Lincoln, the unknown

136•LINCOLN THE UNKNOWNLincoln repeatedly urged him to strike a blow. But he wouldn'tdo it. He held parades and talked a lot about what he was goingto do; but that was all it amounted to—talk.He delayed, he procrastinated, he gave all manner of excuses.But go forward he would not.Once he said he couldn't advance because the army wasresting. Lincoln asked him what it had done to make it tired.Another time—after the Battle of Antietam—an amazingthing happened. McClellan had far more men than Lee. Leehad been defeated; and had McClellan pursued him, he mighthave captured his army and ended the war. Lincoln kept urginghim for weeks to follow Lee—urging by letter, by telegram,and by special messenger. Finally McClellan said he couldn'tmove because his horses were fatigued and had sore tongues!It you ever visit New Salem, you will see a depression abouta rod down the hillside from Offut's grocery where Lincolnworked as a clerk. The Clary's Grove Boys used to have theircock-fights there, and Lincoln acted as referee. For weeks BabMcNab had been boasting of a young rooster that could whipanything in Sangamon County. But when this fowl was finallyput into the pit, he turned tail and refused to fight. Bab, in disgust,grabbed him and tossed him high into the air. The roosteralighted on a pile of firewood near by, then strutted and ruffledup his feathers and crowed defiantly."Yes, damn you!" said McNab. "You're great on dressparade,but you are not worth a cuss in a fight."Lincoln said that McClellan reminded him of Bab McNab'srooster.Once, during the Peninsular Campaign, General Magruderwith five thousand men held up McClellan with a hundredthousand. McClellan, afraid to attack, threw up breastworksand kept nagging Lincoln for more men, more men, more men."If by magic," said Lincoln, "I could reinforce McClellanwith a hundred thousand men, he would go into ecstasy, thankme, and tell me he would go to Richmond to-morrow; but whento-morrow came, he would telegraph that he had certain informationthat the enemy had four hundred thousand men and thathe could not advance without reinforcements.""If McClellan had a million men," said Stanton, Secretary ofWar, "he would swear that the enemy had two million, and thensit down in the mud and yell for three million.""The Young Napoleon" had bounded into fame with one