captains of the civil war-第24节

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ieties；　at　once　wrote　to　Lincoln　demanding　release。　Lincoln　thereupon　offered　release　if　the　committee　would　sign　a　declaration　that；　since　rebellion　existed；　and　since　the　armed　forces　of　the　United　States　were　the　constitutional　means　of　suppressing　rebellion；　each　member　of　the　committee　would　support　the　war　till　rebellion　was　put　down。　The　committee　refused　to　sign。　More　people　then　began　to　see　the　self…contradictions　of　the　opposition；　and　most　of　those　〃plain　people〃　to　whom　Lincoln　consciously　appealed　were　touched　to　the　heart　by　his　pathetic　question：　〃Must　I　shoot　the　simpleminded　soldier　boy　who　deserts；　while　I　must　not　touch　a　hair　of　the　wily　agitator　who　induces　him　to　desert？〃

But　there　was　still　defection　on　the　Union　side；　and　among　many　〃plain　people〃　too；　for　Horace　Greeley；　the　best…known　Union　editor；　lost　his　nerve　and　ran　away。　And　Greeley　was　not　the　only　Union　journalist　who　helped；　sometimes　unwittingly；　to　pervert　public　opinion。　The　〃writing　up〃　of　McClellan　for　what　he　was　not；　though　rather　hysterical；　was　at　least　well　meant。　But　the　reporters　who　〃wrote　down〃　General　Cox；　because　he　would　not　make　them　members　of　his　staff　in　West　Virginia；　disgraced　their　profession。　The　lies　about　Sherman's　〃insanity〃　and　Grant's　〃intoxication〃　were　shamelessly　excused　on　the　plea　that　they　made　〃good　stories。〃　Sherman's　insanity；　as　we　have　seen　already；　existed　only　in　the　disordered　imagination　of　blabbing　old　Simon　Cameron。　Grant；　at　the　time　these　stories　were　published；　was　strictly　temperate。

Amid　all　the　hindrancesand　encouragements；　for　the　Union　press　generally　did　noble　service　in　the　Union　causeof　an　uncensored　press；　and　all　the　complexities　of　public　opinion；　Lincoln　kept　his　head　and　heart　set　firmly　on　the　one　supreme　objective　of　the　Union。　He　foresaw　from　the　first　that　if　all　the　States　came　through　the　war　United；　then　all　the　reforms　for　which　the　war　was　fought　would　follow；　but　that　if　any　particular　reform　was　itself　made　the　supreme　objective；　then　it；　and　with　it　all　the　other　reforms；　would　fail；　because　only　part　of　the　Union　strength　would　be　involved；　whereas　the　whole　was　needed。　Moreover；　he　clearly　foresaw　the　absolute　nature　of　a　great　civil　war。　Foreign　wars　may　well；　and　often　do；　end　in　some　sort　of　compromise；　especially　when　the　home　life　of　the　opponents　can　go　on　as　before。　But　a　great　civil　war　cannot　end　in　compromise　because　it　radically　changes　the　home　life　of　one　side　or　the　other。　Davis　stood　for　〃Independence　or　extermination〃；　Lincoln　simply　for　the　Union；　which；　in　his　clear　prevision；　meant　all　that　the　body　politic　could　need　for　a　new　and　better　life。　He　accepted　the　word　〃enemy〃　as　descriptive　of　a　passing　phase。　He　would　not　accept　such　phraseology　as　Meade's；　〃driving　the　invader　from　our　soil。〃　〃Will　our　generals；〃　he　complained；　〃never　get　that　idea　out　of　their　heads？　The　whole　country　is　our　soil。〃

He　was　a　life…long　advocate　of　Emancipation；　first；　with　compensation；　now　as　part　of　the　price　to　be　paid　for　rebellion。　Emancipation；　however；　depended　on　the　Union；　not　the　Union　on　it。　His　Proclamation　was　ready　in　the　summer　of　'62。　But　to　publish　it　in　the　midst　of　defeat　would　make　it　look　like　an　act　of　despair。　In　September；　when　the　Confederates　had　to　recross　the　Potomac　after　Antietam；　the　Proclamation　was　given　to　the　world。　Its　first　effect　was　greater　abroad　than　at　home；　for　now　no　foreign　government　could　say；　and　rightly　say；　that　the　war；　not　being　fought　on　account　of　slavery；　might　leave　that　issue　still　unsettled。　This　was　a　most　important　point　in　Lincoln's　foreign　policy；　a　policy　which　had　been　haunted　by　the　fear　of　recognition　for　the　South　or　the　possibility　of　war　with　either　the　French　or　British；　or　even　both　together。

Lincoln's　Cabinet　was　composed　of　two　factions；　one　headed　by　Seward；　the　Secretary　of　State；　the　other　by　Chase；　the　Secretary　of　the　Treasury。　Both　the　fighting　services　were　under　War　Democrats：　the　Army　under　Stanton；　the　Navy　under　Welles。　All　these　ministers　began　by　thinking　that　Lincoln　had　the　least　ability　among　them。　Seward　and　Welles　presently　learnt　better。　Stanton's　exclamation　at　Lincoln's　death　speaks　for　itself　〃Now　he　belongs　to　the　ages！〃　But　Chase　never　believed　that　Lincoln　could　even　be　his　equal。　Chase　and　the　Treasury　were　a　thorn　in　the　side　of　the　Government；　Chase　because　it　was　his　nature；　the　Treasury　because　its　notes　fell　to　thirty…nine　cents　in　the　dollar　during　the　summer　of　'64。　Welles；　hard…working　and　upright；　was　guided　by　an　expert　assistant。　Stanton；　equally　upright　and　equally　hardworking；　made　many　mistakes。　And　yet；　when　all　is　said　and　done；　Stanton　was　a　really　able　patriot　who　worked　his　hardest　for　what　seemed　to　him　the　best。

Such　were　the　four　chief　men　in　that　Cabinet　with　which　Lincoln　carried　out　his　Union　policy　and　over　which　he　towered　in　what　became　transcendent　statesmanshipthe　head；　the　heart；　the　genius　of　the　war。　He　never；　for　one　moment；　changed　his　course；　but　kept　it　fixed　upon　the　Union；　no　matter　what　the　winds　and　tides；　the　currents　and　cross…currents　were。　Thus；　while　so　many　lesser　minds　were　busy　with　flotsam　and　jetsam　of　the　controversial　storm；　his　own　serener　soul　was　already　beyond　the　far　horizon；　voyaging　toward　the　one　sure　haven　for　the　Ship　of　State。


But　Lincoln　was　more　than　the　principal　civilian　war　statesman：　he　was　the　constitutional　Commander…in…Chief　of　all　the　Union　forces；　afloat　and　ashore。　He　was　responsible　not　only　for　raising；　supplying；　and　controlling　them；　but　for　their　actual　command　by　men　who；　in　the　eyes　of　the　law；　were　simply　his　own　lieutenants。　The　problem　of　exercising　civil　control　without　practicing　civilian　interference；　always　and　everywhere　hard；　and　especially　hard　in　a　civil　war；　was　particularly　hard　in　his　case；　in　view　of　public　opinion；　the　press；　his　own　war　policy；　and　the　composition　of　his　Cabinet。　His　solution　was　by　no　means　perfect；　but　the　wonder　is　that　he　reached　it　so　well　in　spite　of　such　perverting　factors。　He　began　with　the　mere　armed　mob　that　fought　the　First　Bull　Run　beset　with　interference。　He　ended　with　Farragut；　Grant；　and　Sherman；　combined　in　one　great　scheme　of　strategy　that　included　Mobile；　Virginia；　and　the　lower　South；　and　that；　while　under　full　civil　control；　was　mostly　free　from　interference　with　its　naval　and　military　workexcept　at　the　fussy　hands　of　Stanton。

The　fundamental　difference　between　civil　control；　which　is　the　very　breath　of　freedom；　and　civilian　interference；　which　means　the　death　of　all　efficiency；　can　be　quite　simply　illustrated　by　supposing　the　proverbial　Ship　of　State　to　be　a　fighting　man…of…war。　The　People　are　the　owners；　with　all　an　owner's　rights；　while　their　chosen　Government　is　their　agent；　with　all　an　agent's　delegated　power。　The　fighting　Services；　as　the　word　itself　so　properly　implies；　are　simply　the　People's　servants；　though　they　take　their　orders　from　the　Government。　So　far；　so　good；　within　the　limits　of　civil　control；　under　which；　and　which　alone；　any　national　resourcesin　men；　money；　or　materialcan　lawfully　be　turned　to　warlike　ends。　But　when　the　ship　is　fitting　out；　still　more　when　she　is　out　at　sea；　and　most　of　all　when　she　is　fighting；　then　she　should　be　handled　only　by　her　expert　captain　with　his　expert　crew。　Civilian　interference　begins　the　moment　any　inexpert　outsider　takes　the　captain's　place；　and　this　interference　is　no　less　disastrous　when　the　outsider　remains　at　home　than　when　he　is　on　the　actual　spot。

Lincoln　and　Stanton　were　out　of　their　element　in　the　strategic　fight　with　Lee　and　Stonewall　Jackson；　as　the　next　chapter　abundantly　proves。　But　they　will　bear；　and　more　than　bear；　comparison　with　Davis　and　Benjamin；　their　own　special　〃opposite　numbers。〃　Benjamin；　when　Confederate　Secretary　of　War　in　'62；　nearly　drove　Jackson　out　of　the　service　by　ordering　him　to　follow　the　advice　of　some　disgruntled　subordinates　who　objected　to　being　moved　about　for　strategic　reasons　which　they　could　not　understand。　To　make　matters　worse；　Benjamin　sent　this　precious　order　direct　to　Jackson　without　even　informing　his　immediate　superior；　〃Joe〃　Johnston；　or　even　Lee　himself。　Thus　discipline；　the　very　soul　of　armies；　was　attacked　from　above　and　beneath　by　the　man　who　should　have　been　its　chief　upholder。　Luckily　for　the　South　things　were　smoothed　over；　and　Benjamin　learnt　something　he　should　have　known　at　first。　Davis　had　none　of　Lincoln's　diffidence　about　his　own　capacity　for　directing　the　strategy　of　armies。　He　had　passed　through　West　Point　and　commanded　a　battalion　in　Mexico　without　finding　out　that　his　fitness　stopped　there。　He　interfered　with　Lee　and　Jackson；　sometimes　to　almost　a　disabling　extent。　He　forced　his　enmity　on　〃Joe〃　Johnston　and　superseded　him　at　the　very　worst　time　in　the　final　campaign。　He　interfered　more　than　ever　just　when　Lee　most　required　a　free　hand。　And　when　he　did　make　Lee　a　real　Commander…in…Chief　the　Southern　cause　had　been　lost　already。　Lincoln's　war　statesmanship　grew　with　the　war。　Davis　remained　as　he　was。

Lincoln　had　to　meet　the　difficulties　that　always　occur　when　professionals　and　amateurs　are　serving　together。　How　much　Lincoln；　Stanton；　professionals；　and　amateurs　had　to　do　with　the　system　that　was　evolv