Lincoln, the unknown

LINCOLN THE UNKNOWN•181and had lent him money to pay his board bill when he wasfired from the army. In view of that loan, Buckner felt thatGrant ought to have been a trifle more gracious in his phraseology.But Buckner forgave him and surrendered and spentthe afternoon smoking and reminiscing with Grant about oldtimes.The fall of Fort Donelson had far-reaching consequences: itsaved Kentucky for the North, enabled the Union troops to advancetwo hundred miles without opposition, drove the Confederatesout of a large part of Tennessee, cut off their supplies,caused the fall of Nashville and of Fort Columbus, theGibraltar of the Mississippi, spread profound depressionthroughout the South, and set church bells ringing and bonfiresblazing from Maine to the Mississippi.It was a stupendous victory, and created a tremendous impressioneven in Europe. It was really one of the turning-pointsof the war.From that time on, U. S. Grant was known as "UnconditionalSurrender" Grant, and "I propose to move on your worksimmediately" became the battle-cry of the North.Here, at last, was the great leader for which the country hadbeen waiting. Congress made him a major-general; he was appointedcommander of the Military Department of WesternTennessee, and quickly became the idol of the nation. Onenewspaper mentioned that he liked to smoke during a battle,and, presto! over ten thousand boxes of cigars were showeredupon him.But in less than three weeks after all this Grant was actuallyin tears of rage and mortification because of unfair treatmentby a jealous superior officer.His immediate superior in the West was Halleck, a colossaland unmitigated ass. Admiral Foote called Halleck "a militaryimbecile," and Gideon Welles, Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy,who knew Halleck intimately, sums him up thus:"Halleck originates nothing, anticipates nothing, suggestsnothing, plans nothing, decides nothing, is good for nothing anddoes nothing except scold, smoke and scratch his elbows."But Halleck thought very well of himself. He had been anassistant professor at West Point, had written books on militarystrategy, international law, and mining, had been director of asilver-mine, president of a railway, a successful attorney, hadmastered French and translated a tome on Napoleon. In his