Lincoln, the unknown

LINCOLN THE UNKNOWN• 133what they are capable of doing. Nobody comes to tell me, and Iam in ignorance about it."And he was the head of all the Union armies!The old general looked at a few telegrams that were comingin from the battle-field, told Lincoln there was nothing toworry about, complained of his aching back, and went to sleepagain.At midnight the broken army, in a riot of disorder, beganto stagger across the Long Bridge and pour over the Potomacinto Washington.Tables were quickly set up on the sidewalks, wagon-loads ofbread suddenly appeared from somewhere, and society womenstood over wash-boilers of steaming soup and coffee, dispensingfood.McDowell, utterly exhausted, had fallenasleep under a treewhile writing a despatch, his pencil still in his hand, a sentencehalf finished. His soldiers were too weary now to care for anything,so they threw themselves on the sidewalks and slept, inertas dead men, in the steadily falling rain—some still clutchingtheir muskets as they slept.Lincoln sat that night until long after dawn, listening to thestories of the newspaper correspondents and silk-hatted civilianswho had witnessed the debacle.Many public men were thrown into a panic. Horace Greeleywanted to end the war at once, on any terms. He was positivethe South could never be conquered.London bankers were so certain that the Union would bedestroyed that their agent in Washington rushed to the TreasuryDepartment on Sunday afternoon, demanding that the UnitedStates Government give security immediately for forty thousanddollars that was owing them.He was told to come back on Monday, that the UnitedStates Government would probably still be doing business atthe old stand then.Failure and defeat were not new experiences to Lincoln. Hehad known them all his life; they did not crush him; his faithin the ultimate triumph of his cause remained firm, his confidenceunshaken. He went among the disheartened soldiers,shaking hands with them, and saying over and over: "God blessyou. God bless you." He cheered them, sat down and ate beanswith them, revived their drooping spirits,to-morrows.and talked of brighter