captains of the civil war-第26章

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is　other　generals　a　keg　of　the　same　whisky　if　it　would　only　make　them　fight。

When　he　took　arms　against　the　sea　of　troubles　that　awaited　him　at　Washington　he　had　dire　need　of　all　his　calm　tolerance　and　strength。　To　add　to　his　burdens；　he　was　beset　by　far　more　than　the　usual　horde　of　officeseekers。　These　men　were　doubly　ravenous　because　their　party　was　so　new　to　power。　They　were　peculiarly　hard　to　place　with　due　regard　for　all　the　elements　within　the　coalition。　And　each　appointment　needed　most　discriminating　care；　lest　a　traitor　to　the　Union　might　creep　in。　While　the　guns　were　thundering　against　Fort　Sumter；　and　afterwards；　when　the　Union　Government　was　marooned　in　Washington　itself；　the　vestibules；　stairways；　ante…rooms；　and　offices　were　clogged　with　eager　applicants　for　every　kind　of　civil　service　job。　And　then；　when　this　vast　human　flood　subsided；　the　〃interviewing〃　stream　began　to　flow　and　went　on　swelling　to　the　bitter　end。　These　war…time　interviewers　claimed　most　of　Lincoln's　personal　attention　just　when　he　had　the　least　to　spare。　But　he　would　deny　no　one　the　chance　of　receiving　presidential　aid　or　comfort　and　he　gladly　suffered　many　fools　for　the　chance　of　relieving　the　sad　or　serious　others。　Add　to　all　this　the　ceaseless　work　of　helping　to　form　public　opinion；　of　counteracting　enemy　propaganda；　of　shaping　Union　policy　under　ever…changing　circumstances；　of　carrying　it　out　by　coalition　means；　and　of　exercising　civil　control　over　such　vast　armed　forces　as　no　American　had　hitherto　imagined：　add　these　extra　burdens；　and　we　can　begin　to　realize　what　Lincoln　had　to　do　as　the　chief　war　statesman　of　the　North。

A　sound　public　opinion　is　the　best　embattlement　of　any　home　front。　So　Lincoln　set　out　to　help　in　forming　it。　War　on　a　national　scale　was　something　entirely　new　to　both　sides；　and　especially　unwelcome　to　many　people　in　the　North；　though　the　really　loyal　North　was　up　at　Lincoln's　call。　Then　came　Bull　Run；　and　Lincoln's　renewed　determination；　so　well　expressed　in　Whitman's　words：　〃The　President；　recovering　himself；　begins　that　very　nightsternly；　rapidly　sets　about　the　task　of　reorganizing　his　forces；　and　placing　himself　in　positions　for　future　and　surer　work。　If　there　was　nothing　else　of　Abraham　Lincoln　for　history　to　stamp　him　with；　it　is　enough　to　send　him　with　his　wreath　to　the　memory　of　all　future　time；　that　he　endured　that　hour；　that　day；　bitterer　than　gallindeed　a　crucifixion　daythat　it　did　not　conquer　him　that　he　unflinchingly　stemmed　it；　and　resolved　to　lift　himself　and　the　Union　out　of　it。〃

Bull　Run　was　only　the　beginning　of　troubles。　There　were　many　more　rocks　ahead　in　the　stormy　sea　of　public　opinion。　The　peace　party　was　always　ready　to　lure　the　ship　of　state　out　of　its　true　course　by　using　false　lights；　even　when　certain　to　bring　about　a　universal　wreck　in　which　the　〃pacifists〃　would　suffer　with　the　rest。　But　dissensions　within　the　war　party　were　worse；　especially　when　caused　by　action　in　the　field。　Fremont's　dismissal　in　November；　'61；　caused　great　dissatisfaction　among　three　kinds　of　people：　those　who　thought　him　a　great　general　because　he　knew　how　to　pose　as　one　and　really　had　some　streaks　of　great　ability；　those　who　were　fattening　on　the　army　contracts　he　let　out　with　such　a　lavish　hand；　and　those　who　hailed　him　as　the　liberator　of　the　slaves　because　he　went　unwarrantably　far　beyond　what　was　then　politically　wise　or　even　possible。　He　was　the　first　Unionist　commander　to　enter　the　Northern　Cave　of　Adullam；　already　infested　with　Copperhead　snakes。

There　he　was　joined　by　McClellan　exactly　a　year　later；　and　there　the　peace…at…current…prices　party　continued　to　nurse　and　cry　their　grievances　till　the　war　was　over。　McClellan's　dismissal　was　a　matter　of　dire　necessity　because　victory　was　impossible　under　his　command。　But　he　was　a　dangerous　reinforcement　to　the　Adullamites；　for　many　of　the　loyal　public　had　been　fooled　by　his　proclamations；　the　press　had　written　him　up　to　the　skies　as　the　Young　Napoleon；　and　the　great　mass　of　the　rank　and　file　still　believed　in　him。　He　took　the　kindly　interest　in　camp　comforts　that　goes　to　the　soldier's　heart；　and　he　really　did　know　how　to　organize。　Add　his　power　of　passing　off　tinsel　promises　for　golden　deeds；　and　it　can　be　well　understood　how　great　was　the　danger　of　dismissing　him　before　his　defects　had　become　so　apparent　to　the　mass　of　people　as　to　have　turned　opinion　decisively　against　him。　We　shall　presently　meet　him　in　his　relation　to　Lincoln　during　the　Virginian　campaign；　and　later　on　in　his　relation　to　Lee。　Here　we　may　leave　him　with　the　reminder　that　he　was　the　Democratic　candidate　for　President　in　'64；　that　he　was　still　a　mortal　danger　to　the　Union；　even　though　he　had　rejected　the　actual　wording　of　his　party's　peace　plank。

The　turn　of　the　tide　at　the　fighting　front　came　in　'63；　but　not　at　the　home　front；　where　public　opinion　of　the　most　vocal　kind　was　stirred　to　its　dregs　by　the　enforcement　of　the　draft。　The　dime　song　books　of　the　Copperhead　parts　of　New　York　expressed　in　rude　rhymes　very　much　the　same　sort　of　apprehension　that　was　voiced　by　the　official　opposition　in　the　Presidential　campaign　of　'64。

Abram　Lincoln；　what　yer　'bout？　　Stop　this　war；　for　it's　played　out。

Another　rhyme；　called　〃The　Beauties　of　Conscription；〃　was　a　more　decorous　expression　of　such　public　opinion。

And　this；　the　〃People's　Sovereignty；〃　Before　a　despot　humbled！　。　。　。　。　Well　have　they　cashed　old　Lincoln's　drafts；　Hurrah　for　the　Conscription！　。　。　。　。　Is　not　this　warthis　MURDERfor　The　negro；　nolens　volens？

So；　carrying　out　their　ideas　to　the　same　sort　of　logical　conclusion；　the　New　York　mob　of　'63　not　only　burnt　every　recruiting　office　they　found　undefended　but　burnt　the　negro　orphan　asylum　and　killed　all　the　negroes　they　could　lay　their　hands　on。

Public　opinion　did　veer　round　a　little　with　the　rising　tide　of　victory　in　the　winter　of　'63　and　'64。　But；　incredible　as　it　may　seem　to　those　who　think　the　home　front　must　always　reflect　the　fighting　front；　the　nadir　of　public　opinion　in　the　North　was　reached　in　the　summer　of　'64；　when　every　expert　knew　that　the　resources　of　the　South　were　nearing　exhaustion　and　that　the　forces　of　the　North　could　certainly　wear　out　Lee's　dwindling　army　even　if　they　could　not　beat　it。　The　trumpet　gave　no　uncertain　sound　from　Lincoln's　lips。　〃In　this　purpose　to　save　the　country　and　its　liberties　no　class　of　people　seem　so　nearly　unanimous　as　the　soldiers　in　the　field　and　the　sailors　afloat。　Do　they　not　have　the　hardest　of　it？　Who　should　quail　while　they　do　not？〃　But　the　mere　excellence　of　a　vast　fighting　front　means　a　certain　loss　of　the　nobler　qualities　in　the　home　front；　from　which　so　many　of　the　staunchest　are　withdrawn。　And　then　warweariness　breeds　doubts；　doubts　breed　fears；　and　fears　breed　the　spirit　of　surrender。

There　seemed　to　be　more　Copperheads　in　the　conglomerate　opposition　than　Unionists　ready　to　withstand　them。　The　sinister　figure　of　Vallandigham　loomed　large　in　Ohio；　where　he　openly　denounced　the　war　in　such　disloyal　terms　that　the　military　authorities　arrested　him。　An　opposition　committee；　backed　by　the　snakes　in　the　grass　of　the　secret　societies；　at　once　wrote　to　Lincoln　demanding　release。　Lincoln　thereupon　offered　release　if　the　committee　would　sign　a　declaration　that；　since　rebellion　existed；　and　since　the　armed　forces　of　the　United　States　were　the　constitutional　means　of　suppressing　rebellion；　each　member　of　the　committee　would　support　the　war　till　rebellion　was　put　down。　The　committee　refused　to　sign。　More　people　then　began　to　see　the　self…contradictions　of　the　opposition；　and　most　of　those　〃plain　people〃　to　whom　Lincoln　consciously　appealed　were　touched　to　the　heart　by　his　pathetic　question：　〃Must　I　shoot　the　simpleminded　soldier　boy　who　deserts；　while　I　must　not　touch　a　hair　of　the　wily　agitator　who　induces　him　to　desert？〃

But　there　was　still　defection　on　the　Union　side；　and　among　many　〃plain　people〃　too；　for　Horace　Greeley；　the　best…known　Union　editor；　lost　his　nerve　and　ran　away。　And　Greeley　was　not　the　only　Union　journalist　who　helped；　sometimes　unwittingly；　to　pervert　public　opinion。　The　〃writing　up〃　of　McClellan　for　what　he　was　not；　though　rather　hysterical；　was　at　least　well　meant。　But　the　reporters　who　〃wrote　down〃　General　Co