Lincoln, the unknown

144 •LINCOLN THE UNKNOWNHe led what he called "the finest army on the planet" againstLee. He had twice as many men as the Confederates, but Leehurled him back across the river at Chancellorsville and destroyedseventeen thousand of his troops.It was one of the most disastrous defeats of the war.Itoccurred in May, 1863; and the President's secretary recordsthat he heard the tramp of Lincoln's feet during allterrible hours of sleepless nights as he paced up and down hisroom, crying, "Lost! Lost! All is lost!" Finally, however, hewent down to Fredericksburg to cheer up "Fighting Joe" andencourage the army.Lincoln was denounced bitterly for all this futile slaughter;and gloom and discouragement settled over the nation.And quickly on top of these military sorrows, came a domestictragedy. Lincoln was inordinately fond of his two littlesons, Tad and Willie. He often stole away, on a summer evening,to play "town ball" with them, his coat-tails flying out behindhim as he ran from base to base. Sometimes, he wouldshoot marbles with them all the way from the White House tothe war-office. At night he loved to get down on the floor androll and romp with them. On bright, warm days he would sometimesgo out back of the White House and play with the boysand their two goats.Tad and Willie kept the White House in an uproar, organizingminstrel shows, putting the servants through military drill,running in and out among the office-seekers. If they took a fancyto a certain applicant, they would see that he got in to see "OldAbe" immediately. If they couldn't get him in the front way,they knew of back entrances.With as little respect for ceremony and precedent as theirfather had, they dashed in and interrupted a Cabinet meetingonce to inform the President that the cat in the basement hadjust had kittens.On another occasion the stern Salmon P. Chase was irritatedand disgusted because Tad climbed all over his father and finallyperched on his shoulder and sat astride of his neck while Chasewas discussing the grave financial situation that confronted thecountry.Some one gave Willie a pony. He insisted on riding it in allkinds of winter weather; so he got wet and chilled and camedown with a severe cold. Soon it had become a serious fever.Night after night Lincoln sat for hours by his bedside; andthe