Lincoln, the unknown

LINCOLN THE UNKNOWN• 137leap, and it had gone to his head like champagne. His egotismwas boundless. He described Lincoln and his Cabinet as"hounds" . . . "wretches" . . . "some of the greatest geese I haveever seen."He was positively insulting to Lincoln; and when the Presidentcame to see him, McClellan kept him waiting for half anhour in the anteroom.Once the general got home at eleven o'clock at night andhis servant informed him that Lincoln had been waiting therefor hours to see him. McClellan passed the door of the roomwhere the President sat, ignored him, went on upstairs, and sentdown word that he had gone to bed.The newspapers played up incidents like these, and theybecame the gossip and scandal of Washington. With tears rollingdown her cheeks, Mrs. Lincoln implored the President toremove "that awful wind-bag," as she called him."Mother," he replied, "I know he doesn't do right, but Imustn't consider my feelings at a time like this. I am willing tohold McClellan's hat, if he will only bring us victories."The summer drifted into autumn; autumn passed into winter;spring was almost at hand; and still McClellan did nothingbut drill men and have dress-parades, and talk.The nation was aroused, and Lincoln was being condemnedand criticized on all sides for McClellan's inaction."Your delay is ruining us," cried Lincoln, as he issued anofficial order for an advance.McClellan had to move now or resign. So he rushed to Harper'sFerry, ordering his troops to follow immediately. Heplanned to invade Virginia from that point, after bridging thePotomac with boats which were to be brought through theChesapeake and Ohio Canal. But, at the last moment, the wholeproject had to be abandoned because the boats were six inchestoo wide to float through the canal locks.When McClellan told Lincoln of this fiasco and said that thepontoons were not ready, the patient, long-suffering Presidentlost his temper at last; and, lapsing into the phraseology of thehay-fields of Pigeon Creek Valley, Indiana, he demanded, "Why,in the hell, ain't they ready?"The nation was asking the same question in about the sametone.At last, in April, "the Young Napoleon" made a grand speech