Lincoln, the unknown

184 • LINCOLN THE UNKNOWNAfter eight months of desolating failure,Grant had capturedforty thousand prisoners at Vicksburg, placed the entire MississippiRiver in the hands of the North, and split the Confederacy.The news set the nation aflame with enthusiasm.Congress passed a special act in order that Grant could bemade lieutenant-general—an honor that no man had worn sincethe death of Washington—and Lincoln, calling him to theWhite House, made a short address appointing him commanderof all the armies of the Union.Forewarned that he would have to reply with a speech ofacceptance, Grant drew out of his pocket a little wrinkled pieceof paper containing only three sentences. As he began to read,the paper shook, his face flushed, his knees trembled, and hisvoice failed. Breaking down completely, he clutched the shakingpaper with both hands, shifted his position, took a deepbreath, and began all over again.The hog-and-hide buyer from Galena found it easier to facebullets than to deliver a speech of eighty-four words before anaudience of eleven men.Mrs. Lincoln, eager to make a social event out of Grant'spresence in Washington, had already arranged a dinner and aparty in the general's honor. But Grant begged to be excused,saying he must hasten back to the front."But we can't excuse you," the President insisted. "Mrs. Lincoln'sdinner without you would be 'Hamlet' without Hamlet.""A dinner to me," replied Grant, "means a million dollarsa day loss to the country. Besides, I've had about enough ofthis show business, anyway."Lincoln loved a man who would talk like that—one who,like himself, despised "fizzlegigs and fireworks," and one whowould "take responsibility and act."Lincoln's hopes rose and towered now. He was sure that, withGrant in command, all would soon be well.But he was wrong. Within four months the country wasplunged into blacker gloom and deeper despair than ever, andonce more Lincoln was pacing the floor throughout the night,haggard and worn and desperate.