with evident candor and fairness. - -Lincoln was tendered the Governorship of Oregon, and might have been -Commissioner of the General Land Office under President Taylor, but, -fortunately, resisted the temptation. - -Amos Tuck, of New Hampshire, in his memoirs, says, "In December, 1847, -I made my first visit to Washington, and at the same time took my -seat as a member of the House of Representatives. The representation -of New Hampshire was equally divided, or rather was half Democratic, -Messrs. Peaslee and Johnson, and half opposition, Mr. Wilson, Whig, -and myself, Independent Democrat. It was the second Congress in Mr. -Polk's administration, and the Mexican War was at its height. Robert C. -Winthrop was Speaker. - -"The most distinguished man by far, member of the House, was John -Quincy Adams. By general consent he had for years occupied the seat of -his choice, one of the two largest on the floor, in the second row of -seats, the first fronting the Speaker at the left. New members were -anxious to see Mr. Adams, the honored ex-President, politically the -most distinguished man of the country. He was old and feeble, but clear -in mind and decided in all his views as he had been in the days of his -vigor. He made one short speech early in the session, but could be heard -only by a few near him, and in the month of February following died in -the Speaker's room at the Capitol. - -"I was late in arriving.... In the fourth seat at my left sat a new -member from Illinois, the only Whig from that State, a tall, awkward, -genial, good fellow, the future President of the United States, Abraham -Lincoln. He was then thirty-nine years old, bore all the signs of scanty -preparation for influential position, and excited attention only as the -lone star of Illinois Whigs and as an agreeable specimen of frontier -character. He was not regarded as a man of mark, nor did the thought -seem to have entered his own mind of ever taking a high position in the -country. Mr. Lincoln had no opportunity, if he had then had the ability, -which I do not think he possessed at that time, of distinguishing -himself. I remember that the good-will of his acquaintances was strong -in his favor. He made one set speech, near the close of the session, -wherein he made sundry telling points against the Democrats, delivering -it in the open area in front of the clerk's desk, and created much -amusement by the aptness of his illustrations, walking around in -front of the Democratic members, singling out individuals specially -responsible for unsound and inconsistent doctrines. He was good-natured, -enjoyed his own wit, heartily joined in the amusement he excited in -others, and sat down amid the cheers of his friends. The friendship -formed between Mr. Lincoln and myself in that Congress continued through -his life. Alexander H. Stephens and Robert Toombs, of Georgia, were -likewise members of the Thirtieth Congress, as they had been of the -previous Congress. They were both Whigs, the leading men in the House -of their party in the South, but more wedded to slave interests than to -their political party." - -His term in Congress ended on March 4, 1849, and he was not a candidate -for re-election. A year before he had contemplated the possibility of -entering the field again. He then wrote to his friend and partner, -Herndon, "It is very pleasant for me to learn from you that there are -some who desire that I should be re-elected. I made the declaration that -I would not be a candidate again, more from a wish to deal fairly with -others, to keep peace among our friends, and keep the district from -going to the enemy, than for any cause personal to myself, so that, if -it should so happen that nobody else wishes to be elected, I could not -refuse the people the right of sending me again. But to enter myself as -a competitor of others, or to authorize any one so to enter me, is what -my word and honor forbid." - -Upon returning from Congress in the spring of 1849, Lincoln renewed -his law practice and devoted himself exclusively to it, taking no part -in politics and having all that he could do in court until there was a -great upheaval in the political situation caused by the repeal of the -Missouri Compromise. This so aroused his patriotism and indignation -against the Democratic party that he went back to the stump and the -committee-room and again became the recognized leader of the Whig party -in Illinois. All through Illinois and other States in the neighborhood -the Whig politicians turned to him for counsel, which was due to his -reputation for wisdom and sagacity. It has been said that Lincoln -intended to retire from politics, and he wrote a friend that he "had -lost interest until the repeal of the Missouri Compromise;" but his -ambition as well as his interest soon revived, for we find him in 1854 -the most prominent candidate of the Whig party for the United States -Senate. - -There was an exciting canvass of the State. He entered into it with -great enthusiasm, spoke in nearly every county, and it was agreed -by all concerned that if the Republican and Anti-Nebraska Democrats -should carry the Legislature, Lincoln would be elected to succeed -General Shields. He expected it himself, and his defeat brought him -more disappointment and chagrin than any other event in his life. It -was a painful experience, but he accepted the result with his usual -good-nature and philosophy, and his conduct under the most trying -circumstances added lustre to his reputation as a patriotic, honorable, -unselfish man, and he never forgot his obligation to those who stood by -him in the contest. - -With his usual candor, he had addressed letters to the Whigs and -Anti-Nebraska men who had been elected to the Legislature, asking their -support. The replies were almost without exception favorable and in some -cases enthusiastic. He was personally known to almost every member, and -by his voice and advice had assisted all the Whig candidates during the -campaign. But, unfortunately, a complication arose which embarrassed -them and him. He had been elected as one of the members from Sangamon -County, and the Constitution of the State contained a clause making -members of the Legislature and other officials ineligible to the United -States Senate. The highest authorities pronounced this provision -unconstitutional because the Senate alone was authorized to decide -the qualifications of its own members and a State Legislature had no -jurisdiction over the subject; but, rather than run the risk of taking -the election into the courts, Lincoln decided to resign, relying upon -the majority of 650 votes, which had been cast for him, to elect another -Whig in his place. Very little interest was taken in the canvass. The -Democrats appeared inclined to let the contest go by default. That -disarmed the leaders of the Whig party and made the rank and file -indifferent. For the first and only time in his political career Lincoln -was caught napping. The Democrats nominated a candidate at the very last -moment, plunged into a hasty but energetic canvass, got out a full vote, -and elected his successor by 60 majority, which lost the Legislature -to the Whigs and left them dependant upon their Free-Soil Democratic -allies. The members of that party in other parts of the State were very -indignant and blamed Lincoln for this unlooked-for result. - -He was still further embarrassed by the unauthorized and impertinent -act of a small group of abolitionists who met in Springfield before -the session of the Legislature, passed resolutions endorsing Lincoln -as their candidate for the Senate, and, without consulting him, -appointed him a member of their State Central Committee. There were only -twenty-six in the assembly,--earnest, eager men, and radical in their -views,--and although Lincoln's policy of recognizing the constitutional -authority for slavery was well known to them, they admired his ability -and the able fight he was making against the extension of the system in -the Territories. He was not aware that his name appeared in the list of -the abolitionist committee until several weeks after the Convention had -adjourned. In fact, very little notice was taken of its meetings, and -its action was discovered by the Democrats before it was known to the -Whigs. Lincoln immediately wrote a letter declining to serve and saying -that he was perplexed to understand why his name was used, because -he supposed that his position on the slavery question was not at all -satisfactory to their party. But, notwithstanding his disavowal, five -Anti-Nebraska Democrats refused under any circumstances to support him -for Senator, but cast their votes for Lyman Trumbull. Lincoln was voted -for by the other Free-Soilers and Shields by the Democrats. In a letter -to Mr. Washburne, written on the evening after the election, Lincoln -gives this description of the close of the fight: - -"In the mean time our friends, with a view of detaining our expected -bolters, had been turning from me to Trumbull until he had risen to 35 -and I had been reduced to 15. These would never desert me except by my -direction; but I became satisfied that if we could prevent Matteson's -election one or two ballots more, we could possibly not do so a single -ballot after my friends should begin to return to me from Trumbull. So -I determined to strike at once; and accordingly advised my remaining -friends to go for him, which they did, and elected him on that, the -tenth ballot. Such is the way the thing was done. I think you would -have done the same under the circumstances, though Judge Davis, who -came down this morning, declares he never would have consented to the -47 (opposition) men being controlled by the 5. I regret my defeat -moderately, but am not nervous about it. Perhaps it is well for our -grand cause that Trumbull is elected." - -And it turned out well for Lincoln, too, because if he had been elected -Senator at that time he would never have taken the part he did in the -organization of the Republican party, he would never have had the joint -debate with Senator Douglas, and in all probability would not have been -elected President. Lincoln resumed the practice of his profession, -but did not retire from politics again. He took an active interest in -every campaign, devoting much of his time to committee work and to -the preparation of political literature, extending his acquaintance -and increasing his popularity. In the winter of 1855 he attended a -meeting of Free-Soil editors at Decatur, who decided upon organizing a -Republican party in Illinois and called a convention of all who believed -in resisting the extension of slavery to meet at Bloomington in May. - -Lincoln was present, made a remarkable speech, which is described in -Chapter III., was sent as a delegate to the First National Republican -Convention at Philadelphia, and, much to his surprise, received 110 -votes for Vice-President on the ticket with Fremont. He was made an -elector, canvassed the State thoroughly, making more than fifty set -speeches during the campaign, and served as a member of the State -Committee. - -Mr. Horace White, editor of the _New York Evening Post_, then connected -with the _Chicago Tribune_, gives his recollections of Lincoln in the -campaign: "I was Secretary of the Republican State Committee of Illinois -during some years when he was in active campaign work. He was often -present at meetings of the committee, and took part in the committee -work. His judgment was very much deferred to in such matters. He was one -of the shrewdest politicians in the State. Nobody had more experience -in that way, nobody knew better than he what was passing in the minds -of the people. Nobody knew better how to turn things to advantage -politically, and nobody was readier to take such advantage, provided -it did not involve dishonorable means. He could not cheat people out -of their votes any more than he could out of their money. Mr. Lincoln -never gave his assent, so far as my knowledge goes, to any plan or -project for getting votes that would not have borne the full light of -day. - -"I never heard him express contempt for any man's honest errors, -although he would sometimes make a droll remark or tell a funny story -about them. Deference to other people's opinions was habitual to him. -There was no calculation, no politics in it. It was part and parcel of -his sense of equal rights. His democracy was of the unconscious kind--he -did not know anything different from it." - -In the fall of 1858 there was an election of the Illinois Legislature -which would choose a successor to Senator Douglas, whose term of service -was to expire March 3, 1859. The Republican party at that time was -thoroughly organized and presented a united and enthusiastic front, with -encouraging prospects of victory, and Lincoln was again its candidate -for the United States Senate. The sympathy of his associates and the -people generally over his defeat three years before, their appreciation -of his services, their admiration for his ability, and their confidence -in his integrity and judgment made him the unanimous choice, and for -the first time in history the State Republican Convention passed a -resolution to that effect. Then followed the most extraordinary canvass -that has ever taken place in any of the States of the Union,--the -joint debate between Lincoln and Douglas which is described in Chapter -III., followed by Lincoln's second defeat for the Senate. Many of -Lincoln's friends believed that he might have been elected but for the -interference of Horace Greeley, Seward, Colfax, Burlingame, and other -earnest Republicans and antislavery men of national prominence, who -urged the people of Illinois to support Douglas because he had opposed -the Buchanan administration and had been denounced by the slave-holders -of the South. But, while Lincoln was deeply wounded by this betrayal -of what he considered a vital political principle, he realized that -the existing apportionment of the State made his election improbable -because it had been based upon the census of 1850 and gave the southern -and Democratic counties an excessive representation over the northern -Republican counties, which had more rapidly increased in population. The -Republican State officers were chosen by a considerable majority, but -the Democrats had eight majority in the Legislature, and Mr. Douglas was -elected. - -Lincoln had passed through an intense canvass, equally trying to -his physical and mental endurance, and his strength as well as his -temper were sorely tried; but he was never more composed, patient, -and philosophical, and to his friends he wrote hopeful and cheerful -letters, taking greater satisfaction in the reputation he had made and -the results he had accomplished than he would have felt in a commission -as United States Senator. As he told many people, he was not trying to -defeat Douglas for Senator so much as to prevent his election to the -Presidency, and he succeeded in doing so. The attention of the entire -country had been drawn to the canvass in Illinois, Lincoln's name had -become known everywhere throughout the country, and, as a Chicago editor -wrote him, "You have at once sprung from the position of a capital -fellow and a leading lawyer of Illinois to a national reputation." - -Another friend wrote him, "You have made a noble canvass, which, if -unavailing in this State, has earned you a national reputation and made -you friends everywhere." - -Lincoln's own view of the case is expressed in a letter to a friend as -follows: "I wished, but I did not much expect, a better result.... I am -glad I made the late race. It gave me a hearing on the great and durable -question of the age, which I could have had in no other way; and though -I now sink out of view, and shall be forgotten, I believe I have made -some marks which will tell for the cause of civil liberty long after I -am gone." - -The folly of the Eastern Republicans in encouraging the election of -Douglas was demonstrated immediately after the election, when that -gentleman started upon a tour through the South and made a series of -speeches in which he endeavored to convince the slave-holders that he -was their best friend and should be their candidate for the Presidency. -At the same time Lincoln was invited to speak in the Eastern States, -and, after his address in Cooper Institute, New York City, made a -tour through New England, creating great interest and making many -friends. He became a national character, and his advice was sought by -national leaders, to whom his sagacity was immediately apparent. He -spent a great deal of time and wrote many letters during the winter of -1858-59, harmonizing the Republican party, concentrating its efforts, -and reconciling local prejudices and preferences which conflicted -and imperilled its success at the next election. He seemed gifted -with foresight that was almost prophetic, for he pointed out with -extraordinary accuracy the probable policy which would be pursued by the -Democrats, and his suggestions as to the best means for the Republicans -to adopt were broad, wise, and statesmanlike. For example, referring -to a provision adopted by Massachusetts to restrict naturalization, he -wrote, "Massachusetts is a sovereign and independent State, and it is no -privilege of mine to scold her for what she does. Still, if from what -she has done an inference is sought to be drawn as to what I would do, I -may, without impropriety, speak out. I say, then, that, as I understand -the Massachusetts provision, I am against its adoption in Illinois, or -in any other place where I have a right to oppose it. Understanding the -spirit of our institutions to aid at the elevation of men, I am opposed -to whatever tends to degrade them. I have some little notoriety for -commiserating the oppressed condition of the negro; and I should be -strangely inconsistent if I could favor any project for curtailing the -existing rights of white men, even though born in different lands and -speaking different languages from myself." - -He wrote from Springfield to Schuyler Colfax (afterwards Vice-President -of the United States), July 6, 1859, "Besides a strong desire to make -your personal acquaintance, I was anxious to speak with you on politics -a little more fully than I can well do in a letter. My main object in -such conversation would be to hedge against divisions in the Republican -ranks generally, and particularly for the contest of 1860. The point -of danger is the temptation in different localities to 'platform' for -something which will be popular just there, but which, nevertheless, -will be a firebrand elsewhere, and especially in a national convention. -As instances, the movement against foreigners in Massachusetts; in -New Hampshire, to make obedience to the fugitive-slave law punishable -as a crime; in Ohio, to repeal the fugitive-slave law; and squatter -sovereignty in Kansas. In these things there is explosive matter enough -to blow up half a dozen national conventions, if it gets into them; and -what gets very rife outside of conventions is very likely to find its -way into them." - -The idea of making Lincoln a Presidential candidate seems to have -occurred to a great many people at about the same time, and shortly -after his inauguration a regiment might have been organized of the -friends who first named him. There are, however, some letters preserved -which show that the suggestion had been made to him early in 1859, long -before the Cooper Institute address; indeed, immediately after the close -of the Senatorial fight in 1858 an editorial friend in Illinois wrote -him as follows: "I would like to have a talk with you on political -matters, as to the policy of announcing your name for the Presidency, -while you are in our city. My partner and myself are about addressing -the Republican editors of the State on the subject of a simultaneous -announcement of your name for the Presidency." - -To this Lincoln replied, "As to the other matter you kindly mention, I -must in candor say that I do not think myself fit for the Presidency. I -certainly am flattered and gratified that some partial friends think of -me in that connection; but I really think it best for our cause that no -concerted effort, such as you suggest, should be made." - -It would seem from other remarks made at the time that he was planning -another fight with Douglas and had the patience to wait six years to -renew the contest. He wrote several friends that he intended to fight -in the ranks, and declined to be a candidate for the Senate against -Trumbull; but while he was writing those letters, about January 1, 1860, -there was a conference at Springfield of the Republican leaders of -the State, said to have been called by Mr. Norman B. Judd, at which a -serious and organized effort was begun to secure his nomination. One of -the gentlemen present says, "We asked him if his name might be used in -connection with the nomination. With characteristic modesty, he doubted -whether he could get the nomination even if he wished it, and asked -until the next morning to answer us whether his name might be announced. -The next day he authorized us, if we thought proper to do so, 'to place -him in the field.' In answer to a question whether he would accept a -nomination for Vice-President if he could not be put on the first place -on the ticket, he replied that if his name were used for the office of -President he would not permit it to be used for any other office, no -matter how honorable it might be." - -From this time Lincoln exerted every proper means to secure success. He -did not repose idly in his Springfield office and allow his friends to -do the work, but was quite as active and vigilant in his own behalf -as any of his supporters, and managed the campaign himself. He had -no funds, however, no literary bureau, no head-quarters or personal -organization; nearly every letter he sent out on the subject was written -with his own hand, and he used plain and characteristic language asking -for the support of his friends in Illinois and other States. Whether -his intention was to disarm jealousy, or whether he actually believed -that his nomination was impossible, he intimated to several of his -correspondents that he desired to make a brave show at the Chicago -Convention because of the prestige it would give him in his future -fight for the Senate. And to another he wrote, "I am not in a position -where it would hurt much for me not to be nominated on the national -ticket, but I am where it would hurt some for me not to get the Illinois -delegates." - -He even sent money from his own small means to pay the expenses of -friends who were working in his interest. On March 10, 1860, he wrote to -a gentleman in Kansas, "Allow me to say that I cannot enter the ring on -the money basis,--first, because in the main it is wrong; and secondly, -I have not and cannot get the money. I say in the main the use of money -is wrong, but for certain objects in a political contest is both right -and indispensable. With me, as with yourself, this long struggle has -been one of great pecuniary loss. I now distinctly say this; if you -shall be appointed a delegate to Chicago I will furnish one hundred -dollars to bear the expense of the trip." - -Nevertheless, Kansas instructed her delegation for Seward, whereupon -Lincoln wrote a consoling letter to his friends and said, "Don't stir -them up to anger, but come along to the Convention and I will do as I -said about expenses." There is nothing to show whether the offer was -accepted, but, with his usual gratitude for favors received or intended, -he appointed his Kansas friend to a lucrative office within ten days -after his inauguration, and frequently consulted him about the patronage -in that State. - -The Illinois State Convention gave Lincoln a hearty endorsement and sent -an enthusiastic delegation to Chicago composed of personal friends of -great ability, political experience, and personal influence, and by a -combination with Chase from Ohio, Cameron from Pennsylvania, Bates from -Missouri, and other anti-Seward candidates, he was nominated for the -office of President of the United States. The credit of his success was -claimed by many; several accounts of bargains have passed into history, -and other fictitious explanations for his nomination have been printed -from time to time, but we have the authority of David Davis, Norman B. -Judd, and other friends who were authorized to speak for him, as well -as his own testimony, that after the Convention adjourned he was free -from all obligations except the gratitude he was glad to offer to his -supporters. - -[Illustration: ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S HOUSE AT SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS - -The tree in front of the house was planted by Lincoln] - -The evening of the second day after the nomination brought to -Springfield a committee of notification composed of some of the most -distinguished men of that day and others who were destined to play a -conspicuous part in national affairs. George Ashmun, of Massachusetts, -was the chairman; Governor Boutwell, afterwards United States Senator -and Secretary of the Treasury; Samuel Bowles, editor of the _Springfield -Republican_; Carl Schurz, of Wisconsin; Gideon Welles, of Connecticut; -Amos Tuck, of New Hampshire; William M. Evarts and Governor Edwin D. -Morgan, of New York; "Pig-Iron" Kelley, of Pennsylvania; Francis P. -Blair, of Missouri; and others were of the party. Most of them were -disappointed at the result of the Convention and distrustful of the -strength and ability of the prairie lawyer as a candidate. He received -them, however, with simple dignity. They were invited to deliver their -message at his modest home, and appeared there a few moments after -their arrival in Springfield, to find him surrounded by his family and a -few intimate friends. They saw a man of unprepossessing appearance, with -long limbs, large hands and feet, stooping shoulders, coarse features, -and a shock of rebellious hair. He was the last man in the world, -perhaps, to judge by appearances, that this committee would have chosen -as a Presidential candidate; but when he began to speak in reply to Mr. -Ashmun, a change seemed to come over him. The rugged face and awkward -figure were transformed, and the members of the committee recognized at -once that they were in the presence of a man who was master of himself -and possessed a strength they had not suspected. And when they left -Springfield, almost without exception, they were convinced of the wisdom -of his nomination. - -The opposing candidates prepared long letters of acceptance explanatory -of their views and defining their purposes, but Lincoln had already -recognized the wisdom of reticence, and the night of his nomination, -standing in his own doorway, he told his neighbors and friends who -called to congratulate him and demanded a speech that "the time comes -upon every man when it is best to keep his lips closed. That time has -come to me." Hence his letter of acceptance was the briefest ever -written by a Presidential candidate. After one formal introductory -phrase, it reads: - - "The declaration of principles which accompanies your letter - meets my approval, and it shall be my care not to violate it - or disregard it in any way or part. Imploring the assistance - of Divine Providence, and with due regard for the views and - feelings of all who were represented in the Convention, to - the rights of all the States and Territories and people of - the nation, to the inviolability of the Constitution, and - the perpetual union of prosperity, and harmony of all, I am - most happy to co-operate for the practical success of the - principles declared by the convention. Your obliged friend and - fellow-citizen, - - "A. LINCOLN." - -This letter was not shown to any one of Lincoln's friends, with the -exception of Dr. Newton Bateman, State Superintendent of Education and -an intimate friend, to whom Lincoln said,-- - -"Mr. School-master, here is my letter of acceptance. And I wouldn't like -to have any mistakes in it. I am not very strong on grammar and I wish -you would see if it is all right." - -Mr. Bateman suggested one change, so that it would read "it shall be my -care not to violate," instead of "it shall be my care to not violate." - -"So you think I better put those two little fellows end to end, do you?" -replied Lincoln, taking his pen and making the change suggested. - -Lincoln's nomination made very little difference in his daily life. He -turned his law practice over to his partner, employed John G. Nicolay, a -clerk in the office of the Secretary of State, as his private secretary, -was given the use of the Governor's room at the State-House for an -office, and devoted his entire time to the reception of visitors and -correspondence concerning the campaign. His door stood always open. -There was not even an usher. Everybody came and went as freely as when -he was a candidate for the Legislature or engaged in his practice. -He was the same Abraham Lincoln he had always been, except a little -more serious because of increasing responsibilities, and a little more -dignified because he was sensible of the honor that had been conferred -upon him; but his old friends detected no change in the man, and dropped -in to exchange gossip whenever they came to town. Distinguished visitors -came from a distance,--statesmen, politicians, wire-pullers, newspaper -correspondents, men with great purposes and ambitions, adventurers, -lion-hunters, and representatives of all classes and conditions, who -usually seek the acquaintance of influential and prominent men and -worship a rising sun. He told each a story and sent him away, pleased -with his person and impressed with his character. His correspondence had -increased enormously and every letter received a polite reply, but he -maintained his policy of reticence and gave no indication of his plans -or purposes. - -One day, while a group of distinguished politicians from a distance were -sitting in the Governor's room, chatting with Lincoln, the door opened -and an old lady in a big sunbonnet and the garb of a farmer's wife came -in. - -"I wanted to give you something to take to Washington, Mr. Lincoln," -she said, "and these are all I had. I spun the yarn and knit them socks -myself." And with an air of pride she handed him a pair of blue woollen -stockings. - -Lincoln thanked her cordially for her thoughtfulness, inquired after the -folks at home, and escorted her to the door as politely as if she had -been Queen of England. Then, when he returned to the room, he picked up -the socks, held them by the toes, one in each hand, and with a queer -smile upon his face remarked to the statesmen around him,-- - -"The old lady got my latitude and longitude about right, didn't she?" - -Such incidents occurred nearly every day and were a source of great -pleasure to the President, who was never happier than when in the -company of "the plain people," as he called them. - -No one man of honest intentions visited him without feeling the better -for it and being impressed with his ability, his courage, and his -confidence. From the beginning he never doubted his own success. He -realized that the Democratic party was hopelessly split and that, while -the factions, if combined, might embrace a majority of the voters of -the country, the Republicans would have a plurality, and his reasoning -was so plausible that he convinced his visitors of the truth of his -convictions. He never showed the slightest annoyance at the attacks that -were continually made upon his reputation and record, and demonstrated -his coolness, self-poise, and wisdom by declining to defend himself -or offer explanations. His theory was expressed to a friend who wrote -him with great concern about a charge that had been made against his -integrity. - -"I have made this explanation to you as a friend," he wrote, "but I wish -no explanation made to our enemies. What they want is a squabble and a -fuss, and that they can have if we explain, and they cannot have it if -we don't." - -The greater number of inquiries related to his position and intentions -towards slavery, and to every one he gave a similar answer, that he -had defined his position again and again in his speeches before his -nomination, and "Those who will not read or heed what I have already -publicly said would not read or heed a repetition of it. 'If they hear -not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one -rose from the dead.'" - -He kept his finger upon the pulse of the country, and none of the -managers of either party was so well informed as to the situation and -sentiment in different sections as he. The Republican politicians soon -discovered this fact and came to him more and more for advice and -instruction. Even Thurlow Weed, who was supposed to be the shrewdest -politician in the country, recognized a master and sought counsel from -him regarding the management of the campaign in New York. Wherever he -detected a weak spot, he sent a word of warning and advice: wherever -there were local dissensions, he restored harmony with his tact and -good-nature. Thus was Lincoln the manager of his own campaign; more so, -perhaps, than any man who was ever elected President. But at the same -time he made one great mistake. He had heard the threat of secession so -long that he had grown indifferent to it, and he told everybody that -"The people of the South have too much sense to attempt the ruin of the -government." - -The election occurred on November 6, 1860, and the result was what he -had expected since his nomination. The Republican electors did not -receive a majority by nearly a million votes, but the division of the -Democrats left them a plurality. - -The city of Springfield had never cast so large a vote for any candidate -for office up to that time, and it celebrated its triumph with a jubilee -of rejoicing. The people called Lincoln from his house and demanded a -speech, but he asked to be excused. He thanked them for their support -and congratulations, and remarked, "In all our rejoicing let us -neither express nor cherish any hard feeling towards any citizen who -has differed from us. Let us at all times remember that all American -citizens are brothers of a common country and should dwell together in -the bonds of fraternal feeling." - -After the excitement had quieted down, Lincoln resumed his former habits -and daily routine. Springfield was crowded with politicians those -days,--office-seekers and advisers, men who came to ask favors and to -offer them. The announcement of his election had been the signal for -the conspirators in the South to throw off their masks. During long -years of controversy, the pro-slavery party had a hope of ultimate -triumph, but until the actual election of Lincoln there was no actual -treason or revolutionary act. Four days after the Senators from South -Carolina resigned, six weeks later that State declared its separation -from the Union and organized an independent government, and, while he -was still waiting at Springfield, Lincoln read the newspaper reports of -conventions in all the Gulf States, at which they also declared their -independence. But he was obliged to sit inactive and helpless; unable to -do anything to check the dissolution of the Union, although appeals came -from every quarter. He described his situation to an old friend who came -to see him at Springfield. - -"Joe," he said, sadly, "I suppose you have forgotten the trial down in -Montgomery County where your partner gave away your case in his opening -speech. I saw you motioning to him and how uneasy you were, but you -couldn't stop him, and that's just the way with Buchanan and me. He is -giving away the case and I can't stop him." - -It was not the Republicans of the North alone that appealed to Lincoln. -Unionists of the South came to him for pledges that he would do nothing, -for assurances that there was nothing to fear from his election, and he -went so far as to make an exception in their case to gratify them. In -December he wrote a letter to Alexander H. Stephens, whom he had known -and admired in Congress, marked "For your eye only," in which he stated -his position in the most positive and unmistakable language, and asked, -"Do the people of the South really entertain fears that a Republican -administration would directly or indirectly interfere with the slaves? -If they do, I wish to assure you as once a friend, and still, I hope, -not an enemy, that there is no cause for such fears. The South would be -in no more danger in this respect than it was in the days of Washington. -I suppose, however, that this does not meet the case. You think slavery -is right and ought to be extended, while we think it is wrong and ought -to be restricted. That, I suppose, is the rub. It is certainly the only -substantial difference between us." - -General Duff Green came to Springfield in December, 1860, as an emissary -from President Buchanan to invite the President-elect to Washington -for a conference upon the situation, with the hope that his presence -there might prevent civil war, and General Green was bold enough to -tell him that, if he did not go, "upon his conscience must rest the -blood that would be shed." Here Lincoln's political shrewdness and -diplomacy were demonstrated in as conspicuous a manner, perhaps, as -at any other crisis in his life. He detected at once the intention to -unload upon him the responsibility for disunion and war, and met it -with a counter-proposition which must have excited the admiration of -the conspirators who were trying to entrap him. He received General -Green with great courtesy, heard him with respectful attention, and -gave him a letter in which he said that he did not desire any amendment -to the Constitution, although he recognized the right of the American -people to adopt one; that he believed in maintaining inviolate the -rights of each State to control its own domestic institutions; and -that he considered the lawless invasion by armed force of the soil of -any State or Territory as the gravest of crimes. While those were his -sentiments, and while they indicated the policy he should pursue as -President, he would not consent to their publication unless the Senators -from Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas would -sign a pledge which he had written below his signature to this letter -and upon the same piece of paper. It was a pledge "to suspend all -action for the dismemberment of the Union until some act deemed to be -violative of our rights shall be done by the incoming administration." -Thus the responsibility was thrown back upon the representatives of the -seceding States, and it is unnecessary to say that Duff Green's mission -to Springfield was not considered a success by the rebel leaders. In -order to protect himself, Lincoln sent a copy of his letter to Senator -Trumbull, calling his attention to the fact that part of its text and -all of its sentiment were copied from the Chicago platform. - -By this time Lincoln had become thoroughly convinced that the Southern -leaders were in earnest and that nothing could prevent the secession -of their States, although he continued his efforts to reassure them -and to apply every means his ingenuity could suggest to reconcile them -to the situation. Notwithstanding all his anxiety, his sense of humor -remained, and, as was his habit, he illustrated the situation with a -story about a pious man named Brown who was on a committee to erect a -bridge over a very dangerous river. They called in an engineer named -Jones, who had great confidence in himself, and, after the difficulties -had been explained, asked him whether he was able to build the bridge. -Jones was a profane man, and replied that he would build a bridge to -hell if he could get a contract, or words to that effect. The churchmen -were horrified, and when the contractor retired, Brown attempted to -allay their indignation by saying all the good things he could remember -or invent about Jones. At the same time he was a very cautious man and -would not commit himself to any doubtful proposition. - -"I know Jones," he said, "and he is a man who will keep his promises. If -he agrees to build a bridge to Hades he will do it, although I have my -doubts about the 'butments on the infernal side." - -The infinite patience exhibited by Lincoln during this period of anxious -helplessness, amidst the clamors of office-seekers, the importunities of -sincere but timid men who besought him to yield to the South and avoid -trouble and bloodshed, the threats of his enemies, the intrigues of the -politicians, the conspiracies of the disunionists, showed his strength -of character and sense of discretion, and did much to establish him in -the confidence of the public. He indulged neither in hope nor fear, he -made no boasts, he showed no alarm, he answered neither yea nor nay, but -maintained complete self-control and waited for his time to come. To -intimate friends who possessed his confidence he never failed to assert -his determination to maintain the Union, no matter what it cost, and to -resist to the end every proposition for dissolution or dismemberment, -but his words were as gentle and as kindly as they were firm. - -"The right of a State to secede is not an open or debatable question," -he said. "That was fully discussed in Jackson's time and denied not -only by him but by the vote of Congress. It is the duty of a President -to execute the laws and maintain the existing government. He cannot -entertain any proposition for dissolution or dismemberment. He was not -elected for any such purpose. As a matter of theoretical speculation it -is probably true that if the people, with whom the whole question rests, -should become tired of the present government they might change it in -the manner prescribed by the Constitution." - -At the same time, without being dictatorial, he kept the Republican -leaders inspired with his own confidence and determination and -endeavored to prevent them from the mistake of yielding to compromise -or making concessions. He wrote Representative Washburne with emphasis, -"Prevent our friends from demoralizing themselves and their cause -by entertaining propositions for compromise of any sort on slavery -extensions. There is no possible compromise upon it but what puts us -under again, and all our work to do over again. On that point hold firm -as a chain of steel." - -To Seward he wrote, "I say now, as I have all the while said, that -on the question of extending slavery I am inflexible. I am for no -compromise which assists or permits the extension of the institution on -soil owned by the nation." - -He knew what was going on under the direction of the disloyal members -of Buchanan's Cabinet. He was aware that the Northern States were being -stripped of arms and ammunition and that large quantities of military -stores were being sent South where they could easily be seized when the -time came. He knew also that disloyal officers of the army were being -placed in command of the forts and military posts in the South, and -other strategical points, and he asked Washburne to present his respects -to General Scott, "and tell him confidentially that I should be obliged -to him to be as well prepared as he can either to hold or retake the -forts as the case may require after the inauguration." - -Mr. Seward and other Republican leaders were apprehensive lest an -attempt be made to prevent the counting of the electoral vote and the -inauguration of Lincoln. The secessionists controlled both Houses and -could have prevented constitutional proceeding if they had chosen to do -so, but offered no interference. Mr. Seward always claimed--and he had -an excessive degree of admiration for his own acts--that a speech which -he made at the Astor House in January deceived the secession leaders -into permitting the vote to be canvassed and Lincoln inaugurated. "When -I made that speech the electoral vote was not counted," said Mr. Seward -with pride, "and I knew it never would be if Jeff Davis believed there -would be war. I had to deceive Davis and I did it. That's why I said it -would all be settled in sixty days." - -The will of the people to make Abraham Lincoln President was carried -into effect upon February 13, 1861, when the Congress of the United -States met in joint session and declared him duly elected. - -Mr. Seward and other Republican leaders had urged Lincoln to come to -Washington early in February, but the latter, with his usual judgment -and common sense, declined to depart from ordinary usage, and politely -explained his own feeling that he ought not to appear in Washington -until he had been formally declared President. When that formality had -been completed, he bade his old friends good-by and began a memorable -journey, taking a circuitous route in order to gratify the people of -the Northern States, who wished to see the President-elect, and gathered -at every station through which he passed, hoping to hear his voice -or catch a glimpse of his face. He made about thirty speeches on the -journey, and every time he spoke it was to stimulate the patriotism -and the determination of the people to preserve the Union. The address -delivered in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, was perhaps the most -notable, as it was the longest, because he was deeply moved by the date -and the place, for it was Washington's birthday. Among other things, he -said,-- - -"All the political sentiments I entertain have been drawn, so far as I -have been able to draw them, from the sentiments which originated in -and were given to the world from this hall. I have never had a feeling, -politically, that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the -Declaration of Independence. It was that which gave promise that in -due time the weight would be lifted from the shoulders of all men and -that all should have an equal chance. Now, my friends, can this country -be saved on that basis? If it can, I will consider myself one of the -happiest men in the world if I can help to save it. If it cannot be -saved upon that principle, it will be truly awful. But if this country -cannot be saved without giving up that principle, I was about to say I -would rather be assassinated on this spot than surrender it. Now, in my -view of the present aspect of affairs, there is no need of bloodshed and -war. There is no necessity for it. I am not in favor of such a course; -and I may say in advance that there will be no bloodshed unless it be -forced upon the government. The government will not use force unless -force is used against it. - -"My friends, this is wholly an unprepared speech. I did not expect to -be called upon to say a word when I came here. I supposed it was merely -to do something towards raising a flag--I may, therefore, have said -something indiscreet. [Cries of 'No! no!'] But I have said nothing but -what I am willing to live by, and, if it be the pleasure of Almighty -God, to die by." - -The manner in which Lincoln came into Washington has been the subject -of abundant discussion and criticism, but long ago the public mind -settled down to a mature opinion that he did exactly right, and that a -President-elect of the United States, particularly at such a critical -juncture, should not take any risks or omit any precautions for his -personal safety. Lincoln himself, long after, declared that he did not -then and never did believe that he would have been assassinated, but -always thought it wise to run no risk when no risk was necessary. Wisdom -justifies such a rule, while the tragic experience of the American -people has left no doubt of it. The facts were that an Italian barber -named Ferrandini, an outspoken secessionist working at a Baltimore -hotel, had submitted to an organization of Southern sympathizers a -wild plan for intimidating the Union people of Maryland and the North, -which included the blowing up of all the bridges around Washington, the -kidnapping of several prominent Republicans, and the assassination of -Lincoln, General Scott, and Hamlin, the President and Vice-President -elect. This would leave the capital open to the Southern leaders, throw -the entire government into confusion, and prevent interference from -the North with any revolutionary plans which Jefferson Davis might be -contemplating. - -[Illustration: Copyright, 1900, by McClure, Phillips & Co. - - For Mrs. Lucy G. Speed, from whose pious hand I accepted the - present of an Oxford Bible twenty years ago. Washington, D.C. - October 3, 1861 - - A. Lincoln. - -From a photograph by Klauber, Louisville, Kentucky. Reproduced by -special permission of James B. Speed, Esq.] - -Just how much encouragement Ferrandini received from the Southern -sympathizers in Baltimore and Washington is not known, but he was the -captain of a military company whose members were pledged to prevent -the inauguration of Lincoln or any abolitionist President. When Allan -Pinkerton learned of his suggestions, he reported the matter at once -to Mr. Felton, President of the railroad that connected Baltimore -with Philadelphia. Mr. Pinkerton's disclosures were confirmed by -detectives employed by Governor Hicks, of Maryland, and the military -authorities at Washington, although neither knew that the others were at -work on the case. After consultation with his friends, Lincoln decided -not to take any chances, and it was arranged that, after the ceremonies -at Harrisburg were concluded, he should return to Philadelphia with a -single companion and take the regular midnight train to Washington, -leaving the rest of his party to continue in the special train according -to the original itinerary. Lincoln wore no disguise, no deception was -practised upon any one, and the only unusual occurrence that night was -the disconnection of the telegraph wires just outside of Philadelphia -and Harrisburg, so that, in case the change of plan was discovered, the -news could not reach Baltimore until Lincoln had passed through that -city. Mr. Seward and Mr. Washburne were the only persons to meet the -President-elect at the station, and they had been advised of his coming -only a few hours before by Mr. Seward's son, who had come by a previous -train from Harrisburg. - -The week before the inauguration was a busy one for the President-elect. -A great deal of his time was occupied by visits of ceremony and -consultations with Republican leaders about the composition of his -Cabinet, the terms of his inaugural, and the policy to be pursued by -the new administration. March 4 Mr. Buchanan escorted him from the -Executive Mansion to the Capitol, where the oath was administered to -him by Chief-Justice Taney, and, standing upon a platform at the east -portico of the unfinished Capitol, he was introduced to the multitude by -his old friend, Edward D. Baker, while Stephen A. Douglas, his opponent -for the Presidency, stood at his left hand and held his hat. The public -curiosity to see the President-elect reached its climax as he made his -appearance. All sorts of stories had been told and believed about his -personal appearance. His character had been grossly misrepresented and -maligned in both sections of the Union, and the hysterical condition -of the country naturally whetted the appetite of men of all parties to -see and hear the man who was now the central figure of the republic. The -tone of moderation, tenderness, and good-will which breathed through -his inaugural speech made a profound impression in his favor, while -his voice rang out over the acres of people before him with surprising -distinctness, and was heard in the remotest parts of his audience. - -No inaugural address before or since has been awaited with so much -anxiety and interest. It was expected that in this, his first -official utterance, the new President would outline the policy of his -administration and determine whether the country should have war or -peace. Thousands of men were eager for an intimation of what he intended -to say, and an accurate forecast was worth millions of dollars to the -stock market; but not a word nor a thought leaked out. The document was -written with Lincoln's own hand upon the backs of envelopes and other -scraps of paper from time to time as ideas suggested themselves and he -determined what to say, and finally, as the time of his departure from -Springfield approached, he put them together in a little bare room in -a business block over the store of his brother-in-law, where he was -accustomed to retire when he wanted to be alone or had to do writing of -importance. Only two persons knew of this retreat. - -When the manuscript was finished it was intrusted to Mr. William H. -Bailhache, editor of the _Illinois State Journal_, who put it in type -himself, assisted by a veteran compositor, also an old friend of -Lincoln. After taking a dozen proof-slips, the type was distributed. -Judge David Davis and one or two other friends read it in Springfield. -Orville H. Browning read it on the journey to Washington, and upon -the morning of his arrival at the capital, a copy was handed to Mr. -Seward, who spent an entire Sunday revising it. His amendments and -suggestions were almost as voluminous as the original document. Lincoln -adopted either in whole or in part nearly all of them, except where they -affected the style or changed the policy indicated. The most important -changes made were to modify the declaration of his intentions to recover -and hold the fortifications and property which had been seized by the -secessionists and to speak of the exercise of power in that direction -with some ambiguity and a hint at forbearance. - -During all his life at the White House Lincoln took an active part -in political affairs. He never forgot that he was the President of -the whole country; but at the same time he considered it necessary -to its salvation to establish the Republican party upon a firm and -permanent basis, and for that purpose a more complete and thorough -organization was necessary. He knew the value of an organization of -trained politicians and of political discipline as well as any man in -public life. He was thoroughly a practical politician and as skilful -in execution as he was in planning. He knew how to manipulate men and -direct movements as well as Thurlow Weed, and no man in the Cabinet -or in either House of Congress was more adroit in accomplishing his -purposes. He never failed to carry through Congress any measure that -he considered important; he never failed to obtain the confirmation -of a nominee. He used the patronage of his office to strengthen the -Republican party because he believed it essential to the salvation of -his country. He possessed a political tact so subtle and masterful that -it enabled him to reconcile rivalries and enemies, to unite conflicting -purposes, and to bring to his support men of implacable hostility, who -never realized his purpose until his object was accomplished, and then -it was such as they almost invariably approved. He was candid when -candor was necessary, he was mysterious when he believed it wise to -excite curiosity, and he was determined and often arbitrary with men -whom he thought would be most impressed that way. His greatest quality, -the most valuable talent he possessed, was his ability to fathom the -human heart, to understand its weakness and its strength, so that he -could measure the influence that must be exerted and the methods by -which it could be induced to assist him in his direction of affairs. - -His lowly birth and early experience were of great advantage to him in -understanding human nature, and he looked to the great masses of "the -plain people" as well as to the Almighty for guidance, and had full -faith in their honesty and capacity. Before he acted upon any important -question he felt the public pulse, and when he thought the people were -ready he acted, and not before. While he was a great leader, a shrewd -and deep manipulator of public opinion, he often said, in his quaint -way, that it was possible to fool a part of the people all the time, -and all of the people part of the time; but no man could fool all the -people all the time. With his great common sense, he endeavored to -discover what was in the public mind and how the public conscience -would regard certain measures proposed, and waited for it to point out -his path of duty. The atmosphere of Washington never affected him; he -was self-contained and indifferent to social and other influences that -usually exercise much force upon public men. - -His sympathies were tender, and his desire to contribute to the -happiness of every one made it difficult for him to say "No;" but this, -his greatest weakness, was never shown in the direction of the military -or political policy of the government. On the contrary, the man who -would violate the laws of war and imperil the discipline of an army by -pardoning a deserter or commuting the sentence of some poor wretch who -was sentenced to be shot would not permit delegations of United States -Senators to move him one atom from what he deemed best to be done. He -carried this principle into his appointments to office also. During -the Presidential canvass of 1864, when a quarrel between the Weed and -Fenton factions of the Republican party endangered the ticket in New -York, Lincoln sent for the Senator. What occurred we do not know; but -Mr. Fenton started immediately for New York with Mr. Nicolay, and the -latter returned to Washington with the resignation of Rufus F. Andrews, -a friend of Mr. Fenton, who had been surveyor of the port, and Abram -Wakeman, Mr. Weed's choice for the office, was appointed at once. From -that time forward Mr. Weed was earnest in his support of the Republican -ticket. Senator Fenton, in his reminiscences, says, "The small majority -in New York in November, less than 7000 for the Republican ticket, -served to illustrate Mr. Lincoln's political sagacity and tact. He was -always a politician as well as a statesman, and but for his intervention -at that time the electoral vote of New York might have been cast for -the Democratic candidate, and no one dare measure the effect of such an -event upon the war." - -President Lincoln never hesitated to use the patronage of the government -for political purposes. He held that the government of the United States -is a political organization, and that the political opinions of those -intrusted with its administration in those critical days were of as much -consequence as their integrity or intelligence. As a consequence, he -made his appointments first from among those whom he believed would give -him the most efficient support in his efforts to save the Union, and -second to those who believed in the principles and the measures of the -party with which he was identified. He would have rejected with scorn -the demands of the civil service reformers of the present day. Public -opinion was not then educated up to the existing standard of political -morality. At the same time, his keen sense of justice required him to -recognize and reward merit and efficiency even among his political -opponents. - -He had a sly way of stating his intentions, and he often expressed -great truths in an odd way. Soon after his arrival in Washington the -Massachusetts delegation in the Peace Congress called upon him to -recommend Salmon P. Chase for Secretary of the Treasury. Lincoln heard -them respectfully, and then, with a twinkle in his eye, remarked,-- - -"Gentlemen, of course, you would not expect me to tell you who is going -to be in the Cabinet; but, from what I hear, I think Mr. Chase's chances -are about one hundred and fifty for any other man's hundred for that -place." - -One day, at Cabinet meeting, Mr. Chase was reproaching himself for -failing to write a letter that he had intended to send that day, when -Lincoln observed,-- - -"Never be sorry for what you don't write; it is the things you do write -that you are usually sorry for." - -The President enforced political discipline among the subordinates of -the government. Representative George W. Julian, of Indiana, relates -this incident: - -"After my nomination for re-election in the year 1864, Mr. Holloway, who -was holding the position of Commissioner of Patents, and was one of the -editors of a Republican newspaper in my district, refused to recognize -me as the party candidate, and kept the name of my defeated competitor -standing in his paper. It threatened discord and mischief, and I went to -the President with these facts, and on the strength of them asked for -Mr. Holloway's removal from office. - -"'Your nomination,' said Mr. Lincoln, 'is as binding on Republicans as -mine, and you can rest assured that Mr. Holloway shall support you, -openly and unconditionally, or lose his head.' - -"This was entirely satisfactory; but after waiting a week or two for -the announcement of my name, I returned to the President with the -information that Mr. Holloway was still keeping up his fight, and that -I had come to ask of him decisive measures. I saw in an instant that his -ire was roused. He rang the bell for his messenger, and said to him in a -very excited and emphatic way,-- - -"'Tell Mr. Holloway to come to me!' - -"The messenger hesitated, looking somewhat surprised and bewildered, -when Mr. Lincoln said in a tone still more emphatic,-- - -"'_Tell Mr. Holloway to come to me!_' - -"It was perfectly evident that the business would now be attended to, -and in a few days my name was duly announced and the work of party -insubordination ceased." - -The late Chief-Justice Cartter, of the District of Columbia, once called -upon Lincoln with a party of politicians to secure the appointment of -a gentleman who was opposed by the Senators from his State. Lincoln -suggested that they ought to get the Senators on their side. They -replied that, owing to local complications, such a thing was impossible. -Lincoln retorted that nothing was impossible in politics; that the -peculiarities of the Senator referred to were well known, and that by -the use of a little tact and diplomacy he might be brought around, in -which case there would be no doubt about the appointment. To clinch his -argument Lincoln told a story of James Quarles, a distinguished lawyer -of Tennessee. Quarles, he said, was trying a case, and after producing -his evidence rested; whereupon the defence produced a witness who swore -Quarles completely out of court, and a verdict was rendered accordingly. -After the trial one of his friends came to him and said,-- - -"Why didn't you get that feller to swar on your side?" - -"I didn't know anything about him," replied Quarles. "I might have told -you about him," said the friend, "for he would swar for you jest as -hard as he'd swar for the other side. That's his business. Judge, that -feller takes in swarrin' for a living." - -Representative John B. Alley, of Massachusetts, who was himself famous -as a politician, said, "Mr. Lincoln was a thorough and most adroit -politician as well as statesman, and in politics always adopted the -means to the end, fully believing that in vital issues 'success was -a duty.' In illustration of this feeling and sentiment, I need only -refer to his action and conduct in procuring the passage of the -constitutional amendment abolishing slavery. It required a two-thirds -vote of Congress to enable the amendments to the Constitution to be sent -to the Legislatures for ratification, and there were two votes lacking -to make two-thirds, which Lincoln said 'must be procured.' Two members -of the House were sent for and Lincoln said that those two votes must be -procured. When asked 'How?' he remarked,-- - -"'I am President of the United States, clothed with great power. The -abolition of slavery by constitutional provision settles the fate, for -all coming time, not only of the millions now in bondage, but of unborn -millions to come--a measure of such importance that _those two votes -must be procured_. I leave it to you to determine how it shall be done; -but remember that I am President of the United States, clothed with -immense power, and I expect you to procure those votes.'" - -These gentlemen understood the significance of the remark. The votes -were procured, the constitutional amendment was passed, and slavery was -abolished forever. - -"Senator Sumner and myself," continued Mr. Alley, "called upon him one -morning to urge the appointment of a Massachusetts man to be a secretary -of legation, chiefly upon the ground of his superior qualifications. -But Mr. Lincoln said, emphatically, 'No;' that he should give the place -to an applicant from another State who was backed by strong influence, -although he acknowledged that he did not think him fit for the position. - -"We were naturally indignant, and wished to know if one of acknowledged -fitness was to be rejected because he was a Massachusetts man, and one -whom he was willing to say was not fit was to be appointed. 'Yes,' -said the President, 'that is just the reason,' and facetiously added, -'I suppose you two Massachusetts gentlemen think that your State -could furnish suitable men for every diplomatic and consulate station -the government has to fill.' We replied that we thought it could. He -appeased our displeasure by saying he thought so too, and that he -considered Massachusetts the banner State of the Union, and admired its -institutions and people so much that he sent his 'Bob,' meaning his son -Robert, to Harvard for an education." - -The Presidential campaign of 1864 was fought on one issue only, and that -was the success of the war, although Lincoln, in his annual message -to Congress in the December following, declared that "No candidate -for any office whatever, high or low, has ventured to seek votes on -the avowal that he was for giving up the Union." Nevertheless, the -Democrats nominated McClellan and attempted to discredit the patriotism -and the ability of Lincoln. Similar attempts were made in his own party -by the radical antislavery element and the friends of Secretary Chase -and numerous disappointed contractors and politicians, but they made -hardly a ripple upon the great current of public opinion which swept -on irresistible to the Convention. Lincoln did nothing to promote his -candidacy, but made no secret of his desire for a re-election, and -himself suggested the most effective argument in his own support when -he recalled the homely proverb of his youth that "It is bad policy to -swap horses while crossing a stream." He placed no obstacles in the -way of Mr. Chase, and when warned that General Grant might aspire to -the Presidency, replied, "If he takes Richmond, let him have it." -He admonished the officials of the administration against too much -activity and rebuked them for opposing his enemies. He made no speeches -of importance during the campaign, but on several occasions addressed -delegations which visited Washington, appeared at sanitary fairs for the -benefit of sick soldiers, responded to serenades, and whenever custom or -courtesy required him to appear in public he did so without reference to -political results. - -In August, 1864, the political horizon was very dark, and the President -himself, who was always the most hopeful and confident of men, almost -entirely lost heart. Having convinced himself that the campaign was -going against him, he deliberately laid down a line of duty for -himself, and at the Cabinet meeting on August 23 he requested each one -of his ministers to write their names upon a folded sheet of paper -in such a way that the seal could not be broken without mutilating -their autographs. He made no explanation of its contents or of his -reason for desiring them to attest it, but after the election it was -disclosed that the mysterious paper contained a pledge from himself and -his administration loyally to accept any verdict which the people of -the country might pronounce upon their efforts to save the Union, and -to continue their labors with zealous loyalty until relieved by their -successors. The pledge closed as follows: - -"This morning, as for some days past, it seems exceedingly probable that -this administration will not be re-elected. Then it will be my duty to -so co-operate with the President-elect as to save the Union between the -election and the inauguration, as he will have secured the election on -such ground that he cannot possibly save it afterwards." - - - - -V - -A PRESIDENT AND HIS CABINET - - -Lincoln tells us that before he left the telegraph office at Springfield -on the night of the election in November, 1860, he had practically -selected his Cabinet. The superintendent of the telegraph company gave -him a room from which all other visitors were excluded, and, with -no company but two operators, he read the reports as they came in. -Between times he had plenty of opportunity for meditation, and, always -confident, the returns soon convinced him of his election and his mind -naturally turned upon the next important act for him to perform. "When -I finally left that room," he said afterwards, "I had substantially -completed the framework of my Cabinet as it now exists." - -To begin with, he decided to offer posts of honor to those who had been -his rivals for the Presidential nomination,--Seward, Chase, Cameron, -and Bates,--and to fill the remaining places with representatives of -the various elements that had combined to form the Republican party. It -was to be a composite Cabinet, purely political, including no intimate -friends, no personal adherents, and in the entire list there was not -one with whom he ever had confidential relations. His plan seems to -have been to combine, as one of his secretaries said, the experience -of Seward, the integrity of Chase, the popularity of Cameron, and to -hold the West with Bates, attract New England with Welles, please the -Whigs through Smith, and convince the Democrats through Blair. Lincoln -always had a great respect for names. No one had studied more closely -the careers of American politicians, although his personal acquaintances -outside of his own State were limited, and he was more familiar with -the personal qualifications and political records of the gentlemen he -had chosen than were they with his. Perhaps he overestimated their -ability and the value of their advice, as he was likely to do because -of his own modesty and inexperience. He saw distinctly the impending -crisis, and felt the need of support from leaders of experience, -ability, and influence, as well as popular sympathy. But at the same -time the combination he selected had in it all the seeds of disaster -because of personal jealousy, previous political rivalry, and the -intrigues of their henchmen. Yet by his great tact, patience, and -strength of purpose he made them instruments of his will. As finally -chosen, his Cabinet represented every faction of the new Republican -party and the ablest representative of each division as evenly as an odd -number could. When reminded that he had selected four Democrats and only -three Whigs, he promptly replied that he was himself a Whig, and hoped -that he should often be at Cabinet meetings to make the parties even. -This was a famous jest during the early part of the administration. - -Although he had decided in his own mind upon five of seven of his future -advisers before the votes that elected him were counted, he treated with -patience and courtesy the crowds of politicians that came from different -parts of the country to advise and persuade him in the interest of their -friends. He listened attentively to all that his visitors had to say and -gave their suggestions careful reflection. He said to Thurlow Weed that -he supposed the latter had some experience in cabinet-making, and, as he -had never learned that trade himself, he was disposed to avail himself -of the suggestions of friends. The making of a Cabinet, he added, was by -no means as easy as he had supposed, partly, he believed, because, while -the population had increased, great men were scarcer than they used to -be. - -He was extremely anxious to get two Southerners for the Cabinet, as he -believed that such an act might go far to reconcile the loyal people -of that section to his election and establish him in their confidence, -but from the beginning he saw that his hopes were not to be realized. -In order to draw out public sentiment, he wrote a brief anonymous -editorial for the _Illinois State Journal_ on the subject, in which he -asked whether it was known that any Southern gentlemen of character -would accept such an appointment, and, if so, on what terms would they -surrender their political differences to Mr. Lincoln or Mr. Lincoln to -them. - -"There are men in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee," -said Thurlow Weed, "for whose loyalty under any circumstances and in any -event I would vouch." - -"Let's have the names of your white blackbirds," replied Lincoln, and -Weed gave him four, Mr. Seward suggested several, and Mr. Greeley -suggested five. Of all the gentlemen named, Lincoln preferred John A. -Gilmer, of North Carolina, with whom he had served in Congress, and -who had been a prominent leader of the Whig party in that State. He -invited Gilmer to Springfield, but the latter would not come, and after -canvassing the various suggestions which were made him, he found that he -must limit his choice to the border States, and selected Edward Bates, -of Missouri, and Montgomery Blair, of Maryland. - -Mr. Bates was an able lawyer and a highly respected and popular -antislavery Whig from a slave State. He had been a candidate for the -Presidential nomination at Chicago, and had received 48 votes out of -465 cast by delegates from Delaware, Maryland, Missouri, Texas, Oregon, -Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Early in December he sent word to Mr. -Bates that he would be in St. Louis the next day to consult him about -matters of importance; but Mr. Bates would not permit him to make the -journey, and started at once for Springfield. They had been acquainted -for several years and were very good friends, and after cordial -greetings, Lincoln explained that he would like to have Mr. Bates accept -the post of Attorney-General in his Cabinet, for which the latter was -in every way qualified, and which he would find congenial. Mr. Bates -accepted, and the next day the announcement was given to the newspapers -for the purpose of quieting the demands of the conservative Republicans -and antislavery Whigs in the border States for recognition. - -A few days later he offered a Cabinet position to Caleb B. Smith, -of Indiana, without assigning him to any particular portfolio. This -was done to relieve him from the pressure that was being brought by -Schuyler Colfax, whose friends were exceedingly persistent. Mr. Colfax -was very much disappointed, and attributed his failure to obtain the -appointment to Lincoln's resentment towards him because he had favored -the re-election of Douglas to the United States Senate in 1858. Lincoln -was not aware of this supposition until after he had entered upon his -duties as President, when he showed his candor and good-nature by -writing a friendly letter to Mr. Colfax explaining that "a tender of -the appointment was not withheld in any part because of anything that -happened in 1858. Indeed, I should have decided as I did, easier than -I did, had that matter never existed. I had partly made up my mind in -favor of Mr. Smith--not conclusively, of course--before your name was -mentioned in that connection. When you were brought forward I said, -'Colfax is a young man already in a position, is running a brilliant -career, and is sure of a bright future in any event. With Smith it is -now or never.' I now have to beg that you will not do me the injustice -to suppose for a moment that I remember anything against you in malice." - -Mr. Smith did not remain in the Cabinet a great while, however. The -duties of Secretary of the Interior were arduous and uncongenial, -and he retired in December, 1862, at his own request, to accept an -appointment to the United States District bench. He was succeeded by -John P. Usher, also of Indiana, who continued in office until after the -inauguration of Johnson, although he tendered his resignation early -in 1865 to relieve President Lincoln from the criticism of having -two members of his Cabinet from Indiana, Hugh McCulloch having been -appointed Secretary of the Treasury. The President was reluctant to let -Mr. Usher go, but accepted his resignation, and, for some reason never -explained, fixed May 15, 1865, as the day when it should take effect. -When that day arrived Lincoln had no further need of his services. - -Mr. Bates proved a strong supporter of the war. He was a man of -determination and belligerent disposition, notwithstanding his -conservative education; and although he came from a slave State, he was -one of the most radical of the President's advisers whenever the slavery -question came up. When the Emancipation Proclamation was first proposed, -Mr. Bates and Mr. Stanton were the only members of the Cabinet who gave -it their unreserved approval, while Mr. Chase, who came nearer to being -the representative of the abolition faction than any other member, and -Mr. Seward, who was supposed to be the most radical of Republicans, were -opposed to it. - -Among Mr. Stanton's papers is a curious memorandum which throws a -search-light upon his position and that of some of his colleagues. - - "Tuesday, July 22. - - "The President proposes to issue an order declaring free all - slaves in States in rebellion on the ---- day of ----. - - "The Attorney-General and Stanton are for its immediate - promulgation. - - "Seward against it; argues strongly in favor of cotton and - foreign governments. - - "Chase silent. - - "Welles-- - - "Seward argues--That foreign nations will intervene to - prevent the abolition of slavery for sake of cotton. Argues in - a long speech against its immediate promulgation. Wants to wait - for troops. Wants Halleck here. Wants drum and fife and public - spirit. We break up our relations with foreign nations and the - production of cotton for sixty years. - - "Chase thinks it a measure of great danger, and would lead - to universal emancipation.--The measure goes beyond anything I - have recommended." - -However, before 1864 Mr. Bates grew weary of his official labors and -expressed to the President his desire to retire. He was offered a vacant -judgeship in Missouri, but declined it on the ground that he could not -work in harmony with the radicals who were in control of politics there. -When he retired the Cabinet was left without a Southern member. - -A few days before the meeting of the Supreme Court, in December, 1864, -Lincoln sent for Titian J. Coffey, the Assistant Attorney-General, and -said,-- - -"My Cabinet has shrunk up North, and I must find a Southern man. I -suppose if the twelve apostles were to be chosen nowadays the shrieks of -locality would have to be heeded. I have invited Judge Holt to become -Attorney-General, but he seems unwilling to undertake the Supreme Court -work. I want you to see him, remove his objection if you can, and bring -me his answer." - -"I then had charge of the government cases in the Supreme Court, and -they were all ready for argument," said Mr. Coffey. "I saw Judge Holt, -explained the situation, and assured him that he need not appear in -court unless he chose to do so. He had, however, decided to decline the -invitation, and I returned to the President and so informed him. - -"'Then,' said the President, 'I will offer it to James Speed, of -Louisville, a man I know well, though not so well as I know his brother -Joshua. I slept with Joshua for four years, and I suppose I ought to -know him well. But James is an honest man and a gentleman, and if he -comes here you will find he is one of those well-poised men, not too -common here, who are not spoiled by a big office.'" - -Mr. Speed accepted the appointment and served until after the -assassination. - -The relations between several of the members of Lincoln's Cabinet were -from the beginning to the end unfriendly, and no President without the -tact, patience, and forbearance of Lincoln could have controlled them. -He treated them all with unvarying kindness, and although he never -disclosed any desire or intention to dominate, and, in fact, invariably -yielded on matters of little importance, he was always their master, -and on matters of great importance they were compelled to submit to his -will. It is the highest testimony to their confidence in him that even -those who had retired at his wish never afterwards failed to show him -respect and even affection, and none of them ever retired from his post -from feelings of dissatisfaction with the orders or the treatment he -received from him. - -During the early days of his administration he had a higher opinion -of his advisers than they had of him, which was because they did not -yet know one another. He recognized them as men who had made honorable -records in the United States Senate and in other eminent positions, -while they regarded him as an ordinary frontier lawyer, without -experience, and the struggle for ascendancy and control puzzled a good -many people from time to time. Mr. Seward was looked upon as the chief -pillar of the temple for many months, Mr. Stanton's iron will was -constantly felt by the public, Mr. Chase was regarded as an eminent -statesman; but in all the critical issues of the war the uncouth Western -lawyer, without experience in statecraft or executive administration, -unused to power, asserted and maintained his official supremacy, and -every member of his Cabinet yielded implicit obedience. They recognized -his unselfish purpose, his purity of character, his keen perception, his -foresight, and his common sense, and were usually willing to accept his -judgment. While others fretted and became confused in the emergencies -that overwhelmed them, Lincoln was never liable to excitement or -impulsive action. - -[Illustration: MONTGOMERY BLAIR, POSTMASTER-GENERAL - -From a photograph by Brady] - -At the beginning of his administration the entire organization of -the government was in a chaotic state. The Buchanan administration -had filled the offices with Democrats and Southern sympathizers, who -resigned immediately after Lincoln's inauguration and left their affairs -in utter confusion. Their places had to be filled with untrained men -who did not understand their duties and had not been accustomed to -official labor or discipline. It would have been remarkable if they had -conducted the routine work without friction, but the urgency and the -magnitude of the responsibility and labor that were thrown upon them -was more than a trained corps of officials could have executed without -confusion and delay. The President was probably the only man connected -with the government that did not lose his self-control. During all -that most trying period, as was the case throughout his life, he was -composed, serene, and confident. Oftentimes, when subordinate officials -and outsiders came to him raging with indignation, he heard them with -patience, replied with a jest on his lips, and quieted their nerves by -talking of commonplace matters. His Cabinet officers were often fretful, -and there was continual friction between the several departments. -Several times it almost reached the breaking-point. But Lincoln -soothed and satisfied all parties without taking the side of either. - -Montgomery Blair, of Maryland, was not only a representative of the -border State aristocracy, but belonged to one of the most prominent -Democratic families in the country, was one of the founders of the -Republican party, and was first known to Lincoln as the attorney who -argued Dred Scott's case in the Supreme Court. He was a graduate of -West Point Military Academy, had several years of military training in -Indian campaigns, had studied law, and was appointed a judge of the -Court of Common Pleas when he was a very young man. President Buchanan -made him solicitor of the Court of Claims, but removed him because of -his opposition to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. This made a -Republican of Blair, and, with the exception of his brother Francis P. -Blair, of Missouri, and Cassius M. Clay, of Kentucky, he was the most -conspicuous antislavery man in all the Southern States. - -Blair could not be appointed to the Cabinet without a bitter -controversy. He was opposed by Henry Winter Davis, one of the most able -and brilliant young Whigs in the House of Representatives, and by other -partisans in Maryland, who fought so hard and so persistently as to -involve several of the leading Whigs of the country on his side, while -the former Democrats in the Republican party rallied to the support of -Blair. Davis had the powerful sympathy of Seward and Chase, Benjamin -F. Wade, and other prominent abolitionists, and it became no longer -a matter of personal rivalry between Blair and Davis, but a struggle -for supremacy between the Whigs and the Democrats for the control of -the administration. During the few days before the inauguration it -seemed as if the Republican party would be split in twain, or at least -that the entire Cabinet slate would be destroyed if either Blair or -Davis received an appointment. Lincoln seemed to be the only man in -Washington who was not involved in the controversy. He watched the -situation with keen eyes, however, and was alert for every event or -incident that might have a serious effect upon his administration; but -his mind was made up, and when Norman B. Judd came bursting into his -bedroom at Willard's Hotel on the night of March 3, to inquire in great -excitement if he had decided to nominate Davis instead of Blair, Lincoln -replied calmly but with emphasis,-- - -"When that slate breaks again it will break at the top." - -Mr. Blair was a loyal and useful member of the Cabinet, and from the -beginning was in favor of prompt and energetic measures against the -secessionists. He had been a Democrat of the Jackson type, and urged -Lincoln to adopt Jackson's vigorous policy against nullification. It -might have been wiser and better for the country, it might have saved -lives and money, sorrow and tears, if his advice had been adopted. He -understood the South better than Seward or Chase or any other member -of the Cabinet; but conditions would not permit the adoption of his -energetic policy, and he became very restless. His temper and his -character were revealed in a memorandum which he submitted with his -colleagues at the request of Lincoln, concerning setting forth his views -of the course that should be pursued. - -Mr. Blair wrote,-- - - "_First._ As regards General Scott, I have no confidence - in his judgment on the questions of the day. His political - views control his judgment, and his course, as remarked on - by the President, shows that whilst no one will question his - patriotism, the results are the same as if he were in fact - traitorous. - - "_Second._ It is acknowledged to be possible to relieve Fort - Sumter. It ought to be relieved without reference to Pickens or - any other possession. South Carolina is the head and front of - this rebellion, and when that State is safely delivered from the - authority of the United States it will strike a blow against our - authority, from which it will take us years of bloody strife to - recover." - -He opposed the Emancipation Proclamation on the ground of policy, and -made an earnest effort to convince Lincoln that it was a mistake to -take such radical action at that particular junction. He had been an -emancipationist for years, the principle of the measure he approved, but -he thought the time was inopportune, because he feared that it would -drive the border States over to the Confederacy. - -Mr. Blair was constantly coming into collision with Mr. Stanton. Like -two flints, they struck fire whenever they met, and often engaged in -acrimonious discussions at Cabinet meetings over actual or fancied -grievances on the part of Mr. Blair, who felt that Mr. Stanton was -continually interfering with his prerogatives. Mr. Blair's enmity to Mr. -Seward was equally strong and often developed in an embarrassing manner, -while the hostility between Mr. Chase and himself was concealed under -the thinnest veneer of politeness. - -In the summer of 1864 Mr. Blair desired to have certain orders issued -relating to the postal service within the lines of the army. A draft of -the proposed orders was made, but Mr. Stanton declined to issue them. -General Markland, who was in charge of the army mails, says, "When I -returned to Mr. Blair with the information that the orders would not -be issued by the Secretary of War, he said, 'We will see,' and wrote -a letter to Mr. Lincoln, which he gave to me to deliver with the -accompanying papers. When I delivered the letter, Mr. Lincoln read it -carefully and handed it back to me, saying,-- - -"'What is the matter between Blair and Stanton?' "I told him all I knew -in reference to the proposed orders. He then said, 'If I understand -the case, General Grant wants the orders issued, and Blair wants them -issued, and you want them issued, and Stanton won't issue them. Now, -don't you see what kind of a fix I will be in if I interfere? I'll -tell you what to do. If you and General Grant understand one another, -suppose you try to get along without the orders, and if Blair or Stanton -makes a fuss, I may be called in as a reference, and I may decide in -your favor.' The orders were never issued, and pleasant relations were -maintained on that score all around." - -Mr. Blair was not popular with the Union people of the North. The public -distrust is strikingly illustrated by the following anecdote from -the reminiscences of Henry Ward Beecher: "There was some talk, early -in 1864, of a sort of compromise with the South. Blair had told the -President he was satisfied that if he could be put in communication with -some of the leading men of the South in some way or other, that some -benefit would accrue. Lincoln had sent a delegation to meet Alexander -Stephens, and that was all the North knew. We were all very much excited -over that. The war lasted so long, and I was afraid Lincoln would be -so anxious for peace, and I was afraid he would accept something that -would be of advantage to the South, so I went to Washington and called -upon him. I said to him, 'Mr. Lincoln, I come to you to know whether -the public interest will permit you to explain to me what this Southern -commission means? I am in an embarrassing position as editor and do not -want to step in the dark.' Well, he listened very patiently, and looked -up to the ceiling for a few moments, and said, 'Well, I am almost of a -mind to show you all the documents.' - -"'Well, Mr. Lincoln, I should like to see them if it is proper.' He went -to his little secretary and came out and handed me a little card as long -as my finger and an inch wide, and on that was written,-- - - "'You will pass the bearer through the lines' [or something - to that effect]. - - "'A. LINCOLN.' - -"'There,' he said, 'is all there is of it. Now, Blair thinks something -can be done, but I don't; but I have no objection to have him try his -hand. He has no authority whatever but to go and see what he can do.'" - -The President was continually receiving letters, resolutions, and even -delegations demanding the removal of his Postmaster-General, and Mr. -Blair did not improve the situation by his own conduct. He continued to -write letters and make speeches, and indulged in caustic and sometimes -cruel criticism of his colleagues and the Republican leaders in -Washington until the situation became so strained that the President -was compelled to ask his resignation. Before this was done, however, -a little incident occurred which forcibly illustrates the President's -patience, dignity, and at the same time his determination. The incident -is probably without parallel in the history of the government. - -General Halleck, in command of the army, called the attention of the -Secretary of War to a speech made by Mr. Blair just after General -Early's raid upon Washington and the destruction of Mr. Blair's property -over the District border in Maryland, in which the army and its -commander were denounced for cowardice and inefficiency. General Halleck -declared that if the charge was true the names of the officers should be -stricken from the rolls of the army. If it were not true, he said, the -slanderer should be dismissed from the Cabinet. - -Secretary Stanton handed the letter to the President without comment, -whereupon Lincoln replied to General Halleck: - -"Whether the remarks were really made I do not know, nor do I suppose -such knowledge is necessary to a correct response. If they were made, -I do not approve them; and yet, under the circumstances, I would not -dismiss a member of the Cabinet therefor. I do not consider what may -have been hastily said in a moment of vexation at so severe a loss is -sufficient ground for so grave a step. Besides this, truth is generally -the best vindication against slander. I propose continuing to be myself -the judge as to when a member of the Cabinet shall be dismissed." - -Not satisfied with this, the President, when the Cabinet came together, -read them this impressive little lecture: - -"I must myself be the judge how long to retain and when to remove any -of you from his position. It would greatly pain me to discover any of -you endeavoring to procure another's removal, or in any way to prejudice -him before the public. Such endeavor would be a wrong to me, and, much -worse, a wrong to the country. My wish is that on this subject no remark -be made or question asked by any of you, here or elsewhere, now or -hereafter." - -This occurred in July, but Mr. Blair continued to exasperate every -person with whom he came in contact. He accused Seward, Stanton, and -Chase of a conspiracy to break down the administration, and wearied -the President with his suspicions of the motives and actions of all -the leading Republicans of the country, until Lincoln finally wrote -him a kindly letter, saying, "You have generously said to me more than -once that whenever your resignation could be a relief to me it was at -my disposal. The time has come. You know very well that this proceeds -from no dissatisfaction of mine with you personally or officially. Your -uniform kindness has been unsurpassed by that of any other friend." - -Mr. Blair's loyalty to Lincoln and the Union was in no way affected by -his dismissal. He immediately took the stump in behalf of Lincoln's -re-election and his personal fidelity and friendship were never -shaken. Lincoln offered him the choice between the Austrian and Spanish -missions, but he declined the honor with thanks. - -Mr. Blair's successor was William Dennison, of Ohio, a man of the -highest character, who had been Governor of that State at the outbreak -of the war, and had sustained the administration at Washington with -great ability and loyalty. He was a man of fine presence, winning -manners, and amiable disposition, wise in counsel, and energetic in -action. - -Simon Cameron, of Pennsylvania, was a candidate for the Presidential -nomination at Chicago and received fifty votes. His friends reached -some sort of an understanding with David Davis, who was looked upon -as Lincoln's personal representative at the Convention, under which -they transferred their votes to the latter, although it was distinctly -understood that Davis had no authority to make pledges or promises and -could only recommend to Lincoln that Mr. Cameron be recognized in as -honorable and notable a manner as possible. It was, however, perfectly -natural for the President to select a member of his official family -from a State of such importance as Pennsylvania, and Mr. Cameron was -recognized as the representative of the protective tariff element in the -Republican party. Hence, after a "balancing of matters," as he called -it, he invited Mr. Cameron to Springfield during the holidays in 1860, -had a frank talk with him, and tendered him a seat in the Cabinet either -as Secretary of the Treasury or Secretary of War, "which of the two I -have not yet definitely decided." - -There was a volcanic eruption in Pennsylvania after the announcement, -and bitter hostility was immediately developed among the members of -Mr. Cameron's own party, headed by the newly elected Governor and -chairman of the Republican State Committee, who protested against his -appointment, and claimed the right to be consulted if a member of the -Cabinet was to be selected from their State. Being a strict party man, -the President recognized their claim, and therefore wrote a polite and -friendly note to Mr. Cameron, explaining that it was impossible to take -him into the Cabinet under the circumstances, and suggesting that he -decline the appointment. "Better do this at once," he wrote, "before -things change so that you cannot honorably decline and I be compelled to -openly recall the tender. No person living knows or has an intimation -that I write this letter." This, of itself, is sufficient answer to the -frequent charge that there was a corrupt bargain at Chicago between -Lincoln and Cameron. - -As might be expected, Mr. Cameron was deeply disappointed, and -sent a friend to Springfield to demand a further explanation of -the President-elect. Whereupon Lincoln wrote a conciliatory reply, -expressing regret that Mr. Cameron's feelings were wounded by the tone -of his letter, and saying that it had been written "under great anxiety, -and perhaps I was not so guarded in its terms as I should have been. -My great object was to have you act quickly, if possible, before the -matter should be complicated with the Pennsylvania Senatorial election. -Destroy the offensive letter or return it to me. I say to you now that -I have not doubted that you would perform the duties of a department -ably and faithfully. Nor have I for a moment intended to ostracize your -friends. If I should make a Cabinet appointment for Penn. before I reach -Washington, I will not do so without consulting you and giving all the -weight to your views and wishes which I consistently can. This I have -always intended." - -This was purely personal, and attached to it was a letter in more formal -language which Mr. Cameron was authorized to show to his friends. In it -Lincoln stated that Mr. Cameron came to Springfield by his invitation -and not upon any suggestion of his own; that he had been offered an -appointment in the Cabinet, but that complications had arisen which made -it necessary to recall the offer. - -In this way Mr. Cameron was "let down easy," and while he did not -conceal his disappointment and chagrin, he kept his temper and conducted -himself in so dignified a manner that Lincoln was greatly impressed. -Cameron's enemies, still fearing that he might be taken into the -Cabinet, resorted to despicable measures to prejudice Lincoln against -him, while, on the other hand, he was earnestly defended by some of the -best people of Pennsylvania; hence the President decided to revive his -original plan, and placed Mr. Cameron's name on the slate as Secretary -of War. - -It proved to be an unfortunate decision, for before active hostilities -began it had been clearly demonstrated that he was not qualified to -fill that important post. Scandals and dissensions of the most serious -character were immediately developed in the War Department, so that -Congress appointed a special committee to make an investigation. Its -report was sensational and was too grave for Lincoln to overlook. About -the time the report was made Mr. Cameron took the liberty to announce in -his annual report the policy of the administration in regard to arming -the negroes and enlisting them in the military service. So radical an -announcement, without even consulting him, was not only a shock to -Lincoln, but passed the limits of his forbearance. Fortunately, Mr. -Cameron's report had not reached the public. Printed copies had been -sent to the press to be published as soon as the telegraph had announced -that the President's message had been read in Congress. Every copy was -recalled to Washington, the objectionable paragraphs were modified, a -new edition was published, and Mr. Cameron expressed a wish to exchange -the onerous responsibilities of the War Department for a foreign -mission. Lincoln wrote him a brief note, keeping up the pretence by -saying, "As you have more than once expressed a desire for a change of -position, I can now gratify you consistently with my view of the public -interest. I therefore propose to nominate you to the Senate next Monday -as Minister to Russia." - -As was the case with Mr. Blair, the dissolution of relations caused no -break in the friendship between the President and his former minister. -Cameron remained one of the most devoted of Lincoln's supporters and one -of the most earnest and effective advocates of his renomination to the -Presidency. - -Gideon Welles was altogether the most agreeable and satisfactory of the -fifteen members of Lincoln's official advisers. He invariably sustained -him in any position that he took or in any measure that he desired. -He gave him consistent and cordial support and the least trouble and -anxiety of any of his official family. Mr. Welles was selected as the -representative of New England. Amos Tuck, of New Hampshire, George -Ashmun, of Boston, and several other eminent gentlemen were also under -consideration. - -[Illustration: GIDEON WELLES, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY - -From a photograph by Brady] - -The morning after his speech in Hartford, in the spring of 1860, Lincoln -took a long stroll through the principal streets of that beautiful -city. As he approached the hotel he stepped into a book-store, where a -gentleman who had been in his audience the evening before approached and -introduced himself. There seemed to be a mutual attraction, and for two -hours they discussed various subjects of interest, politics, law, and -literature. The next time they met was after the Chicago Convention, to -which Mr. Welles was a delegate, and during the campaign they exchanged -frequent letters, until Lincoln was thoroughly convinced of the fitness, -availability, and character of the Connecticut lawyer for a position in -his Cabinet. The special knowledge of maritime law shown by the latter -seems to have suggested his assignment to the Navy Department. - -Mr. Welles showed a vigorous determination, a high sense of patriotism, -and great executive ability from the start, but almost immediately -after the organization of the Cabinet came into collision with Mr. -Seward because of the interference of the latter with naval affairs, -and they never became friends. Notwithstanding the intensity of their -hostility, however, both remained through the entire administration, -and were the only members of the original Cabinet who continued in that -relation until Lincoln's death. Although there were many complaints -of his arrogant manner and irritable temper, Mr. Welles always showed -a loyal affection for the President, and in August, 1862, refused to -sign the "round robin" which Seward and Chase had prepared, demanding -the dismissal of General McClellan. He agreed heartily with them, but -refused to sign because of his deep respect for the President and a fear -of wounding his feelings. - -The first member of the Cabinet selected was William H. Seward. There -was no delay, doubt, or hesitation in Lincoln's intention to offer -him the highest honor in his gift from the hour that he received the -news of his nomination, and it was entirely fitting that it should be -so. At that time Mr. Seward was pre-eminent among the members of the -Republican party. He was its leader in the Senate and was recognized as -its logical candidate for the Presidency. He had the largest number of -supporters at the Convention, and was defeated only by a combination of -the minority. He had been longer in public life, was higher in official -rank, and had been more conspicuous and successful in statesmanship -than any other of Lincoln's supporters; he had been Governor of the -greatest State in the Union, and was just completing his second term in -the United States Senate. He had the best organization behind him that -had ever been known in American politics up to that time, with Thurlow -Weed, recognized as the most consummate politician in the country, as -his manager. It certainly would have been strange if the President-elect -had not selected such a man as Secretary of State. Nevertheless, there -was considerable opposition to Seward's appointment in his own State -as well as elsewhere. It came from personal jealousy and enmity, and -also from patriotic and honorable people who feared that he might -dominate the administration, they not liking his methods; but Lincoln -did not hesitate. He wrote Mr. Seward at once after the election, asking -permission to nominate him as Secretary of State, and saying that such -had been his intention from the day of the nomination at Chicago. -"With the belief that your position in the public eye, your integrity, -ability and learning and great experience, all combine to render it an -appointment pre-eminently fit to be made." - -Mr. Seward took three weeks for reflection, and with "much -self-distrust" finally relieved Lincoln's anxiety by admitting, in a -lofty manner, that he considered it his duty to accept. The tone of this -letter did not please Lincoln; and from that moment, with the instinct -of self-protection which he often displayed,--and his instincts were -exceedingly accurate,--he was on his guard in dealing with the great man -from New York. Nevertheless, he treated him with frankness and delicate -courtesy and continued to correspond with him concerning confidential -matters. - -Upon his arrival in Washington he immediately handed a copy of his -inaugural address to his future Secretary of State, and the latter -revised it in such a vigorous and arrogant manner that the unfavorable -impression was deepened. Mr. Seward was always at hand to offer advice -and give directions upon every subject. Lincoln listened with respectful -attention, but continued to exercise his own judgment, and the spirit -of independence he showed concerning several matters which Mr. Seward -undertook to decide for him so alarmed the latter that two days before -the inauguration he wrote a polite note asking leave to withdraw his -acceptance of the office of Secretary of State. The note was received -on Saturday. Any other man but Lincoln would have been disconcerted, at -least, and would have immediately sought advice and assistance; but he -did not mention the matter to any one, nor did he make any reply until -Monday morning. Then, while waiting at Willard's Hotel for President -Buchanan to escort him to the Capitol, he dictated a brief note, saying, -"I feel constrained to beg that you will countermand the withdrawal. -The public interest, I think, demands that you should, and my personal -feelings are deeply enlisted in the same direction." - -He handed the note to Mr. Nicolay, saying, "I can't afford to let Seward -take the first trick." - -After the return of the inaugural procession to the White House the two -men had a long and confidential talk. No one knows what they said to -each other, but Mr. Seward accepted the office and his nomination was -sent to the Senate the next morning. - -Mr. Seward at once assumed that he was Prime Minister with independent -and autocratic powers. He sent agents upon secret missions, he indicated -to his visitors the policy of the administration,--and made pledges on -behalf of the President without consulting him. He opened negotiations -with the secession leaders upon his own responsibility. He issued orders -to officers of the army and navy over the heads of his associates in -charge of those departments, and gave assurances to the representatives -of foreign governments without the approval or even the knowledge of the -President. He seemed cheerfully to assume responsibility for the entire -government, and did not hesitate to permit the official representatives -of the Southern States and the public generally to presume that he and -not Lincoln was the highest and final authority. He even attempted to -deceive his wife on this subject. "I will try to save freedom and my -country," he wrote her. "I have assumed a sort of dictatorship.... It -seems to me if I am absent only eight days, this administration, the -Congress and the District would fall into consternation and despair.... -I am the only hopeful, calm, and conciliatory person here...." Again he -writes, "Only the soothing words which I have spoken have saved us and -carried us along thus far. And still again the cares chiefly fall on me." - -Secretary Welles wrote a book to describe the controversies between -Mr. Seward and the rest of the Cabinet, in which he shows a good deal -of resentment but a good deal of truth. Mr. Seward's moral perceptions -were obscured by the responsibilities and power that had been assumed -by him. Although he did not suspect it, he was gradually drifting into -a collision with a stronger character than his own, and but for the -magnanimity and generous nature of the President, his political career -might have been swallowed up in his vanity and arrogance. - -[Illustration: WILLIAM H. SEWARD, SECRETARY OF STATE - -From a photograph by Brady] - -Upon April 1, after the new administration had been in control for -a little more than three weeks, under the title "Some Thoughts for -the President's Consideration," he submitted the most extraordinary -proposition that appears among the archives of the Department of State. -Assuming that he, and not Lincoln, was responsible for the conduct of -the administration and the management of the government; writing as if -he were the Prime Minister and Lincoln an impotent king; he laid down -his plan of action and the line of policy he intended to pursue. He -proposed that Lincoln should practically relinquish his Presidential -responsibilities and authority; that he should repudiate the party that -had elected him; that he should ignore the principles upon which the -Presidential campaign had been fought and surrender the moral triumph -of the victory; that he should convene Congress and declare war against -Great Britain, Russia, France, and Spain, and endeavor to negotiate -for an offensive and defensive alliance with Canada, Mexico, and Central -America against Europe. The following is the text: - - "SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE PRESIDENT'S CONSIDERATION, APRIL 1, - 1861. - - "_First._ We are at the end of a month's administration, and - yet without a policy, either domestic or foreign. - - "_Second._ This, however, is not culpable, and it has even - been unavoidable. The presence of the Senate, with the need to - meet applications for patronage, have prevented attention to - other and more grave matters. - - "_Third._ But further delay to adopt and prosecute our - policies for both domestic and foreign affairs would not only - bring scandal on the administration, but danger upon the country. - - "_Fourth._ To do this we must dismiss the applicants for - office. But how? I suggest that we make the local appointments - forthwith, leaving foreign or general ones for ulterior and - occasional action. - - "_Fifth._ The policy at home. I am aware that my views are - singular, and perhaps not sufficiently explained. My system is - built upon this idea as a ruling one,--namely, that we must - - "CHANGE THE QUESTION BEFORE THE PUBLIC FROM ONE UPON - SLAVERY, OR ABOUT SLAVERY, for a question upon UNION OR DISUNION: - - "In other words, from what would be regarded as a party - question, to one of patriotism or union. - - "The occupation or evacuation of Fort Sumter, although not - in fact a slavery or a party question, is so regarded. Witness - the temper manifested by the Republicans in the free States, and - even by the Union men in the South. - - "I would therefore terminate it as a safe means for - changing the issue. I deem it fortunate that the last - administration created the necessity. - - "For the rest, I would simultaneously defend and re-enforce - all the ports in the Gulf, and have the navy recalled from - foreign stations to be prepared for a blockade. Put the island - of Key West under martial law. - - "This will raise distinctly the question of union or - disunion. I would maintain every fort and possession in the - South. - - - "FOR FOREIGN NATIONS. - - "I would demand explanations from Spain and France, - categorically, at once. - - "I would seek explanations from Great Britain and Russia, - and send agents into Canada, Mexico, and Central America to - rouse a vigorous continental spirit of independence on this - continent against European intervention. - - "And, if satisfactory explanations are not received from - Spain and France, - - "Would convene Congress and declare war against them. - - "But whatever policy we adopt, there must be an energetic - prosecution of it. - - "For this purpose it must be somebody's business to pursue - and direct it incessantly. - - "Either the President must do it himself, and be all the - while active in it, or - - "Devolve it on some member of his Cabinet. Once adopted, - debates on it must end, and all agree and abide. - - "It is not my especial province; but I neither seek to evade - nor assume responsibility." - -It is impossible for any one to conceive the feelings of the President -when he read this boastful and insolent document. But his self-control -was so perfect, his anxiety to preserve harmony among those who were -trying to save the Union was so great, and his patience so limitless -that he returned the memorandum to Mr. Seward with the following firm -and conclusive but courteous rebuke, and the subject was never alluded -to again by either of them: - - "EXECUTIVE MANSION, April 1, 1861. - - "HON. W. H. SEWARD. - - "MY DEAR SIR: Since parting with you, I have been - considering your paper dated this day, and entitled 'Some - Thoughts for the President's Consideration.' The first - proposition in it is, '_First._ We are at the end of a month's - administration, and yet without a policy, either domestic or - foreign.' - - "At the beginning of that month, in the inaugural, I said, - 'The power confided to me will be used to hold, occupy, and - possess the property and places belonging to the government, - and to collect the duties and imposts.' This had your distinct - approval at the time; and taken in connection with the order I - immediately gave General Scott, directing him to employ every - means in his power to strengthen and hold the forts, comprises - the exact domestic policy you now urge, with the single - exception that it does not propose to abandon Fort Sumter. - - "Again, I do not perceive how the reinforcement of Fort - Sumter would be done on a slavery or party issue, while that of - Fort Pickens would be on a more national and patriotic one. - - "The news received yesterday in regard to San Domingo - certainly brings a new item within the range of our foreign - policy; but up to that time we have been preparing circulars and - instructions to ministers and the like, all in perfect harmony, - without even a suggestion that we had no foreign policy. - - "Upon your closing proposition--that 'whatever policy we - adopt, there must be an energetic prosecution of it. - - "'For this purpose it must be somebody's business to pursue - and direct it incessantly. - - "'Either the President must do it himself, and be all the - while active in it, or - - "'Devolve it on some member of his Cabinet. Once adopted, - debates on it must end, and all agree and abide.'--I remark - that if this must be done, I must do it. When a general line - of policy is adopted, I apprehend that there is no danger of - its being changed without good reason, or continuing to be a - subject of unnecessary debate; still, upon points arising in its - progress I wish, and suppose I am entitled to have, the advice - of all the Cabinet. - - "Your obedient servant, - "A. LINCOLN." - -The President never revealed this amazing incident to anybody but Mr. -Nicolay, and it was never suspected by any member of his Cabinet until -the correspondence was published by Nicolay and Hay in the _Century -Magazine_, nearly thirty years after. Mr. Seward recognized his master -at last and wrote his wife, "Executive force and vigor are rare -qualities. The President is the best of us." - -From that time there were no serious differences between the President -and his Secretary of State, although they frequently differed upon -matters of policy as well as details of administration. Mr. Seward was -loyal, devoted, and always respectful to his chief. - -The same cannot be said of Secretary Chase. He also had been a rival -of Lincoln for the Presidential nomination in 1860, and had gone into -the Cabinet feeling that his supporters from Ohio had made Lincoln's -nomination possible and that he was entitled to special consideration -for that reason. He supported Lincoln cordially through the campaign, -and among the first telegrams of congratulation received by the -President-elect was one from him which read, "I congratulate you and -thank God. The great object of my wishes and labors for nineteen years -is accomplished in the overthrow of the slave power. The space is -now clear for the establishment of the policy of freedom on safe and -firm grounds. The lead is yours. The responsibility is great. May God -strengthen you for your great duties." - -After January 1 following the election, Mr. Chase was invited to -Springfield, and upon his arrival the President-elect waived all -ceremony and called upon him at his hotel. "I have done with you," -said he, "what I would not have ventured to do with any other man in -the country,--sent for you to ask you whether you will accept the -appointment of Secretary of the Treasury without, however, being exactly -prepared to offer it to you." Concerning this conversation Mr. Chase -wrote to a friend as follows: - -"He said he had felt bound to offer the position of Secretary of State -to Mr. Seward as the generally recognized leader of the Republican -party, intending, if he declined it, to offer it to me. He did not wish -that Mr. Seward should decline it, and was glad that he had accepted, -and now desired to have me take the place of Secretary of the Treasury." - -Mr. Chase told the President-elect that he was not prepared to give -a definite answer because he wanted to ask the advice of friends and -be governed by the course of events. He valued the trust and its -opportunities, but was reluctant to leave the Senate. No further -communication took place between the two on the subject; but, assuming -that Mr. Chase had accepted, Lincoln sent his name to the Senate on -March 5 with those of other members of his Cabinet. - -From the beginning of the administration Mr. Chase advocated a radical -policy; was very urgent in advocating the relief of Fort Sumter and -pushing the war, while Seward hung back. Mr. Chase's policy was -presented in a memorandum, with similar ones from other members of the -Cabinet, at the request of the President, in March, and reads as follows: - -"If war is to be the consequence of an attempt to provision Fort -Sumter, war will just as certainly result from the attempt to maintain -possession of Fort Pickens. - -"I am clearly in favor of maintaining Fort Pickens and just as clearly -in favor of provisioning Fort Sumter. If that attempt should be resisted -by military force, Fort Sumter should, in my judgment, be reinforced. - -"If war is to be the result, I perceive no reason why it may not be -best begun by military resistance to the efforts of the administration -to sustain troops of the Union, stationed under the authority of the -government, in a fort of the Union, in the ordinary course of service." - -[Illustration: GENERAL GEORGE B. McCLELLAN AT THE HEAD-QUARTERS OF -GENERAL MORRELL'S BRIGADE, MINOR'S HILL, VIRGINIA - -From a photograph by M. B. Brady] - -In the beginning Mr. Chase was a very strong supporter of General -McClellan and frequently called the attention of the latter to his -obligations to him. "The country was indebted to me," he wrote -McClellan, "in some considerable degree for the change of your -commission from Ohio into a commission of major-general of the army -of the Union;" and he wrote a friend the good news, "McClellan is -Commander-in-Chief! let us thank God and take courage!" but this was -his habit. He invariably worshipped the rising sun, and was usually -one of the first to turn his back upon old friends when they met -with misfortunes. He usually cultivated the closest relations with -those generals who had grievances against the administration. His -correspondence and his diary, as published by his chosen biographer, are -full of caustic and unkind criticisms of his chief. He received many -letters containing violent abuse of the President and his colleagues -in the government, and neither defended them nor rebuked the writers. -He records in his diary a conversation with an officer who, meeting -him, the Secretary of the Treasury, for the first time, was rude enough -to utter a gross insult directed at the President. In his comments -Mr. Chase seems to approve the remarks, and describes the President's -assailant as "well read and extremely intelligent." But Mr. Chase -never defended his colleagues when they were attacked. In reply to a -violent criticism from an enemy of the administration, he wrote, "I am -not responsible for the management of the war and have no voice in it, -except that I am not forbidden to make suggestions, and do so now and -then when I can't help it." - -He soon lost his confidence in and admiration for McClellan, however, -and in his criticisms concerning his dilatory tactics was the most -bitter of all the Cabinet. He once drew up a paper, which he induced -several of his colleagues to sign, demanding McClellan's removal. He -continually offered advice and suggestions, and when they were not -accepted he usually took the trouble to record his resentment in his -diary or to express it in vigorous terms in a letter to some friend. - -Chase was in favor of the unconditional emancipation of the slaves, and -when the President laid before the Cabinet the Emancipation Proclamation -he writes in his diary, "I said that I should give to such a measure my -cordial support, but I should prefer that no expression on the subject -of compensation should be made, and I thought that the measure of -emancipation could be better and more quickly accomplished by allowing -generals to organize and arm the slaves and by directing the commanders -of departments to proclaim emancipation within their districts as soon -as practicable. But I regarded this as so much better than inaction on -the subject that I could give it my entire support." - -The President was not unaware of the disposition of Mr. Seward to -criticise himself and the members of his Cabinet, but placed so high -a value upon his ability and his importance to the government that he -treated him with the same patience that he did Mr. Stanton and others -who were critical and petulant concerning his deliberation and other -peculiarities. The extent to which this forbearance was exercised may -be illustrated by a note addressed to the President by his Secretary of -the Treasury, April 25, 1861, in which the latter was guilty of such -bad taste and impertinence that Lincoln would have been justified in -asking his instant resignation. Mr. Chase held the President practically -responsible for the demoralized condition of affairs in the country and -for all that had happened before his inauguration as well as since, -and said, "Let me beg of you to remember that the disunionists have -anticipated us in everything, and that as yet we have accomplished -nothing but the destruction of our own property. Let me beg of you to -remember also that it has been a darling object with the disunionists to -secure the passage of a secession ordinance by Maryland.... Save us from -this new humiliation. You alone can give the word." - -Mr. Chase was in consultation with the President daily, he had been -consulted about every situation and movement, he was quite as familiar -with what had been done and what was intended as the President himself, -and the reasons which prompted him to address his chief in such a manner -can only be conjectured. It is believed that he was prompted to do so -by one of the many hostile critics of the administration, and wrote the -letter without realizing its tone and impertinence. But Lincoln received -it with his usual complacency, made no complaint to any one about it, -and calmly filed it away among his other correspondence. - -Like Mr. Seward, he went into the Cabinet with the opinion that the -President was incapable and inexperienced, and that it was his duty to -support and assist him in the management of the government; but, unlike -Mr. Seward, he was never able to rid himself of a sense of his own -superiority. He had an honest conviction that he was more competent and -would make a much better President himself, and that if his advice were -accepted and his suggestions carried out, the war would be brought to a -close much sooner than otherwise. He lacked confidence in his colleagues -also and never lost an opportunity to express it. He considered himself -their superior in zeal, ability, and devotion to the general welfare. -He imagined that every disaster which occurred in the field was due to -the refusal of the President and the Secretary of War to carry out the -plans he suggested, and that every victory could be directly attributed -to his wise counsel. This was not known at the time. Had it been, the -people of the country would have been less charitable towards Mr. Chase. -His egotism, jealousy, contempt, and hostility towards Lincoln and -his fellow-members of the Cabinet were not fully disclosed until the -publication of his biography, which contained extracts from his diary -and copies of his voluminous correspondence. - -The President would not allow the conduct or the disposition of -his Secretary of the Treasury to make the slightest difference -in his treatment of that official or to affect the policy of his -administration, for in his management of the finances, without previous -experience or preparation, Mr. Chase had shown genius equal to that -of Alexander Hamilton, unswerving integrity, and untiring industry. -So highly did Lincoln esteem his public services in this respect that -he would have forgiven him anything; and Mr. Chase not only had his -constant support, but he was less interfered with in the administration -of his department than any other member of the Cabinet. - -Mr. Chase began a serious and systematic canvass for the Presidential -nomination as early as the fall of 1863, and although he continued -to delude himself and assure his friends that he was indifferent to -advancement and anxious only for the public good, he found plenty of -leisure in the midst of his arduous duties and immense responsibilities -to write hundreds of letters to friends in different parts of the Union -pointing out the mistakes of the President and leaving the irresistible -conclusion that he was the only man capable of saving the country. Many -of these letters are published in his biography, and it is inexplicable -that he preserved the documentary evidence of his treachery, and even -more remarkable that his family thus exposed him to public censure and -contempt. - -Although Lincoln had the full confidence of the loyal people of the -North, many disappointed politicians and other citizens in different -parts of the country were dissatisfied with his management of affairs. -The critics naturally gravitated together and sought to organize a -movement to prevent his renomination. They found it difficult to contend -against the popularity of the President, and looked among the discordant -elements for a standard-bearer. Neither in Congress nor in the army -was there any one who was willing to undertake the hopeless task until -some of the leaders consulted Mr. Chase and, to their surprise, found -him so indiscreet and disloyal as to encourage their opposition to the -administration of which he was a member, and so foolish as to believe -that he was strong enough to lead them to victory. - -Mr. Chase fell willingly into the trap, although he continued to protest -his loyalty and attachment to Lincoln. His only excuse was that the -President's intellect and capacity for government were inferior to his -own, and in its great emergency his beloved country needed the strongest -man. He wrote his son-in-law, Governor Sprague, of Rhode Island, "If -I were controlled by merely personal sentiments I would prefer the -re-election of Mr. Lincoln to that of any other man, but I think a man -of different qualities from those the President has will be needed for -the next four years." - -President Lincoln was fully informed concerning every movement Mr. Chase -made, for the latter was surrounded by false friends who were willing -to destroy him. However, he rebuked the tale-bearers and discouraged all -conversation concerning the ambition of his Secretary of the Treasury, -and when the criticisms uttered by Mr. Chase of himself and the members -of his Cabinet were brought to his attention, he declined to listen to -them. - -"I have determined," he said, "to shut my eyes so far as possible to -everything of the sort. Mr. Chase makes a good Secretary and I shall -keep him where he is. If he becomes President, all right. I hope -we may never have a worse man. I am entirely indifferent as to his -success or failure in these schemes as long as he does his duty at the -head of the Treasury Department." He appointed Chase's partisans and -wire-pullers to office as fast as the latter proposed them, although -he knew perfectly well what he was doing. He was more amused than -otherwise at the protestations of his own friends; but all the time he -was conscious that he had every reason for magnanimity. With his usual -political perspicuity, he was perfectly confident of his own nomination -and re-election, and recognized that Chase was daily making mistakes -that were fatal to his own political prospects. He endeavored to conceal -his knowledge, and avoided explanations from his Secretary of the -Treasury until the publication of a secret circular in the Washington -newspapers signed by Senator Pomeroy, of Kansas, compelled Mr. Chase to -allude to the subject. It was a spiteful, unjust, and untruthful attack -upon the President, and proposed the nomination of Mr. Chase as his -successor, appealing to patriotic citizens to organize in his support -and correspond with the chairman of his committee. - -Mr. Chase at once disavowed all knowledge of or responsibility for this -circular, but explained that he had yielded to the urgent solicitations -of friends and had consented to be a candidate for the Presidential -nomination. "If there is anything in my action or position which in -your judgment will prejudice the public interest under my charge, I -beg you to say so. I do not wish to administer the Treasury Department -one day without your entire confidence. For yourself I cherish sincere -respect and esteem and, permit me to add, affection." - -The next day the President acknowledged the receipt of this letter and -promised to answer it more fully later, which he did, saying,-- - -"... My knowledge of Mr. Pomeroy's letter having been made public came -to me only the day you wrote; but I had, in spite of myself, known of -its existence several days before. I have not yet read it, and I think -I shall not. I was not shocked or surprised by the appearance of the -letter, because I had had knowledge of Mr. Pomeroy's committee, and of -secret issues which I supposed came from it, and of secret agents who I -supposed were sent out by it, for several weeks. I have known just as -little of these things as my friends have allowed me to know. They bring -the documents to me, but I do not read them: they tell me what they -think fit to tell me, but I do not inquire for more.... - -"Whether you shall remain at the head of the Treasury Department is a -question which I will not allow myself to consider from any stand-point -other than my judgment of the public service, and, in that view, I do -not perceive occasion for a change." - -If anything was needed to complete the collapse of the plans of Mr. -Chase, the reputation of the man who signed the circular was sufficient. -As fast as conventions were held delegations were instructed for -Lincoln. The Republican members of the Ohio Legislature were so fearful -lest they might be suspected of sympathizing with the ambition of Mr. -Chase that they held a caucus and unanimously endorsed the President. -Even little Rhode Island, supposed to be a pocket borough absolutely -controlled by its Governor, who was a son-in-law of Mr. Chase, bolted -and declared for Lincoln. The Secretary of the Treasury, left without -a supporter in the Republican party, sought consolation from the -Democrats, but they repudiated him and selected as their candidate -General McClellan, a man who had been alternately eulogized and -anathematized by him. - -The retirement of Mr. Chase from the Cabinet was due to his -determination to control the patronage of the Treasury Department in -the State of New York without reference to the wishes of Mr. Morgan and -Mr. Harris, the Senators from that State. There was also friction over -Treasury appointments in other parts of the country. Mr. Chase's failure -as a Presidential candidate made him very irritable, and whenever the -President or any member of the Cabinet offered the slightest opposition -to his plans or wishes, he showed so much temper that it was impossible -to get along with him except by conceding all his demands. Lincoln, -valuing his services in the Treasury so highly, endeavored to gratify -him as far as possible, and assured other members of his Cabinet -that, as Mr. Chase's ability, industry, and integrity were beyond -question, he had a right to select men for whose proper conduct he was -responsible. But when Mr. Chase invaded the political provinces of the -members of the Senate, the President found it difficult to reconcile -the differences, and on two occasions the Secretary of the Treasury -tendered his resignation rather than yield what he considered to be -his right to select all of his subordinates. Maunsell B. Field, the -Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, quotes Lincoln as saying, "I went -directly up to him [Chase] with the resignation in my hand, and putting -my arm around his neck, said, 'Here is a paper with which I wish to have -nothing to do. Take it back and be reasonable.' I had to plead with him -a long time, but I finally succeeded, and heard nothing more of that -resignation." - -But this state of affairs could not endure. There came an occasion upon -which the President was not able to give way, and when the two New York -Senators objected to the appointment of the same Maunsell B. Field as -Assistant Treasurer of New York, he was compelled to recognize their -wishes. He wrote Mr. Chase, "As the proverb goes, no man knows so well -where the shoe pinches as he who wears it. I do not think Mr. Field -a very proper man for the place, but I would trust your judgment and -forego this were the greater difficulty out of the way.... Strained -as I already am at this point, I do not think that I can make this -appointment in the direction of still greater strain." But Mr. Chase -felt that the President was acting badly and must be disciplined, and so -he resigned again. To submit to Mr. Chase under the circumstances would -be to abdicate in his favor and to offend his loyal supporters in New -York; hence, without hesitation, he wrote Mr. Chase as follows: "Of all -I have said in commendation of your ability and fidelity I have nothing -to unsay, yet you and I have reached a point of mutual embarrassment -in our official relations which it seems cannot be overcome or longer -sustained consistently with the public service." - -Mr. Chase was taken entirely by surprise. He supposed that the -President, like himself, believed that his presence in the Treasury -Department was indispensable to the salvation of the government. -Governor Todd, of Ohio, was nominated as his successor, but declined, -and the President then sent to the Senate the nomination of William -Pitt Fessenden, a Senator from Maine and chairman of the Committee on -Finance, entirely without that gentleman's knowledge. - -After the President's secretary had left for the Capitol with the -nomination, Mr. Fessenden appeared at the White House and, after -preliminary conversation, suggested the appointment of Hugh McCulloch, -who had served with great ability since the beginning of the war as -Comptroller of the Currency. Lincoln listened to his eulogy of Mr. -McCulloch with a gentle smile, and then informed him that he had already -sent his own name to the Senate. Mr. Fessenden protested and declared -that he would decline. - -"If you decline," replied the President, "you must do it in open day, -for I cannot recall the nomination." - -The significance and appropriateness of Mr. Fessenden's nomination -to succeed Mr. Chase was immediately recognized as a _coup d'etat_ -on the part of the President, and the former could not decline the -responsibility. He served for only a few months, however, and was -succeeded by Hugh McCulloch. - -Mr. Chase could not suppress his sense of injury or cease talking -about it. After he left the Cabinet, his criticisms of the President -personally and the administration of the government became more frequent -and bold than ever; but as soon as the death of Chief-Justice Taney of -the Supreme Court was announced, he immediately claimed the vacancy. -Notwithstanding all that had occurred, he was willing to forgive and -forget, provided the President would make him Chief-Justice. Samuel -Bowles, editor of the _Springfield Republican_, writes on December 4, -1864, two months after Taney's death, "Chase is going around peddling -his grief in private ears and sowing dissatisfaction about Lincoln. -Oh, how little great men can be!" The President at once made up his -mind to appoint Mr. Chase, but would not announce his intention until -he had heard the views of every Republican of importance. In the mean -time Mr. Chase was appealing to his friends for support and endorsement -and prophesying disasters for the government unless his appointment was -made. One day Mr. Nicolay brought the President a letter from Mr. Chase. - -"What is it about?" inquired Lincoln. - -"Simply a kind and friendly letter." - -"File it with the other recommendations," was the laconic reply. - -On December 6, when the Senate met, Mr. Chase's nomination appeared -among others. It was written out in Lincoln's own hand instead of upon -a printed blank, as was customary. The nomination was confirmed without -reference to a committee, and the same evening Mr. Chase wrote the -President a very grateful acknowledgment. "Be assured," he said, "that -I apprize your confidence and good-will more than any nomination to -office." - -Lincoln afterwards told Mr. Boutwell that he never had any intention -of refusing the office to Mr. Chase. "There were three reasons why he -should be appointed and one reason why he should not be," said the -President. "In the first place, he occupies a larger space in the public -mind with reference to the office than any other person. Then we want -a man who will sustain the Legal Tender Act and the Proclamation of -Emancipation. We cannot ask a candidate what he would do, and if we did -and he should answer we should only despise him for it. But Chase wants -to be President, and if he does not give that up it will be a great -injury to him and a great injury to me. He can never be President." - -Among the most urgent friends of Mr. Chase were Senator Sumner and -Representative Alley, of Massachusetts, who went to Washington to plead -with the President in his behalf. - -"We found, to our dismay," said Mr. Alley, "that the President had -heard of the bitter criticisms of Mr. Chase upon himself and his -administration. Mr. Lincoln urged many of Mr. Chase's defects, to -discover, as we afterwards learned, how his objection could be answered. -We were both discouraged and made up our minds that the President did -not mean to appoint Mr. Chase. It really seemed too much to expect of -poor human nature. But early one morning in the following December I -went to the White House, found the President in his library, and was -cordially received. As I entered he made to me this declaration: - -"'I have something to tell you that will make you happy. I have just -sent Mr. Chase word that he is to be appointed Chief-Justice, and you -are the first man I have told of it.' - -"I said, 'Mr. President, this is an exhibition of magnanimity and -patriotism that could hardly be expected of any one. After what he has -said against your administration, which has undoubtedly been reported -to you, it was hardly to be expected that you would bestow the most -important office within your gift on such a man.' - -"His quaint reply was, 'Although I may have appeared to you and to Mr. -Sumner to have been opposed to Chase's appointment, there never has been -a moment since the breath left old Taney's body that I did not conceive -it to be the best thing to do to appoint Mr. Chase to that high office; -and to have done otherwise I should have been recreant to my convictions -of duty to the Republican party and to the country.' - -"I repeated again my sense of his magnanimity and his patriotism in -making the appointment. - -"He replied, 'As to his talk about me, I do not mind that. Chase is, on -the whole, a pretty good fellow and a very able man. His only trouble is -that he has "the White House fever" a little too bad, but I hope this -may cure him and that he will be satisfied.'" - -One would suppose, after this exhibition of magnanimity on the part -of the President, that he would escape the criticism of Mr. Chase at -least, but the latter still considered himself the inspired critic -of the administration and sought the Democratic nomination for the -Presidency. Nor was this all. His decisions upon the bench were in -direct contradiction to the positions he had taken as a member of the -Cabinet. He had criticised the President for his weakness in refusing to -attack the doctrine of State rights, yet, on the first opportunity, he -appeared as the judicial champion and defender of that doctrine; from -his place on the bench he declared unconstitutional the Legal Tender Act -which he had himself assisted in preparing and whose passage through the -House of Representatives had been secured by his personal influence. -While he was Secretary of the Treasury he sustained and encouraged Mr. -Stanton in the exercise of the "war power" more earnestly and took more -radical grounds than any other member of the Cabinet, yet when those -very transactions came before the Supreme Court he denounced them as -illegal and unjustified. The only explanation, the only apology that -could be made by the friends of Mr. Chase was that his mind was soured -by disappointment. He was a man of unbounded ambition, he had been -working all his life to become President, he was convinced of his own -great talents, and could not reconcile himself to disappointment. - -President Lincoln's character and methods are nowhere better illustrated -than in the story of his relations with Edwin M. Stanton, his -great Secretary of War, a man of intense personality, of arbitrary -disposition, impetuous in action, impatient under restraint, and -intolerant of opposition. Combined with these qualities Mr. Stanton had -great learning, unselfish patriotism, and conscientious convictions -of duty. He was a native of Ohio, a graduate of Kenyon College, and -when still young in years attained a high rank in the practice of his -profession of the law, making his head-quarters first at Pittsburgh and -in 1856 at Washington. He was born and bred in Democratic principles, -but had a profound hatred of slavery, and during the administration of -President Buchanan was pronounced in his opposition to the disunion -schemes of the Southern politicians. - -Shortly after the election in 1860, when the situation at Washington -was becoming critical, President Buchanan sought his advice, and Mr. -Stanton prepared an argument to prove that a State could be coerced into -remaining in the Union. A few weeks later Mr. Buchanan called him into -his Cabinet as Attorney-General, and he immediately joined with the -loyal members of the Cabinet and the Republican leaders in Congress in -vigorous efforts to save the Union. But after Lincoln was inaugurated -Mr. Stanton became the most scornful and unsparing critic of the new -administration. He called the President an imbecile, charged Cameron -with corruption, and declared that the administration was treating -the treasure of the nation as booty to be divided among thieves. He -predicted disaster in every direction; he declared that in less than -thirty days Jefferson Davis would be in possession of Washington, and -used the most intemperate and unjust language that his lips could frame -in his comments upon the character and the conduct of the President and -his advisers. Therefore, when he was invited to succeed Mr. Cameron, -the chief object of his detestation and attack, he was placed in a -peculiar situation, but was broad-minded enough to appreciate Lincoln's -magnanimity, and accepted the war portfolio as the highest duty that -could be assigned to a citizen. He wrote ex-President Buchanan, "My -accession to my present position was quite as sudden and unexpected -as the confidence you bestowed upon me in calling me to your Cabinet. -And the responsible trust was accepted in both instances from the same -motives and will be executed with the same fidelity to the Constitution -and the laws." In another letter he wrote, "I knew that everything that -I cherish and hold dear would be sacrificed by accepting office, but I -thought I might help to save the country, and for that I was willing to -perish." - -When some one objected to Stanton's appointment on account of his -ungovernable temper, and stated that he was in the habit of jumping up -and down when he lost his patience, Lincoln replied,-- - -"Well, if he gets to jumping too much, we will treat him as they used to -treat a minister I knew out West. He would get so excited and wrought up -at revival meetings that they had to put bricks in his pockets to keep -him down. But I guess we will let Stanton jump a while first." - -Lincoln and his new Secretary of War had met before, and the President -had no reason to be friendly towards him. The story is told in the -chapter relating to Lincoln's legal career. But the President was -willing to submerge his personal feelings in his patriotism in order to -secure the support and assistance of a man for whose ability, energy, -and patriotism he had the highest respect. He selected Mr. Stanton for -the same reason that he retained McClellan in command and postponed the -Emancipation Proclamation. He was not thinking of himself, but of his -country. He was not seeking a friend or an agreeable companion, but -a man of executive ability, iron will, stern integrity, and physical -endurance to relieve him from what was becoming an unendurable burden; -for, up to this time, he had borne almost alone the responsibility -for military movements in the field as well as the organization and -equipment of the army. Months before he had foreseen that Mr. Cameron -must soon leave the Cabinet, and had been on the lookout for a suitable -Secretary of War. With the silent sagacity and foresight that were -among his most remarkable characteristics, he had searched the list of -public men, and, finding no one available among his friends, had gone -over into the ranks of his opponents and had chosen perhaps the most -unfriendly and vigorous critic of his administration. He had learned -of Mr. Stanton's tremendous energy and keen perceptions and recognized -at once how useful those traits would be in the War Department; while -his fearless candor, his indifference to criticism, and the public -confidence in his integrity were qualities equally valuable under the -circumstances. - -Within a few weeks he was satisfied of the accuracy of his judgment -in making the selection, and their daily intercourse brought the two -men into relations which could not have existed between men of weaker -character. Unlike Mr. Chase, his colleague of the Treasury Department, -Mr. Stanton had the highest admiration for Lincoln's ability and -judgment, and his imperious will and stubborn convictions would not have -yielded to any one else. On the other hand, no one appreciated so much -as Lincoln the genuine worth, the deep sincerity, and the rare ability -to organize and execute that existed in his new Secretary of War. There -were continual differences of opinion between them. Men of strong -character seldom think alike, and with his peculiar temperament and -impulsive disposition Mr. Stanton could not have served under a chief -less amiable and considerate than Lincoln. - -There is no doubt that the President's patience was often sorely tried, -but the same spirit that governed him when he invited Mr. Stanton into -the Cabinet continued to recognize the necessity of toleration and -forbearance. While he usually yielded to his War Secretary in details, -in matters of supreme importance he invariably insisted upon following -his own judgment, and with a gentle but unyielding firmness compelled -Mr. Stanton to submit to his will. For example, Mr. Stanton refused to -carry out an order of the President concerning the enlistment of rebel -prisoners of war who wished to enter the service of the Union, and -when the order was repeated, refused a second time. General Fry, the -Provost-Marshal-General, who was present at the interview, describes the -incident as follows: - -"'Now, Mr. President, those are the facts, and you must see that your -order cannot be executed,' exclaimed Stanton. - -"Lincoln sat upon a sofa with his legs crossed, and did not say a word -until the Secretary's last remark. Then he said, in a somewhat positive -tone, 'Mr. Secretary, I reckon you'll have to execute the order.' - -"Stanton replied with asperity, 'Mr. President, I cannot do it.' - -"Lincoln fixed his eyes upon Stanton, and in a firm voice, and with an -accent that clearly showed his determination, he said, 'Mr. Secretary, -it will have to be done.' - -"Stanton realized that he was overmatched. He had made a square issue -with the President and had been defeated, notwithstanding the fact that -he was in the right. Upon an intimation from him I withdrew and did -not witness his surrender. A few minutes after I reached my office I -received instructions from the Secretary to carry out the President's -order." - -The President "always liked to get something on Stanton," as he used to -say. Judge Shellabarger, of Ohio, relates this incident: - -"A young man in the army, Ben Tappan, wanted a transfer from the -volunteer service to the regular army, retaining his rank of Lieutenant -and with staff duty. There was some regulation against such transfer; -but Tappan's step-father, Frank Wright, thought it could be done. He -had been to Secretary Stanton, who was an uncle of Tappan by marriage, -and, on account of this so-called relationship, the Secretary declined -to act in the matter. Wright and I therefore went up to the White House -to see the President about it. After talking it over, Mr. Lincoln told -a story, the application of which was that the army was getting to be -all staff and no army, there was such a rush for staff duty by young -officers. However, he looked over Lieutenant Tappan's paper, heard -what Secretary Stanton had told us about his delicacy in transferring -Lieutenant Tappan against the regulation because of his relationship by -marriage. Then Mr. Lincoln wrote across the application something like -the following endorsement: - - "'Lieutenant Tappan, of ---- Regiment Volunteers, desires - transfer to ---- Regiment, Regular service, and assigned - to staff duty with present rank. If the only objection is - Lieutenant Tappan's relationship to the Secretary of War, that - objection is overruled. - - "'A. LINCOLN.' - -"Of course this threw the responsibility of breaking the regulation on -Secretary Stanton. We never heard anything more about the transfer." - -General Fry says, "A story has long been current that Lincoln sent -an application for office with a note to the Secretary of War, -directing that a letter of appointment be prepared for the man to the -office he sought; that the applicant returned to the President and -announced that Stanton refused to obey the order; that the President -looked disappointed, but merely expressed his regret at the result, -and remarked that he had not much influence with the administration. -The anecdote has generally been interpreted as meaning that Lincoln -could not control Stanton. The inference is erroneous. Lincoln, so -far as I could discover, was in every respect the actual head of the -administration, and whenever he chose to do so he controlled Stanton as -well as all the other Cabinet ministers." - -Ex-Representative John A. Kasson, of Iowa, says, "Numerous officers in -the field had written me to have Colonel ----, of ---- Iowa Regiment, -promoted to be a brigadier-general. The colonel deserved the promotion, -but it was difficult to obtain. At last there came an Iowa resignation, -and I went to the President, who signed an order to the Secretary of -War to let Colonel ---- have the commission in place of the resigning -brigadier. Mr. Stanton was seated on a sofa talking with a friend. I -told him my errand, and handed him the President's order. He glanced at -it, and said, in an angry tone,-- - -"'I shan't do it, sir; I shan't do it!' and passed the paper up to his -clerk. - -"Utterly amazed at these words, and indignant at his tone, I inquired -why he refused to obey the President's order. - -"'It isn't the way to do it, sir, and I shan't do it.' - -"I was going on to speak of the merits of the officer and of the -proceeding, my wrath rising, when he cut me off with,-- - -"'I don't propose to argue the question with you, sir; I shan't do it.' - -"Utterly indignant, I turned to the clerk and asked to withdraw the -paper. - -"'Don't you let him have it, sir,' said Stanton; 'don't let him have it.' - -"The clerk, whose hands were trembling like an Eastern slave before his -pasha, withdrew the document which he was in the act of giving to me. I -felt my indignation getting too strong for me, and, putting on my hat -and turning my back to the Secretary, I slowly went to the door, with -set teeth, saying to myself, 'As you will not hear me in your own forum, -you shall hear from me in mine.' - -"A few days later, after recovering my coolness, I reported the affair -to the President. A look of vexation came over his face. Then he gave me -a positive order for the promotion of the colonel to be a brigadier, and -told me to take it over to the War Department. I replied that I could -not speak again with Mr. Stanton till he apologized for his insulting -manner to me on the previous occasion. - -"'Oh,' said the President, 'Stanton has gone to Fortress Monroe and -Dana is acting. He will attend to it for you.'" - -[Illustration: EDWIN M. STANTON, SECRETARY OF WAR - -From a photograph by Brady] - -Judge Usher, Lincoln's Secretary of the Interior, says, "Chief among his -great characteristics were his gentleness and humanity, and yet he did -not hesitate promptly to approve the sentences of Kennedy and Beall. -During the entire war there are but few other evidences to be found of a -willingness on his part that any one should suffer the penalty of death. -His great effort seemed to be to find some excuse, some palliation for -offences charged. He strove at all times to relieve the citizens on both -sides of the inconveniences and hardships resulting from the war. It has -often been reported that Secretary of War Stanton arbitrarily refused to -carry out his orders. In all such cases reported it will be found that -the President had given directions to him to issue permits to persons -who had applied to go through the lines into the insurgent districts. -The President said at one time, referring to Stanton's refusal to -issue the permits and the severe remarks made by the persons who were -disobliged,-- - -"'I cannot always know whether a permit ought to be granted, and I want -to oblige everybody when I can, and Stanton and I have an understanding -that if I send an order to him that cannot be consistently granted, he -is to refuse it, which he sometimes does; and that led to a remark which -I made the other day to a man who complained of Stanton, that I hadn't -much influence with this administration, but expected to have more with -the next.'" - -Mr. George W. Julian, a Representative in Congress, said, "I called on -the President respecting the appointments I had recommended under the -conscription law, and took occasion to refer to the failure of General -Fremont to get a command. He said he did not know where to place him, -and that it reminded him of the old man who advised his son to take a -wife, to which the young man responded, 'Whose wife shall I take?' - -"At another time," said Mr. Julian, "a committee of Western men, headed -by Mr. Lovejoy, procured from the President an important order looking -to the exchange of Eastern and Western soldiers, with a view to more -effective work. Repairing to the office of the Secretary, Mr. Lovejoy -explained the scheme, as he had done before the President, but was met -by a flat refusal. - -"'But we have the President's order, sir,' said Lovejoy. - -"'Did Lincoln give you an order of that kind?' said Stanton. - -"'He did, sir.' - -"'Then he is a d--d fool,' said the irate Secretary. - -"'Do you mean to say the President is a d--d fool?' asked Lovejoy in -amazement. - -"'Yes, sir, if he gave you such an order as that.' - -"The bewildered Congressman from Illinois betook himself at once to the -President and related the result of his conference. - -"'Did Stanton say I was a d--d fool?' asked Lincoln, at the close of the -recital. - -"'He did, sir, and repeated it.' - -"After a moment's pause, and looking up, the President said,-- - -"'If Stanton said I was a d--d fool, then I must be one, for he is -nearly always right, and generally says what he means. I will step over -and see him.'" - -Mr. Stanton was entirely without a sense of humor, and was the only -member of the Cabinet who could not tolerate and could never understand -Lincoln's stories and the reasons for his frequent resort to comic -anecdotes and books of humor to relieve his mind from anxiety and the -terrible strain that was always upon him. He never told a story himself, -and would not waste his time listening to stories from others. With -his unsympathetic disposition and nerveless constitution he could not -understand the need of relaxation, and his serious mind regarded with -disapproval and even contempt the simple remedies which the President -applied as relief to his anxieties and care. Charles A. Dana, who was -Mr. Stanton's assistant in the War Department, referring to this fact in -his reminiscences, says,-- - -"The political struggle (November, 1864) had been most intense, and the -interest taken in it, both in the White House and in the War Department, -had been almost painful. I went over to the War Department about -half-past eight in the evening and found the President and Mr. Stanton -together in the Secretary's office. General Eckert, who then had charge -of the telegraph department of the War Office, was coming in continually -with telegrams containing election returns. Mr. Stanton would read them -and the President would look at them and comment upon them. Presently -there came a lull in the returns, and Mr. Lincoln called me up to a -place by his side. - -"'Dana,' said he, 'have you ever read any of the writings of Petroleum -V. Nasby?' - -"'No, sir,' I said. 'I have only looked at some of them, and they seemed -to me quite funny.' - -"'Well,' said he, 'let me read you a specimen,' and, pulling out a thin -yellow-covered pamphlet from his breast-pocket, he began to read aloud. -Mr. Stanton viewed this proceeding with great impatience, as I could -see, but Mr. Lincoln paid no attention to that. He would read a page or -a story, pause to con a new election telegram, and then open the book -again and go ahead with a new passage. Finally Mr. Chase came in and -presently Mr. Whitelaw Reid, and then the reading was interrupted. Mr. -Stanton went to the door and beckoned me into the next room. I shall -never forget the fire of his indignation at what seemed to him to be -mere nonsense. The idea that when the safety of the republic was thus -at issue, when the control of an empire was to be determined by a few -figures brought in by the telegraph, the leader, the man most deeply -concerned, not merely for himself but for his country, could turn aside -to read such balderdash and to laugh at such frivolous jests, was to his -mind something most repugnant and damnable. He could not understand, -apparently, that it was by the relief which these jests afforded to the -strain of mind under which Lincoln had so long been living and to the -natural gloom of a melancholy and desponding temperament--this was Mr. -Lincoln's prevailing characteristic--that the safety and sanity of his -intelligence were maintained and preserved." - - - - -VI - -A COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF AND HIS GENERALS - - -When President Lincoln, confronted by the infirmities and incapacity -of General Scott and the jealousy and rivalry of the younger officers -of the army, was compelled to assume the direction of the conduct of -the war, he was entirely ignorant of military affairs, except for the -experience he had gained in his youth during the Black Hawk War, which, -however, was more of a frontier frolic than a serious campaign. His own -account of it is found in the autobiography he furnished to the press -after his nomination to the Presidency: - -"Abraham joined a volunteer company, and to his own surprise was elected -captain of it. He says he has not since had any success in life which -gave him so much satisfaction. He went into the campaign, served nearly -three months, met the ordinary hardships of such an expedition, but was -in no battle." - -We know from others that Lincoln was one of the first to enlist, and -that it was something besides ambition which led him to seek the -captaincy of his company. During his first year in Illinois he worked -for a time in a saw-mill run by a man named Kirkpatrick, who promised -to buy him a cant-hook with which to move heavy logs. Lincoln offered -to move the logs with his own common handspike, provided Kirkpatrick -would give him in cash the two dollars which a cant-hook would cost. -Kirkpatrick agreed to do so, but never did, and Lincoln always bore him -a grudge. When the volunteers from Sangamon County assembled on the -green to elect their officers, Lincoln discovered that Kirkpatrick was -the only candidate for captain, and remarked to his friend and neighbor, -Green,-- - -"Bill, I believe I can make Kirkpatrick pay me that two dollars he owes -me on the cant-hook or I'll run against him for captain." - -So he and Green began immediately to "hustle" for votes, and when the -order was given for the men to assemble at the side of their favorite -candidate for captain, three-fourths of them came to Lincoln, and he led -them over the prairies and through the wilderness to the rendezvous. He -had no knowledge of military tactics and did not even know the order -to give. He used to describe his blunders with great amusement, and -one that he enjoyed particularly was a device to get his men through -a gate-way into an enclosure. They were marching across a field four -abreast, and Lincoln could not remember the proper command for changing -them into single file, "or getting the company through the gate -endwise," as he described it. "So, as we came near the gate, I shouted, -'The company is dismissed for two minutes, when it will fall in again on -the other side of the gate.'" - -This ingenuity did not save him from disgrace on other occasions, and -once he was severely punished by being deprived of his sword on account -of a violation of discipline. But these punishments did not seem to -diminish the respect in which he was held by his company. They were -proud of his wit, his strength, and his learning, and throughout their -lives they remained devotedly attached to him because of his personal -qualities. One day an Indian fugitive took refuge in the camp, and the -soldier frontiersmen, with more or less experience of the treachery and -cruelty of the savage, saw no reason why they should not put him out -of the way at once, especially as they had come out to kill Indians; -but Lincoln's humanity and sense of justice revolted at the murder of a -helpless savage, and, at the risk of his life, he defied the entire camp -and saved the Indian. - -At the end of their term of service his company was mustered out, and -most of the volunteers, seeing no prospect of glory or profit, started -towards home; but Captain Lincoln re-enlisted the same day as a private, -and often spoke of the satisfaction he felt when relieved of the -responsibility of command. He served through the campaign. He was the -strongest man in the army and the best wrestler, with the exception of a -man named Thompson, who once threw him on the turf. - -Black Hawk was captured through the treachery of his allies. Lincoln's -battalion was mustered out at Whitewater, Wisconsin, by Lieutenant -Robert Anderson, who, twenty-nine years later, was to stand with him -as the most interesting figure upon the national stage. A story that -Lincoln was mustered into the service by Jefferson Davis has been widely -published. It was a natural mistake, however, because Davis, then a -lieutenant in the army, was stationed at a fort near Rock Island, but -during the summer of the Black Hawk War he was on leave of absence -and did not join his regiment until long after the Sangamon County -volunteers had returned to their homes. However, Lincoln was to see and -meet several interesting characters, including Colonel Zachary Taylor, -whom he afterwards supported for President, General Winfield Scott, -another Whig candidate for the Presidency and the commander of the -army at the beginning of his administration, Lieutenant Albert Sidney -Johnston, afterwards a Confederate general, and others of fame. - -Lincoln never permitted any one to call him "captain," and when in -Congress in 1848 he made a political speech in which he ridiculed -the efforts of the friends of General Cass to obtain some political -advantage from that eminent gentleman's services in a similar capacity. -He said,-- - -"If General Cass went in advance of me picking whortleberries, I guess -I surpassed him in charges on the wild onions. If he saw any live, -fighting Indians, it was more than I did, but I had a good many bloody -struggles with the mosquitoes; and although I never fainted from loss -of blood, I can truly say I was often very hungry. If ever I should -conclude to doff whatever our Democratic friends may suppose there is -of black-cockade Federalism about me, and thereupon they shall take me -up as their candidate for the Presidency, I protest that they shall not -make fun of me, as they have of General Cass, by attempting to write me -into a military hero." - -When compelled to supervise the enlisting and equipment of a great army -and plan campaigns that were to determine the destiny and the happiness -and prosperity of the people, he was entirely without preparation or -technical knowledge of the science of war, and could only rely upon his -common sense and apply to military affairs the experience he had gained -in politics. His talent developed rapidly, however, until he became -recognized as the ablest strategist of the war, not excepting Grant or -Sherman. His correspondence with his generals, his memoranda concerning -the movements of troops, his instructions to the Secretary of War, the -plans he suggested, and the comments and criticisms he made upon those -of others indicate the possession of a military genius which in actual -service would have given him a high reputation. In times of crisis his -generals found him calm and resourceful; in great emergencies he was -prompt, cool, and clear-sighted; and under the shock of defeat he was -brave, strong, and hopeful. - -Soon after his inauguration he began to realize the magnitude of -the struggle and the responsibilities which rested upon him. He was -convinced that the government was in the right, but determined that -there should be no mistake on this point; therefore he gave the South -every liberty and indulgence that could possibly be granted. He -determined that the "overt act" should be committed by the South, that -there should be no excuse to accuse the government of "invasion" or an -attempt at "subjugation," and for that reason he delayed the attempt -to reinforce and provision Fort Sumter. When the public understood the -moral issues involved he gave the order, because he knew that he would -be supported by a united North. In his inaugural address he said, "In -your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the -momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You -can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors." And that -solemn pledge he endeavored to fulfil even at the risk of Northern -criticism and the loss of the military posts at Charleston and other -points in the South. - -It was a disheartening and almost impossible situation for the new -administration. President Lincoln and General Scott were left almost -entirely dependent upon strangers and men of no experience who had -been appointed for political reasons rather than for capacity or -knowledge. Nearly all the trained officers of the army resigned as -fast as their native States seceded; officers of Northern birth and -sympathies had been sent to distant posts so that they could not -interfere with the treasonable designs of Secretary Floyd during the -Buchanan administration. Confusion, corruption, and complications were -unavoidable, and caused the President unutterable anxiety and distress. -Ignorance and zeal often provoked more trouble than could be corrected, -and jealousy, rivalry, and partisanship made matters worse. - -The political problems alone would have been as great a load as mortal -man might have been expected to carry, but his perplexities were -increased, his time occupied, and his patience sorely tested by such -an undignified and unpatriotic clamor for offices as has never been -exceeded in the history of our government. The Democratic party had -been in power for many years. Every position in the gift of President -Buchanan had been filled with a Democrat, many of them Southern -sympathizers, and now hordes of hungry Republicans besieged the White -House demanding appointments. The situation was described by the -President in a single ejaculation. A Senator who noticed an expression -of anxiety and dejection upon his face, inquired,-- - -"Has anything gone wrong, Mr. President? Have you heard bad news from -Fort Sumter?" - -"No," answered the President, solemnly. "It's the post-office at -Jonesville, Missouri." - -The area of the country was vast; the seat of war stretched from the -Atlantic to the Missouri River, with a strip of States undecided -in their purpose which must be carefully handled to prevent them -from joining the Confederacy. With inexperienced and incompetent -commanders, a divided Cabinet, public clamor dinning in his ears, and -his mind harassed by other cares and perplexities, it was difficult to -develop a military policy and plan a campaign for the suppression of -the rebellion. Even if the situation had been divested of political -significance, it would have taxed the genius of a Napoleon. The coast -line to be protected was more than three thousand six hundred miles -long, the frontier line was nearly eight thousand miles, and the -field of operation covered an area larger than the whole of Europe. -Furthermore, it was a political war, and everything must be planned -with a view to political consequences. It was not a struggle between -rival powers, nor for conquest, but for the preservation of the Union, -and from the beginning President Lincoln appreciated that the common -interests and the general welfare required that the integrity of the -country be preserved with as little loss and as little punishment as -possible to either side. Whatever damage was done must be repaired at -the end by a reunited country; whatever was destroyed was a common loss. -The war was a family affair, in which the sufferings and sorrows and -material losses must be equally shared. With all these considerations -in his mind, he undertook to guide the government in such a way as to -prevent the dissolution of the Union and at the same time accomplish -the overthrow of the slave power and the removal of that curse from the -American people. - -General Scott, like General Sherman, had accurately measured the -requirements of the situation. Their experience and military instincts -taught them that it was to be a long and a tedious struggle, and they -urged deliberation and preparation as absolutely necessary to success. -But, when General Sherman's opinion was made public, he was called a -lunatic, and General Scott's practical plan of military operations -was defeated by public ridicule. General Sherman demanded two hundred -thousand men before attempting a campaign in the Mississippi Valley. -General Scott called for only one hundred thousand men, but said they -would be required for three years, and advised that they be distributed -among ten or fifteen healthy camps for four months until they could be -organized, drilled, and acclimated; then, after the navy had blockaded -the harbors of the Southern coast, he proposed to move his army down -both banks of the Mississippi River, establishing strong posts at -frequent intervals to protect that stream until New Orleans was captured -and occupied; he then proposed to move his army gradually eastward from -the Mississippi and southward from the Potomac, slowly closing in upon -the Confederacy until its military power was paralyzed. Notwithstanding -the sorrows and anxieties of the North, the people howled with derision -at this thorough, practical plan of the old veteran. The comic papers -took it up and published cartoons representing a monster serpent with -General Scott's head, coiled around the cotton States, and they called -it "Scott's Anaconda." In the same breath they demanded a battle. "On to -Richmond," they cried, and President Lincoln yielded to the clamor. The -battle of Bull Run was fought, with its disastrous consequences. The -lesson was valuable, as it taught the President that public opinion was -not a safe guide to follow in military operations. - -It must be remembered that in the midst of the most appalling situation -in American history Lincoln stood practically alone because of a divided -Cabinet and the age and infirmities of General Scott, then seventy-five -years old, quite feeble in body and irritable of temper. The President -had great respect for him and confidence in his patriotism and military -judgment. He had supported Scott for President in 1852, had been in -correspondence with him before the inauguration, and had encouraged him -in his futile efforts to check the treasonable transactions of Secretary -Floyd and other conspirators; but he soon discovered that the venerable -warrior was in no condition to perform labor or assume responsibility. -Yet he was reluctant to do anything to wound his pride or reflect upon -his present ability. This increased the embarrassment and difficulties -of the situation. General Scott recognized and appreciated Lincoln's -consideration, but refused to resign or retire until finally driven from -his post by McClellan. - -At the White House, shortly after the battle of Bull Run, the old -veteran, after listening to criticisms directed at the President for -permitting the Union army to suffer defeat, broke out in his wrath,-- - -"Sir, I am the greatest coward in America. I will prove it. I fought -this battle, sir, against my judgment; I think the President of the -United States ought to remove me to-day for doing it. As God is my -judge, after my superiors had determined to fight it, I did all in my -power to make the army efficient. I deserve removal because I did not -stand up when my army was not in a condition for fighting and resist to -the last." - -"Your conversation seems to imply that I forced you to fight this -battle," suggested the President. - -"I have never served a President who has been kinder to me than you -have been," replied the general, avoiding the question. - -The battle of Bull Run was fought to gratify the politicians. It was -the only time the President yielded to public clamor, and he always -regretted it. It was a political movement. When he assembled a council -of war five days previous, the commanders declared that they had force -enough to overcome the enemy; but General Scott was positive that such -a victory could not be decisive, and advised a postponement of active -hostilities for a few months until the army could be placed in a better -condition. The Cabinet and the military committees of Congress feared -that public sentiment in the North would not consent to the delay, and -that the Confederate leaders would make such good use of it that the -results of an offensive movement would be more doubtful then than now, -hence an order for the advance was given. The President did not rebuke -General Scott for his indignant outbreak, because he felt that his words -were true. - -The President suffered great anxiety during that eventful Sunday, but -exhibited his usual self-control, and attended church with Mrs. Lincoln. -After his noon dinner he walked over to the head-quarters of the army, -where he found General Scott taking a nap, and woke him up to ask his -opinion. The old gentleman was not only hopeful but confident, for one -of his aides had arrived with a report that General McDowell was driving -everything before him. The President's mind was relieved and about four -o'clock he went out to drive. At six o'clock Secretary Seward staggered -over the threshold of the White House and nervously asked for the -President. When told that he was driving, he whispered to the private -secretary,-- - -"Tell no one, but the battle is lost; McDowell is in full retreat, and -calls on General Scott to save the capital." - -When the President drove up to the portico a few minutes later he -listened in silence to the message, but his head hung low as he crossed -the White House grounds to head-quarters. There the disaster was -confirmed, and he conferred long and anxiously with General Scott and -Secretary Cameron as to the next duty. Towards midnight he returned to -the White House and heard the accounts of members of Congress and others -who had gone out to witness the battle. His long frame lay listlessly -upon a couch, but his mind was active, his calmness and resolution had -not been disturbed, and before he slept that night he had planned the -reorganization of the army, and from that time undertook the direction -of military as well as civil and diplomatic affairs; consulting freely -with Senators and Representatives and officers of the army as he did -with his constitutional advisers, but relying upon his own judgment more -and more. - -A gleam of hope arose in his mind that he might be relieved of much -detail by George B. McClellan, a brilliant young officer, who had been -called to Washington and appointed a major-general. - -McClellan was a graduate of West Point, had served with distinction in -the Mexican War, had been a member of a military commission to inspect -the armies of Europe, had observed the conduct of the Crimean War, had -been engaged in various scientific and diplomatic duties, had resigned -from the army to become Chief Engineer of the Illinois Central Railroad -when only thirty-one years old, was elected its Vice-President at -thirty-two, and made President of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad -when he was thirty-four. He had made a brief but dashing campaign -in West Virginia, and was credited with saving that State to the -Union. His brilliant professional attainments, the executive ability -he had displayed in railway management, combined with attractive -personal qualities and influential social connections, made him the -most conspicuous officer in the Union army and naturally excited -the confidence of the President, who gave him a cordial welcome and -intrusted him with the most responsible duties, making him second only -to General Scott in command. - -Unfortunately, however, the honors which were showered upon McClellan -turned his head, and the young commander not only failed to comprehend -the situation and his relations to the President and General Scott, but -very soon developed signs of vanity and insubordination which caused -the President great concern. He saw himself followed and flattered by -statesmen, politicians, and soldiers of twice his age and experience. -The members of the Cabinet and even the President himself came to his -residence to ask his advice, and the venerable hero of the Mexican -War deferred to his judgment and accepted his suggestions without -hesitation. McClellan was the idol of the army and a magnet that -attracted all the interest, influence, and ambition that were centred at -Washington at that period of the war. His state of mind and weakness of -character were exhibited in letters he wrote to his family at this time, -which, by a lamentable error of judgment, were afterwards printed in his -biography. - -On July 27 he wrote his wife, "I find myself in a new and strange -position here, President, Cabinet, General Scott and all deferring to -me. By some strange operation of magic I seem to have become the power -of the land." - -A little later he wrote, "They give me my way in everything, full swing -and unbounded confidence. Who would have thought when we were married -that I should so soon be called upon to save my country?" Ten days after -his appointment he declared, "I would cheerfully take the dictatorship -and agree to lay down my life when the country is saved." - -Very soon, however, the tone of his letters began to change. The -President, General Scott, and the Cabinet had evidently begun to detect -his weakness and egotism and no longer accepted his own estimate of his -ability and importance. To the President's profound disappointment, he -realized within a few days that McClellan was not a staff that could -be leaned upon, while General Scott's admiration and confidence in his -young lieutenant were shaken at their first interview. - -With the air of an emperor McClellan began to issue extraordinary -demands upon the President, the War Department, and the Treasury. It -soon became apparent that he desired and expected to be placed in -command of the greatest army of history; that he intended to organize -and equip it according to the most advanced scientific theories; and -when the President, the Secretary of War, and General Scott objected -to the magnitude of his plans, pointed out their impracticability, -and urged him to do something to check the alarming movements of the -Confederates, he was seized with a delusion which remained with him to -the end, that they were endeavoring to thwart and embarrass him. The -tone of his letters to his wife was radically changed. - -"I am here in a terrible place," he said; "the enemy have from three to -four times my force; the President and the old General will not see the -true state of affairs." - -"I am weary of all this," he said a week later, "and disgusted with this -administration,--perfectly sick of it;" and he declared that he remained -at the head of affairs only because he had become convinced that he -was alone the salvation of the country. He expressed especial contempt -for the President, and said, "There are some of the greatest geese in -the Cabinet I have ever seen,--enough to tax the patience of Job." The -incompetence and stupidity of the President, he wrote, was "sickening in -the extreme, and makes me feel heavy at heart when I see the weakness -and unfitness of the poor beings who control the destinies of this -country." - -He wrote other friends that his wisdom alone must save the country, that -he spent his time "trying to get the government to do its duty, and was -thwarted and deceived by these incapables at every turn." He demanded -that all recruits be sent to his army and that all supplies be issued -to him, as if the armies in the Mississippi Valley could take care of -themselves. He demanded that "the whole of the regular army, old and -new, be at once ordered to report here," and that the trained officers -be assigned to him. "It is the task of the Army of the Potomac to decide -the question at issue," he declared. When advice and suggestions were -offered him he rejected them contemptuously, and announced that whenever -orders were issued to him he exercised his own judgment as to obedience. - -General McClellan's vanity and presumption might have been overlooked -by General Scott, but his insulting remarks could not be excused. Their -relations reached an acute stage in August, 1861, notwithstanding the -President's efforts at reconciliation. Again and again he apologized -for and explained away the rudeness of the younger officer towards his -superior; and General Scott, realizing the President's embarrassment, -begged to be relieved from active command because of his age and -infirmities. Perhaps it would have been wiser if the wishes of the aged -general had been complied with, for he was now practically helpless, -fretful, and forgetful, and his sensitiveness made it necessary to -consult him upon every proposition and admit him to every conference. -Finally, McClellan's contemptuous indifference, persistent disrespect, -and continual disobedience provoked General Scott beyond endurance, and -on the last day of October he asked that his name be placed on the list -of army officers retired from active service. - -"For more than three years," he wrote, "I have been unable from a -hurt to mount a horse or to walk more than a few paces at a time and -that with much pain. Other and new infirmities, dropsy, and vertigo, -admonish me that repose of mind and body are necessary to add a little -more to a life already protracted much beyond the usual span of man." - -Lincoln, however, continued to consult him, and in June, 1862, made a -visit to West Point for the purpose of asking his advice upon certain -military movements then in contemplation. General Scott outlived him, -and was the most distinguished figure at the obsequies of the martyred -President at New York City in April, 1865. - -After General Scott's retirement McClellan assumed even greater -importance in his own eyes, and treated the President in the same -contemptuous manner; yet the latter's indulgence was inexhaustible, -and he would not even allow personal indignity to himself to interfere -with his relations with the commander of his army. He was accustomed -to visit army head-quarters and General McClellan's residence in the -most informal manner, entering both without notification of his coming, -and, if the general was not in, returning to the White House; but one -night in November, 1861, he called at General McClellan's residence on a -matter so important that he decided to await the latter's return from a -wedding. Although informed that the President had been waiting an hour, -McClellan went directly by the drawing-room upstairs, and when a servant -went to remind him that the President wished to see him, the general -sent down word that he was retiring and would like to be excused. -Lincoln did not mention the insult. No one could have detected any -difference in his treatment of General McClellan thereafter, except that -he never entered his house again, and after that date when he wanted -to see him sent for him to come to the Executive Mansion. On another -occasion when the young general treated him with similar arrogance, -Governor Dennison, of Ohio, and General Mitchell remonstrated, but the -President replied cheerfully,-- - -"Never mind; I will hold McClellan's horse if he will only bring us -success." - -But he did not bring success, and the public as well as both Houses -of Congress became very impatient about the idleness and delay of the -Army of the Potomac. McClellan's "All quiet on the Potomac" became a -slang phrase as notorious as General Butler's "contraband." Newspaper -artists and cartoonists made him the subject of ridicule, committees -of Senators and Representatives waited upon him, Legislatures passed -resolutions, but he was no more affected by those promptings than he had -been by the entreaties and admonitions of the President. When positive -orders were issued, McClellan refused to obey them, or obeyed them in -such a manner as to defeat their purpose. A committee of Congress was -appointed to make an investigation. The President began to lose his -patience, and declared that "if something were not done the bottom would -drop out of the whole affair. If McClellan did not want to use the army -he would like to borrow it, provided he could see how it could be made -to do something." McClellan replied that his forces were insufficient; -that he was outnumbered by the enemy. Finally, at a conference with the -Cabinet, Secretary Chase, who had been his most enthusiastic admirer, -but had lost all confidence in McClellan, asked the general point-blank -what he intended to do and when he intended to do it. McClellan refused -to answer the question unless the President ordered him to do so. The -latter, with his usual consideration, attempted to protect the general, -and in a conciliatory way asked whether he had resolved in his own mind -when he would be able to make a forward movement. McClellan replied in -the affirmative, but would give no further information. The President -urged him to do so, but he continued to refuse, whereupon the former -remarked,-- - -"Then I will adjourn the meeting." - -The President waited a few weeks longer, and, as nothing was done, -issued his famous Special War Order No. 1, in which he ordered the -celebration of Washington's birthday, 1862, by a general movement of all -the land and naval forces of the United States; but even then McClellan -reported that he would be obliged to fall back until he could construct -a railway. - -"What does this mean?" asked the President, when Secretary Stanton read -him the despatch. - -"It means that it is a damn fizzle!" exclaimed the Secretary of War. "It -means that he does not intend to do anything." - -The President then issued General War Order No. 2, reorganizing the Army -of the Potomac, and followed it with General War Order No. 3, which -directed a movement in ten days; but still McClellan blocked the way, -and continued to drill his troops, dig entrenchments, and write insolent -letters to the President and Secretary of War. - -"Had I twenty thousand or even ten thousand fresh troops to use -to-morrow I could take Richmond," he telegraphed Secretary Stanton. "If -I save this country now I tell you plainly that I owe no thanks to you -or any other person in Washington. You have done your best to sacrifice -this army." - -The Secretary's rage may be imagined, and he would have had McClellan -arrested and sent before a court-martial; but Lincoln's patience yet -prevailed, and he crossed the Potomac for a personal conference with -his insubordinate commander, urging him to make a forward movement. -The members of the Cabinet drew up an indignant protest demanding the -immediate removal of McClellan from command, but decided not to hand it -to the President. - -Finally, the Army of the Potomac was compelled to follow Lee northward, -and after the battle of Antietam the President telegraphed McClellan: -"Please do not let him [the enemy] get off without being hurt." -Two weeks later he again visited the camp, and, after reviewing and -inspecting the troops, remarked,-- - -"It is called the Army of the Potomac, but is only McClellan's -body-guard." - -President Lincoln's warmest defenders cannot excuse his procrastination -with McClellan upon any other ground than excessive caution. They -know that he acted against his own judgment; that he was convinced of -McClellan's unfitness within three months after he had placed him in -command, and that the conviction grew upon him daily, but his fear of -offending public opinion and wounding McClellan's vanity led him to -sacrifice the interests of the government and unnecessarily prolong the -war. The same criticism can be made of his treatment of other generals -intrusted with the command of the army. Of all his officers, no one ever -possessed the full confidence of the President except General Grant. - -While McClellan was in command Lincoln studied the military situation -with characteristic thoroughness and penetration, and drew up memoranda -in detail as to the movements of the army. He also gave his opinion as -to what the enemy would do under the circumstances. These memoranda were -rejected by McClellan in a contemptuous manner, but since they have -become public they have commanded the respect and admiration of the -ablest military critics. - -The President's troubles were not confined to the Army of the Potomac, -nor were they bounded by the Alleghany Mountains, but extended wherever -there were military movements; wherever there were offices to be -filled the same conditions existed; the same jealousies, rivalries, -and incompetence interfered with the proper administration of the -government. And the most popular heroes, the idols of the public, -invariably caused the most confusion and showed the most flagrant -indiscretion and incompetence. Second only in popularity to McClellan, -perhaps even higher in the esteem of the Republican party, was John C. -Fremont, the first candidate of that party for the Presidency, a man -whose adventures as an explorer had excited the admiring interest of -every school-boy, and whose activity in making California a state had -given him a reputation for romance, gallantry, and patriotism. He was -"the Pathfinder," and second only to Daniel Boone as a frontier hero. -Seward had pressed him for appointment as Secretary of War; at one time -Lincoln put him down on the slate as minister to France, and when the -war broke out his name was among the first to suggest itself to the -people as that of a savior of the country. He had been in France during -the winter, and had sailed for home when Sumter was fired upon. - -Upon his arrival in New York he was handed a commission as major-general -in the regular army and orders to take command in the Mississippi -Valley. It was an opportunity that any soldier might have envied, and -the President expected him to proceed at once to his head-quarters at -St. Louis, where his presence was imperatively needed; but the ovations -he received in the East and the adulation that was paid him everywhere -were too gratifying for his self-denial, and it was not until he -received peremptory orders, twenty-five days after his appointment, that -he proceeded leisurely westward to find his department in a state of -the greatest confusion and apprehension. Instead, however, of devoting -himself to the task of organization and getting an army into the field -to quell disloyal uprisings and exterminate the bushwhackers who were -burning towns, plundering farm-houses, tearing up railroads, murdering -loyal citizens, and committing other crimes, he remained in St. Louis, -taking more interest in political than in military questions, issuing -commissions to his friends, and giving contracts with such a lavish -hand and in such an irregular way as to provoke protest from the -accounting officers of the government. Political intrigue and distrust -were so prevalent that Fremont was accused of an ambition to lead a new -secession movement, separate the Western States from the Union, and -establish an empire under his own sovereignty similar to that of which -Aaron Burr is supposed to have dreamed. - -President Lincoln watched with anxiety and sorrow the dethronement of -another popular idol, and defended and protected Fremont with the same -charity and patience he had shown to McClellan. Instead of removing him -from command, as he should have done, he endeavored to shield him from -the consequences of his mismanagement, and sent General David Hunter, -an old friend and veteran officer in whom he had great confidence, this -request: - -"General Fremont needs assistance which is difficult to give him. He -is losing the confidence of men near him, whose support any man in his -position must have to be successful.... He needs to have by his side a -man of large experience. Will you not for me take that place? Your rank -is one grade too high to be ordered to it; but will you not serve your -country and oblige me by taking it voluntarily." - -With this letter General Hunter went to St. Louis to try and save -Fremont, but it was too late. Fremont's principal political backing came -from the Blair family, who were also his warmest personal friends; but, -when they endeavored to advise and restrain him, a quarrel broke out -and Fremont placed General Frank P. Blair under arrest. Blair preferred -formal charges against his commander; and his father and brother, the -latter being Postmaster-General, demanded Fremont's removal on account -of incapacity. Then, to increase Lincoln's anxieties and perplexities, -Mrs. Jessie Benton Fremont, the daughter of Senator Benton and a -romantic figure in American history, appeared in Washington to conduct -her husband's side of the quarrel, denouncing the Blairs and all other -critics with unmeasured contempt and earnestness. - -The President confesses that he was exasperated almost beyond endurance. -Mrs. Fremont, he says, "sought an audience with me at midnight, and -attacked me so violently with many things that I had to exercise all the -awkward tact I had to avoid quarrelling with her. She more than once -intimated that if General Fremont should decide to try conclusions with -me, he could set up for himself." - -While the weary President was spending sleepless nights planning the -reorganization of the Army of the Potomac and an offensive campaign to -satisfy public clamor, he endeavored to arbitrate the quarrel between -Fremont and the Blairs. In the midst of his efforts at conciliation, -General Fremont startled the country and almost paralyzed the President -by issuing an emancipation proclamation and an order that all persons -found with arms in their hands should be shot. The President wrote -him a gentle but firm remonstrance, "in a spirit of caution and not -of censure," he said, and sent it by special messenger to St. Louis, -"in order that it may certainly and speedily reach you." Mrs. Fremont -brought the reply to Washington. It was an apology mixed with defiance. -Fremont asserted that he had acted from convictions of duty with -full deliberation, and proceeded at length to argue the justice and -expediency of the step; and he was as much encouraged in his defiance as -Lincoln was embarrassed by the radical Republican leaders and newspapers -of the North. Fremont's proclamation was revoked by order of the -President, but it was not so easy to correct the mistakes he had made in -administration. Finally, after long deliberation and upon the advice of -three experienced officers in whom he had great confidence and who had -been with Fremont and were familiar with his conduct and the political -and military situation, the President relieved him from command. - -Fremont accepted the inevitable with dignity. He issued a farewell -address to his army, was given ovations by radical Republicans in -different parts of the country, but was not again intrusted with an -independent command. - -After he arose from his sleepless bed the morning following the battle -of Bull Run, Lincoln devoted every spare moment to the study of the -map of the seat of war and to reading military history. A shelf in his -private library was filled with books on tactics, the histories of great -campaigns, and such military authorities upon the science of warfare -as might afford him ideas, valuable information, and suggestions. He -undertook the preparation of a plan of campaign precisely as he had been -accustomed to prepare for a trial in court, and before many days his -quick perceptions, his retentive memory, and his reasoning powers had -given him wider knowledge than was possessed by any of his generals. -He did not fail to consult every person in whom he had confidence -both upon abstract military questions and geographical and political -conditions, and before long he developed a plan which he submitted -to the military committees of Congress a few days after Congress -assembled in December, 1861. Several of the most influential Senators -and Representatives who did not belong to the committees were invited -to be present. He proposed, first to maintain the military force along -the Potomac to menace Richmond; second, to move an army from Cairo -southward within easy communication of a flotilla upon the Mississippi; -and, third, to send an army from Cincinnati eastward to Cumberland -Gap in East Tennessee. Preliminary to the latter movement he proposed -the construction of a railway from Cincinnati to Knoxville by way of -Lexington, Kentucky, in order to avoid the difficulties and delays of -transportation through the mountains, and military authorities now -agree that if his advice had been followed the war would have been -shortened at least two years. Mr. Nicolay, his private secretary, -reports the substance of the President's appeal to Congress, as he stood -before a map of Tennessee in the President's room at the Capitol: - -"I am thoroughly convinced that the closing struggle of the war will -occur somewhere in this mountain country. By our superior numbers -and strength we will everywhere drive the rebel armies back from the -level districts lying along the coast, from those lying south of -the Ohio River, and from those lying east of the Mississippi River. -Yielding to our superior force, they will gradually retreat to the -more defensible mountain districts, and make their final stand in that -part of the South where the seven States of Virginia, North Carolina, -South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia come -together. The population there is overwhelmingly and devotedly loyal to -the Union. The despatches from Brigadier-General Thomas of October 28 -and November 5 show that, with four additional good regiments, he is -willing to undertake the campaign and is confident he can take immediate -possession. Once established, the people will rally to his support, and -by building a railroad, over which to forward him regular supplies and -needed reinforcements from time to time, we can hold it against all -attempts to dislodge us, and at the same time menace the enemy in any -one of the States I have named." - -There was no response to this appeal, except from the Senators and -Representatives from East Tennessee, where nearly the entire population -were loyal to the Union. One of the motives of the President in planning -this campaign was to protect them from the raids of the Confederate -cavalry. The Congressmen who heard him, however, were determined to -gratify the public demand for an assault upon Richmond. All eyes were -upon the Army of the Potomac, and it was popularly believed that if an -assault were made and the Confederate capital captured, the rebellion -would be promptly crushed. The President then undertook to carry out his -plan with the forces at his disposal, but General Buell was too stubborn -and too slow, either refusing to carry out his orders or wasting his -time and strength in arguments against the practicability of the plan. -If the same time, money, and military strength that were expended in -his attempted march from Corinth to East Tennessee during the following -summer had been devoted to the construction of a railroad, as proposed -by the President, the entire situation in the Mississippi Valley would -have been changed, and the battles which made Grant, Thomas, and Sherman -famous would never have been fought. This is the opinion of the military -experts after a quarter of a century of controversy, and the longer the -subject is discussed the more firmly established is the verdict in favor -of the wisdom and practicability of Lincoln's plan. - -General McClellan was not the only military commander to annoy and -perplex the President by procrastination and argument. The official -records of the war at this time are filled with letters and telegrams -addressed by Lincoln to Buell and Halleck, appealing to them to -obey his orders and move towards the enemy. Buell kept promising to -do so, but his delay was exasperating, and, differing in opinion -from his superiors, he was, like McClellan, continually guilty of -insubordination. Halleck, who was considered one of the ablest and -best-equipped officers in the Union army, and was intended to be the -successor of General Scott, was equally dilatory, although he had a -better excuse, because, when he assumed command at St. Louis, succeeding -General Fremont, he found the whole department in a deplorable -condition, and was working with great energy and ability to organize -and equip an army for the field. It is undoubtedly the case that both -Buell and Halleck lacked confidence in the President's military capacity -and placed a higher value upon their own judgment; but, whether the -President realized this or not, he laid out the plan of a campaign and -gave orders to both generals to co-operate in a joint land and river -expedition up the Tennessee or Cumberland River. Neither made the -slightest preparation for it or communicated with each other on the -subject,--an act of insubordination that would not have been tolerated -in any other country in the world. Then, when the President began to -press his generals, Halleck excused himself for refusing to carry out -his orders on the ground that it was bad strategy, and Buell made no -reply whatever. - -The patience of the President seemed inexhaustible. He kept his temper, -and finally persuaded General Halleck to make a demonstration, which -resulted in the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson and the famous -campaign of General Grant in the early spring of 1862. The results of -that campaign might have been much more conclusive had General Buell -obeyed orders and responded to the appeals of General Halleck for -assistance and to the President's orders for him to co-operate. Lincoln -watched every step of the march with anxious interest, and his telegrams -show that he anticipated Grant's movements with remarkable accuracy. His -suggestions show how familiar he was with the country and the location -of the Confederate forces. One of his telegrams to Halleck illustrates -his knowledge of detail. It reads,-- - -"You have Fort Donelson safe, unless Grant shall be overwhelmed from -outside; to prevent which latter will, I think, require all the -vigilance, energy, and skill of yourself and Buell, acting in full -co-operation. Columbus will not get at Grant, but the force from Bowling -Green will. They hold the railroad from Bowling Green to within a few -miles of Fort Donelson, with the bridge at Clarksville undisturbed. -It is unsafe to rely that they will not dare to expose Nashville to -Buell. A small part of their force can retire slowly towards Nashville, -breaking up the railroad as they go, and keep Buell out of that city -twenty days. Meantime, Nashville will be abundantly defended by forces -from all south and perhaps from here at Manassas. Could not a cavalry -force from General Thomas on the upper Cumberland dash across, almost -unresisted, and cut the railroad at or near Knoxville, Tennessee? In -the midst of a bombardment at Fort Donelson, why could not a gunboat -run up and destroy the bridge at Clarksville? Our success or failure at -Fort Donelson is vastly important, and I beg you to put your soul in the -effort. I send a copy of this to Buell." - -Imagine his sensations when he received a reply from General Halleck: -"Make Buell, Grant, and Pope major-generals of volunteers and give me -command in the West. I ask this in return for Fort Henry and Donelson." - -The President realized the situation, made the promotions, consolidated -the different departments west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, placed -Halleck in command, and directed him to take advantage of "the golden -opportunity;" but the latter was too deliberate, and it required only -a brief experience to demonstrate that he was unfit to command troops -in the field. He was called to Washington, placed at the head-quarters -of the army to succeed General McClellan, and Grant was left in command -of the army in Tennessee, where he undertook the task of opening the -Mississippi in his own way, having the full confidence of the President. - -It is quite remarkable that from the beginning Lincoln's confidence in -Grant was firm and abiding. This may have been partly due to the strong -endorsements he had received from Representative Washburne and other -mutual friends, although Grant was not highly regarded at home at that -time, and found difficulty in obtaining a commission from the Governor -of Illinois. President Lincoln had never seen him until he came East to -take command of the army, and had heard evil as well as good reports -concerning that silent but stubborn soldier who was working his way -down the banks of the Mississippi and closing around Vicksburg. There -is no evidence, however, except his own words, that Lincoln's faith in -him was ever shaken. He gave Grant no orders, sent him no telegrams -or letters such as he had written to Halleck, Buell, Rosecrans, and -other commanders in the West, and there must have been some reason for -his not doing so. We are left only the inference that his sagacity -taught him that Grant was not a man to be interfered with; and although -his patience, like that of the rest of the country, was being sorely -tried by the lack of tangible results in the West, he waited until the -problem was worked out and then wrote Grant the following candid and -characteristic letter: - - "MY DEAR GENERAL: I do not remember that you and I ever met - personally. I write this now as a grateful acknowledgment for - the almost inestimable service you have done the country. I wish - to say a word further. When you first reached the vicinity of - Vicksburg, I thought you should do what you finally did--march - the troops across the neck, run the batteries with the - transports, and thus go below; and I never had any faith, except - a general hope that you knew better than I, that the Yazoo Pass - expedition and the like could succeed. When you got below and - took Port Gibson, Grand Gulf, and vicinity, I thought you should - go down the river and join General Banks, and when you turned - northward, east of the Big Black, I feared it was a mistake. I - now wish to make the personal acknowledgment that you were right - and I was wrong." - -[Illustration: Copyright, 1901, by M. P. Rice - -GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT - -From an original, unretouched negative made in 1864, when he was -commissioned Lieutenant-General and commander of all the armies of the -republic] - -Such letters are very seldom written by the rulers of nations to the -commanders of their armies. Confirming the obligation, and as a reward -for the victories of Donelson, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga, the President -recommended the revival of the rank of lieutenant-general, which had -been conferred only upon Washington and Scott. His recommendation was -adopted by Congress, Grant was called to Washington, and at a public -reception at the White House on March 8, 1864, he met Lincoln for the -first time. On the following day he was formally invested with his new -rank and authority by the President in the presence of the Cabinet -and several civil and military officials. It was not often that such -formalities occurred at the capital of the simple republic. Lincoln was -very much averse to formalities of all kinds. His democratic spirit -led him to avoid parade, but here was an occasion which his political -instincts taught him might be used to impress the country; hence the -unusual ceremony was arranged. - -General Grant did not reach Washington until the early evening of March -8, 1864, and the reception at the White House began at eight o'clock. -A message from the White House notified him that the President desired -his attendance if he was not too tired by his journey; so, immediately -after his arrival he took a hasty supper, changed his travel-worn -uniform for a fresh one, and, in company with an aide-de-camp, reached -the White House about half-past nine o'clock. The cheers that greeted -him as he was recognized by the crowd about the portico reached the -President's ears, but that was the only announcement of the approach of -the latest popular hero. General Grant took his place in line with the -other guests and slowly passed through the corridor and anteroom to the -door of the Blue Parlor where the President stood, with Mrs. Lincoln -and the ladies of the Cabinet at his side, receiving his guests and -shaking hands with them as they passed before him. He recognized Grant -without an introduction, being familiar with his portraits, and these -two remarkable men gazed into each other's eyes in an inquiring way for -a moment, while the people watched them with absorbing interest. After -exchanging the ordinary phrases of greeting, the President introduced -General Grant to Mr. Seward, and the latter led him into the East -Room, where he was received with cheer after cheer, and, blushing with -embarrassment, was compelled to stand upon a sofa where people could see -him, because he was so short of stature that he was hidden in the throng. - -The President asked Grant to remain after the close of the reception, -and they had a long conference. As Grant was leaving the White House -the President explained to him the reasons for the formality that would -be observed in presenting his commission as lieutenant-general on the -following day. - -"I shall make a very short speech to you," said he, "to which I desire -that you should make a brief reply for an object; and that you may be -properly prepared to do so I have written what I shall say, only four -sentences in all, which I will read from my manuscript as an example -which you may follow, and also read your reply, as you are perhaps not -so much accustomed to public speaking as I am, and I therefore give you -what I shall say so that you may consider it. There are two points that -I would like to have you make in your answer: first, to say something -which shall prevent or obviate any jealousy of you from any of the other -generals in the service; and, second, something which shall put you on -as good terms as possible with the Army of the Potomac. If you see any -objection to this, be under no restraint whatever in expressing that -objection to the Secretary of War." - -General Grant and Mr. Stanton left the White House together. The next -day, at one o'clock, in presence of the Cabinet, General Halleck, -two members of Grant's staff, and the President's private secretary, -the commission of lieutenant-general was formally delivered by the -President. Mr. Lincoln said,-- - -"General Grant, the nation's appreciation of what you have done, and -its reliance upon you for what remains to do in the existing great -struggle, are now presented, with this commission constituting you -Lieutenant-General in the army of the United States. With this high -honor devolves upon you, also, a corresponding responsibility. As -the country herein trusts you, so, under God, it will sustain you. I -scarcely need to add that with what I here speak for the nation goes my -own hearty personal concurrence." - -The general had written his speech on half of a sheet of note-paper, -in lead-pencil, but when he came to read it he was as embarrassed as -Washington was when the House of Burgesses at Williamsburg tendered him -its thanks after the Braddock campaign. He found his own writing very -difficult to read, but what he said could hardly have been improved: - -"Mr. President, I accept this commission with gratitude for the high -honor conferred. With the aid of the noble armies that have fought on -so many fields for our common country, it will be my earnest endeavor -not to disappoint your expectation. I feel the full weight of the -responsibilities now devolving on me, and I know that, if they are met, -it will be due to those armies and, above all, to the favor of that -Providence which leads both nations and men." - -It will be observed that Grant did not comply with the request of the -President, and his speech contains no reference to the subject to which -the President alluded on the previous evening. Grant never offered an -explanation and Lincoln never asked one. Some writers have advanced the -theory that Secretary Stanton, who often differed from the President in -regard to little matters, advised Grant not to refer to such delicate -subjects, but it is more probable that, with his distrust of politicians -and his fear of becoming complicated with them as McClellan and others -had been, the wary warrior thought it wise to be entirely non-committal. -Before leaving his head-quarters in the West, Grant had written Sherman, -"I shall say very distinctly on my arrival there [Washington] that I -shall accept no appointment which will require me to make that city my -head-quarters," and Sherman had urged him to stand by that resolution: -"Do not stay in Washington. Halleck is better qualified than you to -stand the buffets of intrigue and politics." - -After the presentation ceremonies the President and Grant retired -together, and the latter inquired what was expected of him. Lincoln -answered that he was expected to take Richmond; that every one who had -tried it so far had failed, and he asked Grant point-blank if he thought -he could do it. With the same directness and simplicity Grant answered -that he could if he had the troops. The President assured him that he -should have all the troops he needed and that he would not be interfered -with in the management of the campaign. Grant himself says, "I did -not communicate my plans to the President, nor did I to the Secretary -of War, nor to General Halleck;" and the President wrote him that he -neither knew nor wished to know his plan of operations, but wanted to -tender his good wishes and promise every aid which the government could -furnish. "If the results shall be less favorable than I hope and the -government expects," he said, "the fault will not be the fault of the -administration." Under those circumstances Grant assumed command of the -army, and from that time President Lincoln felt himself relieved from -the responsibility of planning and directing military movements. - -After making an inspection of the army, Grant returned to Washington, -had another conference with President Lincoln, established his -head-quarters at Culpeper, and prepared for active operations. On April -30, 1864, the President sent him the following candid letter: - -"Not expecting to see you again before the spring campaign opens, I wish -to express in this way my entire satisfaction with what you have done up -to this time, so far as I understand it. The particulars of your plan I -neither know nor seek to know. You are vigilant and self-reliant; and, -pleased with this, I wish not to obtrude any constraints or restraints -upon you. While I am very anxious that any great disaster or capture of -our men in great numbers shall be avoided, I know these points are less -likely to escape your attention than they would be mine. If there is -anything wanting which is within my power to give, do not fail to let me -know it. And now, with a brave army and a just cause, may God sustain -you." - -Grant's immediate reply confessed the groundlessness of his -apprehensions: - -"From my first entrance into the volunteer service of the country to the -present day, I have never had cause of complaint--have never expressed -or implied a complaint against the administration, or the Secretary -of War, for throwing any embarrassment in the way of my vigorously -prosecuting what appeared to me my duty. Indeed, since the promotion -which placed me in command of all the armies, and in view of the great -responsibility and importance of success, I have been astonished at the -readiness with which everything asked for has been yielded, without even -an explanation being asked. Should my success be less than I desire and -expect, the least I can say is, the fault is not with you." - -In his reminiscences, General Grant says, "Just after receiving my -commission as lieutenant-general, the President called me aside to speak -to me privately. After a brief reference to the military situation, he -said he thought he could illustrate what he wanted to say by a story, -which he related as follows: 'At one time there was a great war among -the animals, and one side had great difficulty in getting a commander -who had sufficient confidence in himself. Finally, they found a monkey, -by the name of Jocko, who said that he thought he could command their -army if his tail could be made a little longer. So they got more tail -and spliced it on to his caudal appendage. He looked at it admiringly, -and then thought he ought to have a little more still. This was added, -and again he called for more. The splicing process was repeated many -times, until they had coiled Jocko's tail around the room, filling all -the space. Still he called for more tail, and, there being no other -place to coil it, they began wrapping it around his shoulders. He -continued his call for more, and they kept on winding the additional -tail about him until its weight broke him down.' I saw the point, and, -rising from my chair, replied, 'Mr. President, I will not call for more -assistance unless I find it impossible to do with what I already have.' - -"Upon one occasion," continued Grant, "when the President was at my -head-quarters at City Point, I took him to see the work that had been -done on the Dutch Gap Canal. After taking him around and showing him all -the points of interest, explaining how, in blowing up one portion of the -work that was being excavated, the explosion had thrown the material -back into, and filled up, a part already completed, he turned to me and -said, 'Grant, do you know what this reminds me of? Out in Springfield, -Illinois, there was a blacksmith named ----. One day, when he did not -have much to do, he took a piece of soft iron that had been in his shop -for some time, and for which he had no special use, and, starting up -his fire, began to heat it. When he got it hot he carried it to the -anvil and began to hammer it, rather thinking he would weld it into an -agricultural implement. He pounded away for some time until he got it -fashioned into some shape, when he discovered that the iron would not -hold out to complete the implement he had in mind. He then put it back -into the forge, heated it up again, and recommenced hammering, with an -ill-defined notion that he would make a claw hammer, but after a time he -came to the conclusion that there was more iron there than was needed -to form a hammer. Again he heated it, and thought he would make an axe. -After hammering and welding it into shape, knocking the oxidized iron -off in flakes, he concluded there was not enough of the iron left to -make an axe that would be of any use. He was now getting tired and a -little disgusted at the result of his various essays. So he filled his -forge full of coal, and, after placing the iron in the centre of the -heap, took the bellows and worked up a tremendous blast, bringing the -iron to a white heat. Then with his tongs he lifted it from the bed of -coals, and thrusting it into a tub of water near by, exclaimed with an -oath, "Well, if I can't make anything else of you, I will make a fizzle, -anyhow."'" - -A friend once asked Lincoln whether the story was true that he had -inquired where General Grant got his liquor, so that he might send a -barrel to each of his other generals. Lincoln replied that the story -originated in King George's time. When General Wolfe was accused of -being mad, the King replied, "I wish he would bite some of my other -generals." - -At the dedication of the Lincoln monument at Springfield, October 15, -1874, General Grant said, "From March, 1864, to the day when the hand -of the assassin opened a grave for Mr. Lincoln, then President of -the United States, my personal relations with him were as close and -intimate as the nature of our respective duties would permit. To know -him personally was to love and respect him for his great qualities -of heart and head and for his patience and patriotism. With all his -disappointments from failures on the part of those to whom he had -intrusted commands, and treachery on the part of those who had gained -his confidence but to betray it, I never heard him utter a complaint, -nor cast a censure, for bad conduct or bad faith. It was his nature -to find excuses for his adversaries. In his death the nation lost its -greatest hero; in his death the South lost its most just friend." - -These relations thus established were never disturbed. Grant was -the first of all the generals in whom the President placed implicit -confidence; he was the only one with whom he seemed to feel entirely at -ease; and although their communications were frequent and voluminous, -there was seldom a difference of opinion. They contain no complaint -or reproach, but ring with mutual confidence and appreciation. Seldom -have two men of such remarkable character and ability enjoyed such -unruffled relations. Military history furnishes no similar instance. -Each seemed to measure the other at his full stature and recognize his -strength. There were many busybodies carrying tales and striving to -excite suspicion and jealousy, but their faith could not be shaken or -their confidence impaired. Lincoln's letters to Grant offer a striking -contrast to those addressed to Burnside, Hooker, McClellan, and other -commanders. - -General Ambrose E. Burnside was selected to command the Army of the -Potomac after McClellan was relieved November 5, 1862. He was a -classmate and intimate friend of his predecessor, handsome, brave, -generous, and as modest as McClellan was vain. He not only did not seek -the honor, but declined it twice on the ground that he was not competent -to command so large an army, but finally accepted the responsibility -at the urgent wish of the President, and very soon demonstrated the -mistake. His career was as unfortunate as it was brief, but his manly -report of the unfortunate battle of Fredericksburg did him great credit, -for he assumed all the responsibility for the failure and said nothing -but praise of his men. - -The President replied by a kind and sympathetic despatch after his -failure at Fredericksburg, and fully appreciated his situation. -"Although you were not successful," he said, "the attempt was not an -error nor the failure other than accident. The courage with which you in -an open field maintained the contest against an intrenched foe, and the -consummate skill and success with which you crossed and recrossed the -river in the face of the enemy, show that you possess all the qualities -of a great army, which will yet give victory to the cause of the country -and of popular government." - -Burnside's confession of failure destroyed the confidence of the army in -him, and Burnside realized it. "Doubtless," he said, "this difference -of opinion between my general officers and myself results from a lack -of confidence in me. In this case it is highly necessary that this -army should be commanded by some other officer, to whom I will most -cheerfully give way." - -The President replied, "I deplore the want of concurrence with you -in opinion by your general officers, but I do not see the remedy. Be -cautious, and do not understand that the government or the country is -driving you. I do not yet see how I could profit by changing the command -of the Army of the Potomac, and if I did I would not wish to do it by -accepting the resignation of your commission." - -Nevertheless, it was futile for the President to pretend that Burnside's -usefulness as commander of the army was not at an end, and the latter -determined to bring about a crisis himself by recommending for dismissal -from the army General Joseph Hooker for "unjust and unnecessary -criticisms of the actions of his superior officer.... As unfit to hold -an important commission during a crisis like the present when so -much patience, charity, confidence, consideration, and patriotism are -due from every soldier in the field." Burnside also prepared an order -dismissing nine other generals, and with his usual frankness took them -to Washington and asked the President's approval. As an alternative he -tendered his own resignation. Lincoln realized that a commander who -had lost the confidence of his army and the country at large could not -restore it by punishing his critics, so, in the most kindly manner, -he accepted Burnside's resignation and assigned General Hooker to -command. The President was fully aware of Hooker's weakness, and that -the latter's conduct and language concerning Burnside and himself had -been not only indiscreet and insubordinate, but actually insulting. But -he was willing to overlook all that and confer honor and responsibility -upon him because he believed in his ability and patriotism, and knew -that the soldiers held him in higher esteem than any other general in -the East. But accompanying Hooker's commission was a letter which no -man but Abraham Lincoln could have written without giving offence, and -nothing from the pen of the President at that period of his life better -indicates the complete self-control and self-confidence which possessed -him. - -"I have placed you at the head of the Army of the Potomac," he said. "Of -course I have done this upon what appears to me sufficient reason, and -yet I think it best for you to know that there are some things in regard -to which I am not quite satisfied with you. I believe you to be a brave -and skilful soldier, which, of course, I like. I also believe you do -not mix politics with your profession, in which you are right. You have -confidence in yourself, which is a valuable, if not an indispensable -quality. You are ambitious, which, within reasonable bounds, does good -rather than harm; but I think that during General Burnside's command -of the army you have taken counsel of your ambition and thwarted him -as much as you could, in which you did a great wrong to the country -and to a most meritorious and honorable brother officer. I have heard, -in such a way as to believe it, of your recently saying that both the -army and the government needed a dictator. Of course it was not for -this, but in spite of it, that I have given you the command. Only those -generals who gain successes can set up dictators. What I now ask of you -is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship. The government -will support you to the utmost of its ability, which is neither more nor -less than it has done and will do for all commanders. I much fear that -the spirit which you have aided to infuse into the army, of criticising -their commander and withholding confidence from him, will now turn upon -you. I shall assist you as far as I can to put it down. Neither you nor -Napoleon, if he were alive again, could get any good out of an army -while such a spirit prevails in it; and now beware of rashness. Beware -of rashness, but with energy and sleepless vigilance go forward and give -us victories." - -General Hooker received this rebuke and admonition in the spirit in -which it was offered; he recognized its justice, and endeavored to -restore himself in the President's estimation; but his first important -movement was defeated by the enemy, and, although it was not so great -a disaster as that of Burnside at Fredericksburg, the battle of -Chancellorsville, in May, 1863, marked the darkest hour in the Civil War -and inspired Lee and the Confederate authorities with confidence of the -ultimate success of the rebellion. Mr. W. O. Stoddard, an inmate of the -White House at that time, has given us the following picture: - -"The darkest hour in the Civil War came in the first week of May, 1863, -after the bloody battle of Chancellorsville. The country was weary of -the long war, with its draining taxes of gold and blood. Discontent -prevailed everywhere, and the opponents of the Lincoln administration -were savage in their denunciation. More than a third of each day's mail -already consisted of measureless denunciation; another large part was -made up of piteous appeals for peace. - -"There were callers at the White House. Members of the Senate and House -came with gloomy faces; the members of the Cabinet came to consult or -condole. The house was like a funeral, and those who entered or left it -trod softly for fear they might wake the dead. - -"That night the last visitors in Lincoln's room were Stanton and -Halleck, and the President was left alone. Not another soul except -the one secretary busy with the mail in his room across the hall. The -ticking of a clock would have been noticeable; but another sound came -that was almost as regular and as ceaseless. It was the tread of the -President's feet as he strode slowly back and forth across his chamber. -That ceaseless march so accustomed the ear to it that when, a little -after twelve, there was a break of several minutes, the sudden silence -made one put down his letters and listen. - -"The President may have been at his table writing, or he may--no man -knows or can guess; but at the end of the minutes, long or short, -the tramp began again. Two o'clock and he was walking yet, and when, -a little after three, the secretary's task was done and he slipped -noiselessly out, he turned at the head of the stairs for a moment. It -was so--the last sound he heard as he went down was the footfall in -Lincoln's room. - -"The young man was there again before eight o'clock. The President's -room was open. There sat Lincoln eating his breakfast alone. He had not -been out of his room; but there was a kind of cheery, hopeful morning -light on his face. He had watched all night, but beside his cup of -coffee lay his instructions to General Hooker to push forward. There was -a decisive battle won that night in that long vigil with disaster and -despair. Only a few weeks later the Army of the Potomac fought it over -again as desperately--and they won it--at Gettysburg." - -From the time when Hooker took command the President kept closer -watch than ever upon the movements of the Army of the Potomac, and -his directions were given with greater detail than before. He had no -confidence in Hooker's ability to plan, although he felt that he was a -good fighter. - -Early in June, 1863, Hooker reported his opinion that Lee intended to -move on Washington, and asked orders to attack the Confederate rear. To -this Lincoln answered in quaint satire, "In case you find Lee coming -north of the Rappahannock I would by no means cross to the south of -it. If he should leave a rear force at Fredericksburg, tempting you -to fall upon it, it would fight you in entrenchments and have you at -a disadvantage, while his main force would in some way be getting an -advantage of you northward. In one word, I would not take any risk of -being entangled upon the river, like an ox would jump half over a fence -and be liable to be torn by dogs front and rear, without a fair chance -to gore one way or kick the other." - -To illustrate how dependent was the commander of the Army of the Potomac -upon Lincoln I give another despatch, sent by the President to Hooker -when the latter proposed to make a dash upon Richmond while Lee was -moving his army westward towards the Shenandoah Valley. - -"If left to me, I would not go south of the Rappahannock upon Lee's -moving north of it. If you had Richmond invested to-day, you would -not be able to take it in twenty days; meanwhile your communications, -and with them your army, would be ruined. I think Lee's army, and not -Richmond, is your true objective point. If he comes towards the upper -Potomac, follow on his flank and on his inside track, shortening your -lines while he lengthens his. Fight him, too, when opportunity offers. -If he stays where he is, fret him and fret him." - -A few days later Lincoln telegraphed Hooker, "If the head of Lee's -army is at Martinsburg and the tail of it on the plank road between -Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, the animal must be very slim -somewhere. Could you not break him?" But Hooker made no attempt to do -so, and merely followed Lee northward through Virginia and Maryland -into Pennsylvania, keeping on the "inside track," as Mr. Lincoln -suggested, between the Confederate army and Washington. Before the -battle of Gettysburg, which ended the most aggressive campaign of the -Confederates, a long-standing feud between Hooker and Halleck became -so acute that the President saw that one or the other of them must be -relieved. Hooker, in a fit of irritation because Halleck had declined -to comply with some unimportant request, asked to be relieved from the -command, and the President selected George G. Meade to succeed him. A -few days later the battle of Gettysburg was fought. The vain ambition -of Lee and Davis to raise the Confederate flag over Independence Hall -and establish the head-quarters of the Confederate government in -Philadelphia was dissipated and Lee fell back, leaving two thousand six -hundred killed, twelve thousand wounded, and five thousand prisoners. - -Lincoln's military instincts taught him that the war could be -practically ended there if the advantages gained at Gettysburg were -properly utilized, and so implored Meade to renew his attack. But Meade -held back, Lee escaped, and for once the President lost his patience. In -the intensity of his disappointment he wrote Meade as follows: - -"You fought and beat the enemy at Gettysburg, and, of course, his loss -was as great as yours. He retreated, and you did not, as it seemed -to me, pressingly pursue him; but a flood in the river detained him -till, by slow degrees, you were again upon him. You had at least twenty -thousand veteran troops directly with you and as many more raw ones -within supporting distance, all in addition to those who fought with -you at Gettysburg, while it was not possible that he had received a -single recruit, and yet you stood and let the flood run down, bridges be -built, and the enemy move away at his leisure, without attacking him. -Again, my dear general, I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude -of the misfortune involved in Lee's escape. He was within your easy -grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other -late successes, have ended the war. As it is, the war will be prolonged -indefinitely. If you could not safely attack Lee last Monday, how can -you possibly do so south of the river, when you can take with you very -few more than two-thirds of the force you then had in hand? I would be -unreasonable to expect, and I do not expect (that) you can now effect -much. Your golden opportunity is gone, and I am distressed immeasurably -because of it." - -Before the mails left that night Lincoln's wrath was spent, his -amiability was restored, and this letter was never sent. - -It is impossible in the limits of this volume to relate the details -of the war, but from the detached incidents that have been given, and -the narrative of his relations with Scott, McClellan, Fremont, Grant, -and other generals referred to in this chapter, the reader may form -a clear and accurate conception of Abraham Lincoln's military genius -and the unselfish and often ill-advised consideration with which he -invariably treated his commanders. During the last year of the war -the right men seem to have found the right places, and in all the -voluminous correspondence of the President from the White House and -the War Department with Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, and Thomas there -appears to have been a perfect understanding and complete unity of -opinion and purpose between them. He allowed them greater liberty than -other commanders had enjoyed, evidently because they had his confidence -to a higher degree; he never was compelled to repeat the entreaties, -admonitions, and rebukes with which the pages of his correspondence -during the earlier part of the war were filled. His relations with -Sherman cannot better be defined than by the following brief letter: - - "MY DEAR GENERAL SHERMAN: Many, many thanks for your - Christmas gift, the capture of Savannah. When you were about - leaving Atlanta for the Atlantic coast I was anxious, if not - fearful; but feeling that you were the better judge, and - remembering that 'nothing risked, nothing gained,' I did not - interfere. Now, the undertaking being a success, the honor - is all yours, for I believe none of us went farther than to - acquiesce. And taking the work of General Thomas into the count, - as it should be taken, it is, indeed, a great success. Not only - does it afford the obvious and immediate military advantages, - but in showing to the world that your army could be divided, - putting the stronger part to an important new service, and - yet leaving enough to vanquish the old opposing force of the - whole--Hood's army--it brings those who sat in darkness to see a - great light. But what next? I suppose it will be safe if I leave - General Grant and yourself to decide. Please make my grateful - acknowledgments to your whole army, officers and men." - -[Illustration: Copyright, 1900, by McClure, Phillips & Co. - -GRAND REVIEW OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC BY PRESIDENT LINCOLN AT -FALMOUTH, VIRGINIA, IN APRIL, 1863] - -Lincoln's relations with Sheridan were limited. They never met but -twice, and there was very little correspondence between them, the most -notable being the laconic despatch after Sheridan's fight with Ewell at -Sailor's Creek, near the Appomattox. That was one of the last blows -struck at the Confederacy, and Sheridan, realizing the situation, made a -hasty report, ending with the words,-- - -"If the thing is pressed I think Lee will surrender." - -Grant forwarded the despatch to President Lincoln, who instantly -replied,-- - -"Let the thing be pressed." - -When he had read the telegram describing Sheridan's last fight with -Early in the Shenandoah Valley, he remarked that he once knew a man -who loaded a piece of punk with powder, lighted it, clapped it inside -a biscuit, and tossed it to a savage dog that was snarling at him. In -an instant the dog snapped it up and swallowed it. Presently the fire -touched the powder and away went the dog, his head in one place, a leg -here and another there, and the different parts scattered all over the -country. "And," said the man, "as for the dog, as a dog, I was never -able to find him." "And that," remarked the President, "is very much the -condition of Early's army, as an army." - -President Lincoln's appearance in Richmond after the Confederacy fell -to pieces was one of the most dramatic scenes in all history because of -its extreme simplicity and the entire absence of rejoicing or parade. -There was no triumphant entrance, as the world might have expected -when a conqueror occupies the capital of the conquered. Never before -or since has an event of such transcendent significance occurred with -so little ostentation or ceremony. Lincoln was at City Point, the -head-quarters of General Grant, and was lodged upon a little steamer -called the "River Queen" when he heard of the capture of Richmond and -the fire that consumed a large part of that city. The same day he went -up the river without escort of any kind, landed at a wharf near Libby -Prison, found a guide among the colored people that were hanging around -the place, and walked a mile or more to the centre of the city. The -loafers at the wharf soon identified the President and surrounded him, -striving to touch the hem of his garment. To protect the President and -open a passage for him, Admiral Porter called sailors from his boat, who -marched in front and behind him to the town. Lincoln did not realize -the danger that surrounded him; he did not remember that he was in the -midst of a community with whom he was still at war, or that they held -him responsible for the sorrows they had suffered, the distress they had -endured, and the destruction of their property. But, although within an -hour from the time he landed every man, woman, and child knew of his -presence, not a hand was lifted against him, not an unkind word was -said; and, after visiting the head-quarters of General Weitzel, who was -in command of the Union troops, the Capitol of the State which had been -the seat of the Confederate government, the mansion which Jefferson -Davis had occupied, Libby Prison, where so many officers had starved and -died, and holding two important interviews with John A. Campbell, the -Confederate Secretary of War, who had remained in Richmond when the rest -of the government fled, he went leisurely back to his boat, returned to -the steamer, and sailed for Washington, where, only a few days later, -surrounded by his loyal friends and in the midst of an ovation, he was -stricken by the bullet of an assassin. - -Lincoln's personal courage was demonstrated early in life. He never -showed a sense of fear. He never refused a challenge for a trial of -strength, nor avoided an adventure that was attended by danger; and -while President he had no fear of assassination, although he had many -warnings and was quite superstitious. He was accustomed to ridicule -the anxiety of his friends, and when the threats of his enemies were -repeated to him he changed the subject of conversation. Senator Sumner -was one of those who believed that he was in continual danger of -assassination, and frequently cautioned him about going out at night. -When the Senator's anxiety was referred to by friends one evening, the -President said, "Sumner declined to stand up with me, back to back, to -see which was the tallest man, and made a fine speech about this being -the time for uniting our fronts against the enemy and not our backs. But -I guess he was afraid to measure, though he is a good piece of a man. I -have never had much to do with bishops where I live, but, do you know? -Sumner is my idea of a bishop." - -In his reminiscences, General Butler says, "He was personally a very -brave man and gave me the worst fright of my life. He came to my -head-quarters and said,-- - -"'General, I should like to ride along your lines and see them, and see -the boys and how they are situated in camp.' - -"I said, 'Very well, we will go after breakfast.' - -"I happened to have a very tall, easy-riding, pacing horse, and, as the -President was rather long-legged, I tendered him the use of him while -I rode beside him on a pony. He was dressed, as was his custom, in a -black suit, a swallow-tail coat, and tall silk hat. As there rode on -the other side of him at first Mr. Fox, the Secretary of the Navy, who -was not more than five feet six inches in height, he stood out as a -central figure of the group. Of course the staff-officers and orderly -were behind. When we got to the line of intrenchment, from which the -line of rebel pickets was not more than three hundred yards, he towered -high above the works, and as we came to the several encampments the boys -cheered him lustily. Of course the enemy's attention was wholly directed -to this performance, and with the glass it could be plainly seen that -the eyes of their officers were fastened upon Lincoln; and a personage -riding down the lines cheered by the soldiers was a very unusual thing, -so that the enemy must have known that he was there. Both Mr. Fox and -myself said to him,-- - -"'Let us ride on the side next to the enemy, Mr. President. You are in -fair rifle-shot of them, and they may open fire; and they must know you, -being the only person not in uniform, and the cheering of the troops -directs their attention to you.' - -"'Oh, no,' he said, laughing; 'the commander-in-chief of the army must -not show any cowardice in the presence of his soldiers, whatever he -may feel.' And he insisted upon riding the whole six miles, which was -about the length of my intrenchments, in that position, amusing himself -at intervals, where there was nothing more attractive, in a sort of -competitive examination of the commanding general in the science of -engineering, much to the amusement of my engineer-in-chief, General -Weitzel, who rode on my left, and who was kindly disposed to prompt me -while the examination was going on, which attracted the attention of Mr. -Lincoln, who said,-- - -"'Hold on, Weitzel, I can't beat you, but I think I can beat Butler.' - -"In the later summer (1863)," continues General Butler, "I was invited -by the President to ride with him in the evening out to the Soldiers' -Home, some two miles, a portion of the way being quite lonely. He had no -guard--not even an orderly on the box. I said to him,-- - -"'Is it known that you ride thus alone at night out to the Soldiers' -Home?' - -"'Oh, yes,' he answered, 'when business detains me until night. I do go -out earlier, as a rule.' - -"I said, 'I think you peril too much. We have passed a half-dozen places -where a well-directed bullet might have taken you off.' - -"'Oh,' he replied, 'assassination of public officers is not an American -crime.' - -"When he handed me the commission (as major-general), with some kindly -words of compliment, I replied, 'I do not know whether I ought to accept -this. I received my orders to prepare my brigade to march to Washington -while trying a cause to a jury. I stated the fact to the court and -asked that the case might be continued, which was at once consented to, -and I left to come here the second morning after, my business in utter -confusion.' - -"He said, 'I guess we both wish we were back trying cases,' with a -quizzical look upon his countenance. - -"I said, 'Besides, Mr. President, you may not be aware that I was the -Breckenridge candidate for Governor in my State in the last campaign, -and did all I could to prevent your election.' - -"'All the better,' said he; 'I hope your example will bring many of the -same sort with you.' - -"'But,' I answered, 'I do not know that I can support the measures of -your administration, Mr. President.' - -"'I do not care whether you do or not,' was his reply, 'if you will -fight for the country.' - -"'I will take the commission and loyally serve while I may, and bring it -back to you when I can go with you no further.' - -"'That is frank; but tell me wherein you think my administration wrong -before you resign,' said he. 'Report to General Scott.' - -"'Yes, Mr. President, the bounties which are now being paid to new -recruits cause very large desertions. Men desert and go home, and get -the bounties and enlist in other regiments.' - -"'That is too true,' he replied, 'but how can we prevent it?' - -"'By vigorously shooting every man who is caught as a deserter until it -is found to be a dangerous business.' - -"A saddened, weary look came over his face which I had never seen -before, and he slowly replied,-- - -"'You may be right--probably are so; but, God help me! how can I have a -butcher's day every Friday in the Army of the Potomac?'" - - - - -VII - -HOW LINCOLN APPEARED IN THE WHITE HOUSE - - -There was very little social life in the White House during the Lincoln -administration. The President gave a few State dinners each year, such -as were required of his official position, held a few public receptions -to gratify the curiosity of the Washington people and strangers in -the city, and gave one ball which excited much criticism from the -religious press and from unfriendly sources. It was represented as a -heartless exhibition of frivolity in the midst of dying soldiers and a -grief-stricken country, and some people even went so far as to declare -the death of Willie Lincoln, about two weeks later, to be a judgment -of God upon the President and Mrs. Lincoln for indulging in worldly -amusements. These thoughtless writers did not know that during the -reception, which was in honor of the diplomatic corps, the President -and Mrs. Lincoln both slipped away from their guests to spend a moment -at the bedside of their child, who was so ill that the postponement of -the entertainment was proposed, but vetoed by the President. The death -of this lad was the greatest sorrow that ever fell upon the President's -heart. - -There was little opportunity for home life at the White House because of -the confusion and distraction caused by the war. The President's labors -were unceasing. He seldom took exercise or indulged in amusements. -Occasionally he attended the theatre when distinguished performers -happened to be in Washington, and usually invited them to his box to -express his thanks for the pleasure they had afforded him and to ask -questions about the play. He was particularly fond of Shakespeare, and -attended the presentation of his plays as frequently as his official -cares would permit; he found great diversion in their study, and could -repeat many passages that he learned from the first copy he had ever -seen while yet a clerk in Denton Offutt's store at New Salem. He had -his own theories regarding Shakespeare, and when a prominent actor or -Shakespearian scholar came his way, invariably discussed with him the -Shakespearian mysteries and the original construction of the plays, with -which he was very familiar. - -He found diversion in comedies, and used to enjoy clever farces as much -as any child. He often took his children to performances at the theatre, -and their presence doubled his own enjoyment. This was practically his -only recreation, except reading Burns, Petroleum V. Nasby, Artemas Ward, -Josh Billings, and other comic writers who appealed to his keen sense -of the ridiculous and diverted his attention from the cares of state -when they were wearing upon him. He was not fond of games, although -he sometimes played backgammon with his boys. For a time he practised -basket-ball for exercise, but did not enjoy it. He had little out-door -life; it was limited to a daily drive to and from the Soldiers' Home -or to some military camp. He enjoyed the saddle and was a good rider, -although in the long-tailed coat and tall silk hat which he always wore -he made a grotesque figure on horseback. He had no taste for hunting or -fishing, never smoked, and was very temperate in his habits. He yearned -for rest, although his physical strength and endurance were beyond -comparison with those of other public men. His labors and sleepless -nights would have broken down any other constitution, and he was often -weary. One day, during an especially trying period, he lifted his tired -eyes from his desk and remarked to his secretary,-- - -"I wish George Washington or some other old patriot were here to take my -place for a while, so that I could have a little rest." - -If Lincoln had accepted the advice of his secretaries and his associates -he might have spared himself a great deal of labor and annoyance. But -he never excused himself from callers in the busiest period of the war; -even when hundreds of important duties were pressing upon him, he never -denied an attentive ear and a cheerful word. He was a genuine democrat -in his feelings and practices, and, regardless of public affairs, -listened patiently and considerately to the humblest citizen who called -at the White House. One day, when his anteroom was crowded with men and -women seeking admission to his presence and he was unusually perplexed -by official problems, a friend remarked,-- - -"Mr. President, you had better send that throng away. You are too tired -to see any more people this afternoon. Have them sent away, for you will -wear yourself out listening to them." - -"They don't want much and they get very little," he replied. "Each one -considers his business of great importance, and I must gratify them. I -know how I would feel if I were in their place." - -At the opening of the administration he was overwhelmed with persistent -office-seekers, and so much of his time was occupied in listening to -their demands and trying to gratify them that he felt that he was not -attending to military affairs and matters of public policy as closely as -he should. He compared himself to a man who was so busy letting rooms -at one end of his house that he had no time to put out a fire that was -destroying the other end. And when he was attacked with the varioloid in -1861 he said to his usher,-- - -"Tell all the office-seekers to come and see me, for now I have -something that I can give them." - -He had a remarkable capacity for work and for despatching business. -Although deliberation was one of his strongest characteristics, he knew -when to act and acted quickly. His brain was as tough and as healthy as -his body. His appetite was always good and healthful. He ate sparingly -of plain, wholesome food, but had no taste for rich dishes. He was -temperate in every way except as concerned his labor, and in that he was -tireless. He had the rare and valuable faculty of laying out work for -others and being able to give instructions clearly and concisely. He -loaded his Cabinet and his secretaries to the limit of their strength, -but was always considerate and thoughtful of their comfort. Three of his -secretaries lived with him in the White House and usually worked far -into the night, and, even after their labors for the day had closed, -Lincoln would often wander around barefooted and in his night-shirt, -too wakeful to seek his own bed, and read poems from Burns, jokes from -Artemas Ward, and the letters of Petroleum V. Nasby to the members of -his household. - -His sense of humor was his salvation. It was the safety-valve by which -his heart was relieved. He was melancholy by nature and inclined to be -morbid, and it was this keen enjoyment of the ridiculous that enabled -him to endure with patience his official trials and anxiety. - -One of the visitors in the early days of the administration says, "He -walked into the corridor with us; and, as he bade us good-by and thanked ----- for what he had told him, he again brightened up for a moment and -asked him in an abrupt kind of way, laying his hand, as he spoke, with a -queer but not uncivil familiarity on his shoulder,-- - -"'You haven't such a thing as a postmaster in your pocket, have you?' - -"---- stared at him in astonishment, and I thought a little in alarm, as -if he suspected a sudden attack of insanity. Then Mr. Lincoln went on,-- - -"'You see, it seems to me kind of unnatural that you shouldn't have at -least a postmaster in your pocket. Everybody I've seen for days past has -had foreign ministers and collectors and all kinds, and I thought you -couldn't have got in here without having at least a postmaster get into -your pocket.'" - -His stories were usually suggested by the conversation or by the -situation in which he was placed; but often, in the company of congenial -friends, he used to sit back in his chair and indulge in what he called -"a good old time;" spinning yarns of his early experiences, describing -the characteristics of odd people he had known, and relating amusing -incidents that occurred daily, even under the shadows and among the -sorrows of war. This habit was the result of his early associations, -when the corner store was the club of the frontiersman and the forum -for intellectual combats as well as the stage for entertainments. There -Lincoln shone as the most brilliant planet that ever illuminated the -communities in which he lived, and there he developed the gift which was -to afford him so much pleasure and so great relief from oppressing care. -He was a poet by nature. He had a deep sentiment and a high appreciation -of the beautiful in literature as well as in life. His soul overflowed -with sympathy, and his great nature was so comprehensive that it could -touch every phase of human interest and meet every class and clan; but -he was a restless listener, and when in the mood for talking it was -difficult to interrupt him. - -Chauncey M. Depew, relating his recollections of Lincoln says that once, -while he was at the White House, "the President threw himself on a -lounge and rattled off story after story. It was his method of relief, -without which he might have gone out of his mind, and certainly would -not have been able to have accomplished anything like the amount of work -which he did. It is the popular supposition that most of Mr. Lincoln's -stories were original, but he said, 'I have originated but two stories -in my life, but I tell tolerably well other people's stories.' Riding -the circuit for many years, and stopping at country taverns where were -gathered the lawyers, jurymen, witnesses, and clients, they would sit up -all night narrating to each other their life adventures; and the things -which happened to an original people, in a new country, surrounded by -novel conditions, and told with the descriptive power and exaggeration -which characterized such men, supplied him with an exhaustless fund of -anecdote which could be made applicable for enforcing or refuting an -argument better than all the invented stories of the world." - -The humorous aspect of an appeal or an argument never failed to strike -him, and he enjoyed turning the point as much as telling a story. Once, -in the darkest days of the war, a delegation of prohibitionists came to -him and insisted that the reason the North did not win was because the -soldiers drank whiskey and thus brought down the curse of the Lord upon -them. There was a mischievous twinkle in Lincoln's eye when he replied -that he considered that very unfair on the part of the Lord, because the -Southerners drank a great deal worse whiskey and a great deal more of it -than the soldiers of the North. - -After the internal revenue laws were enacted the United States marshals -were often sued for false arrest, and Congress appropriated one hundred -thousand dollars to pay the expenses of defending them. Previously -the officials brought into court on such charges appealed to the -Attorney-General to instruct the United States district attorneys to -defend them; but when this appropriation was made, with one accord, they -said that they would hire their own lawyers and applied for the cash; -which reminded the President of a man in Illinois whose cabin was burned -down, and, according to the kindly custom of early days in the West, his -neighbors all contributed something to start him again. In this case -they were so liberal that he soon found himself better off than he had -been before the fire, and got proud. One day a neighbor brought him a -bag of oats, but the fellow refused it with scorn. "No," said he, "I'm -not taking oats now. I take nothing but money." - -One day, just after Lincoln's second inauguration, a Massachusetts -merchant, visiting Washington, noticed the great crowd of office-seekers -waiting for an audience with the President, and decided that he, too, -would like to see him. Writing his name on a card, he added the line, -"Holds no office and wants none." The card was taken to President -Lincoln, who, instantly jumping up, said to the attendant, "Show him -up; he is a curiosity." Passing the long line of office-seekers, the -merchant went up to the President, who said he was refreshed to meet a -man who did not want an office, and urged his stay. A long and pleasant -conversation followed. - -Mrs. McCulloch went to the White House one Saturday afternoon to attend -Mrs. Lincoln's reception, accompanied by Mrs. William P. Dole, whose -husband was Commissioner of Indian Affairs. "There were crowds in and -out of the White House," said Mrs. McCulloch, "and during the reception -Mr. Lincoln slipped quietly into the room and stood back alone, looking -on as the people passed through. I suggested to Mrs. Dole that we should -go over and speak to him, which we did. Mr. Lincoln said, laughingly,-- - -"'I am always glad to see you, ladies, for I know you don't want -anything.' - -"I replied, 'But, Mr. President, I do want something; I want you to do -something very much.' - -"'Well, what is it?' he asked, adding, 'I hope it isn't anything I can't -do.' - -"'I want you to suppress the _Chicago Times_, because it does nothing -but abuse the administration,' I replied. - -"'Oh, tut, tut! We must not abridge the liberties of the press or the -people. But never mind the _Chicago Times_. The administration can stand -it if the _Times_ can.'" - -On a certain occasion the President was induced by a committee of -gentlemen to examine a newly invented "repeating" gun, the peculiarity -of which was that it prevented the escape of gas. After due inspection, -he said,-- - -"Well, I believe this really does what it is represented to do. Now, -have any of you heard of any machine or invention for preventing the -escape of gas from newspaper establishments?" - -However, Lincoln had great respect for the press. He was one day -complaining of the injustice of Mr. Greeley's criticisms and the false -light in which they put him before the country, when a friend, with -great earnestness, suggested,-- - -"Why don't you publish the facts in every newspaper in the United -States? The people will then understand your position and your -vindication will be complete." - -"Yes, all the newspapers will publish my letter, and so will Greeley," -Lincoln replied. "The next day he will comment upon it, and keep it up, -in that way, until at the end of three weeks I will be convicted out of -my own mouth of all the things he charges against me. No man, whether he -be private citizen or President of the United States, can successfully -carry on a controversy with a great newspaper and escape destruction, -unless he owns a newspaper equally great with a circulation in the same -neighborhood." - -[Illustration: PRESIDENT LINCOLN AND HIS SON "TAD" - -From a photograph by Brady, now in the War Department Collection, -Washington, D. C.] - -Colonel John Hay, who resided in the White House during the entire -administration of Lincoln, has given us this graphic picture of the -President's home life and habits: - -"The President rose early, as his sleep was light and capricious. In -the summer, when he lived at the Soldiers' Home, he would take his -frugal breakfast and ride into town in time to be at his desk at eight -o'clock. He began to receive visits nominally at ten o'clock, but long -before that hour struck the doors were besieged by anxious crowds, -through whom the people of importance, Senators and members of Congress, -elbowed their way after the fashion which still survives. On days when -the Cabinet met--Tuesdays and Fridays--the hour of noon closed the -interviews of the morning. On other days it was the President's custom, -at about that hour, to order the doors to be opened and all who were -waiting to be admitted. The crowd would rush in, throng in the narrow -room, and one by one would make their wants known. Some came merely to -shake hands, to wish him Godspeed; their errand was soon done. Others -came asking help or mercy; they usually pressed forward, careless in -their pain as to what ears should overhear their prayer. But there -were many who lingered in the rear and leaned against the wall, hoping -each to be the last, that they might in _tete-a-tete_ unfold their -schemes for their own advantage or their neighbor's hurt. These were -often disconcerted by the President's loud and hearty, 'Well, friend, -what can I do for you?' which compelled them to speak, or retire and -wait for a more convenient season. The inventors were more a source of -amusement than of annoyance. They were usually men of some originality -of character, not infrequently carried to eccentricity. Lincoln had a -quick comprehension of mechanical principles, and often detected a flaw -in an invention which the contriver had overlooked. He would sometimes -go out into the waste fields that then lay south of the Executive -Mansion to test an experimental gun or torpedo. He used to quote with -much merriment the solemn dictum of one rural inventor that 'a gun ought -not to rekyle; if it rekyles at all, it ought to rekyle a little forrid.' - -"At luncheon time he had literally to run the gauntlet through the -crowds that filled the corridors between his office and the rooms at the -west end of the house occupied by the family. The afternoon wore away in -much the same manner as the morning; late in the day he usually drove -out for an hour's airing; at six o'clock he dined. He was one of the -most abstemious of men; the pleasures of the table had few attractions -for him. His breakfast was an egg and a cup of coffee; at luncheon he -rarely took more than a biscuit and a glass of milk, a plate of fruit -in its season; at dinner he ate sparingly of one or two courses. He -drank little or no wine; not that he remained on principle a total -abstainer, as he was during a part of his early life in the fervor of -the 'Washingtonian' reform; but he never cared for wine or liquors of -any sort and never used tobacco. - -"There was little gayety in the Executive House during his time. It was -an epoch, if not of gloom, at least of a seriousness too intense to -leave room for much mirth. There were the usual formal entertainments, -the traditional state dinners and receptions, conducted very much as -they have been ever since. The great public receptions, with their vast, -rushing multitudes pouring past him to shake hands, he rather enjoyed; -they were not a disagreeable task to him, and he seemed surprised when -people commiserated him upon them. He would shake hands with thousands -of people, seemingly unconscious of what he was doing, murmuring some -monotonous salutation as they went by, his eye dim, his thoughts far -withdrawn; then suddenly he would see some familiar face,--his memory -for faces was very good,--and his eye would brighten and his whole form -grow attentive; he would greet the visitor with a hearty grasp and a -ringing word and dismiss him with a cheery laugh that filled the Blue -Room with infectious good-nature. Many people armed themselves with an -appropriate speech to be delivered on these occasions, but unless it was -compressed into the smallest possible space, it never was uttered; the -crowd would jostle the peroration out of shape. If it were brief enough, -and hit the President's fancy, it generally received a swift answer. -One night an elderly gentleman from Buffalo said, 'Up our way we believe -in God and Abraham Lincoln,' to which the President replied, shoving him -along the line, 'My friend, you are more than half right.' - -"During the first year of the administration the house was made lively -by the games and pranks of Mr. Lincoln's two younger children, William -and Thomas: Robert, the eldest, was away at Harvard, only coming home -for short vacations. The two little boys, aged eight and ten, with -their Western independence and enterprise, kept the house in an uproar. -They drove their tutor wild with their good-natured disobedience; they -organized a minstrel show in the attic; they made acquaintance with the -office-seekers and became the hot champions of the distressed. William -was, with all his boyish frolic, a child of great promise, capable of -close application and study. He had a fancy for drawing up railway -time-tables, and would conduct an imaginary train from Chicago to New -York with perfect precision. He wrote childish verses, which sometimes -attained the unmerited honors of print. But this bright, gentle, and -studious child sickened and died in February, 1862. His father was -profoundly moved by his death, though he gave no outward sign of his -trouble, but kept about his work the same as ever. His bereaved heart -seemed afterwards to pour out its fulness on his youngest child. 'Tad' -was a merry, warm-blooded, kindly little boy, perfectly lawless, and -full of odd fancies and inventions, the 'chartered libertine' of the -Executive Mansion. He ran continually in and out of his father's -cabinet, interrupting his gravest labors and conversations with his -bright, rapid, and very imperfect speech,--for he had an impediment -which made his articulation almost unintelligible until he was nearly -grown. He would perch upon his father's knee, and sometimes even on his -shoulder, while the most weighty conferences were going on. Sometimes, -escaping from the domestic authorities, he would take refuge in that -sanctuary for the whole evening, dropping to sleep at last on the floor, -when the President would pick him up and carry him tenderly to bed. - -"Mr. Lincoln spent most of his evenings in his office, though -occasionally he remained in the drawing-room after dinner, conversing -with visitors or listening to music, for which he had an especial -liking, though he was not versed in the science, and preferred simple -ballads to more elaborate compositions. In his office he was not often -suffered to be alone; he frequently passed the evening there with a few -friends in frank and free conversation. If the company was all of one -sort he was at his best; his wit and rich humor had full play; he was -once more the Lincoln of the Eighth Circuit, the cheeriest of talkers, -the riskiest of story-tellers; but if a stranger came in he put on in -an instant his whole armor of dignity and reserve. He had a singular -discernment of men; he would talk of the most important political and -military concerns with a freedom which often amazed his intimates, but -we do not recall an instance in which this confidence was misplaced. - -"Where only one or two were present he was fond of reading aloud. He -passed many of the summer evenings in this way when occupying his -cottage at the Soldiers' Home. - -"He read Shakespeare more than all other writers together. He made no -attempt to keep pace with the ordinary literature of the day. Sometimes -he read a scientific work with keen appreciation, but he pursued no -systematic course. He owed less to reading than most men. He delighted -in Burns; of Thomas Hood he was also excessively fond. He often read -aloud 'The Haunted House.' He would go to bed with a volume of Hood -in his hands, and would sometimes rise at midnight and, traversing -the long halls of the Executive Mansion in his night-clothes, would -come to his secretary's room and read aloud something that especially -pleased him. He wanted to share his enjoyment of the writer; it was -dull pleasure for him to laugh alone. He read Bryant and Whittier with -appreciation; there were many poems of Holmes that he read with intense -relish. 'The Last Leaf' was one of his favorites; he knew it by heart, -and used often to repeat it with deep feeling." - -Ben: Perley Poore, in his reminiscences, says, "The White House, while -Mr. Lincoln occupied it, was a fertile field for news, which he was -always ready to give those correspondents in whom he had confidence, but -the surveillance of the press--first by Secretary Seward and then by -Secretary Stanton--was as annoying as it was inefficient. A censorship -of all matter filed at the Washington office of the telegraph, for -transmission to different Northern cities, was exercised by a succession -of ignorant individuals, some of whom had to be hunted up at whiskey -shops when their signature of approval was desired. A Congressional -investigation showed how stupidly the censors performed their duty. -Innocent sentences which were supposed to have a hidden meaning were -stricken from paragraphs, which were thus rendered nonsensical, and -information was rejected that was clipped in print from the Washington -papers, which it was known regularly found their way into 'Dixie.' - -"When irate correspondents appealed to Mr. Lincoln, he would -good-naturedly declare that he had no control over his secretaries, -and would endeavor to mollify their wrath by telling them a story. One -morning in the winter of 1862, when two angry journalists had undertaken -to explain the annoyances of the censorship, Mr. Lincoln, who had -listened in his dreamy way, finally said,-- - -"'I don't know much about this censorship, but come downstairs and I -will show you the origin of one of the pet phrases of you newspaper -fellows.' - -"Leading the way down into the basement, he opened the door of a larder -and solemnly pointed to the hanging carcass of a gigantic sheep. - -"'There,' said he; 'now you know what "_Revenons a nos moutons_" means. -It was raised by Deacon Buffum at Manchester, up in New Hampshire. Who -can say, after looking at it, that New Hampshire's only product is -granite?'" - -When William Lloyd Garrison came to Washington to thank the President -for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, he visited Baltimore -expressly for the purpose of inspecting the old jail in which he was -confined for several weeks for being an abolitionist, but, much to -his disappointment, the police in charge would not admit him. During -his interview with the President he complained of this, and Lincoln -remarked,-- - -"You have had hard luck in Baltimore, haven't you, Garrison? The first -time you couldn't get out of prison and the second time you couldn't get -in." - -A woman called at the White House one day to ask the release from prison -of a relative whom she declared was suffering from great injustice. She -was very handsome and attractive and endeavored to use her attractions -upon the President. After listening to her a little while, he concluded, -as he afterwards explained, that he was "too soft" to deal with her, and -sent her over to the War Department with a sealed envelope containing a -card upon which he had written,-- - -"This woman, dear Stanton, is smarter than she looks to be." - -Another woman came to the White House one day on an unusual errand which -the President suspected was a pretext, but he took her at her word and -gave her the following note to Major Ramsey, of the Quartermaster's -Department. - - "MY DEAR SIR:--The lady--bearer of this--says she has two - sons who want to work. Set them at it if possible. Wanting to - work is so rare a merit that it should be encouraged. - - A. LINCOLN." - -A member of Congress from Ohio, and a famous man, by the way, once -entered the Executive Chamber in a state of intoxication,--just drunk -enough to be solemn,--and, as he dropped into a chair, exclaimed in -dramatic tones the first line of the President's favorite poem: - -"'Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud?'" - -"I see no reason whatever," retorted the President, in disgust. - -A delegation of clergymen once called to recommend one of their number -for appointment as consul at the Hawaiian Islands, and, in addition to -urging his fitness for the place, appealed to the President's sympathy -on the ground that the candidate was in bad health, and a residence in -that climate would be of great benefit to him. Lincoln questioned the -man closely as to his symptoms, and then remarked,-- - -"I am sorry to disappoint you, but there are eight other men after this -place, and every one of them is sicker than you are." - -A party of friends from Springfield called upon him one day and, as -a matter of gossip, told him of the death and burial of a certain -prominent Illinois politician who was noted for his vanity and love of -praise. After listening to the description of his funeral, the President -remarked,-- - -"If Jim had known he was to have that kind of a funeral, he would have -died long ago." - -One of the telegraph operators at the War Department relates that the -President came over there at night during the war and remarked that he -had just been reading a little book which some one had given to his son -Tad. It was a story of a motherly hen who was struggling to raise her -brood and teach them to lead honest and useful lives, but in her efforts -she was greatly annoyed by a mischievous fox who made sad havoc with her -offspring. "I thought I would turn over to the finis and see how it came -out," said the President. "This is what it said: 'And the fox became a -good fox, and was appointed paymaster in the army.' I wonder who he is?" - -To a deputation that waited upon him to criticise certain acts of his -administration, he made the following response: - -"Gentlemen, suppose all the property you were worth was in gold, and you -had put it in the hands of Blondin to carry across the Niagara River -on a rope; would you shake the cable and keep shouting out to him, -'Blondin, stand up a little straighter--Blondin, stoop a little more--go -a little faster--lean a little more to the north--lean a little more to -the south?' No, you would hold your breath as well as your tongue, and -keep your hands off until he was safe over. The government is carrying -an immense weight. Untold treasures are in our hands. We are doing the -very best we can. Don't badger us. Keep quiet, and we will get you safe -across." - -A multitude of authentic anecdotes are told to show Lincoln's kindness -of heart and his disposition to relieve the distress of those who came -to him with stories of wrong or sorrow. His readiness to pardon soldiers -who had been convicted by court-martial and sentenced to death caused -great dissatisfaction at the War Department and among the army officers, -who complained that his interference was destroying the discipline of -the service; but whenever an appeal was made to him he always endeavored -to find some reason, near or remote, for Executive clemency, and if that -was impossible, he invariably gave an order for the postponement of the -penalty until a further investigation could be made. A very flagrant -case was brought to him of a soldier who had demoralized his regiment -by throwing down his gun and running away in battle, and by trying to -shield his own cowardice by inducing others to imitate him. When tried -by court-martial there was no defence. It was shown that he was an -habitual thief, had robbed his comrades, and that he had no parents or -wife or child to excite sympathy. When Judge-Advocate-General Holt laid -the case before Lincoln, he expected him to approve the death-sentence -without hesitation. There was not the slightest excuse for clemency; -the record of the case did not contain a single item of evidence in -the man's favor. The President looked through the documents carefully, -but in vain, to find some reason why the coward should not die. Then, -running his long fingers through his hair, as he often did when puzzled, -he looked up and said,-- - -"The only thing I can do with this, judge, is to put it with my leg -cases." - -"Leg cases!" exclaimed Judge Holt, with a frown at this supposed levity -of the President in a case of life and death. "What do you mean by leg -cases, sir?" - -"Do you see those papers stuffed into those pigeonholes?" -replied Lincoln. "They are the cases that you call -'cowardice-in-the-face-of-the-enemy,' but I call them 'leg cases' for -short; and I will put it to you; I leave it for you to decide for -yourself. If Almighty God gives a man a cowardly pair of legs, how can -he help their running away with him?" - -One day an old man came to him with a sad tale of sorrow. His son had -been convicted of unpardonable crimes and sentenced to death, but he was -an only son, and Lincoln said, kindly,-- - -"I am sorry I can do nothing for you. Listen to this telegram I received -from General Butler yesterday: - - "'President Lincoln, I pray you not to interfere with the - courts-martial of the army. You will destroy all discipline - among our soldiers. - - B. F. BUTLER.'" - -Lincoln watched the old man's grief for a minute, and then exclaimed, -"By jingo! Butler or no Butler, here goes!" Writing a few words he -handed the paper to the old man, reading,-- - - "Job Smith is not to be shot until further orders from me. - - ABRAHAM LINCOLN." - -"Why," said the old man, sadly, "I thought it was a pardon. You may -order him to be shot next week." - -"My old friend," replied the President, "I see you are not very well -acquainted with me. If your son never dies till orders come from me to -shoot him, he will live to be a great deal older than Methuselah." - -One of the most famous cases of pardon was that of William Scott, a -young boy from a Vermont farm, who, after marching forty-eight hours -without sleep, volunteered to stand guard duty for a sick comrade in -addition to his own. Nature overcame him, he was found asleep at his -post within gunshot of the enemy, tried, convicted, and sentenced to -be shot. A day or two before the execution Lincoln happened to visit -that division of the army, and, learning of the case, asked permission -to see the boy. He entered the tent that was used for a prison, talked -to him kindly, inquired about his home, his parents, his schoolmates, -and particularly about his mother, and how she looked. The boy had her -photograph in his pocket and showed it to him, and Lincoln was very much -affected. As he was leaving the tent, he put his hands on the lad's -shoulders and said, with a trembling voice,-- - -"My boy, you are not going to be shot to-morrow. I believe you when you -tell me that you could not keep awake. I am going to trust you and send -you back to the regiment. But I have been put to a great deal of trouble -on your account. I have had to come here from Washington when I had a -great deal to do. Now, what I want to know is, how are you going to pay -my bill?" - -In relating the story afterwards, Scott said, "I could scarcely speak. I -had expected to die, you see, and had got kind of used to thinking that -way. To have it all changed in a minute! But I got it crowded down and -managed to say, 'I am grateful, Mr. Lincoln! I hope I am as grateful -as ever a man can be to you for saving my life. But it comes upon me -sudden and unexpected like. I didn't lay out for it at all; but there is -something to pay you, and I will find it after a little. There is the -bounty in the savings bank, and I guess we could borrow some money by a -mortgage on the farm. Then my pay is something, and if you would wait -until pay day I am sure the boys would help; so we could make it up if -it isn't more than five or six hundred dollars.' 'But it is a great deal -more than that,' he said. 'My bill is a very large one. Your friends -cannot pay it, nor your bounty, nor the farm, nor all your comrades! -There is only one man in all the world who can pay it, and his name is -William Scott! If from this day William Scott does his duty, so that, -when he comes to die, he can look me in the face as he does now, and -say, I have kept my promise, and I have done my duty as a soldier, then -my debt will be paid. Will you make that promise and try to keep it?'" - -The promise was gratefully given. It is too long a story to tell of the -effect of this sympathetic kindness on Private William Scott. After -one of the battles of the Peninsula he was found shot to pieces. He -said, "Boys, I have tried to do the right thing! If any of you have -the chance, I wish you would tell President Lincoln that I have never -forgotten the kind words he said to me at the Chain Bridge; that I have -tried to be a good soldier and true to the flag; that I should have -paid my whole debt to him if I had lived; and that now, when I know I am -dying, I think of his kind face, and thank him again, because he gave me -the chance to fall like a soldier in battle and not like a coward by the -hands of my comrades." - -When Francis Kernan was a member of Congress during the war, a woman -came to him one day and said that her husband had been captured as a -deserter. The next morning he called at the White House and gave the -President the facts. The man had been absent a year from his family, -and, without leave, had gone home to see them. On his way back to -the army he was arrested as a deserter and sentenced to be shot. The -sentence was to be carried out that very day. - -The President listened attentively, becoming more and more interested in -the story. Finally he said, "Why, Kernan, of course this man wanted to -see his family, and they ought not to shoot him for that." So he called -his secretary and sent a telegram suspending the sentence. He exclaimed, -"Get off that just as soon as you can, or they will shoot the man in -spite of me!" The result was the man got his pardon and took his place -again in the army. - -A Congressman who had failed to move Secretary Stanton to grant a -pardon, went to the White House late at night, after the President had -retired, forced the way to his bedroom, and earnestly besought his -interference, exclaiming, earnestly,-- - -"This man must not be shot, Mr. Lincoln." - -"Well," said the President, coolly, "I do not believe shooting will do -him any good," and the pardon was granted. - -The late Governor Rice, of Massachusetts, says, "It happened at one time -that Senator Henry Wilson and myself called to see President Lincoln -on a joint errand. As the door to Mr. Lincoln's room opened, a small -boy, perhaps twelve years old, slipped in between the Senator and -myself. The President appeared to be attracted to the lad, and asked, -'And who is the little boy?' an inquiry which neither the Senator nor -myself could answer. The lad, however, immediately replied that he had -come to Washington in the hope of obtaining a situation as page in the -House of Representatives. The President began to say that he must go to -Captain Goodnow, the head door-keeper of the House, as he had nothing -to do with such an appointment; upon which the lad pulled from his -pockets a recommendation from the supervisors of the town, the minister -of the parish, and others, stating also that his mother was a widow, -and pleading the necessities of the family. The President called the -boy nearer to him, took his recommendation, and wrote upon the back as -follows: - - "'If Captain Goodnow can give this good little boy a place - he will oblige - - A. LINCOLN.'" - -Mr. Titian J. Coffey, who was Assistant Attorney-General, relates that -"in the spring of 1863 a very handsome and attractive young lady from -Philadelphia came to my office with a note from a friend, asking me -to assist her in obtaining an interview with the President. Some time -before she had been married to a young man who was a lieutenant in a -Pennsylvania regiment. He had been compelled to leave her the day after -the wedding to rejoin his command in the Army of the Potomac. After -some time he obtained leave of absence, returned to Philadelphia, and -started on a brief honeymoon journey with his bride. A movement of -the army being imminent, the War Department issued a peremptory order -requiring all absent officers to rejoin their regiments by a certain -day, on penalty of dismissal in case of disobedience. The bride and -groom, away on their hurried wedding-tour, failed to see the order, -and on their return he was met by a notice of his dismissal from the -service. The young fellow was completely prostrated by the disgrace, -and his wife hurried to Washington to get him restored. I obtained for -her an interview with the President. She told her story with simple and -pathetic eloquence, and wound up by saying,-- - -"'Mr. Lincoln, won't you help us? I promise you, if you will restore -him, he will be faithful to his duty.' - -"The President had listened to her with evident sympathy and a -half-amused smile at her earnestness, and as she closed her appeal he -said, with parental kindness,-- - -"'And you say, my child, that Fred was compelled to leave you the day -after the wedding? Poor fellow, I don't wonder at his anxiety to get -back, and if he stayed a little longer than he ought to have done we'll -have to overlook his fault this time. Take this card to the Secretary of -War and he will restore your husband.' - -"She went to the War Department, saw the Secretary, who rebuked her -for troubling the President and dismissed her somewhat curtly. As it -happened, on her way down the War Department stairs, her hopes chilled -by the Secretary's abrupt manner, she met the President ascending. He -recognized her, and, with a pleasant smile, said,-- - -"'Well, my dear, have you seen the Secretary?' - -"'Yes, Mr. Lincoln,' she replied, 'and he seemed very angry with me for -going to you. Won't you speak to him for me?' - -"'Give yourself no trouble,' said he. 'I will see that the order is -issued.' - -"And in a few days her husband was remanded to his regiment. I am sorry -to add that, not long after, he was killed at the battle of Gettysburg, -thus sealing with his blood her pledge that he should be faithful to his -duty." - -Attorney-General Bates, a Virginian by birth, who had many relatives in -that State, one day heard that the son of one of his old friends was a -prisoner of war and not in good health. Knowing the boy's father to be -a Union man, Mr. Bates conceived the idea of having the son paroled and -sent home, of course under promise not to return to the army. He went to -see the President and said,-- - -"I have a personal favor to ask. I want you to give me a prisoner." And -he told him of the case. The President said, "Bates, I have an almost -parallel case. The son of an old friend of mine in Illinois ran off and -entered the rebel army. The young fool has been captured, is a prisoner -of war, and his old broken-hearted father has asked me to send him home, -promising, of course, to keep him there. I have not seen my way clear to -do it, but if you and I unite our influence with this administration I -believe we can manage it together and make two loyal fathers happy. Let -us make them our prisoners." - -Lincoln's reputation for kindness of heart extended even among the -officials of the Confederacy. Mr. Usher, Secretary of the Interior, says -that when he returned from the Peace Conference on the James, in 1864, -where he met Messrs. Stephens, Campbell, and Hunter, he related some of -his conversations with them. He said that at the conclusion of one of -his discourses, detailing what he considered to be the position in which -the insurgents were placed by the law, they replied,-- - -"Well, according to your view of the case, we are all guilty of treason -and liable to be hanged." - -Lincoln replied, "Yes, that is so." And Mr. Stephens retorted,-- - -"Well, we supposed that would necessarily be your view of our case, but -we never had much fear of being hanged while you are President." - -From his manner in repeating this scene he seemed to appreciate the -compliment highly. There is no evidence that he ever contemplated -executing any of the insurgents for their treason. There is no evidence -that he desired any of them to leave the country, with the exception -of Mr. Davis. His great, and apparently his only, object was to have a -restored Union. - -A short time before the capitulation of General Lee, General Grant had -told him that the war must necessarily soon come to an end, and wanted -to know whether he should try to capture Jeff Davis or let him escape -from the country if he would. Mr. Lincoln said,-- - -"About that, I told him the story of an Irishman who had taken the -pledge of Father Mathew. He became terribly thirsty, applied to a -bar-tender for a lemonade, and while it was being prepared whispered -to him, 'And couldn't ye put a little brandy in it all unbeknown to -meself?' I told Grant if he could let Jeff Davis escape all unbeknown to -himself, to let him go. I didn't want him." - -Near the close of the war his old friend, Thomas Gillespie, asked him -what was to be done with the rebels. He answered, after referring to the -vehement demand prevalent in certain quarters for exemplary punishment, -by quoting the words of David to his nephews, who were asking for -vengeance on Shimei because "he cursed the Lord's anointed:" "What -have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be -adversaries unto me? shall there any man be put to death this day in -Israel?" - -But the President could be very stern and determined when he considered -it necessary, although, when compelled by his sense of duty to withhold -a pardon, he usually gave reasons which could not be set aside and -accompanied them by a lesson of value. An officer once complained to -him, with great indignation, that General Sherman was a tyrant and a -bully and unfit to command troops. Lincoln listened attentively until -he had exhausted his wrath, and then inquired quietly if he had any -personal grievance against General Sherman. - -The officer replied that General Sherman had accused him of some -misconduct and threatened to shoot him if it occurred again. - -"If I were in your place," remarked the President, in a confidential -whisper, "I wouldn't repeat that offence, because Sherman is a man of -his word." - -One day Mr. Nicolay brought the President a telegram from Philadelphia, -stating that a man had been arrested in that city for an attempt to -obtain fifteen hundred dollars on Lincoln's draft. - -"I have given no authority for such a draft; and if I had," he added, -humorously, "it is surprising that any man could get the money." - -After a moment's reflection, Mr. Nicolay thought he knew the accused -party. - -"Do you remember, Mr. President, a request from a stranger a few -days since for your autograph? You gave it to him upon a half-sheet -of note-paper. The scoundrel doubtless forged an order above your -signature, and has attempted to swindle somebody." - -"Oh, that's the trick, is it?" said the President. - -"What shall be done with him?" inquired Mr. Nicolay. "Have you any -orders?" - -"Well," replied Mr. Lincoln, pausing between the words, "I don't see but -that he will have to sit upon the blister bench." - -In 1861 E. Delafield Smith was United States District Attorney for the -Southern District of New York. One of the first and most important -of his trials was that of William Gordon for slave-trading. Gordon -was convicted--the first conviction under the slave law that was ever -had in the United States either North or South--and sentenced to be -hanged. An extraordinary effort was made to have Lincoln pardon him. -Mr. Smith deemed it his duty to go to Washington and protest against -clemency. Lincoln took from his desk a reprieve already prepared and -laid it before him. He picked up a pen, and held it in his hand while -he listened to the argument of Mr. Smith on the imperative necessity -of making an example of Gordon, in order to terrorize those who were -engaged in the slave-trade. Then he threw down the pen and remarked,-- - -"Mr. Smith, you do not know how hard it is to have a human being die -when you feel that a stroke of your pen will save him." - -Gordon was executed in New York. - -A volunteer major who had been wounded at Petersburg found himself -mustered out of his regiment on that account, _nolens volens_, and -appealed to the President for an appointment on staff duty, so that -he could still continue to perform service regardless of his physical -incapacity. - -The President took down a large volume of the laws of Congress, opened -to the page and section of the act, put his finger on the line, and read -aloud the words which authorized him to make staff appointments only -on the request of a general commanding a brigade, division, or corps. -The major admitted that he had not brought such an application, for he -had not thought it necessary. "It cannot be done," said the President, -"without such a request. I have no more power to appoint you, in the -absence of such a request, than I would have to marry a woman to any man -she might want for her husband without his consent. Bring me such an -application and I will make it at once, for I see you deserve it." - -The late Governor Rice, of Massachusetts, said, "A mercantile firm in -Boston had an office boy whose duty, among other things, was to take the -mail to and from the post-office. This boy was fresh from the country, -and, seeing his opportunity to get money from the letters intrusted -to him, yielded to the temptation, was detected, convicted, and -imprisoned; but the employers and the jury joined with the boy's father -to obtain his pardon. The father appeared in Washington with a petition -numerously signed. I introduced him to the President, to whom I also -handed the petition. Mr. Lincoln put on his spectacles, threw himself -back in his chair and stretched his long legs and read the document. -When finished, he turned to me and asked if I met a man on the stairs. -'Well,' said Mr. Lincoln, 'his errand was to get a man pardoned, and now -you come to get a boy out of jail. But I am a little encouraged by your -visit. They are after me on the men, but appear to be roping you in on -the boys. The trouble appears to come from the courts. It seems as if -the courts ought to be abolished, anyway; for they appear to pick out -the very best men in the community and send them to the penitentiary, -and now they are after the same kind of boys.'" - -Once he received a message from a zealous Irish soldier with more -courage than brains (or he would not have telegraphed direct to the -President), who had been left behind in the retreat of the army across -the Potomac before the advancing columns of Lee's army, with one gun -of his battery on the bank of the river below Edwards Ferry. It read -about thus: "I have the whole rebel army in my front. Send me another -gun and I assure your honor they shall not come over." This pleased the -President greatly, and he sent him an encouraging reply, suggesting that -he report his situation to his superior officer. - -A rebel raid on Falls Church, a little hamlet a dozen miles -from Washington, had resulted in the surprise and capture of a -brigadier-general and twelve army mules. When Lincoln heard of it he -exclaimed,-- - -"How unfortunate! I can fill that general's place in five minutes, but -those mules cost us two hundred dollars apiece." - -Captain Knight, who was in charge of the guard at the War Department, -said, "Mr. Lincoln's favorite time for visiting the War Department was -between eleven and twelve o'clock at night. His tall, ungainly form -wrapped in an old gray shawl, wearing usually a shockingly bad hat, -and carrying a worse umbrella, came up the steps into the building. -Secretary Stanton, who knew Mr. Lincoln's midnight habits, gave a -standing order that, although Mr. Lincoln might come from the White -House alone (and he seldom came in any other way), he should never be -permitted to return alone, but should be escorted by a file of four -soldiers and a non-commissioned officer. - -"On the way to the White House, Mr. Lincoln would converse with us on -various topics. I remember one night, when it was raining very hard, as -he saw us at the door, ready to escort him, he addressed us in these -words: 'Don't come out in this storm with me to-night, boys; I have my -umbrella, and can get home safely without you.' - -"'But,' I replied, 'Mr. President, we have positive orders from Mr. -Stanton not to allow you to return alone, and you know we dare not -disobey his orders.' - -"'No,' replied Mr. Lincoln, 'I suppose not; for if Mr. Stanton -should learn that you had let me return alone, he would have you -court-martialed and shot inside of twenty-four hours.' - -"I was detailed upon one occasion to escort the President to the -Soldiers' Home," continued Captain Knight. "As we approached the front -gate, I noticed what seemed to be a young man groping his way, as -if he were blind, across the road. Hearing the carriage and horses -approaching, he became frightened, and walked in the direction of the -approaching danger. Mr. Lincoln quickly observed this, and shouted to -the coachman to rein in his horses, which he did as they were about -to run over the unfortunate youth. He had been shot through the left -side of the upper part of the face, and the ball, passing from one side -to the other, had put out both his eyes. He could not have been over -sixteen or seventeen years of age, and, aside from his blindness, he -had a very beautiful face. Mr. Lincoln extended his hand to him, and -while he held it he asked him, with a voice trembling with emotion, his -name, his regiment, and where he lived. The young man answered these -questions and stated that he lived in Michigan; and then Mr. Lincoln -made himself known to the blind soldier, and with a look that was a -benediction in itself, spoke to him a few words of sympathy and bade him -good-by. The following day after his interview with the President he -received a commission as a first lieutenant in the regular army of the -United States, accompanied by an order of retirement upon full pay; and, -if he is living to-day, he is doubtless drawing the salary of a first -lieutenant in the United States army on the retired list." - -The most important battle of the war was fought at the polls in -the Northern States in November, 1864, and from the hour that the -result was announced the Southern Confederacy was doomed. It lost the -confidence and respect of the people within its own jurisdiction and -of the nations of Europe. Several attempts were made by the Southern -leaders to open negotiations for peace, but President Lincoln gave -them plainly to understand that he could not recognize the Confederacy -as anything but a rebellion against the government. Then General Lee -undertook "to meet General Grant with the hope that ... it may be found -practicable to submit the subjects of controversy ... to a convention," -etc. Grant immediately wired Lee's letter to Mr. Stanton, who received -it at the Capitol on the last night of the session of Congress, where -the President, attended by his Cabinet, had gone, as usual, to sign -bills. Having read the telegram, Mr. Stanton handed it to the President -without comment. By this time Lincoln felt himself completely master of -the situation. He knew the people were behind him and would approve -whatever he thought best for the welfare of the country. He had full -confidence in the commanders of his armies and knew that they were -crowding the Confederates into the last ditch. Therefore, for the first -time since the beginning of the war, he could act promptly upon his -individual judgment. Without consulting any one, he wrote the following -despatch, which, without a word, he passed over the table for Stanton to -sign and send: - -"The President directs me to say that he wishes you to have no -conference with General Lee, unless it be for capitulation of General -Lee's army or on some minor or purely military matter. He instructs me -to say that you are not to decide, discuss, or confer upon any political -questions. Such questions the President holds in his own hand and will -submit them to no military conferences or conventions. Meanwhile you are -to press to the utmost your military advantages." - -This little despatch crushed the last hope of the Confederate -authorities; but, before the end could come, Lee resolved to make -one more desperate attempt to escape from the toils in which he was -involved. His assault was made with great spirit on March 25, and -from that day until April 7 there was fighting all along the line. In -the mean time Lincoln went down to City Point, where Grant had his -head-quarters, on the James River a few miles below Richmond, and there -had a conference with the three great heroes of the war, Sherman having -come from North Carolina and Sheridan from the other side of Richmond. -It was a remarkable meeting,--the first and last time these four men -were ever together. - -After the conference, at which Lincoln expressed his sympathy with -the desperate situation in which the Confederates were placed, Grant -sent a note through the lines to Lee, saying, "The results of the -last week must have convinced you of the hopelessness of further -resistance," and added that he regarded it a duty "to shift from myself -the responsibility of any further effusion of blood" by asking Lee's -surrender. Lee replied that he reciprocated the desire to avoid further -bloodshed, and asked for terms. Grant answered that there was only one -condition, that the officers and men surrendered should be disqualified -from taking up arms again. Lee replied the next day that he did not -think the emergency had arisen for the surrender of his army, but -offered to meet Grant at ten o'clock the next morning on the old stage -line to Richmond between the pickets of the two armies. Grant answered -that "the terms upon which peace can be had are well understood. By the -South laying down their arms they will hasten that most desirable event, -save thousands of human lives and hundreds of millions of property." -Lee had hoped to arrest the movement of the Union troops by entering -into negotiations, but found that Grant understood his purpose and was -drawing more closely around him, so he accepted the inevitable and asked -an interview for the surrender of his army. - -The meeting at the McLean mansion at Appomattox has been too often -described to require reference in these pages, except to call attention -to the fact that General Grant's letter accepting the surrender of Lee's -army was in direct violation of the amnesty proclamation of December 8, -1863, and President Lincoln's order sent from the Capital on the night -of March 3. No one knows whether Lincoln ever called his attention to -that fact. There is no record of a reprimand or even a comment from -the President, and it is probable that his joy and gratitude were so -overwhelming that he did not even question the terms. General Grant, -however, in his "Memoirs," says that he was overcome by feelings of -sympathy for his heroic antagonist, and that the closing sentence of his -letter, which practically pardoned the entire army, was written without -a thought of its far-reaching significance. - -President Lincoln was the same man in triumph that he had been in -distress. Neither joy nor grief could disconcert him, but no one -witnessed the enthusiasm of the public over the news from Appomattox -with greater gratification. The story of his visit to Richmond is told -in Chapter VI. Upon his return to Washington he took up at once the -important work of restoring order in the South with as much zeal and -energy as he had shown in the prosecution of the war. - -On April 11, from one of the windows of the White House, in response to -a serenade, he delivered his last speech, in which he departed from the -habit of reticence he had practised throughout the war and expressed -more of his views and purposes than he had ever previously done on a -similar occasion. - -April 14, the anniversary of the evacuation of Fort Sumter, was -celebrated by restoring the identical flag to the staff from which it -had been lowered four years before. General Robert Anderson performed -that thankful duty; the Rev. Matthias Harris, the former chaplain of -Fort Sumter, offered prayer; General E. D. Townsend read the original -despatch announcing the evacuation; and Henry Ward Beecher delivered a -brilliant oration, which concluded with these words: - -"We offer to the President of these United States our solemn -congratulations that God has sustained his life and health under the -unparalleled burdens and sufferings of four bloody years, and permitted -him to behold this auspicious confirmation of that national unity for -which he has waited with so much patience and fortitude, and for which -he has labored with such disinterested wisdom." - -General Grant, who arrived in Washington on the morning of the 14th, -expressed anxiety concerning the situation of General Sherman, because -he had heard nothing from him for several days. The President assured -him that he need have no concern, because the night before he had -dreamed that he was on board a curious vessel sailing rapidly towards a -dark and indefinite shore, and awoke before landing. He said he had had -exactly the same dream before the battles of Antietam, Murfreesborough, -Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and other great victories. Although the members -of the Cabinet were accustomed to similar revelations of that mysticism -which was one of Lincoln's characteristics, they were greatly impressed; -but Grant dismissed it with the comment that there was no victory at -Murfreesborough, and that the battle there had no important results. -The President did not seem to notice this matter-of-fact remark, and -continued to describe his dream and the sensations which followed it, -insisting that Sherman would soon report an important victory, because -he could think of no other possible event to which his dream might -refer. Twelve days later, April 26, came the news of the surrender of -Johnston's army to Sherman and the end of the war. - -In the presence of General Grant, the Cabinet discussed the subject -of reconstruction. As there was a difference of opinion and lack of -information concerning the proposed regulations for governing trade -between the States, the President appointed Mr. Stanton, Mr. Welles, and -Mr. McCulloch a committee to submit recommendations. - -At the previous Cabinet meeting Secretary Stanton had submitted a plan -for the re-establishment of civil government, which was discussed at -length. It was providential, the President said, that Congress would -not sit again for at least seven months, which would allow him time to -restore order and civil authority without interference. He expressed -sympathy with the people of the South and a desire to avoid further -bloodshed and exhibitions of resentment or vindictiveness. He believed -that they needed charity more than censure. He said that he would not -permit the severe punishment of the Southern leaders, notwithstanding -the clamor from the North. No one need expect to take any part in -hanging or killing these men, even the worst of them. - -"Frighten them out of the country!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms -around as if he were driving sheep; "let down the bars; scare them off! -Enough lives have been sacrificed; we must extinguish our resentment if -we expect harmony and union!" - -Secretary Welles records in his diary this extraordinary scene at the -last meeting of the Lincoln Cabinet, and adds that, as the President -dismissed his advisers, he urged them to give the most earnest -consideration to the problem that had been presented by the restoration -of peace. - -The President spent the rest of the day with his son Robert and other -personal friends, violating his rule and refusing to admit any one on -official business. During the afternoon he went with Mrs. Lincoln for -a long drive, and seemed to be in an unusually happy and contented -mood. She said that he talked of going back to Springfield to practise -law. His heart was overflowing with gratitude to the Heavenly Father, -he said, for all His goodness, and particularly for the close of the -war and the triumph of the Union arms, for there would be no further -bloodshed or distress. The members of his family and his secretaries -agree that they never had known him to be in such a satisfied and -contented state of mind. The clouds that had hung over him for four -years had cleared away; the war was over, peace was restored, and the -only duty left to him was extremely grateful to his nature,--the task of -restoring happiness and prosperity. - -[Illustration: JOHN WILKES BOOTH - -From a photograph by Brady] - -After dinner that evening Mr. Colfax and Mr. Ashmun, of the House of -Representatives, who were about to leave Washington for the summer, -came to inquire if the President intended to call an extra session of -Congress. He assured them that he did not; and, as they were leaving -the White House, Ward Lamon, the United States Marshal of the District -of Columbia, and one of his oldest friends, called to ask a pardon for -an old soldier who had been convicted of violating the army regulations. -According to the recollection of Mr. Pendel, one of the President's -messengers, Lincoln told his last story at that time. As he was about to -sign the pardon, he turned to Lamon, saying,-- - -"Lamon, do you know how the Patagonians eat oysters?" - -"No, I do not, Mr. Lincoln," was the reply. - -"It is their habit to open them as fast as they can and throw the shells -out of the window, and when the pile of shells grows to be higher than -the house, why, they pick up stakes and move. Now, Lamon, I felt like -beginning a new pile of pardons, and I guess this is a good one to begin -on." - -The President, Mrs. Lincoln, and General and Mrs. Grant had accepted a -box at Ford's Theatre that evening, and, the fact having been announced -in the newspapers, there was a large attendance. Providentially General -Grant changed his mind at the last moment and took a train for New -York instead. Mrs. Lincoln invited Miss Harris and Major Rathbone, the -daughter and step-son of Senator Ira Harris, of New York, to take the -vacant places, and the party arrived at the theatre shortly after the -curtain rose. About ten o'clock John Wilkes Booth, a dissipated young -actor and fanatical sympathizer of the South, pushed his way through the -crowd to the President's box, showed a card to the usher who had been -placed at the door to keep out inquisitive people, and was allowed to -enter. The eyes of the President and his companions were fixed upon the -stage, so that his entrance was unnoticed. Carrying a knife in his left -hand, Booth approached within arm's length of the President and fired a -pistol; dropping that weapon, he took the knife in his right hand and -struck savagely at Major Rathbone, who caught the blow upon his left -arm, receiving a deep wound. Booth then vaulted over the railing of the -box upon the stage, but his spur caught in the folds of the drapery and -he fell, breaking his leg. Staggering to the footlights, he brandished -his dripping knife, shouted in a tragic manner "_Sic semper tyrannis_," -the State motto of Virginia, and disappeared between the flies. - -Major Rathbone shouted "Stop him!" The actors upon the stage were -stupefied by fright and surprise, and it was several seconds before the -audience realized what had happened. They were brought to their senses -by some one who shouted, "He has shot the President!" Several men jumped -upon the stage in pursuit of the assassin, while three army surgeons -who happened to be present forced their way through the crowd to the -President's box. As soon as a passage could be cleared, the President -was carried across the street and laid upon a bed in a small house, -where Mrs. Lincoln followed him almost overcome by the shock from which -she never recovered. Major Rathbone, exhausted by the loss of blood, was -carried home. Messengers were sent for the Cabinet, for the President's -family physician, and for the Surgeon-General of the army. Robert -Lincoln and John Hay learned the news from the shouts of a frantic crowd -which soon poured through the gates of the White House, and hurried at -once to the little house on Tenth Street. On their way they were told -that most of the Cabinet had been murdered. - -The physicians who surrounded the President's bed pronounced the wound -fatal. The assassin's bullet entered the back of his head on the left -side, passed through the brain, and lodged behind the left ear. But -for his powerful physique and his abundant vitality, it would have -brought instant death. He never recovered consciousness, but lingered -through the night and died at twenty-two minutes past seven in the -morning. Dr. Gurley, pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, -which the President attended, was kneeling in prayer by his bedside; -Surgeon-General Barnes, of the army, had his finger upon the President's -pulse; Robert Lincoln, Senator Sumner, and one of the assistant -secretaries leaned upon the foot of the bed. Colonel Hay describes the -scene as follows: - -"As the dawn came and the lamplight grew pale in the fresher beams, his -pulse began to fail; but his face even then was scarcely more haggard -than those of the sorrowing group of statesmen and generals around him. -His automatic moaning, which had continued through the night, ceased; -a look of unspeakable peace came upon his worn features. At twenty-two -minutes after seven he died. Stanton broke the silence by saying, 'Now -he belongs to the ages.' Dr. Gurley kneeled by the bedside and prayed -fervently. The widow came in from the adjoining room, supported by her -son, and cast herself with loud outcry on the dead body." - - - - -VIII - -THE EMANCIPATION OF THE SLAVES - - -Abraham Lincoln's hatred of slavery was inborn, but its development -began when he saw human beings sold at auction on the levee at New -Orleans and chained and beaten upon the decks of Mississippi River -steamboats on their way to market. These horrors were first witnessed by -him when he made his voyage on the flat-boat from Gentryville, and the -impression was deepened upon his second journey four years later from -New Salem. Even to the day of his death the recollection was vivid. He -alluded to it frequently while the slave problem was perplexing him and -his advisers during the war, and the picture was before his eyes when -he wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. As one of his companions said, -"Slavery ran the iron into him then and there." - -However, the mind of the boy had been prepared for this impression -by the teachings of his mother. In 1804 a crusade against slavery in -Kentucky was started by the itinerant preachers of the Baptist Church, -and the Rev. Jesse Head, the minister who married Thomas Lincoln and -Nancy Hanks, was a bold abolitionist and boldly proclaimed the doctrine -of human liberty wherever he went. Lincoln's father and mother were -among his most devoted disciples, and when he was a mere child Abraham -Lincoln inherited their hatred of human servitude. "If slavery is not -wrong, nothing is wrong," he once said in a speech. "I cannot remember -when I did not think so and feel so." - -Down in a corner of Indiana where the Lincolns lived there were slaves -for years after the admission of the State to the Union, in spite of the -ordinance of 1787 and the statutes which Lincoln read in his youth. Nor -was the fact a secret. The census of 1820 showed one hundred and ninety -slaves, but during the next year the State Supreme Court declared them -free. - -In the following year (1822) occurred a great moral revolution on the -frontier. Then commenced the struggle between the friends and opponents -of slavery which lasted until the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. -Abraham Lincoln, with the preparation I have described, was from the -beginning an active participant, and gradually became a leader in one of -the greatest controversies that has ever engaged the intellectual and -moral forces of the world. - -In 1822, eight years before the Lincoln family left Indiana, an attempt -was made to introduce slavery into Illinois, and was defeated by Edward -Coles, of Virginia, the Governor, who gave his entire salary for four -years to pay the expense of the contest. The antislavery members of the -Legislature contributed a thousand dollars to the fund, which was spent -in the distribution of literature on the subject. For a time the storm -subsided, but the deep hatred of the iniquity was spreading through -the North, and abolition societies were being organized in every city -and village where the friends of human freedom existed in sufficient -numbers to sustain themselves against the powerful proslavery sentiment. -Occasionally there was a public discussion, but the controversy raged -most fiercely at the corner groceries, at the county court-house, and -at other places where thinking men were in the habit of assembling, and -Lincoln was always ready and eager to enter the debates. His convictions -were formed and grew firmer as he studied the question, and his moral -courage developed with them. It was a good deal of an ordeal for an -ambitious young man just beginning his career to attack a popular -institution, in the midst of a community many of whom had been born and -educated in slave States and considered what he believed a curse to be -a divine institution. Nevertheless, the sense of justice and humanity -stimulated Abraham Lincoln to take his place upon the side of freedom, -and he never lost an opportunity to denounce slavery as founded on -injustice and wrong. - -His first opportunity to make a public avowal of his views occurred -in 1838, when the Illinois Legislature passed a series of resolutions -declaring that the right of property in slaves is sacred to the -slave-holding States by the Federal Constitution, and "that we highly -disapprove of the formation of abolition societies and of the doctrines -promulgated by them." Lincoln and five other members of the Legislature -voted against these resolutions; and in order to make his position more -fully understood by his constituents and the members of the Whig party -throughout the State, he prepared a protest, which he persuaded Dan -Stone, one of his colleagues from Sangamon County, to sign with him, -and, at their request, it was spread upon the journal of the House, as -follows: - -"Resolutions upon the subject of domestic slavery having passed both -branches of the General Assembly at its present session, the undersigned -hereby protest against the passage of the same. - -"They believe that the institution of slavery is founded on both -injustice and bad policy, but that the promulgation of abolition -doctrines tends rather to increase than abate its evils. - -"They believe that the Congress of the United States has no power under -the Constitution to interfere with the institution of slavery in the -different States. - -"They believe that the Congress of the United States has the power, -under the Constitution, to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia, -but that the power ought not to be exercised, unless at the request of -the people of the District. - -"The difference between these opinions and those contained in the said -resolutions is their reasons for entering this protest." - -This, I am confident, is the first formal declaration against the system -of slavery that was made in any legislative body in the United States, -at least west of the Hudson River. - -A few months after this event occurred the tragic death of the Rev. -Elijah P. Lovejoy, editor of a religious newspaper at Alton, whose -antislavery editorials enraged the proslavery mob, which murdered him -and threw his press and type into the Mississippi River. In this case, -as in many others, the blood of a martyr was the seed of the faith. -The mob that murdered Elijah P. Lovejoy did more to crystallize public -opinion and stimulate the movement than all the arguments and appeals -uttered up to that date. - -After his bold action in the Legislature Lincoln was recognized as the -antislavery leader in the central part of Illinois, but was frequently -the object of criticism because of his conservative views. He argued, -then, as he did twenty-five years later, that the Constitution of the -United States was sacred, and as long as it existed must be obeyed. It -recognized the right to hold slaves in certain States, and therefore -that right could not be denied until the Constitution was appropriately -amended. The friends of freedom were at liberty to denounce the great -wrong, but they must proceed legally in securing its removal. This -position was taken by Lincoln when he was only twenty-eight years -old, and he held it until the abolition of slavery became a military -necessity. At the same time he was patiently and confidently trying to -educate public sentiment and lead the abolition movement in the right -direction. - -Lincoln's second opportunity to place himself formally on record -occurred when he was a member of the House of Representatives, where -the controversy had been carried long before, and had been revived and -vitalized by the treaty with Mexico at the close of the war of 1848, -which added to the United States a territory as large as half of Europe. -The slave-holders immediately demanded it for their own, but in the -previous Congress the Whig and antislavery Democrats had succeeded in -attaching to an appropriation bill an amendment known as the Wilmot -Proviso, which prohibited the extension of slavery into the territory -recently acquired. This had been followed up by the adoption of similar -provisions wherever the Whigs could get an opportunity to attach them -to other legislation. Lincoln used to say that during his two years in -Congress he voted for the Wilmot Proviso in one form or another more -than fifty times. - -Upon his arrival in Washington his horror of the slavery system and the -impressions received during his voyages to New Orleans were revived by -witnessing the proceedings and the distress in the slave-markets of the -national capital, and he determined to devote his best efforts to a -removal of that scandal and reproach. Fifteen years later, in one of his -speeches during the debate with Douglas, he described the slave-shambles -of Washington, and said, "In view from the windows of the Capitol a -sort of negro livery stable where droves of negroes were collected, -temporarily kept, and finally taken to Southern markets, precisely like -droves of horses, has been openly maintained for more than fifty years." - -He believed that Congress had power under the Constitution to regulate -all affairs in the Territories and the District of Columbia, and, after -consulting with several of the leading citizens of Washington, he -introduced a bill for the gradual abolition of slavery in the District -of Columbia. The first two sections prohibit the introduction of slaves -within the limits of the District or the selling of them out of it, -exception being made to the servants of officials of the government -from the slave-holding States. The third section provides for the -apprenticeship and gradual emancipation of children born of slave -mothers after January 1, 1850. The fourth provides full compensation for -all slaves voluntarily made free by their owners. The fifth recognizes -the fugitive-slave law, and the sixth submits the proposition to a -popular vote, and provides that it shall not go into force until -ratified by a majority of the voters of the District. - -This bill met with more violent opposition from other parts of the -country than from the slave-holders who were directly affected. -The people of the South feared that it might serve as a precedent -for similar actions in other parts of the country and stimulate -the antislavery sentiment of the North. On the other hand, the -abolitionists, with that unreasonable spirit which usually governs men -of radical views, condemned the measure as a compromise with wrong, and -declared that they would never permit money from the public treasury -to be expended for the purchase of human beings. No action was taken -in Congress. The bill was referred to the appropriate committee and -was stuffed into a pigeonhole, where it was never disturbed; but it -is a remarkable coincidence that less than fifteen years later it was -Lincoln's privilege to approve an act of Congress for the abolition of -slavery in the District of Columbia. - -It is interesting to watch the development of Lincoln's views on the -slavery question, as revealed by his public utterances and private -letters during the great struggle between 1850 and 1860, until the -people of the republic named him as umpire to decide the greatest -question that ever engaged the moral and intellectual attention of a -people. Here and there appear curious phrases, startling predictions, -vivid epigrams, and unanswerable arguments. For example, in 1855 he -declared that "the autocrat of all the Russias will resign his crown -and proclaim free republicans sooner than will our American masters -voluntarily give up their slaves." A reference to the dates will show -that Alexander II., by imperial decree, emancipated the serfs of Russia -almost upon the same day, at the same hour, that the Southern States -began the greatest war of modern times to protect and extend the -institution of slavery. - -At Rochester, in the summer of 1859, Mr. Seward furnished the Republican -party a watch-cry when he called it "the irrepressible conflict," but -two years before and repeatedly after Lincoln uttered the same idea in -almost the same phrase. In three Presidential campaigns, in two contests -for the Senate, and in almost every local political contest after 1840 -slavery was the principal theme of his speeches, until the Douglas -debate of 1858 caused him to be recognized as the most powerful advocate -and defender of antislavery doctrines. - -Senator Douglas found great amusement in accusing Lincoln of a desire -to establish social equality between the whites and the blacks, and in -his speeches seldom failed to evoke a roar of laughter by declaring that -"Abe Lincoln" and other abolitionists "wanted to marry niggers." Lincoln -paid no attention to this vulgar joke until he saw that it was becoming -serious, and that many people actually believed that the abolitionists -were proposing to do what Douglas had said. He attempted to remove this -impression by a serious discussion of the doctrine of equality, and in -one of his speeches declared, "I protest against the counterfeit logic -which concludes that because I do not want a black woman for a slave -I must necessarily want her for a wife." In another speech he said, -"I shall never marry a negress, but I have no objection to any one -else doing so. If a white man wants to marry a negro woman, let him do -it,--if the negro woman can stand it." - -[Illustration: ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN 1864 - -From a photograph in the War Department Collection] - -At another time he said, "If I saw a venomous snake crawling in the -road, any man would say I might seize the nearest stick and kill it; -but if I found that snake in bed with my children, that would be -another question. I might hurt the children more than the snake, and -it might bite them. Much more, it I found it in bed with my neighbor's -children, and I had bound myself by a solemn compact not to meddle with -his children under any circumstances, it would become me to let that -particular mode of getting rid of that gentleman alone. But if there was -a bed newly made up, to which the children were to be taken, and it was -proposed to take a batch of young snakes and put them there with them, I -take it that no man would question how I ought to decide." - -In his Cooper Union speech may be found his strongest argument. "If -slavery is right, all words, acts, laws, and constitutions against it -are themselves wrong, and should be silenced and swept away. If it is -right, we cannot justly object to its nationality,--its universality. -If it is wrong, they cannot justly insist upon its extension,--its -enlargement. All they ask we could readily grant, if we thought slavery -right; all we ask they could as readily grant, if they thought it wrong. -Their thinking it right, and our thinking it wrong, is the precise -fact upon which depends the whole controversy.... Wrong as we think -slavery is, we can yet afford to let it alone where it is, because -that much is due to the necessity arising from its actual presence in -the nation; but can we, while our votes will prevent it, allow it to -spread into the national Territories, and to overrun us here in the -free States? If our sense of duty forbids this, then let us stand by -our duty fearlessly and effectively. Let us be diverted by none of -those sophistical contrivances wherewith we are so industriously plied -and belabored, contrivances such as groping for some middle ground -between the right and the wrong, vain as the search for a man who should -be neither a living man nor a dead man; such as a policy of 'don't -care,' on a question about which all true men do care; such as Union -appeals beseeching true Union men to yield to disunionists; reversing -the divine rule, and calling, not the sinners, but the righteous to -repentance; such as invocations to Washington, imploring men to unsay -what Washington said, and undo what Washington did. Neither let us be -slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened -from it by menaces of destruction to the government nor of dungeons to -ourselves. Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith -let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." - -In a letter dated July 28, 1859, he wrote, "There is another thing -our friends are doing which gives me some uneasiness.... Douglas's -popular sovereignty, accepted by the public mind as a just principle, -nationalizes slavery, and revives the African slave-trade inevitably. -Taking slaves into new Territories, and buying slaves in Africa, are -identical things, identical rights or identical wrongs, and the argument -which establishes one will establish the other. Try a thousand years for -a sound reason why Congress shall not hinder the people of Kansas from -having slaves, and when you have found it, it will be an equally good -one why Congress should not hinder the people of Georgia from importing -slaves from Africa." - -While he was campaigning in Ohio, in 1859, occurred the John Brown -episode at Harper's Ferry, which created intense excitement throughout -the entire country and particularly in the South, where it was -interpreted as an organized attempt of the abolitionists to arouse an -insurrection among the slaves. In his speeches Lincoln did much to -allay public sentiment in Illinois, for he construed the attack upon -Harper's Ferry with his habitual common sense. He argued that it was not -a slave insurrection, but an attempt to organize one in which the slaves -refused to participate, and he compared it with many attempts related -in history to assassinate kings and emperors. "An enthusiast broods -over the oppression of a people until he fancies himself commissioned by -heaven to liberate them. He ventures the attempt, which ends in little -else than his own execution. Orsini's attempt on Louis Napoleon and John -Brown's attempt at Harper's Ferry were, in their philosophy, precisely -the same. The eagerness to cast blame on Old England in one case and -on New England in the other does not disprove the sameness of the two -things." - -It was not long after the inauguration that President Lincoln was -compelled to treat the slavery problem in a practical manner. To him -it ceased to be a question of morals and became an actual, perplexing -problem continually appearing in every direction and in various forms. -The first movement of troops dislodged from the plantations of their -owners a multitude of slaves, who found their way to the camps of the -Union army and were employed as servants, teamsters, and often as -guides. The Northern soldier took a sympathetic interest in the escaped -slave, and as fast as he advanced into slave territory the greater that -sympathy became. A Virginia planter looking for a fugitive slave in a -Union camp was a familiar object of ridicule and derision, and he seldom -found any satisfaction. - -One day the representative of Colonel Mallory, a Virginia planter, came -into the Union lines at Fortress Monroe and demanded three field-hands -who, he asserted, were at that time in the camp. General B. F. Butler, -who was in command, replied that, as Virginia claimed to be a foreign -country, the fugitive-slave law could not possibly be in operation -there, and declined to surrender the negroes unless the owner would take -the oath of allegiance to the United States. A newspaper correspondent, -in reporting this incident, took the ground that, as the Confederate -commanders were using negroes as laborers upon fortifications, under -international law they were clearly contraband of war. A new word was -coined. From that moment, and until the struggle was over, escaped -negroes were known as "contrabands," and public opinion in the North -decided that they were subject to release or confiscation by military -right and usage. General Butler always assumed the credit of formulating -that doctrine, and insisted that the correspondent had adopted a -suggestion overheard at the mess-table; but, however it originated, -it had more influence upon the solution of the problem than volumes -of argument might have had. When it became known among the negroes in -Virginia that the Union troops would not send them back to slavery, -the plantations were deserted and the Northern camps were crowded with -men, women, and children of all ages, who had to be clothed and fed. -General Butler relieved the embarrassment by sending the able-bodied men -to work upon the fortifications, by utilizing the women as cooks and -laundresses, and by permitting his officers to employ them as servants. - -After a time the exodus spread to Washington, and the slaves in that -city began to find their way across the Potomac into the military camps, -which caused a great deal of dissatisfaction and seemed to have an -unfavorable effect upon the political action of Maryland, West Virginia, -Kentucky, and Missouri; so that President Lincoln was appealed to from -all sides to order the execution of the fugitive-slave law in States -which he was trying to keep in the Union. He believed that public -sentiment was growing and would ultimately furnish a solution. He quoted -the Methodist presiding elder, riding about his circuit at the time -of the spring freshets, whose young companion showed great anxiety as -to how they should cross Fox River, then very much swollen. The elder -replied that he had made it the rule of his life never to cross Fox -River until he came to it. - -With the same philosophical spirit, Lincoln made the negro question -"a local issue," to be treated by each commander and the police of -each place as circumstances suggested, and, under his instructions, -the commandant at Washington issued an order that "fugitive slaves -will under no pretext whatever be permitted to reside, or be in any -way harbored, in the quarters and camps of the troops serving in this -department." This served to satisfy the complaints of the Maryland -planters and the slave-holders of the District of Columbia until -Congress passed the confiscation act, which forfeited the property -rights of disloyal owners. That was the first step towards emancipation. - -President Lincoln's plan to invest military commanders with practical -authority to solve the negro problem according to their individual -judgment soon got him into trouble, especially with his Secretary of -War, for the latter, in his report to Congress, without the knowledge of -the President and without consulting him, explained the policy of the -government as follows: - -"If it shall be found that the men who have been held by the rebels as -slaves are capable of bearing arms and performing efficient military -service, it is right, and may become the duty, of the government to arm -and equip them, and employ their services against the rebels, under -proper military regulation, discipline, and command." - -The report did not reach the public; it was suppressed and modified -before being printed in the newspapers; but that paragraph made Mr. -Cameron's resignation necessary. As amended, the report contained -a simple declaration that fugitive and abandoned slaves, being an -important factor in the military situation, would not be returned to -disloyal masters, but would be employed so far as possible in the -services of the Union army, and withheld from the enemy until Congress -should make some permanent disposition of them. - -Lincoln was severely criticised by the antislavery newspapers of the -North. But he did not lose his patience, and in his message to Congress -declared his intention to keep the integrity of the Union prominent "as -the primary object of the contest on our part, leaving all questions -which are not of vital military importance to the more deliberate -action of the Legislature." But while he was writing these guarded and -ambiguous phrases he had already decided to propose a plan of voluntary -abolition for the District of Columbia similar to that he had offered -in Congress thirteen years before. It was a measure of expediency and -delay. He evidently had no expectation that such a proposition would -be adopted. He undoubtedly realized that it was impossible; but his -political sagacity and knowledge of human nature taught him that the -public, to use a homely but significant expression which was familiar to -his childhood, "must have something to chaw on," and further illustrated -his point by reminding a caller how easily an angry dog might be -diverted by throwing him a bone. - -He soon followed this up by proposing to Delaware a scheme for the -purchase by the government of the seventeen hundred and ninety-eight -slaves shown by the census of 1860 to be still held in that State, at -the rate of four hundred dollars per capita. A majority of the Lower -House of the Legislature of Delaware accepted the idea, but the Senate -rejected it and the subject was dropped. But Lincoln did not allow the -minds of his antislavery critics to rest. He kept them busy discussing -new propositions, and on March 6, 1862, sent a special message to the -two Houses of Congress recommending the gradual abolishment of slavery -by furnishing to the several States from the public treasury sufficient -funds "to compensate for the inconveniences, public and private, -produced by such change of system." By this proposition he avoided the -objections to the general government interfering with the domestic -affairs of the States, and left the people of each State to arrange for -emancipation in their own way. "It is proposed as a matter of perfectly -free choice with them," he said in his message, and again called -attention to the probable effects of the war upon the slave situation. -The representatives of the border States in Congress took no heed of -the warning, but the Northern papers devoted a great deal of space to -a discussion of the proposition, and Lincoln's purpose of giving them -something to talk about was accomplished. The most serious objection was -based upon the enormous expenses. As early as 1839 Henry Clay estimated -the value of the slaves at one billion two hundred and fifty million -dollars, and upon the same basis of calculation it must have exceeded -two billion dollars in 1860; but Lincoln answered that one-half day's -cost of the war would pay for all the slaves in Delaware at four hundred -dollars a head, and that eighty-seven days' cost would pay for all the -slaves in the border States. - -He called together the Congressional delegates from the border States -and made an earnest effort to convince them of the expediency of his -plan. The House of Representatives adopted it by a two-thirds vote, -although few of the members from Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri voted -with the affirmative. A month later the resolution was concurred in by -the Senate, and what Thaddeus Stevens, the radical leader of the House, -described as "the most diluted milk-and-water-gruel proposition ever -given to the American people" became a law. - -It is not necessary to say that the Legislatures of the border States -never had an opportunity to take advantage of the proposition; history -moved too fast for them. But Lincoln at once began a systematic campaign -in Congress to secure legislation for the purchase of all the slaves -belonging to loyal owners in the District of Columbia, and that became a -law on April 16, 1862. - -Public opinion was being rapidly educated; the Republican majority in -Congress was pledged to the doctrine of emancipation; the slave-holders -in the border States were being led gradually to realize the inevitable, -and if they had been wise they would promptly have accepted the -generosity of the President's proposition and thus have escaped the -enormous pecuniary losses which they suffered by the Emancipation -Proclamation a little later. - -Before Congress adjourned, laws were passed which materially altered the -situation. The army was prohibited from surrendering fugitive slaves; -the confiscation act was greatly enlarged; all slaves actually employed -in military service by the Confederacy were declared free; the President -was authorized to enlist negro regiments for the war; the Missouri -Compromise was restored; slavery was forbidden in all Territories of the -United States; appropriations were made for carrying into effect the -treaty with Great Britain to suppress the slave-trade; the independence -and sovereignty of Hayti and Liberia, two black republics, were formally -recognized, and two nations of negroes, with negro Presidents, negro -officials, and negro ambassadors, were admitted on an equality into the -sisterhood of civilized nations. Any one who would have predicted such -legislation a year previous would have been considered insane, even six -months previous it would have been declared impossible. - -The next sensation was an emancipation proclamation issued by General -David Hunter, who commanded the Department of the South, which declared -free all persons held as slaves in the States of Georgia, Florida, and -South Carolina. Lincoln promptly vetoed Hunter's order and declared -it unauthorized and void, saying that he reserved to himself, "as -Commander-in-Chief of the army and navy, to declare the slaves of -any State or States free" when "it shall have become a necessity -indispensable to the maintenance of the government." - -This announcement should have satisfied the North and have been a -sufficient warning to the South, because as we read it now we can see -Lincoln's purposes between the lines. - -The President could not permit the Congressional delegations from -the border States to return to their constituents without one more -admonition and one more appeal to their patriotism and their sense of -justice and wisdom. He called them to the White House and read to them a -carefully prepared argument in support of his plan to sell their slaves -to the government. Two-thirds of them united in an explanation of their -reasons for rejecting the scheme on account of its impracticability, and -the remainder promised to submit it to their constituents. The reception -of this last appeal convinced Lincoln that he could do nothing by moral -suasion, and he immediately determined to try the use of force. - -"It has got to be," he told a friend afterwards. "We had played our last -card and must change our tactics or lose the game; and I now determined -upon the adoption of the emancipation policy, and, without consultation -with or the knowledge of the Cabinet, I prepared the original draft of -the proclamation." - -On July 22, 1862, he read to his Cabinet the first draft of a -proclamation, not for the purpose of asking their advice, he told them, -but for their information. But every man was pledged to confidence, -and the secret was so well kept that the public had no suspicion of -his intention, and the radical newspapers and abolitionists continued -to criticise and attack him in a most abusive manner. A committee of -clergymen from Chicago came to Washington to urge him to issue an -emancipation proclamation. He received them respectfully, but did not -tell them that their wishes would have been anticipated but for the -defeat of the Union army at the second battle of Bull Run. He made -them an eloquent but evasive speech, and appealed to their good sense. -"Now, gentlemen," he said, "if I cannot enforce the Constitution down -South, how can I enforce a mere Presidential proclamation? I do not want -to issue a document that the whole world will see must necessarily be -inoperative like the Pope's Bull against the comet." - -Mr. Colfax, who accompanied the delegation, says that "one of these -ministers felt it his duty to make a more searching appeal to the -President's conscience. Just as they were retiring, he turned and said -to Mr. Lincoln,-- - -"'What you have said to us, Mr. President, compels me to say, in -reply, that it is a message to you from our Divine Master, through me, -commanding you, sir, to open the doors of bondage that the slave may go -free!' - -"Mr. Lincoln replied instantly, 'That may be, sir, for I have studied -this question by night and by day for weeks and for months; but if it -is, as you say, a message from your Divine Master, is it not odd that -the only channel he could send it by was that roundabout route by that -awfully wicked city of Chicago?' - -"In discussing the question, he used to liken the case to that of the -boy who, when asked how many legs his calf would have if he called his -tail a leg, replied, 'Five.' To which the prompt response was made that -_calling_ the tail a leg would not _make_ it a leg. - -"He sought to measure so accurately, so precisely, the public sentiment -that, whenever he advanced, the loyal hosts of the nation would keep -step with him. In regard to the policy of arming the slaves against the -Rebellion, never, until the tide of patriotic volunteering had ebbed and -our soldiers saw their ranks rapidly melting away, could our colored -troops have been added to their brigades without perilous discontent, if -not open revolt. Against all appeals, all demands, against even threats -of some members of his party, Lincoln stood like a rock on this question -until he felt that the opportune moment had arrived." - -Not only was he denounced by the abolitionists, but by the foremost -leaders of the Republican party, such as Benjamin F. Wade and Horace -Greeley, and received appeals from loyal people of the South, to whom he -replied, with his usual patience, "What is done and omitted about the -slaves is done and omitted on the same military necessity. I shall not -do more than I can, and shall do all that I can, to save the government." - -In his view, military necessity was the only justification for the -violation of the Constitution, which protected the slaves. In the -second place, his delay was due to a doubt whether public sentiment in -the North was prepared for a measure so radical and far-reaching; by -his hope that the people of the border States would soon be willing -to accept the act as a friendly as well as a necessary solution of -a dilemma; and, finally, because of his profound respect for the -Constitution which he had sworn to maintain. He would not free the negro -because the Constitution stood in his way, and only for the sake of the -Union was he willing to override that sacred instrument. This purpose -was tersely expressed when, under great provocation, he allowed himself -to violate his own rule and reply to Horace Greeley, who had attacked -him in an open letter of unjust censure, accusing him of neglecting his -duty. - -"I would save the Union," he said, frankly. "I would save it in the -shortest way under the Constitution. If there be those who would not -save the Union unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not -agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless -they could, at the same time, destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. -My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not -either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without -freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all -the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and -leaving others alone, I would also do that. What I do about slavery and -the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; -and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to -save the Union. I shall do less whenever I believe what I am doing hurts -the cause, and I shall do more whenever I believe doing more will help -the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors, and I -shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views." - -Contemplating the events in the history of emancipation in a perspective -of forty years, it is difficult to say whether we admire more the skill -with which President Lincoln led public sentiment along with him or the -reticence and dignity with which he restrained his own desire to yield -to the influence of the good people of the North and protect himself -from the clamor of his critics. His letter to Mr. Greeley was not an -argument in a controversy, nor an apology for or defence of his policy; -but he intended it to be a warning to prepare the slave-holders of the -border States and the South for an event which only he and his Cabinet -knew was about to happen, and, at the same time, to divert the attention -of the Union people of the North until a favorable opportunity arrived -for proclaiming freedom. - -Mr. Greeley was not satisfied with the assurances contained in the -letter, and continued to attack the President in a persistent manner. -He was invited to come to Washington and "fight it out in private," but -sent his managing editor instead, who spent an interesting evening and -had an animated argument with the President; but the latter could not -trust him with the momentous secret, and was compelled to wait until -a Union victory offered a favorable opportunity to take the step he -contemplated. As he told the Chicago pastors, he had not decided against -a proclamation of liberty for the slaves, but held the matter under -advisement. "And I can assure you," he added, "that the subject is on my -mind by day and by night; more than any other. Whatever shall appear to -be God's will I will do." - -Accordingly, on September 22, 1862, after the battle of Antietam, he -called his Cabinet together and announced his intention to issue a -proclamation of emancipation. "I have gotten you together to hear what -I have written down," he said. "I do not want your advice about the -main matter, because I have determined that myself. This I say without -intending anything but respect for all of you. I alone must bear the -responsibility for taking the course which I feel I ought to take." - -The preliminary proclamation was issued, and in his annual message to -Congress on December 1, 1862, Lincoln recommended the passage of a joint -resolution proposing a constitutional amendment providing compensation -for every State which would abolish slavery before the year 1900, -another guaranteeing freedom to all slaves that had been released by -the chances of war, and a third authorizing Congress to provide a plan -of colonization for them. His idea was to send them either to Africa, -to the West Indies, or to Central America, and he encouraged several -extensive plans of colonization, which, however, were not carried into -practical operation. In this connection it is interesting to recall -the reminiscences of General Butler, who says that shortly before the -assassination the President sent for him and said,-- - -"'General Butler, I am troubled about the negroes. We are soon to have -peace. We have got some one hundred and odd thousand negroes who have -been trained to arms. When peace shall come I fear lest these colored -men shall organize themselves in the South, especially in the States -where the negroes are in preponderance in numbers, into guerilla -parties, and we shall have down there a warfare between the whites and -the negroes. In the course of the reconstruction of the government it -will become a question of how the negro is to be disposed of. Would -it not be possible to export them to some place, say Liberia or South -America, and organize them into communities to support themselves?' - -"General Butler replied, 'We have large quantities of clothing to clothe -them, and arms and everything necessary for them, even to spades and -shovels, mules, and wagons. Our war has shown that an army organization -is the very best for digging up the soil and making intrenchments. -Witness the very many miles of intrenchments that our soldiers have dug -out. I know of a concession of the United States of Colombia for a tract -of thirty miles wide across the Isthmus of Panama for opening a ship -canal. The enlistments of the negroes have all of them from two or three -years to run. Why not send them all down there to dig the canal? They -will withstand the climate, and the work can be done with less cost to -the United States in that way than in any other. If you choose, I will -take command of the expedition. We will take our arms with us, and I -need not suggest to you that we will need nobody sent down to guard us -from the interference of any nation. We will proceed to cultivate the -land and supply ourselves with all the fresh food that can be raised in -the tropics, which will be all that will be needed, and your stores of -provisions and supplies of clothing will furnish all the rest. Shall I -work out the details of such an expedition for you, Mr. President?' - -"He reflected for some time, and then said, 'There is meat in that -suggestion, General Butler; there is meat in that suggestion. Go and -talk to Seward and see what foreign complications there will be about -it.' - -"But that evening Secretary Seward, in his drive before dinner, was -thrown from his carriage and severely injured, his jaw being broken, and -he was confined to his bed until the assassination of Lincoln and the -attempted murder of himself by one of the confederates of Booth, so that -the subject could never be again mentioned to Mr. Lincoln." - -The final proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863. On the afternoon -of December 31, after the Cabinet meeting was over Lincoln rewrote the -document with great care, embodying in it several suggestions which -had been made by his Cabinet, but rigidly adhering to the spirit of -the original. In his judgment, the time had now come for adopting this -extreme measure, and "upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of -justice, warranted by the Constitution upon military necessity, I invoke -the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty -God." - -The morning of New Year's day was occupied by the official reception, -and the President was kept busy until about three o'clock in the -afternoon, when he went to the Executive Chamber, took the manuscript -from a drawer in his desk, wrote his name, and closed a controversy that -had raged for half a century. He carefully laid away the pen he had used -for Mr. Sumner, who had promised to obtain it for George Livermore, of -Cambridge, Massachusetts, an old abolitionist and the author of a work -on slavery which had greatly interested Lincoln. It was a steel pen with -an ordinary wooden handle, such as is used by school-children and can -be bought for a penny at any stationery store. The end of the holder -showed the marks of Lincoln's teeth, for he had a habit of putting his -pen-holder into his mouth whenever he was puzzled in composition. - -Lincoln's own commentary and explanation of the step which led to this -edict of freedom was written little more than a year later, to a friend, -and should be carefully studied before forming a judgment upon the -reasons for and the consequences of that act: - -"I am naturally antislavery," he said. "If slavery is not wrong, nothing -is wrong. I cannot remember when I did not so think and feel, and -yet I have never understood that the Presidency conferred upon me an -unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgment and feeling. -It was in the oath I took that I would, to the best of my ability, -preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. I -could not take the office without taking the oath. Nor was it my view -that I might take an oath to get power, and break the oath in using -the power. I understood, too, that in ordinary civil administration -this oath even forbade me to practically indulge my primary abstract -judgment on the moral question of slavery. I had publicly declared this -many times, and in many ways. And I aver that, to this day, I have done -no official act in mere deference to my abstract judgment and feeling -on slavery. I did understand, however, that my oath to preserve the -Constitution to the best of my ability imposed upon me the duty of -preserving, by every indispensable means, that government, that nation, -of which that Constitution was the organic law. Was it possible to lose -the nation and yet preserve the Constitution? By general law, life and -limb must be protected, yet often a limb must be amputated to save a -life; but a life is never wisely given to save a limb. I felt that -measures otherwise unconstitutional might become lawful by becoming -indispensable to the preservation of the Constitution, through the -preservation of the nation. Right or wrong, I assumed this ground, and -now avow it. I could not feel that, to the best of my ability, I had -even tried to preserve the Constitution if, to save slavery or any -minor matter, I should permit the wreck of government, country, and -Constitution all together. When, early in the war, General Fremont -attempted military emancipation, I forbade it, because I did not then -think it an indispensable necessity. When, a little later, General -Cameron, then Secretary of War, suggested the arming of the blacks, I -objected, because I did not yet think it an indispensable necessity. -When, still later, General Hunter attempted military emancipation, -I again forbade it, because I did not yet think the indispensable -necessity had come. When in March and May and July, 1862, I made earnest -and successive appeals to the border States to favor compensated -emancipation, I believed the indispensable necessity for military -emancipation and arming the blacks would come unless averted by that -measure. They declined the proposition, and I was, in my best judgment, -driven to the alternative of either surrendering the Union, and with it -the Constitution, or of laying strong hand upon the colored element. I -chose the latter." - -Lincoln did not live to witness the consummation or the consequences of -the edict. The preliminary resolution for a constitutional amendment was -not secured until after a long struggle in Congress and against the most -determined opposition. Were it not for Lincoln's political skill and -tact, it might never have been adopted. The work of ratification by the -loyal States was not completed until December, 1865, when Mr. Seward, -still Secretary of State, issued a proclamation announcing that the -thirteenth amendment had been ratified by twenty-seven of the thirty-six -States then composing the Union, and that slavery and involuntary -servitude were from that time and forever impossible within the limits -of the United States. - -Some one has arranged the Emancipation Proclamation so that its words -form an accurate profile of Abraham Lincoln's face. The picture is -perfect and not a letter of the document is wanting. - -Lincoln's ideas concerning the enfranchisement of the negroes were -expressed in a letter to Governor Hahn congratulating him upon having -his name fixed in history as the first free Governor of the State of -Louisiana, and saying, "Now, you are about to have a convention which, -among other things, will probably define the elective franchise. -I barely suggest for your private consideration whether some of -the colored people may not be let in,--as, for instance, the very -intelligent, and especially those who have fought gallantly in our -ranks. They would probably help, in some trying time to come, to keep -the jewel of liberty safe within the family of freedom. But this is only -a suggestion--not to the public, but to you alone." - -[Illustration: A LETTER TO HON. MICHAEL HAHN, FIRST FREE STATE GOVERNOR -OF LOUISIANA - -By special permission of John M. Crampton, Esq., New Haven, Connecticut] - -On April 11, 1865, he made his last speech. It was delivered from -the portico of the White House in response to an invitation from the -managers of a jubilee celebration over the surrender of Lee's army. -Twice before was he called out by serenading parties, and on both -occasions declined to give more than a few informal expressions of -congratulation and gratitude; but, being pressed by the committee, he -consented to deliver a formal address, and with great care prepared a -manuscript upon the reconstruction problem. It was undoubtedly intended -as a "feeler" to test public sentiment in the North, and that portion of -it which relates to negro suffrage is as follows: - -"We all agree that the seceded States, so called, are out of their -proper relations to the Union, and that the sole object of the -government, civil and military, in regard to those States, is to again -get them into their proper practical relation. I believe it is not -only possible, but in fact easier to do this without deciding, or even -considering, whether those States have ever been out of the Union, -than with it. Finding themselves safely at home, it would be utterly -immaterial whether they had ever been abroad. Let us join in doing the -acts necessary to restoring the proper practical relations between those -States and the Union, and each forever after innocently indulge his own -opinion whether, in doing the acts, he brought the States from without -the Union, or only gave them proper assistance, they never having been -out of it. - -"It is also unsatisfactory to some that the elective franchise is -not given to the colored man. I would myself prefer that it were now -conferred on the very intelligent and those who have served our cause as -soldiers. Still, the question is not whether the Louisiana government, -as it stands, is quite all that is desirable. The question is, Will it -be wiser to take it as it is, and help to improve it, or to reject and -disperse it? - -"Some twelve thousand voters in the heretofore slave State of Louisiana -have sworn allegiance to the Union, assumed to be the rightful political -power of the State, held elections, organized a State government, -adopted a free State Constitution, giving the benefit of public schools -equally to black and white, and empowering the Legislature to confer the -elective franchise upon the colored man. The Legislature has already -voted to ratify the constitutional amendment passed by Congress, -abolishing slavery throughout the nation. These twelve thousand persons -are thus fully committed to the Union and to perpetual freedom in the -States--committed to the very things, and nearly all the things the -nation wants--and they ask the nation's recognition and its assistance -to make good the committal.... We encourage the hearts and nerve the -arms of twelve thousand to adhere to their work, and argue for it, and -proselyte for it, fight for it, and feed it, and grow it, and ripen it -to a complete success. The colored man, too, seeing all united for him, -is inspired with vigilance, and energy, and daring to the same end. -Grant that he desires the elective franchise, will he not obtain it -sooner by saving the already advanced steps towards it than by running -backward over them? Concede that the new government of Louisiana is only -as what it should be as the egg is to the fowl, we shall sooner have the -fowl by hatching the egg than by smashing it." - -We have the testimony of members of the Cabinet that the question of -suffrage was several times discussed, and that Lincoln and Mr. Chase -differed as to constitutional authority and limitations in that matter. -Mr. Chase held that Congress had the right and power to enact such laws -for the government of the people of the States lately in rebellion as -might be deemed expedient to the public safety, including the bestowal -of suffrage upon the negroes; but Lincoln held that the latter right -rested exclusively with the States. In his amnesty proclamation of -December 8, 1863, he said that any provision by which the States shall -provide for the education and for the welfare of "the laboring landless -and homeless class will not be objected to by the national Executive;" -and Mr. Usher, his Secretary of the Interior, says, "From all that -could be gathered by those who observed his conduct in those times, it -seemed his hope that the people in the insurgent States, upon exercising -authority under the Constitution and laws of the United States, would -find it necessary to make suitable provision, not only for the education -of the freedmen, but also for their acquisition of property and security -in its possession, and to secure that would find it necessary and -expedient to bestow suffrage upon them, in some degree at least." - -Mr. Hugh McCulloch, who succeeded Mr. Chase as Secretary of the -Treasury, says, "There is nothing in his record to indicate that he -would have favored the immediate and full enfranchisement of those who, -having been always in servitude, were unfit for an intelligent and -independent use of the ballot. In the plan for the rehabilitation of -the South which he and his Cabinet had partially agreed upon, and which -Mr. Johnson and the same Cabinet endeavored to perfect and carry out, -no provision was made for negro suffrage. This question was purposely -left open for further consideration and for Congressional action, under -such amendments of the Constitution as the changed condition of the -country might render necessary. From some of his incidental expressions, -and from his well-known opinions upon the subject of suffrage and the -States' right to regulate it, my opinion is that he would have been -disposed to let that question remain as it was before the war; with, -however, such amendments of the Constitution as would have prevented -any but those who were permitted to vote in Federal elections from -being included in the enumeration for representatives in Congress, thus -inducing the recent Slave States, for the purpose of increasing their -Congressional influence and power, to give the ballot to black men as -well as white." - - - - -IX - -A MASTER IN DIPLOMACY - - -That rare gift which in the every-day affairs of life is called tact and -in statecraft is known as diplomacy was possessed by Abraham Lincoln -to a degree that was remarkable for a man of his meagre education -and limited experience. Before his nomination to the Presidency his -fame and activity had been almost exclusively provincial, and in a -province which had not yet grown out of the formative period; but he -was a profound student of human nature, and possessed a quality called -sagacity, which is the nearest approach to wisdom and is a gift of -nature. This knowledge and quality were developed during his political -life. A successful politician must be a diplomatist and a statesman. The -English language lacks terms to describe men of Lincoln's attainments. -The French, Spaniards, and Germans have definitions for different grades -of politicians, while the English are limited to that single word, -and apply it to every person who participates in political affairs, -from a ward-worker in the slums of the cities to an occupant of the -Executive chair of the nation. William McKinley, like Abraham Lincoln, -was a consummate politician and at the same time a statesman and a -diplomatist. The dictionary definition of the latter is "a man who has -dexterity or skill in managing negotiations of any kind;" and diplomacy, -by the same authority, is "artful management with a view of securing -advantages." - -According to this definition, Lincoln, as a diplomatist, was unsurpassed -in his generation either at home or abroad, as the history of the -foreign relations of our government during his administration will show. -He guided the foreign policy of the United States from 1861 to 1865 -as closely as he directed its military campaigns until 1864, when he -yielded the responsibility to General Grant; and, although the public -gave the credit to Seward, the members of the Cabinet, the foreign -committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and others -intimately associated with that branch of the administration recognized -his genius in all the larger attributes of diplomacy. The untrained -lawyer from the prairies without hesitation assumed the responsibility -of conducting the foreign policy of the government in the most critical -period of its existence, and revised the diplomatic correspondence of -his Secretary of State, who had the reputation of being one of the most -subtle and far-sighted statesmen of his age. But the developments showed -that Lincoln alone had a complete grasp of a situation unprecedented in -our history. - -He was a diplomatist by nature, and developed the talent early. When -a boy, he was selected as umpire at wrestling-matches, cock-fights, -horse- and foot-races, and other rude sports of the neighborhood because -his associates had confidence in his judgment and honesty. Because he -had tact, in addition to those qualities, he was the peacemaker and -court of appeals in quarrels; the referee in disputes; the arbiter in -controversies concerning literature, theology, woodcraft, and morals. -His decisions were rarely, if ever, questioned. He had a rule for -evading difficulties which was expressed in a homely remark to Mr. -Seward, who jokingly remarked at a Cabinet meeting one day,-- - -"Mr. President, I hear that you turned out for a colored woman on a -muddy crossing the other day." - -"I don't remember," answered Lincoln, musingly; "but I think it very -likely, for I have always made it a rule that if people won't turn out -for me I will for them. If I didn't there would be a collision." - -And he always avoided collisions. It was not because he lacked courage -or confidence. Obstinacy is often mistaken for courage, and, as one -of Lincoln's advisers remarked, "Political graveyards are filled with -buried ambitions and crushed hopes because of that mistake, which Mr. -Lincoln never made." He never allowed an antagonist to fathom his -thoughts or to see the line along which he was working. He gave way in -matters of small importance to secure a firmer position to fight a more -important battle. He overcame obstacles and escaped entanglements by -the exercise of this faculty called diplomacy, without surrendering a -principle or making an important concession. - -General Fry, who was Provost-Marshal of the War Department and received -daily instructions from the President in regard to the draft for troops, -which was one of the most embarrassing and perplexing questions that -arose during the war, illustrates this peculiar trait by an anecdote. He -says,-- - -"Upon one occasion the Governor of a State came to my office bristling -with complaints in relation to the number of troops required from his -State, the details for drafting the men, and the plan of compulsory -service in general. I found it impossible to satisfy his demands, and -accompanied him to the Secretary of War's office, whence, after a stormy -interview with Stanton, he went alone to press his ultimatum upon -the highest authority. After I had waited anxiously for some hours, -expecting important orders or decisions from the President, or at least -a summons to the White House for explanation, the Governor returned, and -said, with a pleasant smile, that he was going home by the next train, -and merely dropped in _en route_ to say good-by. Neither the business he -came upon nor his interview with the President was alluded to. - -"As soon as I could see Lincoln, I said, 'Mr. President, I am very -anxious to learn how you disposed of Governor ----. He went to your -office from the War Department in a towering rage. I suppose you found -it necessary to make large concessions to him, as he returned from you -entirely satisfied.' - -"'Oh, no,' he replied, 'I did not concede anything. You know how that -Illinois farmer managed the big log that lay in the middle of his field? -To the inquiries of his neighbors, one Sunday, he announced that he had -got rid of the big log. "Got rid of it!" said they, "how did you do -it? It was too big to haul out, too knotty to split, and too wet and -soggy to burn; what did you do?" "Well, now, boys," replied the farmer, -"if you won't divulge the secret, I'll tell you how I got rid of it. -_I ploughed around it._" Now,' said Lincoln, 'don't tell anybody, but -that's the way I got rid of Governor ----. _I ploughed around him_, but -it took me three mortal hours to do it, and I was afraid every moment -he'd see what I was at.'" - -Those who were associated with Lincoln noticed the rapid development of -his diplomatic talent. In meeting emergencies he constantly surprised -them by the manifestation of a capacity to grapple with hidden and -unknown difficulties that could have been possessed only by so strong -and deep a nature. His secretaries testify that he could receive any -kind of tidings without emotion or variation in face and manner. -"He never seemed to hear anything with reference to itself," one of -them described it, "but solely with a quick forward grasping for -the consequences; for what must be done next. The announcement of a -defeat or disaster did not bring to him the blow only, but rather the -consideration of a counter-stroke. With a calm, sublime reliance upon -God and the everlasting principles of right, he was able to conduct -the nation through the most tremendous civil war ever waged and never -committed a serious mistake." - -Lincoln was pre-eminently a Democrat because he believed in a government -of the people by the people for the people. His early training, his -contact with "the plain people," as he loved to call them, his knowledge -of their prejudices and preferences, their habits of thought and methods -of judgment, enabled him to judge accurately of public opinion, and his -deep sympathy with them gave him confidence that whatever met their -approval was right and just. That explains his loyal obedience to the -will of the majority, his refusal to adopt radical measures, and his -strength of purpose when he believed that his plans would be approved -by them. His critics asserted that his procrastination with McClellan, -his postponement of the emancipation of the slaves, and his apparent -reluctance to act upon measures which were considered necessary to the -salvation of the country were signs of weakness and cowardice; but no -man ever showed greater courage when he felt that he was right. - -When Lincoln came to Washington he had no experience in diplomacy or -statesmanship; as an attorney, he had dealt only with local and State -statutes; as a legislator, his experience was limited to provincial -affairs; his only knowledge of the operations of the general government -was acquired during the two years he was in Congress and from books that -he read. He had never argued a case before the Supreme Court, he had -never studied international law, he knew nothing of the organization -of armies, and he was unfamiliar with the relations between the Chief -Executive and his Cabinet; but we have seen in Chapter V. how promptly, -firmly, and conclusively, and at the same time with what tact and -diplomacy, he rebuked Seward's suggestion that he should surrender the -prerogatives of his office to the Secretary of State, how positive yet -how gentle was his treatment of Fremont, and how thorough his knowledge -of the laws of nations is disclosed by his correspondence concerning -the movement of troops through Maryland and Virginia, regarding the -suspension of the writ of _habeas corpus_, the arrest of Vallandigham, -and especially in connection with the Emancipation Proclamation. - -President Lincoln made it a rule never to deny or explain any charge -against himself, nor to reply to an attack, except when the fortunes of -his country seemed to be involved; and when he did make a reply it was -always complete and satisfactory. - -Almost the very moment that he crossed the threshold of the White House -Lincoln was confronted with the gravest diplomatic problem of his -experience, and its solution required not only knowledge of precedent -but skill in argument. The claim of the Confederacy to be recognized -as a nation by the powers of Europe had practically been waived by -President Buchanan when he admitted that the Federal government had -no authority to keep a State in the Union if it desired to secede. -This admission had been confirmed by the apparent acquiescence in the -withdrawal of South Carolina and other States; by the organization of -the Confederacy at Montgomery without interference or protest; by the -failure to reinforce Fort Sumter; and by Buchanan's practical abdication -of executive power when, in his message of January 8, 1861, he threw the -entire responsibility of the situation upon Congress. - -All through these rapid and radical changes the foreign powers received -no official explanation or information from the Department of State at -Washington, and were left to draw their own inferences from the news -which appeared in the public press, until February 28, when Jeremiah S. -Black, for a few weeks Secretary of State, issued a circular instructing -our representatives at foreign capitals that the government of the -United States had not relinquished its constitutional jurisdiction -anywhere within its territory and did not intend to do so. In the same -circular he gave instructions that a recognition of the Confederacy -must not be allowed. Upon assuming the duties of Secretary of State, -Mr. Seward hastily confirmed these instructions and expressed the -confidence of the President in the speedy suppression of the Rebellion -and the restoration of the unity and harmony of the nation. From France -and England came non-committal and unsatisfactory replies, and before -Mr. Adams, who had been appointed minister to England, could arrive -in London, an unfriendly ministry issued a proclamation of neutrality -practically recognizing the Confederate States as an independent -government and conceding it the privileges of a belligerent power. -Thus, before it had a single ship afloat, its fleets were tendered the -hospitality of the British ports on terms of equality with the fleets -of the United States. France at once imitated this precipitate action, -which was prompted by the desire of the British manufacturers to secure -free trade and cheap cotton. The Emperor of the French was actuated -by confidence that a division of the American Union would aid in the -advancement of his plans to erect an empire in Mexico. - -Exasperated by the injustice of this action, Mr. Seward wrote Mr. Adams -a despatch which would have imperilled our relations with Great Britain -had it been delivered in its original form. Fortunately, the President -had enjoined the Secretary of State not to send anything of importance -without first submitting it to him; hence Lincoln was able to modify -what Mr. Seward's inflammable temper had suggested and at the same -time add to the force and the dignity of the despatch. A comparison of -the text of the original with the final copy as sent to the American -legation at London demonstrates the superiority of Lincoln's judgment -as well as his mastery of the language of diplomacy. It is remarkable -that a mind untrained to consider the consequences of international -discourtesy and a hand unaccustomed to frame the phrases of diplomacy -should have been so apt and so skilful in removing the sting from the -indignant paragraphs of an experienced statesman without diminishing -their tone, or force, or dignity. - -If the letter, as it came from the hands of Mr. Seward, had been -delivered at the British Foreign Office according to instructions, Mr. -Adams would have burned his bridges behind him. He would have placed -himself in the attitude of breaking off intercourse, and thus made it -impossible for him to use any further influence or even to ascertain the -disposition and intention of the British government. The only thing left -for him would have been to close the legation and return to the United -States. Lincoln's modifications left him free to manage a delicate -situation as circumstances and his own judgment indicated. He was not -only left within the range of personal and diplomatic courtesy, but -by Lincoln's clever phrasing the burden of proof was thrown upon the -British government. - -This skilful use of terms until that time unfamiliar to Lincoln has -always excited the admiration of philologists and diplomatists because -of the nice sense he displayed of the shades of meaning and the effect -of adding emphasis and improving the courtesy of expression at the same -time. The comprehensive knowledge of the situation and the appreciation -of the results which might follow seem almost supernatural in a man who -had been only three months in office, was entirely without experience -in diplomacy, had never before prepared a diplomatic note, and whose -mind was perplexed about home affairs. The highest authorities have -pronounced it the work of a master, as showing a freedom of knowledge of -and insight into foreign affairs, a skill in shaping phrases, a delicate -sense of propriety, an appreciation of the methods of diplomatic -dealings, and a penetration which entitled the President to the highest -honors of statesmanship. - -And thus was a misunderstanding and perhaps a war with England avoided -by a simple change in terms and phrases. We can only conjecture what -might have happened; but, had Seward's despatch been sent as originally -written, it would probably have resulted in the formal recognition and -the success of the Southern Confederacy. - -During the first term of General Grant's administration, Mr. Fish, -then Secretary of State, brought the original manuscript to a Cabinet -meeting, and it excited so much interest that Mr. Boutwell proposed -to have twelve fac-similes made by the photographer of the Treasury -Department. Twelve copies were taken and the negative then destroyed. - -It was not long before the government was again involved in a -complication with Great Britain owing to the zeal of Captain Charles -Wilkes, of the gunboat "San Jacinto," who overhauled the British mail -steamer "Trent" and took from the passenger cabin ex-Senators J. M. -Mason and John Slidell, who had been accredited by the Confederate -government as envoys to the European courts, and had managed to elude -the blockade and sail from Havana. The British government, people, -and press regarded the act as a violation of international law and an -outrage upon the British flag, and preparations for war were begun, -while Lord Lyons, the British minister at Washington, was instructed -to close his legation and return to England unless the prisoners were -released and a satisfactory apology offered within seven days. - -If it had not been for the kindly sympathy of Queen Victoria, President -Lincoln would not have been allowed to apologize; but with her own hand -she modified the instructions to Lord Lyons and gave our government an -opportunity to withdraw from an untenable position. The situation was -exceedingly embarrassing and critical, because the action of Captain -Wilkes was not only applauded by the public, but it was officially -approved by the Secretary of the Navy, and the House of Representatives -unanimously passed a resolution commending him for his brave and -patriotic conduct. - -While the President and his Cabinet no doubt admired Captain Wilkes -for the qualities he had displayed, they were placed in a serious -dilemma because of the energetic and peremptory demands of the British -government. The President took the matter into his own hands, and the -most experienced diplomatist or the most skilful lawyer could not have -prepared a clearer, stronger, more dignified, or courteous despatch -than he wrote for Mr. Seward's signature, suggesting that the matter be -submitted to friendly arbitration. - -"The President is unwilling to believe," he wrote, "that Her Majesty's -government will press for a categorical answer upon what appears to -him to be only a partial record in the making up of which he has been -allowed no part. He is reluctant to volunteer his view of the case, with -no assurance that Her Majesty's government will consent to hear him; -yet this much he directs me to say, that this government has intended -no affront to the British flag or to the British nation; nor has it -intended to force into discussion an embarrassing question; all of -which is evident by the fact hereby asserted, that the act complained -of was done by the officer without orders from, or expectation of, the -government. But, being done, it was no longer left to us to consider -whether we might not, to avoid a controversy, waive an unimportant -though a strict right; because we, too, as well as Great Britain, have -a people justly jealous of their rights, and in whose presence our -government could undo the act complained of only upon a fair showing -that it was wrong, or at least very questionable. The United States -government and people are still willing to make reparation upon such -showing. - -"Accordingly, I am instructed by the President to inquire whether -Her Majesty's government will hear the United States upon the matter -in question. The President desires, among other things, to bring -into view, and have considered, the existing rebellion in the United -States; the position Great Britain has assumed, including Her Majesty's -proclamation in relation thereto; the relation the persons whose seizure -is the subject of complaint bore to the United States, and the object -of their voyage at the time they were seized; the knowledge which the -master of the 'Trent' had of their relation to the United States, and of -the object of their voyage, at the time he received them on board for -the voyage; the place of the seizure; and the precedents and respective -positions assumed in analogous cases between Great Britain and the -United States. - -"Upon a submission containing the foregoing facts, with those set forth -in the before-mentioned despatch to your lordship, together with all -other facts which either party may deem material, I am instructed to say -the government of the United States will, if agreed to by Her Majesty's -government, go to such friendly arbitration as is usual among nations, -and will abide the award." - -This despatch was not sent; nor was it ever submitted to the Cabinet. -Before the opportunity arrived the President was convinced of the danger -of temporizing. Eight thousand troops were despatched from London to -Canada, a British fleet was ordered to American waters, and the export -of arms and ammunition from Great Britain was forbidden. The President's -cool judgment and common sense also taught him that the position of our -government was untenable, and, with his keen perceptions as a lawyer, -he saw how the United States could honorably withdraw and at the same -time use the incident to its own advantage and get the better of the -controversy. - -"We must stick to American principles concerning the rights of -neutrals," he said. "We fought Great Britain for insisting by theory and -practice on the right to do precisely what Captain Wilkes has done. -If Great Britain shall now protest against the act and demand their -release, we must give them up and apologize for the act as a violation -of our own doctrines, and thus forever bind her over to keep the peace -in relation to neutrals, and so acknowledge that she has been wrong for -sixty years." - -Mr. Seward prepared a long and remarkable presentation of the case of -the United States which is considered one of the ablest of his many -state papers. He admitted that Captain Wilkes had done wrong and had -exceeded his instructions, but asserted that "this government has -neither meditated, nor practised, nor approved any deliberate wrong -in the transaction to which they have called its attention, and, on -the contrary, that what has happened has been simply an inadvertency, -consisting in the departure by the naval officer, free from any wrongful -motive, from a rule uncertainly established, and probably by the -several parties concerned either imperfectly understood or entirely -unknown. For this error the British government has a right to expect -the same reparation that we, as an independent state, should expect -from Great Britain or any other friendly nation in a similar case.... -If I decide this case in favor of my own government, I must disavow -its most cherished principles, and reverse and forever abandon its -essential policy. The country cannot afford the sacrifice. If I maintain -those principles and adhere to that policy, I must surrender the case -itself.... The four persons in question are now held in military custody -at Fort Warren, in the State of Massachusetts. They will be cheerfully -liberated." - -Thus, through Lincoln's penetration and judgment, a great international -peril was not only averted, but Great Britain was forced to relinquish -her own contentions and adopt the American doctrine respecting this -class of neutral rights. - -There were frequent matters of controversy between the British Foreign -Office and the Department of State at Washington during the four years -of war because of the systematic violation of the neutrality laws by -English subjects, and they were aggravated by the unconcealed sympathy -of the British people with the Confederate States. Our government was -ably represented in London by Charles Francis Adams, in whom Lincoln had -great confidence, and his voluminous instructions from time to time, -although prepared by Secretary Seward, were always carefully revised by -the President. Altogether, the diplomatic correspondence during that -period, both in matters of controversy and particularly concerning -offers of mediation in our affairs made by the European powers, shows a -diplomatic penetration and skill which excite the admiration of students. - -Among other perplexing questions with which he was compelled to deal -was the invasion of Mexico and the attempt to establish an empire at -the city of the Montezumas. The President took the most positive and -determined ground in support of the Monroe doctrine--more advanced -than had been attempted at that time. He expressed an unqualified -disapproval of the French invasion; and, although he was not in a -position to intervene with force, lost no opportunity of making known -to the other powers of Europe, and through our minister in Paris to -the Emperor of France himself, that the movement to erect a monarchy -on American soil was repugnant to the United States. To strengthen his -position he suggested that Governor Dennison, who was to be chairman -of the Baltimore Convention in 1864, give a strong endorsement of the -Monroe doctrine in his opening speech, and that the Convention adopt -a resolution declaring that the people of the United States would not -permit the overthrow of a republican government or the establishment of -a monarchy upon the Western continent. - -Early in 1865 Lincoln and Secretary Seward received three peace -commissioners from the Confederacy--Stephens, Hunter, and Campbell,--who -wanted the President to recognize the Southern Confederacy as a foreign -government. Mr. Hunter urged this very strongly, declaring that the -recognition of Jefferson Davis's official authority to make a treaty -was an indispensable step to peace, and referred to the correspondence -between King Charles I. and his Parliament as a trustworthy precedent. -When Mr. Hunter made this point, Lincoln looked up quickly and -remarked,-- - -"Upon questions of history I must refer you to Mr. Seward, for he is -posted on such things and I do not profess to be; but it is my distinct -recollection that, as a result of that correspondence, Charles lost his -head." - -One of the most remarkable examples of Lincoln's tact and diplomacy -is found in his treatment of a Cabinet crisis in December, 1862, when -the danger of a permanent division of the Republican party into two -hostile factions seemed imminent and unavoidable. As the reader has -already learned from this narrative, the Cabinet was never harmonious -or united. It was divided by personal jealousies and rivalries as -well as by differences concerning matters of policy from the day -of the inauguration. Gradually Mr. Seward became the leader of the -conservative and Mr. Chase of the radical element of the Republican -party, and while both conducted the business of their departments with -patriotism, ability, and skill, they were not only mutually hostile, -but suspected each other's motives. From a very early day Mr. Chase -became an outspoken candidate for the Presidential nomination against -Lincoln, and his criticism, as we have learned in Chapter V., included -his fellow-members of the Cabinet. Mr. Seward, on the other hand, was -loyal to the President, but had given great offence to the radical -element of his party by some of his published despatches and private -utterances, particularly one diplomatic note in which he had included -the antislavery men with the secessionists as responsible for bringing -on the war. The dissatisfaction was aggravated by other offences to such -a degree that the Republicans of the Senate called a caucus to consider -the matter and passed a resolution demanding the dismissal of Mr. Seward -from the Cabinet. The cooler members of the Senate succeeded in having -this action reconsidered and a substitute resolution adopted requesting -a reconstruction of the official family. The meaning and intention -of the caucus, however, could not be concealed by this indefinite -resolution, and as soon as Mr. Seward learned of the proceeding, he -and his son, who was Assistant Secretary of State, tendered their -resignations. The President tucked them into a pigeonhole of his desk -without comment. - -The following morning a caucus committee waited upon the President -and presented the resolution, each Senator, in turn, submitting his -personal views as to the unfitness of the Secretary of State to remain -in the administration, chiefly because of his lack of interest in -antislavery measures under consideration which they considered essential -to a successful prosecution of the war. Lincoln listened to them with -respectful attention, asked an opportunity for reflection, and invited -them to return to the White House in the evening for his reply. He -called the Cabinet, except Mr. Seward, together at the same hour, and -when the committee and the ministers met each was greatly surprised to -see the others. - -[Illustration: SALMON P. CHASE, SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY - -From a photograph by Brady] - -The President remarked that he thought it best to fight it out and have -it over, and was determined that every point of difference between them -should be exposed and explained before his guests separated. He read the -resolution of the caucus and then called upon the Senators to explain -themselves, which they did with earnestness. The Cabinet replied with -equal candor,--all except Secretary Chase, who found himself in a -very embarrassing position, because he had been chiefly instrumental -in creating the dissatisfaction by misrepresenting the opinions of -Seward and the rest of his colleagues to his friends in the Senate. He -could not deny it, for the witnesses were present; nor could he defend -himself for doing so. He could only protest against being entrapped in a -mortifying predicament and express his regret that he had attended the -meeting. Without malice, but with the hope of correcting the bad habits -of his Secretary of the Treasury, the President had made sure that he -should be present. - -When everybody had said all that he had to say, Lincoln astonished them -by announcing that he intended to take a vote, and he put the question -directly whether, after the explanations which had been heard, Mr. -Seward should be excused. Senators Grimes, Trumbull, Sumner, and Pomeroy -voted "Yes," Senator Harris "No," and Senators Collamer, Fessenden, and -Howard declined to vote. Mr. Wade, the other member of the committee, -was absent. - -The President decided that the vote had been in favor of Mr. Seward. -While the Senators realized that the President had outwitted them, they, -nevertheless, left the White House satisfied that Seward's position -was untenable, and that after this incident he would be compelled -voluntarily to retire from the Cabinet. As the committee was leaving -the President's room, Senator Trumbull, with great vehemence, accused -Mr. Chase of double-dealing, and the latter, having no defence to the -charge, tendered his resignation the following morning, and was very -much surprised at the alacrity with which the President received it. - -When the Cabinet retired, Lincoln took the resignation of Mr. Seward -from his desk and, holding it up beside that of Mr. Chase, remarked to a -personal friend to whom he had briefly sketched the situation,-- - -"Now I can ride. I have got a pumpkin in each end of my bag." - -A few moments after he sat down at his desk, with his own hand made two -copies of the following note, and sent one to Mr. Seward and the other -to Mr. Chase by messenger: - -"You have respectively tendered me your resignation as Secretary of -State and Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. I am apprized -of the circumstances which render this course personally desirable to -each of you; but, after the most anxious consideration, my deliberate -judgment is that the public interest does not admit of it. I therefore -have to request that you will resume the duties of your departments -respectively." - -Mr. Seward at once recognized the situation and wrote the President, -saying, "I have cheerfully resumed the functions of this department in -obedience to your command," and sent a copy of the note to the Secretary -of the Treasury. - -Mr. Chase, however, was not so frank. He realized that he had made a -serious mistake, and by his duplicity had lost the confidence of the -Republican leaders of the Senate as well as that of his colleagues -in the Cabinet. He suspected that Mr. Seward had somehow obtained an -advantage of him, and he was not sure which way he had better turn; -so he asked time for reflection, and finally wrote a long letter to -the President explaining his situation and his views, and concluded by -saying that he thought both Mr. Seward and himself had better retire. He -did not send the letter at once, but held it until the following day; -and when he learned that Seward's resignation was withdrawn, enclosed it -in another note stating that, while he had not changed his views, he was -ready to resume his post or to retire from it if, in the judgment of the -President, the success of the administration might be promoted thereby. - -This was the end of the episode. The President had cleared up the -misunderstanding between the Cabinet and the Senate and the members of -his own official family by a novel expedient which is often adopted to -reconcile quarrels between children, but was altogether new in diplomacy -and statesmanship. Both sides to the controversy were conscious that -they had placed themselves in the wrong, and, even under their chagrin, -must have recognized the humor of the situation and the diplomatic skill -with which Lincoln had handled it. The President himself was very proud -of his triumph. - -"I do not see how it could have been better," he said afterwards. "If I -had yielded to the storm and dismissed Seward, the thing would all have -slumped over one way, and we should have been left with a scanty handful -of supporters. When Chase gave in his resignation I saw that the game -was in my hands, and I put it through." - -In this case and frequently throughout his administration the President -resorted to the old-fashioned and homely but sensible methods that were -commonly resorted to on the frontier to settle controversies between -neighbors when the courts were scattered and litigation was considered -disreputable. They were new in the administration of a government, but -were none the less effective. - -Lincoln frequently showed that he could easily avoid a direct answer -and evade inquisitive visitors when he thought it was impolitic to make -known his opinions. One of the latter wanted to know his opinion of -Sheridan, who had just come from the West to take command of the cavalry -under Grant. Said Lincoln,-- - -"I will tell you just what kind of a chap he is. He is one of those -long-armed fellows with short legs that can scratch his shins without -having to stoop over to do so." - -One day, when the vain boasting of a certain general was the subject of -discussion, Lincoln was "reminded" of a farmer out in Illinois who was -in the habit of bragging about everything he did and had and saw, and -particularly about his crops. While driving along the road during the -haying season, he noticed one of his neighbors hauling a load of hay -into his barn. He could not resist the opportunity, and commenced to -brag about the size of his hay crop, which, as usual, he asserted to be -larger and better than any ever before known in the county. After he had -finished he asked what kind of a crop his neighbor had put in. - -"The biggest crop you ever see!" was the prompt reply. "I've got so much -hay I don't know what to do with it. I've piled up all I can out-doors -and am going to put the rest of it in the barn." - -Robert Dale Owen, the spiritualist, once read the President a long -manuscript on an abstruse subject with which that rather erratic person -loved to deal. Lincoln listened patiently until the author asked for his -opinion, when he replied, with a yawn,-- - -"Well, for those who like that sort of thing, I should think it is just -about the sort of thing they would like." - -While Lincoln was always very patient, he often adopted droll methods -for getting rid of bores. The late Justice Cartter of the Supreme Court -of the District of Columbia used to relate an incident of a Philadelphia -man who called at the White House so frequently and took up so much of -the President's time that the latter finally lost his patience. One day -when the gentleman was particularly verbose and persistent, and refused -to leave, although he knew that important delegations were waiting, -Lincoln arose, walked over to a wardrobe in the corner of the cabinet -chamber, and took a bottle from a shelf. Looking gravely at his visitor, -whose head was very bald, he remarked,-- - -"Did you ever try this stuff for your hair?" - -"No, sir, I never did." - -"Well," remarked Lincoln, "I advise you to try it, and I will give you -this bottle. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Keep it up. -They say it will make hair grow on a pumpkin. Now take it and come back -in eight or ten months and tell me how it works." - -The astonished Philadelphian left the room instantly without a word, -carrying the bottle in his hand, and Judge Cartter, coming in with the -next delegation, found the President doubled up with laughter at the -success of his strategy. Before he could proceed to business the story -had to be told. - -"His skill in parrying troublesome questions was wonderful," said Mr. -Chauncey M. Depew. "I was in Washington at a critical period of the -war, when the late John Ganson, of Buffalo, one of the ablest lawyers -in our State, and who, though elected as a Democrat, supported all Mr. -Lincoln's war measures, called on him for explanations. Mr. Ganson was -very bald, with a perfectly smooth face, and had a most direct and -aggressive way of stating his views or of demanding what he thought he -was entitled to. He said,-- - -"'Mr. Lincoln, I have supported all of your measures and think I am -entitled to your confidence. We are voting and acting in the dark in -Congress, and I demand to know--I think I have the right to ask and -to know--what is the present situation and what are the prospects and -conditions of the several campaigns and armies.' - -"Mr. Lincoln looked at him quizzically for a moment, and then said, -'Ganson, how clean you shave!' - -"Most men would have been offended, but Ganson was too broad and -intelligent a man not to see the point and retire at once, satisfied, -from the field." - -Senator Fessenden came from the Capitol, one day, in a terrible rage -because Mr. Lincoln had made certain promises, in matters of patronage, -which he considered unjust to himself, and reproached and denounced the -President in intemperate language. Mr. Lincoln made no explanation or -reply, but listened calmly until the fury of the storm was spent, when, -in his droll way, he inquired,-- - -"You are an Episcopalian, aren't you, Fessenden?" - -"Yes, sir. I belong to that church." - -"I thought so. You Episcopalians all swear alike. Seward is an -Episcopalian; Stanton is a Presbyterian. You ought to hear him swear." -And he continued to describe the several varieties of swearing and the -nice distinctions between different kinds of profanity in the most -philosophical manner, until Fessenden's fury was extinguished and he -could discuss the reasons for the offensive appointment in a rational -manner. - -A visitor once asked Lincoln how many men the rebels had in the field. - -He replied, very seriously, "Twelve hundred thousand, according to the -best authority." - -"Good heavens!" - -"Yes, sir, twelve hundred thousand--no doubt of it. You see, all of our -generals, when they get whipped, say the enemy outnumbers them from -three or five to one, and I must believe them. We have four hundred -thousand men in the field, and three times four make twelve. Don't you -see it?" - -When the Sherman expedition which captured Port Royal went out there was -a great curiosity to know where it had gone. A person with ungovernable -curiosity asked the President the destination. - -"Will you keep it entirely secret?" asked the President. - -"Oh, yes, upon my honor." - -"Well," said the President, "I will tell you." Assuming an air of great -mystery, and drawing the man close to him, he kept him waiting the -revelation with great anxiety, and then said in a loud whisper, which -was heard all over the room, "The expedition has gone to--sea." - -A gentleman asked Lincoln to give him a pass through the Federal lines -in order to visit Richmond. "I should be very happy to oblige you," said -the President, "if my passes were respected; but the fact is, within the -past two years I have given passes to Richmond to two hundred and fifty -thousand men and not one has got there yet." - -A New York firm applied to Lincoln some years before he became President -for information as to the financial standing of one of his neighbors. -This was the answer: - - "Yours of the 10th received. First of all, he has a wife - and baby; together they ought to be worth $500,000 to any man. - Secondly, he has an office in which there is a table worth - $1.50 and three chairs worth, say, $1. Last of all there is - in one corner a large rat hole, which will bear looking into. - Respectfully, - - "A. LINCOLN." - -A certain Senator once called at the White House to persuade Lincoln -to issue an order to the Secretary of War to pay a constituent of his -a considerable sum of money for services which clearly he had not -rendered, the amount being claimed on the ground that he would have -rendered them if he had been permitted to do so. Lincoln heard the -statement of facts and the argument with his usual patience and rendered -his decision as follows: - -"Years ago when imprisonment for debt was legal in some States a -poor fellow was sent to jail by his creditors and compelled to serve -out his debt at the rate of a dollar and a half per day. Knowing the -exact amount of the debt, he carefully calculated the time he would be -required to serve. When the sentence had expired he informed his jailer -of the fact, and asked to be released. The jailer insisted upon keeping -him four days longer. Upon making up his statement, however, he found -that the man was right, and that he had served four days longer than -his sentence required. The prisoner then demanded not only a receipt -in full of his debt, but also payment for four days' extra service, -amounting to six dollars, which he declared the county owed him. - -"Now," said Lincoln, "I think your client has just about as good a claim -for the money as he had." - -"I am very much of your opinion, Mr. President," said the Senator, -soberly, as he retired. - -Mr. Charles A. Dana, Assistant Secretary of War, says, "A spy whom we -employed to report to us the proceedings of the Confederate government -and its agents, and who passed continually between Richmond and St. -Catherines, reporting at the War Department upon the way, had come in -from Canada and had put into my hands an important despatch from Mr. -Clement C. Clay, Jr., addressed to Mr. Benjamin. Of course the seal -was broken and the paper read immediately. It showed unequivocally -that the Confederate agents in Canada were making use of that country -as a starting-point for warlike raids which were to be directed -against frontier towns like St. Albans in Vermont. Mr. Stanton thought -it important that this despatch should be retained as a ground of -reclamation to be addressed to the British government. It was on a -Sunday that it arrived, and he was confined to his house by a cold. At -his direction I went over to the President and made an appointment with -him to be at the Secretary's office after church. At the appointed time -he was there, and I read the despatch to them. Mr. Stanton stated the -reasons why it should be retained, and before deciding the question Mr. -Lincoln turned to me, saying,-- - -"'Well, Dana?' - -"I observed to them that this was a very important channel of -communication, and that if we stopped such a despatch as this it was at -the risk of never obtaining any more information through that means. - -"'Oh,' said the President, 'I think you can manage that. Capture the -messenger, take the despatch from him by force, put him in prison, and -then let him escape. If he has made Benjamin and Clay believe his lies -so far, he won't have any difficulty in telling them new ones that will -answer for this case.' - -"This direction was obeyed. The paper was sealed up again and was -delivered to its bearer. General Augur, who commanded the District, was -directed to look for a Confederate messenger at such a place on the -road that evening. The man was arrested, brought to the War Department, -searched, the paper found upon him and identified, and he was committed -to the Old Capitol Prison. He made his escape about a week later, being -fired upon by the guard. A large reward for his capture was advertised -in various papers East and West, and when he reached St. Catherines with -his arm in a sling, wounded by a bullet which had passed through it, his -story was believed by Messrs. Clay and Jacob Thompson, or, at any rate, -if they had any doubts upon the subject, they were not strong enough to -prevent his carrying their messages afterward. - -"The last time I saw Mr. Lincoln to speak with him," continued Mr. Dana, -"was in the afternoon of the day of his murder. The same Jacob Thompson -was the subject of our conversation. I had received a report from the -Provost-Marshal of Portland, Maine, saying that Jacob Thompson was to -be in that town that night for the purpose of taking the steamer for -Liverpool, and what orders had the Department to give? I carried the -telegram to Mr. Stanton. He said promptly, 'Arrest him;' but as I was -leaving his room he called me back, adding, 'You had better take it -over to the President.' It was now between four and five o'clock in the -afternoon and business at the White House was completed for the day. I -found Mr. Lincoln with his coat off, in a closet attached to his office, -washing his hands. 'Halloo, Dana,' said he, as I opened the door, -'what is it now?' 'Well, sir,' I said, 'here is the Provost-Marshal -of Portland, who reports that Jacob Thompson is to be in that town -to-night, and inquires what orders we have to give.' 'What does Stanton -say?' he asked. - -'Arrest him,' I replied. 'Well,' he continued, drawling his words, 'I -rather guess not. When you have an elephant on hand, and he wants to run -away, better let him run.'" - -When a friend brought to his attention the fact that Secretary Chase -was seeking the nomination for President, the President accepted the -announcement with the utmost good-humor, and said,-- - -"My half-brother was once ploughing corn on a Kentucky farm. I was -driving the horse and he holding the plough. The horse was lazy, but -on one occasion rushed across the field so fast that I, even with my -long legs, could hardly keep pace with him. On reaching the end of the -furrow, I found an enormous chin-fly fastened upon him, and knocked him -off. My brother asked me what I did that for. I told him I didn't want -the old horse bitten in that way. 'Why,' said he, 'that's what makes him -go.' If Mr. Chase has a Presidential chin-fly biting him, I'm not going -to knock him off, if it will only make his department go." - -Coming into the President's room one day, Mr. Stanton said that he -had received a telegram from General Mitchell, in Alabama, asking -instructions. He did not quite understand the situation down there, but, -having full confidence in Mitchell's judgment, had answered, "All right; -go ahead." - -"Now, Mr. President," he added, "if I have made an error, I shall have -to get you to countermand the order." - -"Once at the cross-roads down in Kentucky, when I was a boy, a -particularly fine horse was to be sold," replied Lincoln. "They had -a small boy to ride him up and down. One man whispered to the boy as -he went by, 'Look here, boy, hain't that horse got splints?' The boy -replied, 'Mister, I don't know what splints is; but if it's good for him -he's got it, and if it ain't good for him he ain't got it.' Now," added -Lincoln, "I understand that if this is good for Mitchell it's all right, -but if it's not I have got to countermand it." - -To a deputation who urged that his Cabinet should be reconstructed -after the retirement of Secretary Cameron, the President told this -story: "Gentlemen, when I was a young man I used to know very well one -Joe Wilson, who built himself a log cabin not far from where I lived. -Joe was very fond of eggs and chickens, and he took a very great deal -of pains in fitting up a poultry shed. Having at length got together a -choice lot of young fowls,--of which he was very proud,--he began to be -much annoyed by the depredations of those little black-and-white-spotted -animals which it is not necessary to name. One night Joe was awakened -by an unusual cackling and fluttering among his chickens. Getting up, -he crept out to see what was going on. It was a bright moonlight night, -and he soon caught sight of half a dozen of the little pests, which, -with their dam, were running in and out of the shadow of the shed. Very -wrathy, Joe put a double charge into his old musket and thought he would -'clean Out' the whole tribe at one shot. Somehow he only killed one, and -the balance scampered off across the field. In telling the story Joe -would always pause here and hold his nose. 'Why didn't you follow them -up and kill the rest?' inquired his neighbors. 'Blast it,' said Joe, 'it -was eleven weeks before I got over killin' one. If you want any more -skirmishing in that line you can do it yourselves!'" - -On one occasion some of Lincoln's friends were talking of the diminutive -stature of Stephen A. Douglas, and an argument as to the proper length -of a man's legs. During the discussion Lincoln came in, and it was -agreed that the question should be referred to him for decision. - -"Well," said he, reflectively, "I should think a man's legs ought to be -long enough to reach from his body to the ground." - -A day or two before his inauguration a delegation of merchants and -bankers who had been sent to the Peace Congress called upon Lincoln to -remonstrate against the use of force to restrain the South, and to plead -for a conciliatory policy towards the slave-holders. Mr. William E. -Dodge declared that the whole world was anxiously awaiting the inaugural -address, and added, "It is for you, sir, to say whether the nation shall -be plunged into bankruptcy, and whether the grass shall grow in the -streets of our commercial cities." - -"Then I say it shall not," Lincoln answered coolly, with a twinkle in -his eye. "If it depends upon me, the grass will not grow anywhere except -in the fields and meadows." - -"Then you must yield to the just demands of the South," declared Mr. -Dodge." You must leave her to control her own institutions. You will -admit slave States into the Union on the same conditions as free States. -You will not go to war on account of slavery." - -A sad but stern expression swept over Lincoln's face. "I do not know -that I understand your meaning, Mr. Dodge," he answered, without raising -his voice; "nor do I know what my acts or my opinions may be in the -future, beyond this. If I ever come to the great office of the President -of the United States, I shall take an oath. I shall swear that I will -faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States, and -that I will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend -the Constitution of the United States. That is a great and solemn duty. -With the support of the people and the assistance of the Almighty I -shall undertake to perform it. It is not the Constitution as I should -like to have it, but as it is, that is to be defended. The Constitution -will be preserved and defended until it is enforced and obeyed in every -part of every one of the United States. It must be so respected, obeyed, -and enforced and defended, let the grass grow where it may." - -In 1862 the people of New York City feared bombardment by Confederate -cruisers, and public meetings were held to consider the gravity of -the situation. Finally a delegation of fifty gentlemen, representing -hundreds of millions of dollars, was selected to go to Washington and -persuade the President to detail a gunboat to protect their property. -David Davis, while on the Supreme Bench, went to the White House and -presented them to the President. - -Mr. Lincoln heard them attentively, much impressed, apparently, by the -"hundreds of millions." When they had concluded, he said,-- - -"Gentlemen, I am, by the Constitution, Commander-in-Chief of the Army -and the Navy of the United States, and as a matter of law I can order -anything to be done that is practicable to be done. I am in command of -the gunboats and ships of war; but, as a matter of fact, I do not know -exactly where they are. I presume they are actively engaged, and it -therefore is impossible for me to furnish you a gunboat. The credit of -the government is at a very low ebb; greenbacks are not worth more than -forty or fifty cents on the dollar, and in this condition of things, if -I were worth half as much as you gentlemen are represented to be, and as -badly frightened as you seem to be, I would build a gunboat and give it -to the government." - -Judge Davis said he never saw one hundred millions sink to such -insignificant proportions as it did when the delegation left the White -House. - - - - -X - -LINCOLN'S PHILOSOPHY, MORALS, AND RELIGION - - -Abraham Lincoln has left us abundant testimony in words and works of -his code of morals and religious creed. He was a man of keen perception -of right and wrong, of acute conscience and deep religious sentiment, -although he was not "orthodox." He declined to join a church because -of conscientious scruples. He would not confess a faith that was not -in him. His reason forbade him to accept some of the doctrines taught -by the Baptist and Christian churches, to which his parents belonged, -and the Presbyterian denomination, of which his wife was a member. -Nevertheless, he was regular and reverential in his attendance upon -worship. Shortly after his marriage he rented a pew in the First -Presbyterian Church of Springfield, and occupied it with his wife and -children at the service each Sunday morning unless detained by illness. -In Washington he was an habitual attendant of the New York Avenue -Presbyterian Church, and his pastor, the Reverend Dr. Gurley, who -was also his intimate friend, tells us that he was "a true believer" -and "entirely without guile." One of Lincoln's mental traits was his -inability to accept or put aside a proposition until he understood it. -His conscience required him to see his way clearly before making a -start, and his honesty of soul would not allow him to make a pretence -that was not well founded. No consideration or argument would induce him -to abandon a line of conduct or accept a theory which his analytical -powers or sense of caution taught him to doubt. - -From his mother he inherited a rigid honesty which was demanded by -public opinion in early days and was the safeguard of the frontier. -There were no locks upon the cabin doors nor upon the stables. A man -who committed a theft would not be tolerated in a community, and if -he took a horse or a cow or any article which was necessary for the -sustenance of a family he was outlawed, if he escaped with his life. -Merchants never thought of locking up their stores, and often left -them entirely unprotected for days at a time while they went to the -nearest source of supply to replenish their stock or were absent for -other reasons. If their patrons found no one to serve them, they helped -themselves, and, as prices varied little from year to year, they were -able to judge for themselves of the value of the goods, and reported the -purchase and paid the bill the next time they found the merchant at home. - -When Abraham Lincoln was clerking for Denton Offutt, he walked three -miles one evening after the store was closed to return a sixpence which -had been overpaid. On another occasion he gave four ounces for half a -pound of tea and delivered the difference before he slept. For this and -other acts of the same sort he became known as "Honest Old Abe," but he -was no more conspicuous for that quality than many of his neighbors. He -was the type and representative of a community which not only respected -but required honesty, and were extremely critical and intolerant -towards moral delinquencies. Accustomed all their lives to face danger -and grapple with the mysterious forces of nature, their personal and -moral courage were qualities without which no man could be a leader -or have influence. A liar, a coward, a swindler, and an insincere man -were detected and branded with public contempt. Courage and truth were -commonplace and recognized as essential to manhood. - -Abraham Lincoln's originality, fearlessness, and self-confidence, his -unerring perceptions of right and wrong, made him a leader and gave -him an influence which other men did not have. He was born in the same -poverty and ignorance, he grew up in the same environment, and his -muscles were developed by the same labor as his neighbors', but his -mental powers were much keener and acute, his ambition was much higher, -and a consciousness of intellectual superiority sustained him in his -efforts to rise above his surroundings and take the place his genius -warranted. Throughout his entire life he adhered to the code of the -frontier. As a lawyer he would not undertake a case unless it was a good -one. He often said he was a very poor man on a poor case. His sense of -justice had to be aroused before he could do his best. If his client -were wrong, he endeavored to settle the dispute the best way he could -without going into court; if the evidence had been misrepresented to -him, he would throw up the case in the midst of the trial and return the -fee. The public knowledge of that fact gave him great influence with the -courts and kept bad clients away from him. - -To a man who once offered him a case the merits of which he did not -appreciate, he made, according to his partner, Mr. Herndon, the -following response: - -"Yes, there is no reasonable doubt that I can gain your case for you. I -can set a whole neighborhood at loggerheads; I can distress a widowed -mother and her six fatherless children, and thereby get for you six -hundred dollars which rightly belong, it appears to me, as much to them -as it does to you. I shall not take your case, but I will give you a -little advice for nothing. You seem a sprightly, energetic man. I would -advise you to try your hand at making six hundred dollars in some other -way." - -He carried this code of morals into the Legislature, and there are -several current anecdotes of his refusal to engage in schemes that were -not creditable. On one occasion a caucus was held for consultation over -a proposition Lincoln did not approve. The discussion lasted until -midnight, but he took no part in it. Finally, an appeal was made to -him by his colleagues, who argued that the end would justify the means. -Lincoln closed the debate and defined his own position by saying,-- - -"You may burn my body to ashes and scatter them to the winds of heaven; -you may drag my soul down to the regions of darkness and despair to be -tormented forever; but you will never get me to support a measure which -I believe to be wrong, although by doing so I may accomplish that which -I believe to be right." - -Lincoln did not often indulge in hysterical declamation, but that -sentence is worth quoting because it contains his moral code. - -As President he was called upon to deliver a reprimand to an officer who -had been tried by court-martial for quarrelling. It was probably the -"gentlest," say his biographers, Nicolay and Hay, "ever recorded in the -annals of penal discourses." It was as follows: - -"The advice of a father to his son, 'Beware of entrance to a quarrel, -but, being in, bear it that the opposed may beware of thee!' is good, -but not the best. Quarrel not at all. No man resolved to make the most -of himself can spare time for personal contention. Still less can he -afford to take all the consequences, including the vitiating of his -temper and the loss of self-control. Yield larger things to which you -can show no more than equal right, and yield lesser ones, though clearly -your own. Better give your path to a dog than be bitten by him in -contesting for the right. Even killing the dog would not cure the bite." - -Even as a boy in Indiana he acquired a reputation for gentleness, -kindness, and good-nature. He was appealed to by people in trouble, and -his great physical strength and quick intelligence made him a valuable -aid on all occasions. Once he saved the life of the town drunkard, -whom he found freezing by the roadside on a winter night. Picking -him up in his arms, he carried him to the nearest tavern and worked -over him until he revived. The people who lived in the neighborhood -of Gentryville, Indiana, and New Salem, Illinois, where his early -life was spent, have many traditions of his unselfishness and helpful -disposition. He chopped wood for poor widows and sat up all night with -the sick; if a wagon stuck in the mud, he was always the first to offer -assistance, and his powerful arms were equal to those of any three men -in the town. When he was living at the Rutledge tavern at New Salem he -was always willing to give up his bed to a traveller when the house -was full, and to sleep on a counter in his store. He never failed to -be present at a "moving," and would neglect his own business to help a -neighbor out of difficulty. His sympathetic disposition and tender tact -enabled him to enter the lives of the people and give them assistance -without offence, and he was never so happy as when he was doing good. - -His religious training was limited. His father and mother, while in -Kentucky, belonged to the sect known as Free-will Baptists, and when -they went to Indiana they became members of the Predestinarian Church, -as it was called; not from any change in belief, but because it was the -only denomination in the neighborhood. Public worship was very rare, -being held only when an itinerant preacher visited that section. Notice -of his approach would be sent throughout the neighborhood for twenty -miles around, and the date would be fixed as far in advance as possible. -When the preacher appeared he would find the entire population gathered -in camp at the place of meeting, which was usually at cross-roads -where there were fodder for the horses and water for man and beast. -After morning preaching people from the same neighborhood or intimate -acquaintances would gather in groups, open their lunch-baskets, and -picnic together. At the afternoon service children and "confessors" -would be baptized, and towards night the party would separate for their -homes, refreshed in faith and uplifted in spirit. - -When Thomas Lincoln removed to Illinois he united with the Christian -church commonly called "Campbellites," and in that faith he died. - -Abraham Lincoln's belief was clear and fixed so far as it went, but he -rejected important dogmas which are considered essential to salvation -by some of the evangelistic denominations. "Whenever any church will -inscribe over its altar as a qualification for membership the Saviour's -statement of the substance of the law and Gospel, 'Thou shall love the -Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy -mind, and thy neighbour as thyself,' that church will I join with all my -heart and soul." - -He was an habitual reader of the Bible. He was more familiar with its -contents than most clergymen, and considered it the highest example of -literature in existence as well as the highest code of morals. His study -of the Bible and familiarity with its pages are shown in his literary -style and frequent quotations. In 1864 he wrote his old friend, Joshua -Speed, "I am profitably engaged reading the Bible. Take all of this book -upon reason that you can and the balance upon faith and you will live -and die a better man." - -He had no sympathy with theologians. He frequently declared that it was -blasphemy for a preacher to "twist the words of Christ around so as to -sustain his own doctrine," and often remarked that "the more a man knew -of theology the farther he got away from the true spirit of Christ." - -"John," he one day said to a friend, "it depends a great deal how you -state a case. When Daniel Webster did it, it was half argument. Now, -you take the subject of predestination, for example. You may state it -one way and you cannot make much out of it; you state it another and it -seems quite reasonable." - -When he was a young man at New Salem in 1834 Thomas Paine's "Age of -Reason" and Volney's "Ruines" made a great impression upon him, and -he prepared a review of these books, which it is supposed he intended -to read before a literary society that had been organized in the -neighborhood. His friend, Samuel Hill, with his old-fashioned notions -of atheism, got hold of the manuscript and burned it. Lincoln was quite -indignant at the time, but afterwards admitted that Hill had done him -a service. This incident has often been cited as evidence that Lincoln -was an agnostic, just as other incidents in his life have been used -to prove that he was a spiritualist, and still others that he was a -Freemason; but he was none of them. He commended Masonry, but never -joined that order; his inquisitive mind led him to investigate certain -spiritualistic phenomena, and his essay at New Salem was nothing more -than a presentation of the views of two famous unbelievers without -personal endorsement. - -Like Napoleon, Wellington, Bismarck, and other famous men, Lincoln was -very superstitious. That peculiarity appeared frequently during his -life. Even to the very day of his death, as related in Chapter VII., he -told his Cabinet and General Grant of a dream which he was accustomed to -have before important events in the war. A curious incident is related -in his own language: - -"A very singular occurrence took place the day I was nominated at -Chicago, four years ago, of which I am reminded to-night. In the -afternoon of the day, returning home from down town, I went upstairs -to Mrs. Lincoln's reading-room. Feeling somewhat tired, I lay down -upon a couch in the room, directly opposite a bureau, upon which was -a looking-glass. As I reclined, my eye fell upon the glass, and I saw -distinctly two images of myself, exactly alike, except that one was a -little paler than the other. I arose, and lay down again with the same -result. It made me quite uncomfortable for a few moments, but, some -friends coming in, the matter passed out of my mind. The next day, while -walking on the street, I was suddenly reminded of the circumstance, -and the disagreeable sensation produced by it returned. I had never -seen anything of the kind before, and did not know what to make of it. -I determined to go home and place myself in the same position, and if -the same effect was produced, I would make up my mind that it was the -natural result of some principle of refraction of optics which I did not -understand, and dismiss it. I tried the experiment, with a like result; -and, as I had said to myself, accounting for it on some principle -unknown to me, it ceased to trouble me. But some time ago I tried to -produce the same effect here by arranging a glass and couch in the same -position, without success." - -He did not say, at this time, that either he or Mrs. Lincoln attached -any significance to the phenomenon, but it is known that Mrs. Lincoln -regarded it as a sign that the President would be re-elected. - -President Lincoln once invited a famous medium to display his alleged -supernatural powers at the White House, several members of the Cabinet -being present. For the first half-hour the demonstrations were of -a physical character. At length rappings were heard beneath the -President's feet, and the medium stated that an Indian desired to -communicate with him. - -"I shall be happy to hear what his Indian majesty has to say," replied -the President, "for I have very recently received a deputation of our -red brethren, and it was the only delegation, black, white, or blue, -which did not volunteer some advice about the conduct of the war." - -The medium then called for a pencil and paper, which were laid upon the -table and afterwards covered with a handkerchief. Presently knocks were -heard and the paper was uncovered. To the surprise of all present, it -read as follows: - -"Haste makes waste, but delays cause vexations. Give vitality by energy. -Use every means to subdue. Proclamations are useless. Make a bold -front and fight the enemy; leave traitors at home to the care of loyal -men. Less note of preparation, less parade and policy talk, and more -action.--Henry Knox." - -"That is not Indian talk," said the President. "Who is Henry Knox?" - -The medium, speaking in a strange voice, replied, "The first Secretary -of War." - -"Oh, yes; General Knox," said the President. "Stanton, that message is -for you; it is from your predecessor. I should like to ask General Knox -when this rebellion will be put down." - -The answer was oracularly indefinite. The medium then called up -Napoleon, who thought one thing, Lafayette another, and Franklin -differed from both. - -"Ah!" exclaimed the President; "opinions differ among the saints as -well as among the sinners. Their talk is very much like the talk of my -Cabinet. I should like, if possible, to hear what Judge Douglas says -about this war," said the President. - -After an interval, the medium rose from his chair and, resting his left -hand on the back, his right into his bosom, spoke in a voice no one -could mistake who had ever heard Mr. Douglas. He urged the President to -throw aside all advisers who hesitated about the policy to be pursued, -and said that, if victory were followed up by energetic action, all -would be well. - -"I believe that," said the President, "whether it comes from spirit or -human. It needs not a ghost from the bourne from which no traveller -returns to tell that." - -His taint of superstition, like his tendency to melancholy, was -doubtless inherited from his ancestors and was shared by all sensitive -people whose lives were spent in the mysterious solitude and isolation -of the Western frontier. It is manifested by the denizens of the -forests, the mountains, and the plains, and wherever else sensitive -natures are subjected to loneliness and the company of their own -thoughts. Lincoln's mind was peculiarly sensitive to impressions; his -nature was intensely sympathetic, his imagination was vivid, and his -observation was keen and comprehensive. With all his candor, he was -reticent and secretive in matters that concerned himself, and the -struggle of his early life, his dismal and depressing surroundings, -the death of his mother, and the physical conditions in which he was -born and bred were just the influences to develop the morbid tendency -which was manifested on several occasions in such a manner as to cause -anxiety and even alarm among his friends. He realized the danger of -submitting to it, and the cure invented and prescribed by himself was to -seek for the humorous side of every event and incident and to read all -the humorous books he could find. - -His poetic temperament was developed early and frequently manifested -while he was in the White House. He loved melancholy as well as humorous -poems. He could repeat hymns by the hundreds, and quoted Dr. Watts' and -John Wesley's verses as frequently as he did Shakespeare or Petroleum V. -Nasby or Artemas Ward. His favorite poem was "Oh! Why should the Spirit -of Mortal be Proud." - -Judge Weldon, of the Court of Claims, remembers the first time he heard -him repeat it. "It was during a term of court, in the same year, at -Lincoln, a little town named for Mr. Lincoln. We were all stopping at -the hotel, which had a very big room with four beds, called the lawyers' -room. Some of us thin fellows doubled up; but I remember that Judge -Davis, who was as large then as he was afterwards, when a Justice of the -Supreme Bench, always had a bed to himself. Mr. Lincoln was an early -riser, and one morning, when up early, as usual, and dressed, he sat -before the big old-fashioned fireplace and repeated aloud from memory -that whole hymn. Somebody asked him for the name of the author; but he -said he had never been able to learn who wrote it, but wished he knew. -There were a great many guesses, and some said that Shakespeare must -have written it. But Mr. Lincoln, who was better read in Shakespeare -than any of us, said that they were not Shakespeare's words. I made -a persistent hunt for the author, and years after found the hymn was -written by an Englishman, William Knox, who was born in 1789 and died in -1825." - -All his life Lincoln was a temperance man. His first essay was a -plea for temperance. His second was a eulogy of the Declaration of -Independence. He belonged to the Sons of Temperance in Springfield, and -frequently made temperance speeches. Judge Weldon remembers that he was -once in Mr. Douglas's room at Springfield when Lincoln entered, and, -following the custom, Mr. Douglas produced a bottle and some glasses and -asked his callers to join him in a drink. Lincoln declined on the ground -that for thirty years he had been a temperance man and was too old to -change. Leonard Swett says,-- - -"He told me not more than a year before he was elected President that he -had never tasted liquor in his life. 'What!' I said, 'Do you mean to say -that you never tasted it?' 'Yes,' he replied, 'I never tasted it.'" - -In one of his speeches is found this assertion: "Reasonable men have -long since agreed that intemperance is one of the greatest, if not the -greatest, of all evils of mankind." - -Mr. C. C. Coffin, a famous newspaper writer of that time, who -accompanied the notification committee from the Chicago Convention to -Springfield, related in his newspaper a few days later an incident -that occurred on that occasion. He says that after the exchange of -formalities Lincoln said,-- - -"'Mrs. Lincoln will be pleased to see you, gentlemen. You will find her -in the other room. You must be thirsty after your long ride. You will -find a pitcher of water in the library.' - -"I crossed the hall and entered the library. There were miscellaneous -books on the shelves, two globes, celestial and terrestrial, in the -corners of the room, a plain table with writing materials upon it, a -pitcher of cold water, and glasses, but no wines or liquors. There was -humor in the invitation to take a glass of water, which was explained to -me by a citizen, who said that when it was known that the committee was -coming, several citizens called upon Mr. Lincoln and informed him that -some entertainment must be provided. - -"'Yes, that is so. What ought to be done? Just let me know and I will -attend to it,' he said. - -"'Oh, we will supply the needful liquors,' said his friends. - -"'Gentlemen,' said Mr. Lincoln, 'I thank you for your kind intentions, -but must respectfully decline your offer. I have no liquors in my house, -and have never been in the habit of entertaining my friends in that way. -I cannot permit my friends to do for me what I will not myself do. I -shall provide cold water--nothing else.'" - -Colonel John Hay, one of his secretaries and biographers, says, "Mr. -Lincoln was a man of extremely temperate habits. He made no use of -either whiskey or tobacco during all the years I knew him." - -Mr. John G. Nicolay, his private secretary, says, "During all the five -years of my service as his private secretary I never saw him drink a -glass of whiskey and I never knew or heard of his taking one." - -There is not the slightest doubt that Lincoln believed in a special -Providence. That conviction appears frequently in his speeches and -in his private letters. In the correspondence which passed between -him and Joshua Speed during a period of almost hopeless despondency -and self-abasement, Lincoln frequently expressed the opinion that God -had sent their sufferings for a special purpose. When Speed finally -acknowledged his happiness after marriage, Lincoln wrote, "I always was -superstitious. I believe God made me one of the instruments of bringing -your Fanny and you together, and which union I have no doubt He had -foreordained. Whatever He designs He will do for me yet. Stand still and -see the salvation of the Lord is my text just now." - -Later in life, writing to Thurlow Weed, he said, "Men are not flattered -by being shown that there is a difference of purpose between the -Almighty and themselves. To deny it, however, in this case, is to deny -that there is a God governing the world." - -In one of his speeches he said, "I know that the Lord is always on the -side of the right; but it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and -this nation should be on the Lord's side." - -When he learned that his father was very ill and likely to die, he wrote -his step-brother, John Johnston, regretting his inability to come to his -bedside because of illness in his own family, and added,-- - -"I sincerely hope that father may yet recover his health; but, at all -events, tell him to remember to call upon and confide in our great -and good and merciful Maker, who will not turn away from him in any -extremity. He notes the fall of a sparrow, and numbers the hairs of our -heads, and He will not forget the dying man who puts his trust in Him. -Say to him that if we could meet now it is doubtful whether it would not -be more painful than pleasant; but that if it be his lot to go now, he -will soon have a joyous meeting with the many loved ones gone before, -and where the rest of us, through the help of God, hope ere long to join -them." - -At Columbus, Ohio, he said to the Legislature of that State, convened in -joint session in the hall of the Assembly, "I turn, then, and look to -the American people, and to that God who has never forsaken them." - -In the capital of New Jersey, to the Senate, he said, "I am exceedingly -anxious that this Union, the Constitution, and the liberties of the -people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the original idea for -which the struggle was made, and I shall be most happy indeed if I shall -be an humble instrument in the hands of the Almighty, and of this, -His almost chosen people, for perpetuating the object of that great -struggle." - -That he believed in the efficacy of prayer there is no doubt. "I -have been driven many times to my knees," he once remarked, "by the -overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and -that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day." - -A clergyman came to Washington from a little village in Central New York -to recover the body of a gallant young captain who had been killed at -the second battle of Bull Run. Having accomplished his errand, he was -presented at the White House by the representative from his district. -The Congressman at once retired, leaving him alone with Lincoln, who -asked in a pleasant tone what he could do for his visitor. - -"I have not come to ask any favors of you, Mr. President," the latter -replied. "I have only come to say that the loyal people of the North are -sustaining you and will continue to do so. We are giving you all that we -have,--the lives of our sons as well as our confidence and our prayers. -You must know that no pious father or mother ever kneels in prayer these -days without asking God to give you strength and wisdom." - -The tears filled Lincoln's eyes as he thanked his visitor and said, "But -for those prayers I should have faltered and perhaps failed long ago. -Tell every father and mother you know to keep on praying and I will -keep on fighting, for I am sure that God is on our side." - -As the clergyman started to leave the room, Lincoln held him by the hand -and said, "I suppose I may consider this a sort of pastoral call." - -"Yes," replied the clergyman. - -"Out in our country," continued Lincoln, "when a parson made a pastoral -call it was always the custom for the folks to ask him to lead in -prayer, and I should like to ask you to pray with me to-day; pray that I -may have strength and wisdom." The two men knelt side by side before a -settee and the clergyman offered the most fervent appeal to the Almighty -Power that ever fell from his lips. As they rose, Lincoln grasped his -visitor's hand and remarked in a satisfied sort of way,-- - -"I feel better." - -In July, 1863, in Washington, D. C., on the Sunday after the battle -of Gettysburg, General Sickles, who had lost a leg, was brought to -Washington. Lincoln called upon him at the hospital, with his son -Tad, and remained an hour or more. He greeted Sickles heartily and -complimented him on his stout fight at Gettysburg. Sickles asked whether -he was not anxious during the Gettysburg campaign. Lincoln gravely -replied that he was not; that some of his Cabinet and many others in -Washington were, but that he himself had had no fears. General Sickles -inquired his reasons. Lincoln hesitated, but finally replied,-- - -"Well, I will tell you how it was. In the pinch of your campaign up -there, when everybody seemed panic-stricken and nobody could tell -what was going to happen, I went into my room one day and locked the -door, and got down on my knees before Almighty God and prayed to Him -mightily for a victory at Gettysburg. I told God that if we were to -win the battle He must do it, for I had done all I could. I told Him -this was His war, and our cause was His cause, but that we couldn't -stand another Fredericksburg or Chancellorsville. And then and there -made a solemn vow to Almighty God that if He would stand by our boys -at Gettysburg I would stand by Him. And He did, and I will. And after -that--I don't know how it was, and I can't explain it, but soon--a sweet -comfort crept into my soul that things would go all right at Gettysburg, -and that is why I had no fears about you." - -Presently General Sickles asked what news he had from Vicksburg. The -President answered that he had none worth mentioning, but that Grant -was still "pegging away" down there. He said he thought a good deal of -him as a general and was not going to remove him, although urged to do -so. "Besides," he added, "I have been praying over Vicksburg also, and -believe our Heavenly Father is going to give us victory there, too, -because we need it to bisect the Confederacy and have the Mississippi -flow unvexed to the sea." - -John G. Nicolay, who probably knew Lincoln as thoroughly and was as -familiar with his opinions as any one, said,-- - -"I do not remember ever having discussed religion with Mr. Lincoln, nor -do I know of any authorized statement of his views in existence. He -sometimes talked freely, and never made any concealment of his belief -or unbelief in any dogma or doctrine, but never provoked religious -controversies. I speak more from his disposition and habits than from -any positive declaration on his part. He frequently made remarks about -sermons he had heard, books he had read, or doctrines that had been -advanced, and my opinion as to his religious belief is based upon such -casual evidences. There is not the slightest doubt that he believed in a -Supreme Being of omnipotent power and omniscient watchfulness over the -children of men, and that this great Being could be reached by prayer. -Mr. Lincoln was a praying man; I know that to be a fact. And I have -heard him request people to pray for him, which he would not have done -had he not believed that prayer is answered. Many a time have I heard -Mr. Lincoln ask ministers and Christian women to pray for him, and he -did not do this for effect. He was no hypocrite, and had such reverence -for sacred things that he would not trifle with them. I have heard him -say that he prayed for this or that, and remember one occasion on which -he remarked that if a certain thing did not occur he would lose his -faith in prayer. - -"It is a matter of history that he told the Cabinet he had promised his -Maker to issue an emancipation proclamation, and it was not an idle -remark. At the same time he did not believe in some of the dogmas of -the orthodox churches. I have heard him argue against the doctrine of -atonement, for example. He considered it illogical and unjust and a -premium upon evil-doing if a man who had been wicked all his life could -make up for it by a few words or prayers at the hour of death; and he -had no faith in death-bed repentances. He did not believe in several -other articles of the creeds of the orthodox churches. He believed -in the Bible, however. He was a constant reader of the Bible and had -great faith in it, but he did not believe that its entire contents -were inspired. He used to consider it the greatest of all text-books -of morals and ethics, and that there was nothing to compare with it in -literature; but, at the same time, I have heard him say that God had too -much to do and more important things to attend to than to inspire such -insignificant writers as had written some passages in the good book. - -"Nor did he believe in miracles. He believed in inexorable laws of -nature, and I have heard him say that the wisdom and glory and greatness -of the Almighty were demonstrated by order and method and not by the -violation of nature's laws. - -"It would be difficult for any one to define Mr. Lincoln's position or -to classify him among the sects. I should say that he believed in a good -many articles in the creeds of the orthodox churches and rejected a good -many that did not appeal to his reason. - -"He praised the simplicity of the Gospels. He often declared that the -Sermon on the Mount contained the essence of all law and justice, and -that the Lord's Prayer was the sublimest composition in human language. -He was a constant reader of the Bible, but had no sympathy with -theology, and often said that in matters affecting a man's relations -with his Maker he couldn't give a power of attorney. - -"Yes, there is a story, and it is probably true, that when he was -very young and very ignorant he wrote an essay that might be called -atheistical. It was after he had been reading a couple of atheistic -books which made a great impression on his mind, and the essay is -supposed to have expressed his views on those books,--a sort of review -of them, containing both approval and disapproval,--and one of his -friends burned it. He was very indignant at the time, but was afterwards -glad of it. - -"The opposition of the Springfield clergy to his election was chiefly -due to remarks he made about them. One careless remark, I remember, was -widely quoted. An eminent clergyman was delivering a series of doctrinal -discourses that attracted considerable local attention. Although Lincoln -was frequently invited, he would not be induced to attend them. He -remarked that he wouldn't trust Brother ---- to construe the statutes -of Illinois and much less the laws of God; that people who knew him -wouldn't trust his advice on an ordinary business transaction because -they didn't consider him competent; hence he didn't see why they did so -in the most important of all human affairs, the salvation of their souls. - -"These remarks were quoted widely and misrepresented to Lincoln's -injury. In those days people were not so liberal as now, and any one who -criticised a parson was considered a sceptic." - -The refusal of the Springfield clergy to support him for President, -to which Mr. Nicolay refers, gave him great concern, and he expressed -himself on that subject quite freely to Mr. Newton Bateman, -Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of Illinois, who -occupied a room adjoining and opening into the Executive Chamber at -Springfield, which Lincoln used as an office during the Presidential -campaign. - -"Here are twenty-three ministers of different denominations," he said to -Mr. Bateman, showing a polling list, "and all of them are against me but -three, and here are a great many prominent members of churches; a very -large majority are against me. Mr. Bateman, I am not a Christian,--God -knows I would be one,--but I have carefully read the Bible and I do not -so understand this book," and he drew forth a pocket New Testament. -"These men well know," he continued, "that I am for freedom in the -Territories, freedom everywhere as free as the Constitution and the laws -will permit, and that my opponents are for slavery. They know this, and -yet, with this book in their hands, in the light of which human bondage -cannot live a moment, they are going to vote against me; I do not -understand it at all. - -"I know there is a God, and that He hates injustice and slavery. I see -the storm coming, and I know that His hand is in it. If He has a place -and work for me, and I think He has, I believe I am ready. I am nothing, -but Truth is everything; I know I am right, because I know that liberty -is right, for Christ teaches it, and Christ is God. I have told them -that a house divided against itself cannot stand, and Christ and reason -say the same, and they will find it so. - -"Douglas don't care whether slavery is voted up or down, but God cares, -and humanity cares, and I care, and with God's help I shall not fail. -I may not see the end; but it will come, and I shall be vindicated, and -these men will find they have not read their Bible right." - -The influence of the Springfield clergy was, however, scarcely -noticeable. Here and there throughout the country some religious -newspaper, minister, or bigoted layman opposed his election on that -pretext, but the numerical strength of this class of his opponents -was very small; and after the inauguration and the development of the -secession conspiracy the Springfield preachers, like other Christian -people from one end of the North to the other, displayed their -patriotism. As the war progressed the influence of the entire church, -Protestant and Catholic, was given to the support of the President, -except occasionally when some extreme antislavery community would -condemn what they considered the procrastination of the President -concerning the emancipation of the slaves. Scarcely a religious body -ever met without adopting resolutions of sympathy and support, and no -manifestations of loyalty and approval throughout the entire war gave -him greater gratification. His response in each case was a confession of -human weakness and his reliance upon Divine Power. - -In 1863, when the New School Presbyterians embodied their sentiments -of loyalty to the Union in an eloquent memorial to the President, he -replied, "From the beginning I saw that the issues of our great struggle -depended upon Divine interposition and favor.... Relying as I do upon -the Almighty power, and encouraged as I am by these resolutions that you -have just read," etc. - -To a committee of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal -church in 1864 he said, "It is no fault in others that the Methodist -Church sends more soldiers to the field, more nurses to the hospitals, -more prayers to heaven than any other. God bless the Methodist Church! -Bless all the churches; blessed be God who in this great trial giveth us -the churches." - -To the Quakers of Iowa, who had sent him an address through Senator -Harlan, he wrote, "It is most cheering and encouraging for me to -know that, in the efforts which I have made, and am making, for the -restoration of a righteous peace to our country, I am upheld and -sustained by the good wishes and prayers of God's people. No one is -more deeply aware than myself that without His favor our highest wisdom -is but as foolishness, and that our most strenuous efforts would avail -nothing in the shadow of His displeasure." - -One of the most significant of the President's letters, in which he -expresses himself with less than his usual reserve, was written to Mrs. -Gurney, wife of an eminent preacher of the English Society of Friends, -in the autumn of 1864: "I am much indebted to the good Christian people -of the country for their constant prayers and consolations, and to -no one of them more than to yourself. The purposes of the Almighty -are perfect, and must prevail, though we erring mortals may fail to -accurately perceive them in advance. We hoped for a happy termination -of this terrible war long before this; but God knows best, and has -ruled otherwise. We shall yet acknowledge His wisdom and our own error -therein. Meanwhile we must work earnestly in the best lights He gives -us, trusting that so working still conduces to the great ends He -ordains." - -Being requested to preside at a meeting of the Christian Commission -held in Washington on February 22, 1863, he wrote, "Whatever shall tend -to turn our thoughts from the unreasoning and uncharitable passions, -prejudices, and jealousies incident to a great national trouble such as -ours, and to fix them on the vast and long-enduring consequences, for -weal or for woe, which are to result from the struggle, and especially -to strengthen our reliance on the Supreme Being for the final triumph -of the right, cannot but be well for us all." - -Mr. Herndon, his law partner, remembers that he often said that his -creed was the same as that of an old man named Glenn, whom he heard -speak at an experience meeting in Indiana: "When I do good, I feel good, -and when I do bad, I feel bad; and that's my religion." - -Hay and Nicolay, his secretaries, in their biography say, "Lincoln was -a man of profound and intense religious feeling. We have no purpose of -attempting to formulate his creed; we question if he himself ever did -so. We only have to look at his authentic public and private utterances -to see how deep and strong in all the latter part of his life was the -current of his religious thought and emotion. He continually invited -and appreciated at their highest value the prayers of good people. -The pressure of the tremendous problems by which he was surrounded; -the awful moral significance of the conflict in which he was the -chief combatant; the overwhelming sense of personal responsibility, -which never left him for an hour,--all contributed to produce, in a -temperament naturally serious and predisposed to a spiritual view of -life and conduct, a sense of reverent acceptance of the guidance of -a Superior Power. From that morning when, standing amid the falling -snow-flakes on the railway car at Springfield, he asked the prayers -of his neighbors in those touching phrases whose echo rose that night -in invocations from thousands of family altars, to the memorable hour -when on the steps of the National Capitol he humbled himself before his -Creator in the sublime words of the second inaugural, there is not an -expression known to have come from his lips or his pen but proves that -he held himself answerable in every act of his career to a more august -tribunal than any on earth. The fact that he was not a communicant -of any church, and that he was singularly reserved in regard to his -personal religious life, gives only the greater force to these striking -proofs of his profound reverence and faith. - -"In final substantiation of this assertion we publish two papers from -the hand of the President, one official and the other private, which -bear within themselves the imprint of a sincere devotion and a steadfast -reliance upon the power and benignity of an overruling Providence. The -first is an order which he issued on the 16th of November, 1862, on the -observance of Sunday: - -"'The President, Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, desires and -enjoins the orderly observance of the Sabbath by the officers and men -in the military and naval service. The importance for man and beast of -the prescribed weekly rest, the sacred rights of Christian soldiers -and sailors, a becoming deference to the best sentiment of a Christian -people, and a due regard for the Divine will demand that Sunday labor -in the army and navy be reduced to a measure of strict necessity. The -discipline and character of the national forces should not suffer, nor -the cause they defend be imperilled, by the profanation of the day or -name of the Most High.' - -"In September, 1862, while his mind was burdened with the weightiest -question of his life, wearied with all the considerations of law and -expediency with which he had been struggling for two years, he retired -within himself and tried to bring some order into his thoughts by rising -above the wrangling of men and of parties and pondering the relations -of human government to the Divine. In this frame of mind, absolutely -detached from any earthly considerations, he wrote this meditation. It -has never been published. It was not written to be seen of men. It was -penned in the awful sincerity of a perfectly honest soul trying to bring -itself into closer communion with its Maker: - -"'The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to -act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be and one must be -wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time. -In the present civil war it is quite possible that God's purpose is -something different from the purpose of either party; and yet the human -instrumentalities, working just as they do, are of the best adaptation -to effect His purpose. I am almost ready to say that this is probably -true; that God wills this contest, and wills that it shall not end yet. -By His mere great power on the minds of the contestants, He could have -either saved or destroyed the Union without a human contest. Yet the -contest began, and, having begun, He could give the final victory to -either side any day. Yet the contest proceeds.'" - -On September 22, 1862, at a Cabinet meeting, Lincoln submitted his -determination to issue a proclamation of emancipation of the slaves. He -said that his mind was fixed, his decision made, and therefore he did -not ask the opinion of his advisers as to the act, but he wished his -paper announcing his course to be as correct in terms as it could be -made without any change in his determination. That is the recollection -of Mr. Welles, the Secretary of the Navy, who in his diary refers to -Lincoln's "Covenant with God," as follows: - -"In the course of the discussion on this paper, which was long, earnest, -and, on the general principle involved, harmonious, he remarked that -he had made a vow--a covenant--that if God gave us the victory in the -approaching battle, he would consider it an indication of Divine will, -and that it was his duty to move forward in the cause of emancipation. -It might be thought strange, he said, that he had in this way submitted -the disposal of matters when the way was not clear to his mind what he -should do. God had decided this question in favor of the slaves. He was -satisfied it was right,--was confirmed and strengthened in his action by -the vow and the results." - -The diary of Secretary Chase for the same day contains a similar account -of the same discussion, and quotes the President as saying,-- - -"When the rebel army was at Frederick, I determined, as soon as -it should be driven out of Maryland, to issue a proclamation of -emancipation, such as I thought most likely to be useful. I said nothing -to any one, but I made the promise to myself and [hesitating a little] -to my Maker. The rebel army is now driven out, and I am going to fulfil -that promise." - -Mr. Usher, the Secretary of the Interior, says that when the draft of -the Emancipation Proclamation was submitted to the Cabinet, Mr. Chase -remarked,-- - -"This paper is one of the utmost importance, greater than any state -paper ever made by this government. A paper of so much importance, and -involving the liberties of so many people, ought, I think, to make some -reference to the Deity. I do not observe anything of the kind in it." - -Lincoln said, "No; I overlooked it. Some reference to the Deity must be -inserted. Mr. Chase, won't you make a draft of what you think ought to -be inserted?" - -Mr. Chase promised to do so, and at the next meeting presented the -following: - -"And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, -warranted by the Constitution upon military necessity, I invoke the -considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God." - -When Lincoln read the paragraph, Mr. Chase said, "You may not approve -it, but I thought this or something like it would be appropriate." - -Lincoln replied, "I do approve it; it cannot be bettered, and I will -adopt it in the very words you have written." - -The reader has perceived from these pages the strength and the weakness -of Abraham Lincoln. His errors were due to mercy and not to malice; to -prudence and not to thoughtlessness or pride; to deliberation and not -to recklessness. Perhaps he might have shortened the war by removing -McClellan and placing in command of the armies before Richmond a -commander of greater force and energy; perhaps he might have abolished -human bondage by earlier action, as demanded by the antislavery element -in the North; but who can tell what disasters might have been caused by -impetuous action? If Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan had been at his side -at the beginning of the war, history might have been different. - -But who is so perfect or so wise as to judge Abraham Lincoln? - -His greatest fault was his inability to suppress his sympathies. He -once said, "If I have one vice, it is not being able to say 'No.' And I -consider it a vice. Thank God for not making me a woman. I presume if He -had He would have made me just as ugly as I am, and nobody would ever -have tempted me." - -On another occasion he said, "Some of our generals complain that I -impair discipline and encourage insubordination in the army by my -pardons and respites; but it rests me after a hard day's work if I can -find some good cause for saving a man's life; and I go to bed happy as I -think how joyous the signing of my name will make him and his family and -his friends." - -And with a happy smile beaming upon his careworn face, he again signed -his name that saved another life. It was his theory that when a man is -sincerely penitent for his misdeeds and gives satisfactory evidence of -it, he can safely be pardoned. - -An old lady came to him with tears in her eyes to express her gratitude -for the pardon of her son, a truant soldier. - -"Good-by, Mr. Lincoln," she said; "I shall probably never see you again -until we meet in heaven." - -He was deeply moved. He took her right hand in both of his and said, "I -am afraid with all my troubles I shall never get to that resting-place -you speak of; but if I do, I am sure I shall find you. That you wish -me to get there is, I believe, the best wish you could make for me. -Good-by." - -To his oldest and most intimate friend he said, "Speed, die when I may, -I want it said of me by those who know me best, that I always plucked a -thistle and planted a flower when I thought a flower would grow." - -His greatness consisted not in his eloquence as an orator, nor his -shrewdness as a lawyer, nor his tact as a diplomatist, nor his genius -in planning and directing military affairs, nor his executive ability, -but in his absolute self-control, his unselfishness, the full maturity -of his wisdom, the strength of his convictions, his sound judgment, his -absolute integrity, his unwavering adherence to the principles of truth, -justice, and honor, his humanity, his love of country, his sublime faith -in the people and in Republican institutions. He was without malice or -the spirit of resentment, without envy or jealousy, and he suppressed -his passions to a degree beyond that of most men. He entered the -Presidency with an inadequate conception of his own responsibilities, -but when he saw his duty he did it with courage, endurance, magnanimity, -and unselfish devotion. In his eulogy of Lincoln, uttered a few days -after the assassination, Ralph Waldo Emerson said,-- - -"He grew according to the need; his mind mastered the problem of the -day; and as the problem grew so did his comprehension of it. Rarely was -a man so fitted to the event. - -"In four years--four years of battle days--his endurance, his fertility -and resources, his magnanimity, were sorely tried and never found -wanting. There, by his courage, his justice, his even temper, his -fertile counsel, his humanity, he stood a heroic figure in the centre of -an heroic epoch." - - - - -Index - - - Acceptance, Lincoln's letter of, 157 - - Adams, Charles Francis, 354 - - ----, John Quincy, 144 - - Address, first inaugural, 170 - - ----, second inaugural, 89 - - Admitted to the bar, 65 - - Advice to young lawyers, 70, 82 - - Alley, John B., 54, 175, 216 - - Amendment, thirteenth, adopted, 337 - - Ancestry of Lincoln, 15 - - Anderson, General Robert, 231, 308 - - Anecdotes of Lincoln, 29, 49, 69, 74, 81, 95, 128, 133, 141, 159, - 161, 164, 175, 178, 220, 222, 226, 234, 259, 278, 280, 290, - 310, 330, 343, 360 - - Anger, Lincoln's, 54 - - Appearance, Lincoln's, 48 - - Argument, Lincoln's method of, 79, 86, 96, 100, 125 - - Arrival at Washington, Lincoln's, 169 - - Assassination conspiracy, 168 - - ---- of Lincoln, 311 - - Atheism, story of Lincoln's, 376 - - Autobiography, Lincoln's, 59 - - - Bailache, William H., 170 - - Baker, Edward D., 54, 83, 134, 137, 169 - - Bar, early practice at, 65, 66, 83 - - Bateman, Dr. Newton, 158, 388 - - Bates, Edward, 181, 298 - - Beecher, Henry Ward, 190 - - Berry and Lincoln, 34, 63 - - Bible, Lincoln's admiration for, 387 - - Birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, 20 - - Bixby, letters to Mrs., 51 - - Black Hawk War, 65, 229 - - Blair, Francis P., 187 - - ----, Montgomery, 181, 187, 191 - - Bloomington Convention, 105, 149 - - Books, Lincoln's early, 56 - - Boone, Daniel, related to Lincoln, 16 - - Booth, John Wilkes, 311 - - Boutwell, George S., 216 - - Boyhood of Lincoln, 21, 24, 60, 93 - - Brown, John, 322 - - Browning, Orville H., 39, 134, 170 - - Bryant, William Cullen, 124 - - Buchanan Cabinet, disloyalty of, 165 - - ---- sends emissary to Lincoln, 162 - - Buell, General, 252 - - Bull Run, battle of, 236 - - Burns, Lincoln's love of, 288 - - Burnside, General, 262 - - Butler, General B. F., 273, 294, 323, 333 - - - Cabin in which Lincoln was born, 19 - - Cabinet, dissensions of, 186, 235, 356 - - ----, selection of, 174, 179, 193 - - Calhoun, John, 35, 63 - - Cameron, Simon, 193, 220, 238, 325 - - Campaign of, Presidential, 1860, 155 - - Campaigning, Lincoln's method of, 96, 133 - - Campaigns, plans of military, 249 - - Campbell, John A., 272 - - Canal, isthmus, 334 - - Candidate for Congress, 137 - - ---- for Legislature, 129 - - ---- for President, 158 - - ---- for Senate, 146, 150 - - Capacity for labor, Lincoln's, 279 - - Capital, removal of Illinois State, 135 - - Cartter, Judge, 175, 360 - - Cartwright, Peter, 138 - - Cass, General, 231 - - Chandler, A. B., 53 - - Character, Lincoln's, 14, 91, 370, 396 - - Chase, Salmon P., 174, 204, 210, 216, 243, 340, 356 - - Chicago Convention (1860), 158 - - Chief-Justice, Chase appointed, 216 - - Children, Lincoln's, 46, 287 - - ----, Lincoln's love of his, 46 - - Choate, Joseph H., 125 - - Christian Commission, 390 - - Church, Lincoln's attendance at, 370 - - Circuit, following the judicial, 67, 83 - - Clergy, opposition of Springfield, 387 - - Coffey, Titian J., 184, 297 - - Coles, Edward, Governor, 315 - - Colfax, Schuyler, 153, 182, 310, 330 - - Colonization, Lincoln advocates negro, 333 - - Confusion in government, 186, 233 - - Congress, speeches in, 98, 145 - - Congressional campaign, 137 - - ---- experience, Lincoln's, 139 - - Conners, Senator, 55 - - Contraband question, the, 323 - - Convention, Bloomington, 156 - - ----, Decatur, 26, 149 - - ----, Illinois State (1860), 156 - - ---- of 1860, National, 27, 158 - - Cooper Institute speech, 86, 124, 321 - - Courage, Lincoln's, 272 - - Creed, Lincoln's, 391 - - - Dana, Charles A., 227, 364 - - Davis, David, 67, 83, 193, 369, 379 - - ----, Henry Winter, 187 - - ----, Jefferson, 140, 231 - - Death, Lincoln's, 313 - - Debate, Lincoln's first, 96 - - ---- with Douglas, 86, 100, 110, 114 - - Debt, Lincoln's, 33 - - Decatur Convention, 149 - - Defeat by people, Lincoln's only, 130 - - Democracy, Lincoln's, 345 - - Dennison, William, 193, 242 - - Depew, Chauncey M., 85, 93, 281, 361 - - Diplomacy, Lincoln's ability in, 342, 346, 351 - - Diplomatist, definition of, 342 - - Disloyalty in Buchanan's Cabinet, 233 - - Dodge, William E., 368 - - Douglas, Stephen A., 40, 74, 83, 86, 100, 107, 114, 122, 134, 151, - 169, 320, 380 - - Dreams, Lincoln's, 308 - - Duel, Lincoln's, 42 - - - Earnings, Lincoln's first, 24 - - Eckert, General, 53, 227 - - Education, Lincoln's, 58, 91 - - Edwards, Ninian W., 40 - - Election declared, Lincoln's, 166 - - ----, Presidential, of 1860, 161 - - Electoral vote counted, 166 - - Emancipation accomplished, 335 - - ----, Lincoln's ideas of, 319 - - ---- proclamation, 183, 329, 335, 394 - - Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 396 - - Emigration of Lincoln family, 17 - - England, diplomatic relations with, 347, 351 - - Essay, Lincoln's first, 94 - - Ethics, Lincoln's legal, 70 - - Experience, Lincoln's legislative, 135 - - ----, ---- Congressional, 139 - - - Farewell to Springfield neighbors, 47 - - Faults, Lincoln's, 395 - - Fees, Lincoln's, 45, 72 - - Fenton, Reuben E., 173 - - Fessenden, William Pitt, 214, 361 - - Field, Munsell B., 213 - - First dollar, Lincoln's, 24 - - ---- lawsuit, Lincoln's, 65 - - Fish, Hamilton, 350 - - Flatboat, Lincoln's, 32 - - Foreign policy, 346 - - Fortune, Lincoln's, 45 - - France, diplomatic relations with, 348 - - "Freeport Doctrine," Douglas's, 107, 120 - - Fremont, General John C., 246 - - Fremont, Mrs., 247 - - Fry, General James F., 88, 221, 344 - - Fugitive-slave law, 323 - - - Garrison, William Lloyd, 290 - - Genius, Lincoln's military, 232, 249, 269 - - Gentry, Mr., 25 - - Gentryville, Indiana, 21, 25, 94 - - Gettysburg speech, 86, 89 - - Giddings, Joshua R., 140 - - Gilmer, John A., 181 - - God, belief in, 370 - - Governorship of Oregon, offered, 137 - - Graham, Menton, 62 - - Grammar, Lincoln's first, 63 - - Grant, General, 177, 232, 245, 252, 253, 260, 300, 308 - - Greeley, Horace, 92, 284, 332 - - Green, General Duff, 162 - - Gurley, Rev. Dr., 313, 370 - - - Hahn, letter to Governor, 337 - - Halleck, General, 191, 251 - - Hanks, Dennis, 26 - - ----, John, 23, 27, 32 - - ----, Nancy, Lincoln's mother, 18, 22 - - Harris, Senator, 311 - - Hay, Colonel John, 88, 284, 311, 381 - - Hayti, recognition of, 328 - - Herndon, W. H., 33, 108, 372 - - Holloway, Commissioner of Patents, 174 - - Holmes's poems, Lincoln's love of, 289 - - Holt, Judge-Advocate-General, 293 - - Home, Lincoln's first, 19 - - ----, Lincoln's second, 20 - - ----, Lincoln's third, 21 - - ----, Lincoln's fourth, 26 - - ----, Lincoln's fifth, 44 - - ----, Lincoln's sixth, 45 - - ---- life, Lincoln's, 45, 227, 284 - - Honesty, Lincoln's, 34, 84, 371 - - Hood's poems, Lincoln's love of, 288 - - Hooker, General Joseph, 263 - - "House divided against itself" speech, 110 - - Humor, Lincoln's, 50, 93, 281, 344, 361 - - Hunter, General David, 247, 328 - - - Illinois Central Railroad, litigation with, 72 - - ---- State Convention of 1860, 156 - - Inauguration, Lincoln's first, 169 - - ----, Lincoln's second, 89 - - Indiana, migration to, 21 - - Indiana, Revised Statutes of, 56 - - Infidelity, story of Lincoln's, 376 - - Invention, Lincoln's, 32 - - - Jefferson, Joseph, reminiscences of, 68 - - Johnson, Reverdy, 76 - - Johnston, General Albert Sidney, 231 - - ----, John, Lincoln's step-brother, 23, 30, 32, 382 - - ----, Sally Bush, 23, 30 - - Judd, Norman B., 154, 188 - - Judicial procedure, early, 66 - - Julian, George W., 174, 225 - - - Kasson, John A., 223 - - Kelso, Jack, 95 - - Kernan, Francis, 296 - - Kindness of heart, Lincoln's, 279, 292, 296 - - - Lamon, Ward, 310 - - Land Office Commissionership, 143 - - Law-books, Lincoln's first, 57, 64 - - Law, how he came to study, 56 - - Lawyer, Lincoln becomes a, 64 - - Learning, Lincoln's love of, 56, 78, 91 - - Lee's surrender, 307 - - Legislature, candidate for, 129 - - Liberia, recognition of, 328 - - Lincoln admitted to the bar, 65 - - ----, ancestry of, 15 - - ----, anger of, 54 - - ---- appointed postmaster, 34 - - ----, arrival in Washington of, 169 - - ----, assassination of, 311 - - ----, atheism of, story of, 376 - - ----, autobiography of, 59 - - ----, birthplace of, 20 - - ----, Black Hawk War, 65, 229 - - ----, boyhood of, 21, 24, 60, 93 - - ----, candidate for President, 158 - - ----, character of, 14, 91, 370, 396 - - ----, code of morals of, 372 - - ----, Congressional experience of, 139 - - ----, courage of, 272 - - ----, creed of, 391 - - ----, death of, 313 - - ----, debate of, with Douglas, 40, 74, 83, 86, 100, 107, 114, 122, - 134, 151, 160, 169, 320, 380 - - ----, diplomacy of, 342, 346, 351 - - ----, duel of, 42 - - ----, education of, 58, 91 - - ----, election of, declared, 166 - - ----, farewell of, to neighbors, 47 - - ----, faults of, 395 - - ----, fees of, 45, 72 - - ----, first campaign of, for Legislature, 129 - - ----, first earnings of, 24 - - ----, first impressions of, of slavery, 314 - - ----, first inauguration of, 169 - - ----, first lawsuit of, 65 - - ----, first meeting of, with McClellan, 71 - - ----, first school of, 61 - - ---- first suggested for President, 153 - - ----, foreign policy of, 346 - - ----, fortune of, 45, 74 - - ----, grandmother of, 17 - - ----, home life of, 45 - - ----, homes of, 19, 20, 21, 26, 44, 45 - - ----, honesty of, 34, 84, 371 - - ----, journey of, to New Orleans, 25 - - ----, kindness of heart of, 279, 292, 296 - - ----, last speech of, 338 - - ----, legal ethics of, 70, 83 - - ----, legal methods of, 74, 79, 83, 86 - - ----, legislative experience of, 135 - - ----, letter of, accepting Presidential nomination, 157 - - ----, "Lost Speech" of, 106 - - ----, love-affairs of, 35, 37, 38, 40 - - ----, love of, for his children, 46, 53 - - ----, ----, for learning, 56, 78, 91 - - ----, marriage of, 44 - - ----, memory of, 93 - - ----, method of argument of, 79, 86, 96, 100, 125 - - ----, military genius of, 232, 249, 269 - - ----, muscular strength of, 28 - - ----, nomination of, for Congress, 138 - - ----, notification of, of nomination to Presidency, 156 - - ----, oratory of, 86, 116 - - ----, Peoria speech of, 91 - - ----, personal appearance of, 48 - - ----, place in history of, 13, 86, 91 - - ----, plans of, for purchasing slaves, 326 - - ----, political career of, 129 - - ----, political sagacity of, 344 - - ----, popularity of, 130 - - ----, receives emissaries from rebel leaders, 163 - - ----, recommendations of, for office, 142 - - ----, religious views of, 370, 381 - - ---- seeks Presidential nomination, 155 - - ----, sisters of, 20, 26 - - ----, speeches of, 95, 97, 100, 114, 125, 133 - - ----, Springfield speech of, 104, 109 - - ----, stature of, 29 - - ----, step-mother of, 23, 30 - - ----, superstitions of, 309 - - ----, surveying of, 34 - - ----, visit to Richmond of, 271 - - ----, weakness of, 395 - - Lincoln, Anna, 17 - - ----, Robert T., 30, 46, 177, 310, 312 - - ----, "Tad", 287 - - ----, Thomas, 17, 21, 30, 375 - - ----, Willie, 277 - - Liquor selling, Lincoln's, 34 - - Literary style, Lincoln's, 86 - - Locke, David R., 36, 51 - - Logan, Stephen T., 35, 44, 69 - - "Lost Speech," Lincoln's, 106 - - Louisiana, reconstruction of, 339 - - Love-affairs, Lincoln's, 35, 38 - - Lovejoy, assassination of, 317 - - Lyons, Lord, 350 - - - Maltby, Captain, 55 - - Markland, General, 189 - - Marriage, Lincoln's, 44 - - Mason-Slidell affair, 350 - - McClellan's first meeting with Lincoln, 71 - - McClellan, General, 197, 206, 238, 250 - - McCulloch, Hugh, 183, 214, 309, 340 - - McCulloch, Mrs., 283 - - McDowell, General, 237 - - McKinley, William, 342 - - Meade, General George C., 268 - - Medill, Joseph, 122 - - Melancholy, Lincoln's, 50 - - Memory, Lincoln's, 93 - - Methods, Lincoln's legal, 74, 79, 83 - - ----, Lincoln's political, 133 - - Mexican question, 354 - - Migration to Illinois, 26 - - Military genius, Lincoln's, 232, 249, 269 - - Missouri Compromise, 102, 146 - - Monroe Doctrine, 354 - - Moral courage, Lincoln's, 130 - - Morals, Lincoln's code of, 372 - - Morgan, E. D., 29 - - Muscular strength, Lincoln's, 28 - - - Negroes, enlistment of, 325 - - New Orleans, Lincoln's journey to, 25, 32, 314, 318 - - Nicolay, John G., 90, 158, 199, 204, 214, 250, 379, 385 - - Nominated for Congress, 138 - - Nomination, notified of Presidential, 156, 380 - - - Office seekers, clamors of, 164, 186, 279 - - Offutt, Denton, 32, 62, 129 - - Oglesby, Richard J., 26 - - Oratory, Lincoln's, 86, 125 - - Oregon, offered governorship of, 143 - - Owen, Robert Dale, 360 - - Owens, Mary, 38 - - - Pardon of soldiers, 36, 52 - - Patent case, Lincoln's, 75 - - Patronage, Lincoln's opinions about, 143 - - Peace Commissioners, 355 - - Peoria speech, Lincoln's, 91 - - Petroleum V. Nasby, 36, 51, 280 - - Philadelphia speech (1860), 167 - - Pinkerton, Allan, 168 - - Platform, Lincoln's first political, 129 - - Poem, Lincoln's favorite, 379 - - Poems, Lincoln's, 94 - - Poetry, love of, 95, 287, 379 - - Politician, definition of, 342 - - Political career, Lincoln's, 129 - - ---- sagacity, Lincoln's, 96, 133, 160, 171, 177, 199, 344 - - Pomeroy, Senator, 211 - - Poore, Ben: Perley, 289 - - Popularity, Lincoln's, 130 - - Porter, Admiral, 272 - - Postmaster, Lincoln appointed, 34 - - Practice, Lincoln's law, 74, 82 - - Prayer, Lincoln's belief in, 382 - - Presbyterian Church, Springfield, 46 - - President, Lincoln elected, 161 - - Presidential nomination, Lincoln seeks, 155 - - Press, Lincoln's respect for, 283, 289 - - Proclamation, Emancipation, 183, 329, 335, 394 - - Property, Lincoln's, 45 - - - Rails that Lincoln split, 26 - - Rathbone, Major, 311 - - Rebel leaders send emissary to Lincoln, 162 - - Recommendations for office, Lincoln's, 142 - - Relatives in Kentucky, 16 - - ---- in Virginia, 16 - - Religious prejudice against, 137 - - ---- views, Lincoln's, 370 - - Republican National Convention (1856), 149 - (1860), 156 - - Rice, Governor, 296 - - Richmond, Lincoln visits, 271 - - Rutledge, Anne, 37 - - - Sagacity, Lincoln's political, 160, 171, 177 - - School, Lincoln's first, 61 - - Scott, General, 229, 235, 242 - - Secession begins, 161 - - Senate, candidate for, 146, 150 - - ----, difficulty with, 356 - - Senatorial campaign, 108, 146 - - Seward, William H., 181, 197, 204, 208, 236, 334, 337, 348, 351, - 355 - - Shakespeare, Lincoln's love of, 288 - - Shellabarger, Judge, 222 - - Sheridan, General, 270, 339 - - Sherman, General, 232, 270, 235, 269, 300 - - Shields, James, 40, 42 - - Short, James, 33 - - Sickles, General Daniel E., 384 - - Sisters, Lincoln's, 20 - - Slavery, Lincoln's first impressions of, 25, 57, 314 - - ----, first protest against, 316 - - ----, Lincoln's plan to abolish, in Washington, 318 - - Slaves, Lincoln's plans for purchase of, 326 - - ----, money value of, 327 - - Smith, Caleb B., 182 - - Social life in Washington, 38, 227 - - Speakership, candidate for, 136 - - Speech at Philadelphia, 167 - - ----, Lincoln's last, 338 - - ----, the "Lost", 106 - - Speeches, campaign, 95, 133 - - ----, first political, 95 - - ---- in Congress, 98, 144, 145 - - ---- in Legislature, 97 - - Speed, James, 185 - - ----, Joshua F., 41, 96, 185, 375, 396 - - Spiritualism, Lincoln's views of, 376 - - Springfield made capital of Illinois, 135 - - ---- speech, Lincoln's, 104, 109 - - Stanton, Edwin D., 183, 189, 218, 224, 244, 253, 290, 298, 309, - 313 - - ----, Lincoln's first meeting with, 76 - - Statesmanship? what is, 342 - - Stature, Lincoln's, 29 - - Stephens, Alexander H., 145, 162, 355 - - Step-mother, Lincoln's, 23, 30 - - Stevens, Thaddeus, 52 - - Stoddard, W. O., 265 - - Strength, muscular, Lincoln's, 28 - - Stuart, John T., 64 - - Study, Lincoln's habits of, 58, 77, 91 - - Stump oratory, Lincoln's, 96, 104, 114, 125, 133 - - Suffrage, negro, Lincoln's views on, 337, 338 - - Sumner, Charles, 176, 216, 272, 334 - - Sunday proclamation, Lincoln's, 392 - - Superstition, Lincoln's, 309, 376 - - Supreme Court, Chase's appointment to, 216 - - Surveying, Lincoln's, 34 - - Swett, Leonard, 60, 84, 380 - - - Tact, Lincoln's, 171, 285, 343, 361 - - "Tad" Lincoln, 287 - - Taney, Chief-Justice, 169 - - Taylor, President, election of, 142 - - Teachers, Lincoln's, 61 - - Temperance, Lincoln's views on, 380 - - Theatre, Ford's, 311 - - Thomas, General, 270 - - Tod, Governor, 214 - - Todd, Miss Mary, 40, 44, 47 - - Tragedy in Lincoln family, 17 - - Trent affair, 350 - - Trumbull, Lyman, 108, 148, 357 - - Tuck, Amos, 144, 176 - - - Usher, John T., 183, 340 - - - Wade, Benjamin F., 187 - - Washburne, E. B., 141, 148, 165, 169, 253 - - Weakness, Lincoln's, 395 - - Webster, Daniel, 140 - - Weed, Thurlow, 160, 171, 173, 181, 197, 382 - - Weldon, Lawrence, 80, 379 - - Welles, Gideon, 184, 196, 310 - - Wentworth, Long John, 75 - - Whig party organized, 136 - - White, Horace, 104, 118, 149 - - Wilkes, Captain Charles, 350 - - Wilson, Henry, 296 - - Wit, Lincoln's, 50, 91, 96 - - - Yates, Richard, 103 - - -THE END - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Simple typographical errors were corrected. - -Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant -preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. - -"fugitive slave law" and "fugitive-slave law" both appear in the -original book; regularized to "fugitive-slave law" in this eBook. - -"proslavery" and "pro-slavery" both occur in the original book; -unchanged here. - -Letter facing page 168: in handwritten date "October 3, 1861", "3" -(rather than "5") is based on examination of other samples of Lincoln's -handwriting. - -Page 289: "Ben: Perley Poore" did abbreviate his first name with a -colon. His name also appears without a colon on page 98. - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Abraham Lincoln, by William Eleroy Curtis - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ABRAHAM LINCOLN *** - -***** This file should be named 42526.txt or 42526.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/5/2/42526/ - -Produced by Charlene Taylor, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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