abraham lincoln and the union-第17节

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　neutrals　in　this　war；　ONLY　PATRIOTSOR　TRAITORS。〃

Side　by　side　with　Douglas's　manifesto　to　the　Democrats　there　appeared　in　the　Monday　papers　Lincoln's　call　for　volunteers。　　The　militia　of　several　Northern　States　at　once　responded。

On　Wednesday；　the　17th　of　April；　the　Sixth　Massachusetts　Regiment　entrained　for　Washington。　　Two　days　later　it　was　in　Baltimore。　There　it　was　attacked　by　a　mob；　the　soldiers　fired；　and　a　number　of　civilians　were　killed　as　well　as　several　soldiers。

These　shots　at　Baltimore　aroused　the　Southern　party　in　Maryland。　Led　by　the　Mayor　of　the　city；　they　resolved　to　prevent　the　passage　of　other　troops　across　their　State　to　Washington。　　Railway　tracks　were　torn　up　by　order　of　the　municipal　authorities；　and　bridges　were　burnt。　　The　telegraph　was　cut。　　As　in　a　flash；　after　issuing　his　proclamation；　Lincoln　found　himself　isolated　at　Washington　with　no　force　but　a　handful　of　troops　and　the　government　clerks。　And　while　Maryland　rose　against　him　on　one　side；　Virginia　joined　his　enemies　on　the　other。　　The　day　the　Sixth　Massachusetts　left　Boston；　Virginia　seceded。　　The　Virginia　militia　were　called　to　their　colors。　　Preparations　were　at　once　set　on　foot　for　the　seizure　of　the　great　federal　arsenal　at　Harper's　Ferry　and　the　Navy　Yard　at　Norfolk。　　The　next　day　a　handful　of　federal　troops；　fearful　of　being　overpowered　at　Harper's　Ferry；　burned　the　arsenal　and　withdrew　to　Washington。　　For　the　same　reason　the　buildings　of　the　great　Navy　Yard　were　blown　up　or　set　on　fire；　and　the　ships　at　anchor　were　sunk。　　So　desperate　and　unprepared　were　the　Washington　authorities　that　they　took　these　extreme　measures　to　keep　arms　and　ammunition　out　of　the　hands　of　the　Virginians。　　So　hastily　was　the　destruction　carried　out；　that　it　was　only　partially　successful　and　at　both　places　large　stores　of　ammunition　were　seized　by　the　Virginia　troops。　　While　Washington　was　isolated；　and　Lincoln　did　not　know　what　response　the　North　had　made　to　his　proclamation；　Robert　E。　Lee；　having　resigned　his　commission　in　the　federal　army；　was　placed　in　command　of　the　Virginia　troops。

The　secretaries　of　Lincoln　have　preserved　a　picture　of　his　desperate　anxiety；　waiting；　day　after　day；　for　relief　from　the　North　which　he　hoped　would　speedily　come　by　sea。　　Outwardly　he　maintained　his　self…control。　　〃But　once；　on　the　afternoon　of　the　23d；　the　business　of　the　day　being　over；　the　Executive　office　being　deserted；　after　walking　the　floor　alone　in　silent　thought　for　nearly　half　an　hour；　he　stopped　and　gazed　long　and　wistfully　out　of　the　window　down　the　Potomac　in　the　direction　of　the　expected　ships；　and；　unconscious　of　other　presence　in　the　room；　at　length　broke　out　with　irrepressible　anguish　in　the　repeated　exclamation；　〃Why　don't　they　come！　Why　don't　they　come！〃

During　these　days　of　isolation；　when　Washington；　with　the　telegraph　inoperative；　was　kept　in　an　appalling　uncertainty；　the　North　rose。　　There　was　literally　a　rush　to　volunteer。　　〃The　heather　is　on　fire；〃　wrote　George　Ticknor；　〃I　never　before　knew　what　a　popular　excitement　can　be。〃　　As　fast　as　possible　militia　were　hurried　South。　　The　crack　New　York　regiment；　the　famous；　dandified　Seventh；　started　for　the　front　amid　probably　the　most　tempestuous　ovation　which　until　that　time　was　ever　given　to　a　military　organization　in　America。　　Of　the　march　of　the　regiment　down　Broadway；　one　of　its　members　wrote；　〃Only　one　who　passed　as　we　did；　through　the　tempest　of　cheers　two　miles　long；　can　know　the　terrible　enthusiasm　of　the　occasion。〃

To　reach　Washington　by　rail　was　impossible。　　The　Seventh　went　by　boat　to　Annapolis。　　The　same　course　was　taken　by　a　regiment　of　Massachusetts　mechanics；　the　Eighth。　　Landing　at　Annapolis；　the　two　regiments；　dandies　and　laborers；　fraternized　at　once　in　the　common　bond　of　loyalty　to　the　Union。　　A　branch　railway　led　from　Annapolis　to　the　main　line　between　Washington　and　Baltimore。　　The　rails　had　been　torn　up。　　The　Massachusetts　mechanics　set　to　work　to　relay　them。　　The　Governor　of　Maryland　protested。　　He　was　disregarded。　　The　two　regiments　toiled　together　a　long　day　and　through　the　night　following；　between　Annapolis　and　the　Washington　junction；　bringing　on　their　baggage　and　cannon　over　relaid　tracks。　There；　a　train　was　found　which　the　Seventh　appropriated。　　At　noon；　on　the　25th　of　April；　that　advance　guard　of　the　Northern　hosts　entered　Washington；　and　Lincoln　knew　that　he　had　armies　behind　him。



CHAPTER　VII。　LINCOLN

The　history　of　the　North　had　virtually　become；　by　April；　1861；　the　history　of　Lincoln　himself；　and　during　the　remaining　four　years　of　the　President's　life　it　is　difficult　to　separate　his　personality　from　the　trend　of　national　history。　　Any　attempt　to　understand　the　achievements　and　the　omissions　of　the　Northern　people　without　undertaking　an　intelligent　estimate　of　their　leader　would　be　only　to　duplicate　the　story　of　〃Hamlet〃　with　Hamlet　left　out。　According　to　the　opinion　of　English　military　experts*；　〃Against　the　great　military　genius　of　certain　Southern　leaders　fate　opposed　the　unbroken　resolution　and　passionate　devotion　to　the　Union；　which　he　worshiped；　of　the　great　Northern　President。　　As　long　as　he　lived　and　ruled　the　people　of　the　North；　there　could　be　no　turning　back。〃

*　Wood　and　Edmonds。　〃The　Civil　War　in　the　United　States。〃


Lincoln　has　been　ranked　with　Socrates；　but　he　has　also　been　compared　with　Rabelais。　　He　has　been　the　target　of　abuse　that　knew　no　mercy；　but　he　has　been　worshiped　as　a　demigod。　　The　ten　big　volumes　of　his　official　biography　are　a　sustained；　intemperate　eulogy　in　which　the　hero　does　nothing　that　is　not　admirable；　but　as　large　a　book　could　be　built　up　out　of　contemporaneous　Northern　writings　that　would　paint　a　picture　of　unmitigated　blacknessand　the　most　eloquent　portions　of　it　would　be　signed　by　Wendell　Phillips。

The　real　Lincoln　is；　of　course；　neither　the　Lincoln　of　the　official　biography　nor　the　Lincoln　of　Wendell　Phillips。　　He　was　neither　a　saint　nor　a　villain。　　What　he　actually　was　is　not；　however；　so　easily　stated。　　Prodigious　men　are　never　easy　to　sum　up；　and　Lincoln　was　a　prodigious　man。　　The　more　one　studies　him；　the　more　individual　he　appears　to　be。　　By　degrees　one　comes　to　understand　how　it　was　possible　for　contemporaries　to　hold　contradictory　views　of　him　and　for　each　to　believe　frantically　that　his　views　were　proved　by　facts。　　For　anyone　who　thinks　he　can　hit　off　in　a　few　neat　generalities　this　complex；　extraordinary　personality；　a　single　warning　may　suffice。　　Walt　Whitman；　who　was　perhaps　the　most　original　thinker　and　the　most　acute　observer　who　ever　saw　Lincoln　face　to　face　has　left　us　his　impression；　but　he　adds　that　there　was　something　in　Lincoln's　face　which　defied　description　and　which　no　picture　had　caught。　　After　Whitman's　conclusion　that　〃One　of　the　great　portrait　painters　of　two　or　three　hundred　years　ago　is　needed；〃　the　mere　historian　should　proceed　with　caution。

There　is　historic　significance　in　his　very　appearance。　　His　huge；　loose…knit　figure；　six　feet　four　inches　high；　lean；　muscular；　ungainly；　the　evidence　of　his　great　physical　strength；　was　a　fit　symbol　of　those　hard　workers；　the　children　of　the　soil；　from　whom　he　sprang。　　His　face　was　rugged　like　his　figure；　the　complexion　swarthy；　cheek　bones　high；　and　bushy　black　hair　crowning　a　great　forehead　beneath　which　the　eyes　were　deep…set；　gray；　and　dreaming。　A　sort　of　shambling　powerfulness　formed　the　main　suggestion　of　face　and　figure；　softened　strangely　by　the　mysterious　expression　of　the　eyes；　and　by　the　singular　delicacy　of　the　skin。　The　motions　of　this　awkward　giant　lacked　grace；　the　top　hat　and　black　frock　coat；　sometimes　rusty；　which　had　served　him　on　the　western　circuit　continued　to　serve　him　when　he　was　virtually　the　dictator　of　his　country。　　It　was　in　such　dress　that　he　visited　the　army；　where　he　towered　above　his　generals。

Even　in　a　book　of　restricted　scope；　such　as　this；　one　must　insist　upon　the　distinction　between　the　private　and　public　Lincoln；　for　there　is　as　yet　no　accepted　conception　of　him。　　What　comes　nearest　to　an　accepted　conception　is　contained　probably　in　the　version　of　the　late　Charles　Francis　Adams。　　He　tells　us　how　his　father；　the　elder　Charles　Francis　Adams；　ambassador　to　London；　found　Lincoln　in　1861　an　offensive　personality；　and　he　insists　that　Lincoln　under　strain　passed　through　a　transformation　which　made　the　Lincoln　of　1864　a　different　man　from　the　Lincoln　of　1861。　　Perhaps；　but　without　being　frivolous；　one　is　tempted　to　quote　certain　old…fashioned　American　papers　that　used　to　label　their　news　items　〃important　if　true。〃

What　then；　was　the　public　Lincoln？　　What　explains　his　vast　success？　As　a　force　in　American　history；　what　does　he　count　for？　　Perhaps　the　most　significant　detail　in　an　answer　to　these　questions　is　the　fact　that　he　had　never　held　conspicuous　public　office　until　at　the　age　of　fifty…two　he　became　President。　　Psychologically　his　place　is　in　that　small　group　of　great　geniuses　whose　whole　significant　period　lies　in　what　we　commonly　think　of　as　the　decline　of　life。　There　are　several　such　in　history：　Rome　had　Caesar；　America　had　both　Lincoln　and　Lee。　　By　contrasting　these　instances　with　those　of　the　other　type；　the　egoistic　geniuses　such　as　Alexander　or　Napoleon；　we　become　aware　of　some　dim　but　profound　dividin