Daviswaseagertoissuethe“call“atonce。[18]Buthisfellowshesitated。Andwhiletheyhesitated，Andrewandthepeopleacted。Onthesixth，ahugeLincolnrallywasheldatFaneulHall。Andrewpresided。Sumnerspoke。[19]Thatsameday，VermontheldStateelectionsandwentRepublicanbyarousingmajority。
OnthedayfollowingoccurredtheConventionoftheUnionpartyofNewYork。EnthusiasticapplausewaselicitedbyatelegramfromVermont。“ThefirstshellthatwasthrownbyShermanintoAtlantahasexplodedintheCopperheadCampinthisState，andtheUnionistshavepouredinasalutewithshottedguns。“[20]Themixedmetaphorsdidnotreducethetelegram’seffect。TheNewYorkConventionformallyendorsedLincolnasthecandidateoftheUnionpartyforPresident。
Somuchfortheserioussideoftheswiftlychangingpoliticalkaleidoscope。Therewasalsoacomicside。Onlythreedayssufficed——fromDavis’seagernesstoproceedonthefourthtolettersandarticleswrittenorprintedontheseventh——onlythreedays，andtheleadersoftheconspiracybeganturningtheircoats。AtypicalletteroftheseventhatSyracusedescribes“aninterviewwithMr。Opdykethismorning，whotoldmetheresultofhiseffortstoobtainsignaturestoourcallwhichwasbynomeansencouraging。Ihavefoundthesamesentimentprevailinghere。Abeliefthatitistoolatetomakeanyeffectualdemonstration，andthereforethatitisnotwisetoattemptany。Ipresumethatthenew-bornenthusiasmcreatedbytheAtlantanewswillsoencourageLincolnthathecannotbepersuadedtowithdraw。“[21]Twodaysmoreandtheanti-Lincolnnewspapersbegantodrawintheirhorns。ThatIndependent，whoseeditorhadbeenoneofthethreeinthelastditchbutaweekbefore，handsomelyrecanted，scuttlingacrosstowhatnowseemedthewinningside。“Theprospectofvictoryisbrilliant。IfafortnightagotheprospectofMr。Lincoln’sreelectionseemeddoubtful，thecaseisnowchanged。TheodiouscharacteroftheChicagoplatform，thesunshinyeffectofthelatevictories，haverekindledtheoldenthusiasminloyalhearts。“[22]Onedaymore，andGreeleysullenlytookhismedicine。TheTribunebeganprinting“TheUnionTicket——forPresident，AbrahamLincoln。“
Thereremainsthemostdivertinginstanceofthehastewithwhichcoatswereturned。OnthesixthofSeptember，onlythreedaysafterAtlanta!——theverydayofthegreatLincolnrally，thecrownofAndrew’sgeneralship，atFanuelHall——areportwassentoutfromWashingtonthat“SenatorWadeistotakethestumpforMr。Lincoln。“[23]LessthanaweeklaterTheWashingtonChroniclehadlearned“withsatisfaction，thoughnotwithsurprise，thatSenatorWade，notwithstandinghissignaturetoacelebratedManifesto，hadenrolledhimselfamongtheLincolnforces。“[24]ExactlytwoweeksafterAtlanta，WademadehisfirstspeechforLincolnasPresident。Itwasa“terrificassaultupontheCopperheadpolicy。“[25]
Theshipoftheconspiracywassinkingfast，andoneveryhandwasheardascurryingpatterofescapingpoliticians。