Lincoln, the unknown

180• LINCOLN THE UNKNOWNHe didn't have a horse or a uniform, or the money tobuyeither. There were holes in the top of his sweat-stained hat,and his elbows stuck out of his old coat.His men began making fun of him at once. One chap startedsparring at him behind his back, and another fellow rushed upbehind the pugilist and shoved him so hard that he stumbledforward and hit Grant between the shoulders.Grant stopped all their foolishness immediately. If a mandisobeyed orders he was tied to a post and left there all day.If he cursed a gag was put into his mouth. If the regiment waslate at roll-call—as they all were on one occasion—they gotnothing to eat for twenty-four hours. The ex-hide-buyer fromGalena tamed their tempestuous spirits and led them away todo battle down in Missouri.Shortly after that another piece of amazing good fortunecame his way. In those days the War Department was makingbrigadier-generals by the dozens. Northwestern Illinois had sentElihu B. Washburne to Congress. Washburne, fired with politicalambitions, was desperately eager to show the folks backhome that he was on the job, so he went to the War Departmentand demanded that one brigadier-general come from his district.All right. But who? That was easy: there was only oneWest Point graduate among Washburne's constituents.So a few days later Grant picked up a St. Louis newspaper,and read the surprising news that he was a brigadier-general.He was assigned headquarters at Cairo, Illinois, and immediatelybegan to do things. He loaded his soldiers on boats,steamed up the Ohio, occupied Paducah, a strategic point inKentucky, and proposed marching down into Tennessee to attackFort Donelson, which commanded the Cumberland River.Military experts like Halleck said: "Nonsense! You are talkingfoolishly, Grant. It can't be done. It would be suicide to attemptit."Grant went ahead and tried it, and captured the fort andfifteen thousand prisoners in one afternoon.While Grant was attacking, the Confederate general sent hima note, begging for a truce, to arrange terms of capitulation,but Grant replied rather tartly:"My only terms are unconditional and immediate surrender.I propose to move immediately upon your works."Simon Buckner, the Confederate general to whom this curtmessage was addressed, had known Sam Grant at West Point