ItwasLincoln’sfatetoseehispolicyonceagainatthemercyofhisCommandingGeneral。Thatwashissituationinthespringof1862wheneverythinghungonMcClellanwhofailedhim；againintheautumnoftheyearwhenMcClellansonarrowlysavedhim。Thespringof1864paralleled，inthisrespect，thatotherspringtwoyearsearlier。Tobesure，Lincoln’spositionwasnowmuchstronger；hehadagreatpersonalfollowingonwhichherelied。Butjusthowstrongitwashedidnotknow。Hewastakingagreatriskforcingapolicyhigh-handedindefianceofCongress，whereallhisbitterestenemieswereentrenched，glowering。IfhisGeneralfailedhimnow——
ThemanonwhomthishugeresponsibilityrestedwasGrant。
LincolnhadsummonedhimfromtheWestandplacedhimattheheadofallthearmiesoftheRepublic。AstoHalleckwhohadlongsinceprovedhimselfperfectlyuseless，hewasallowedtolapseintoobscurity。
GranthaspreservedinhisMemoirshisfirstconfidentialtalkwithLincoln：“HetoldmehedidnotwanttoknowwhatI
proposedtodo。ButhesubmittedaplanofcampaignofhisownthathewantedmetohearandthendoasIpleasedabout。HebroughtoutamapofVirginiaonwhichhehadevidentlymarkedeverypositionoccupiedbytheFederalandConfederatearmiesuptothattime。HepointedoutonthemaptwostreamswhichemptyintothePotomac，andsuggestedthatanarmymightbemovedonboatsandlandedbetweenthemouthsofthosestreams。
WewouldthenhavethePotomactobringoursupplies，andthetributarieswouldprotectourflankswhilewemovedout。I
listenedrespectfully，butdidnotsuggestthatthesamestreamswouldprotectLee’sflankswhilehewasshuttingusup。“[6]
GrantsetoutforthefrontinVirginia。Lincoln’spartingwordswerethisnote：“Notexpectingtoseeyouagainbeforethespringcampaignopens，Iwishtoexpressinthiswaymyentiresatisfactionwithwhatyouhavedoneuptothistime，sofarasIunderstandit。TheparticularsofyourplansI
neitherknownorseektoknow。Youarevigilantandself-reliant；and，pleasedwiththis，Iwishnottoobtrudeanyconstraintsorrestraintsuponyou。WhileIamveryanxiousthatanygreatdisasterorcaptureofourmeningreatnumbersshallbeavoided，Iknowthesepointsarelesslikelytoescapeyourattentionthantheywouldbemine。Ifthereisanythingwantingwhichiswithinmypowertogive，donotfailtoletmeknowit。Andnow，withabravearmyandajustcause，mayGodsustainyou。“[7]
Ifthepoliticiansneededadefinitewarning，inadditiontowhatthegroundwassaying，itwasgivenbyanincidentthatcentereduponChase。Afewboldmenwhosesenseofthecrowdwasnotsoacuteasitmighthavebeen，attemptedtoworkupaChaseboom。AttheinstanceofSenatorPomeroy，asecretpaperknownto-dayasthePomeroyCircular，wasstartedonitstravels。TheCircularaimedtomakeChasetheVindictivecandidate。Likealltheotheranti-Lincolnmovesoftheearlypartof1864，itwaspremature。TheshrewdoldSenatorswhoweresilentlymarshalingtheVindictiveforces，letitalone。
Chase’sambitionwasfullyunderstoodattheWhiteHouse。
Duringthepreviousyear，hisirritableself-consciousnesshadledtoquarrelswiththePresident，generallyoverpatronage，andmorethanoncehehadofferedhisresignation。Ononeoccasion，Lincolnwenttohishouseandbeggedhimtoreconsider。AloneamongtheCabinet，ChasehadfailedtotakethemeasureofLincolnandstillconsideredhimasecond-rateperson，muchhisinferior。HeratedveryhightheservicestohiscountryoftheSecretaryoftheTreasurywhomheconsideredthelogicalsuccessortothePresidency。
LincolnrefusedtoseewhatChasewasafter。“Ihavedetermined，“hetoldHay，“toshutmyeyesasfaraspossibletoeverythingofthesort。Mr。ChasemakesagoodsecretaryandIshallkeephimwhereheis。“[1]Inlightervein，hesaidthatChase’spresidentialambitionwaslikea“chinfly“
pesteringahorse；itledtohisputtingalltheenergyhehadintohiswork。[2]
WhenacopyoftheCircularfounditswaytotheWhiteHouse，Lincolnrefusedtoreadit。[3]Soonafterwarditfellintothehandsofanunsympatheticorindiscreeteditorandwasprinted。
Therewasahubbub。Chaseofferedtoresign。Lincolnwrotetohiminreply：
“MyknowledgeofMr。Pomeroy’sletterhavingbeenmadepubliccametomeonlythedayyouwrotebutIhad，inSpiteofmyself，knownofitsexistenceseveraldaysbefore。Ihavenotyetreadit，andIthinkIshallnot。IwasnotshockedorsurprisedbytheappearanceoftheletterbecauseIhadhadknowledgeofMr。Pomeroy’scommittee，andofsecretissueswhichIsupposedcamefromit，andofsecretagentswhoI
supposedweresentoutbyit，forseveralweeks。Ihaveknownjustaslittleofthesethingsasmyfriendshaveallowedmetoknow。Theybringthedocumentstome，butIdonotreadthem；
theytellmewhattheythinkfittotellme，butIdonotinquireformore。Ifullyconcurwithyouthatneitherofuscanbejustlyheldresponsibleforwhatourrespectivefriendsmaydowithoutourinstigationorcountenance；andIassureyou，asyouhaveassuredme，thatnoassaulthasbeenmadeuponyoubymyinstigationorwithmycountenance。WhetheryoushallremainattheheadoftheTreasuryDepartmentisaquestionwhichIwillnotallowmyselftoconsiderfromanystandpointotherthanmyjudgmentofthepublicservice，andinthatview，Idonotperceiveoccasionforachange。“[4]Butthiswasnottheendoftheincident。ThecountrypromptlyrepudiatedChase。Hisownstateledtheway。AcaucusofUnionmembersoftheOhioLegislatureresolvedthatthepeopleandthesoldiersofOhiodemandedthereelectionofLincoln。
Inahostofsimilarresolutions，Legislativecaucuses，politicalconventions，dubs，societies，prominentindividualsnotinthepoliticalmachine，allringinglydeclaredforLincoln，theonepropercandidateofthe“Unionparty“-asthemovementwaslabeledinalastandrelativelysuccessfulattempttobreakpartylines。
Asthedateofthe“UnionConvention“approached，LincolnputasideanopportunitytogratifytheVindictives。FollowingtheEmancipationProclamation，therecruitingofficeshadbeenopenedtonegroes。ThereupontheConfederategovernmentthreatenedtotreatblacksoldiersasbrigands，andtorefusetotheirwhiteofficerstheprotectionofthelawsofwar。A
crywentupintheNorthforreprisal。Itwasnotthefirsttimethecryhadbeenraised。In1862Lincoln’sspokesmaninCongress，Browning，hadwithstoodaproposalforthetrialofGeneralBucknerbythecivilauthoritiesofKentucky。Browningopposedsuchacourseonthegroundthatitwouldleadtoapolicyofretaliation，andmakeofthewaragratificationofrevenge。[5]TheConfederatethreatgaveanewturntothediscussion。FrederickDouglas，themostinfluentialnegroofthetime，obtainedanaudiencewithLincolnandbeggedforreprisals。Lincolnwouldnotconsent。Soeffectivewashisargumentthateventheardentnegro，convincedthathisracewasabouttosufferpersecution，wassatisfied。
“Ishallneverforget，“Douglaswrote，“thebenignantexpressionofhisface，thetearfullookofhiseye，thequiverinhisvoice，whenhedeprecatedaresorttoretaliatorymeasures。’Oncebegun，’saidhe，’Idonotknowwheresuchameasurewouldstop。’Hesaidhecouldnottakemenoutandkillthemincoldbloodforwhatwasdonebyothers。Ifhecouldgetholdofthepersonswhowereguiltyofkillingthecoloredprisonersincoldblood，thecasewouldbedifferent，buthecouldnotkilltheinnocentfortheguilty。“[6]
InApril，1864，theNorthwassweptbyawildrumorofdeliberatemassacreofprisonersatFortPillow。HerewasanopportunityforLincolntoingratiatehimselfwiththeVindictives。ThePresidentwastomakeaspeechatafairheldinBaltimore，forthebenefitoftheSanitaryCommission。Theaudiencewaskeentohearhimdenouncethereputedmassacre，andeagertoapplaudapromiseofreprisal。Instead，hedeprecatedhastyjudgment；insistingthattherumorhadnotbeenverified；thatnothingshouldbedoneonthestrengthofmerereport。
“Itisamistaketosupposethegovernmentisindifferentinthismatter，orisnotdoingthebestitcaninregardtoit。
Wedonotto-dayknowthatacoloredsoldierorwhiteofficercommandingcoloredsoldiershasbeenmassacredbytheRebelswhenmadeaprisoner。Wefearit——believeit，Imaysay-butwedonotknowitTotakethelifeofoneoftheirprisonersontheassumptionthattheymurderours，whenitisshortofcertaintythattheydomurderours，mightbetooserious，toocruelamistake。“[7]
Whatatame，spiritlesspositionintheeyesoftheVindictives!Adifferentopportunitytolayholdofpublicopinionhemadethemostof。Andyet，herealso，hespokeinthatcarefullyguardedway，makingsurehewasnotunderstoodtosaymorethanhemeant，whichmostpoliticianswouldhavepronouncedover-scrupulous。AdeputationofworkingmenfromNewYorkwerereceivedattheWhiteHouse。“Thehonorarymembershipinyourassociation，“saidhe，“asgenerouslytendered，isgratefullyaccepted……Youcomprehend，asyouraddressshows，thattheexistingrebellionmeansmore，andtendstomore，thantheperpetuationofAfricanslavery-thatitis，infact，awarupontherightsofallworkingpeople。“
Afterreviewinghisownargumentonthissubjectinthesecondmessage，heconcluded：
“Theviewsthenexpressednowremainunchanged，norhaveImuchtoadd。Nonearesodeeplyinterestedtoresistthepresentrebellionastheworkingpeople。Letthembewareofprejudices，workingdivisionandhostilityamongthemselves。
Themostnotablefeatureofadisturbanceinyourcitylastsummerwasthehangingofsomeworkingpeoplebyotherworkingpeople。Itshouldneverbeso。Thestrongestbondofhumansympathyoutsideofthefamilyrelation，shouldbeoneunitingallworkingpeople，ofallnations，andtongues，andkindreds。
Norshouldthisleadtoawaruponproperty，ortheownersofproperty。Propertyisthefruitoflabor；propertyisdesirable；isapositivegoodintheworld。Thatsomeshouldberichshowsthatothersmaybecomerich，andhenceisjustencouragementtoindustryandenterprise。Letnothimwhoishouselesspulldownthehouseofanother，butlethimworkdiligentlyandbuildoneforhimself，thusbyexampleassumingthathisownshallbesafefromviolencewhenbuilt。“[8]
Lincolnwasnevermoreanxiousthaninthisfatefulspringwhensomanyissueswerehanginginthebalance。Nevertheless，inallhisrelationswiththeworld，hisfirmserenitywasnotbroken。Thoughsubjecttodepressionsodeepthathisassociatescouldnotpenetrateit，hekeptitsternlytohimself。[9]Heshowedtheworldalighter，moregracefulaspectthaneverbefore。’ApreciousrecordofhislatermoodistheaccountofhimsetdownbyFrankB。Carpenter，theportraitpainter，amanofnoteinhisday，whowasaninmateoftheWhiteHouseduringthefirsthalfof1864。Carpenterwaspaintingapictureofthe“SigningoftheEmancipationProclamation。“HesawLincolninformallyatallsortsofoddtimes，underallsortsofconditions。“Allfamiliarwithhim，“
saysCarpenter，“willrememberthewearyairwhichbecamehabitualduringhislastyears。Thiswasmoreofthemindthanofthebody，andnorestandrecreationwhichheallowedhimselfcouldrelieveit。Ashesometimesexpressedit，’noremedyseemedevertoreachthetiredspot。“[10]
Agreatshadowwasdarkeningoverhim。Hewasmorethaneverconvincedthathehadnotlongtolive。Nonetheless，hispoisebecamemoreconspicuous，hiscommandoverhimselfandothersmoredistinguished，asthemonthsracedpast。Intruthhehadworkedthroughaslowbutprofoundtransformation。TheLincolnof1864wassofarremovedfromtheLincolnofPigeonCreek-butlogically，naturallyremoved，throughtheabsorptionoftheoutermanbytheinner——thatinevitablyonethinksofShakespeare’schange“intosomethingrichandstrange。“
Alongwiththeweakness，thecontradictionsofhisearlierself，therehadalsofallenawayfromhimthemeregrossnessthathadbelongedtohimasapeasant。Carpenterisunconditionalthatinsixmonthsofcloseintimacy，seeinghimincompanywithallsortsofpeople，heneverheardfromLincolnanoffensivestory。HequotesSewardandLincoln’sfamilyphysiciantothesameeffect。[11]
Thepainter，likemanyothers，wasimpressedbythetragiccastofhisexpression，despitethesurfacemirth。
“Hiscomplexion，atthistime，wasinclinedtosallownesshiseyeswerebluishgrayincolor——alwaysindeepshadow，however，fromtheupperlidswhichwereunusuallyheavyremindingmeinthisrespectofStuart’sportraitofWashingtonandtheexpressionwasremarkablypensiveandtender，ofteninexpressiblysad，asifthereservoiroftearslayverynearthesurface——afactprovednotonlybytheresponsewhichaccountsofsufferingandsorrowinvariablydrewforth，butbycircumstanceswhichwouldordinarilyaffectfewmeninhisposition。“[12]Asaresultofthegreatstraintowhichhewassubjected“hisdemeanoranddispositionchanged-sograduallythatitwouldbeimpossibletosaywhenthechangebegan……Hecontinuedalwaysthesamekindly，genial，andcordialspirithehadbeenatfirst；buttheboisterouslaughterbecamelessfrequent，yearbyyear；theeyegrewveiledbyconstantmeditationonmomentoussubjects；theairofreserveanddetachmentfromhissurroundingsincreased。Heagedwithgreatrapidity。“[13]