melodramaticatlastpointedtheway。Hewouldresign。Whatanadmirablemodeofrecapturingtheconfidenceofhisdisappointedfriends，carryingouttheiraimtodisrupttheCabinet!ButhecouldnotdoaboldthinglikethisinSeward’sway——atastroke，withouthesitation。WhenhecalledonLincolnthenextdaywiththeresignationinhishand，hewavered。IthappenedthatWelleswasintheroom。
“Chasesaidhehadbeenpainfullyaffected，“isWelles’
account，“bythemeetinglastevening，whichwasasurprise，andaftersomenotveryexplicitremarksastohowhewasaffected，informedthePresidenthehadpreparedhisresignationoftheofficeofSecretaryoftheTreasury。’Whereisit，’saidthePresident，quickly，hiseyelightingupinamoment。’Ibroughtitwithme，’saidChase，takingthepaperfromhispocket。’Iwroteitthismorning。’’Letmehaveit，’
saidthePresident，reachinghislongarmandfingerstowardChase，whoheldonseeminglyreluctanttopartwiththeletterwhichwassealedandwhichheapparentlyhesitatedtosurrender。Somethingfurtherhewishedtosay，butthePresidentwaseageranddidnotperceiveit，buttookandhastilyopenedtheletter。
“’This，’saidhe，lookingtowardsmewithatriumphallaugh，’cutstheGordianknot。’AnairofsatisfactionspreadoverhiscountenancesuchasIhadnotseenforsometime。’Icandisposeofthissubjectnowwithoutdifficulty，’headded，asheturnedinhischair；’Iseemywayclear。’“[12]InLincoln’sdistressduringthisepisode，therewasmuchbesideshisanxietyforthefateofatrustedminister。HefelthemustnotpermithimselftobedrivenintothearmsoftheVindictivesbydisgracingSeward。SewardhadafollowingwhichLincolnneededButtoproclaimtotheworldhisconfidenceinSewardwithoutatthesametimeoffsettingitbysomedisplayofconfidence，equallysignificantintheenemiesofSeward，thiswouldhaveamountedtocommittinghimselftoSeward’sfollowingalone。Andthatwouldnotdo。Shouldeitherfactionappeartodominatehim，Lincolnfeltthat“thewholegovernmentmustcavein。Itcouldnotstand，couldnotholdwater；thebottomwouldbeout。“[13]
Theincrediblestrokeofluck，thesheergoodfortunethatChasewasChaseandnobodyelse，——vain，devious，stageyandhypersensitive，——wassalvation。LincolnpromptlyrejectedbothresignationsandcalleduponbothMinisterstoresumetheirportfolios。Theydidso。Theincidentwasclosed。NeitherfactioncouldsaythatLincolnhadfavoredtheother。Hehadsavedhimself，orrather，Chase’scharacterhadsavedhim，bythemarginofahair。
Forthemoment，arebuildingoftheVindictiveCoalitionwasimpossible。Nevertheless，theJacobins，againbalkedoftheirprey，haditintheirpower，throughtheterribleCommittee，todoimmensemischief。Thehistoryofthewarcontainsnootherinstanceofpartymalicequitesofruitlessandthereforesoinexcusableastheirnextmove。AfterseverelyinterrogatingBurnside，theypublishedanexonerationofhismotivesandrevealedthefactthatLincolnhadforcedhimintocommandagainsthiswill。Theimplicationwasplain。
Januarycamein。TheEmancipationProclamationwasconfirmed。
ThejubilationoftheAbolitionistsbecame，almostatonce，apropagandaforanotherissueuponslavery。NewtroublesweregatheringcloseaboutthePresidentTheoverwhelmingbenefitwhichhadbeenanticipatedfromthenewpolicyhadnotclearlyarrived。Evenarmyenlistmentswerenotsatisfactory。
Conscriptionloomedonthehorizonasaneventualnecessity。A
bankofreturningcloudwascoveringthepoliticalhorizon，enshroudingtheWhiteHouseinanotherdepthofgloom。
However，outofallthisgatheringdarkness，oneclearlightsolacedLincoln’sgaze。Oneofhischiefpurposeshadbeenattained。Incontrasttothedoubtfulandfactionalresponsetohispolicyathome，theresponseabroadwassweepingandunconditional。Hehadmadehimselftheheroofthe“Liberalpartythroughouttheworld。“AmongthefewcheerywordsthatreachedhiminJanuary，1863，wereNewYeargreetingsoftrustandsympathysentbyEnglishworkingmen，who，becauseoftheblockade，wereonthevergeofstarvation。ItwasinresponsetooneoftheselettersfromtheworkingmenofManchesterthatLincolnwrote：
“Ihaveunderstoodwellthatthedutyofself-preservationrestssolelywiththeAmericanpeople；butIhaveatthesametimebeenawarethatthefavorordisfavorofforeignnationsmighthaveamaterialinfluenceinenlargingorprolongingthestrugglewithdisloyalmeninwhichthecountryisengaged。A
fairexaminationofhistoryhasservedtoauthorizeabeliefthatthepastactionsandinfluencesoftheUnitedStatesweregenerallyregardedashavingbeenbeneficialtowardmankind。I
havethereforereckonedupontheforbearanceofnations。
Circumstances——tosomeofwhichyoukindlyallude——inducemeespeciallytoexpectthatifjusticeandgoodfaithshouldbepractisedbytheUnitedStatestheywouldencounternohostileinfluenceonthepartofGreatBritain。ItisnowapleasantdutytoacknowledgethedemonstrationyouhavegivenofyourdesirethataspiritofamityandpeacetowardthiscountrymayprevailinthecouncilsofyourQueen，whoisrespectedandesteemedinyourowncountryonlymorethansheis，bythekindrednationwhichhasitshomeonthissideoftheAtlantic。
“IknowanddeeplydeplorethesufferingswhichtheworkingmenatManchester，andinallEurope，arecalledontoendureinthiscrisis。Ithasbeenoftenandstudiouslyrepresentedthattheattempttooverthrowthisgovernmentwhichwasbuiltuponthefoundationofhumanrights，andtosubstituteforitonewhichshouldrestexclusivelyonthebasisofhumanslavery，waslikelytoobtainthefavorofEurope。Throughtheactionofourdisloyalcitizens，theworkingmenofEuropehavebeensubjectedtoseveretrialsforthepurposeofforcingtheirsanctiontothatattempt。Underthecircumstances，IcannotbutregardyourdecisiveutterancesuponthequestionasaninstanceofsublimeChristianheroismwhichhasnotbeensurpassedinanyageorinanycountry。Itisindeedanenergeticandreinspiringassuranceoftheinherentpowerofthetruth，andoftheultimateanduniversaltriumphofjustice，humanityandfreedom。Idonotdoubtthatthesentimentsyouhaveexpressedwillbesustainedbyyourgreatnation；andontheotherhand，Ihavenohesitationinassuringyouthattheywillexciteadmiration，esteem，andthemostreciprocalfeelingsoffriendshipamongtheAmericanpeople。I
hailthisinterchangeofsentiment，therefore，asanaugurythatwhateverelsemayhappen，whatevermisfortunemaybefallyourcountryormyown，thepeaceandfriendshipwhichnowexistbetweenthetwonations，willbe，asitshallhemydesiretomakethem，perpetual。“[14]
XXVI。THEDICTATOR，THEMARPLOTANDTHELITTLEMEN
WhiletheJacobinswereendeavoringtoreorganizetheRepublicanantagonismtothePresident，Lincolnwastakingthoughthowhecouldoffsetstillmoreeffectuallytheirinfluence。intakinguptheemancipationpolicyhehadnotabandonedhisotherpolicyofanall-partiesAdministration，orofsomethingsimilartothat。Bythistimeitwasplainthatacompleteunionofpartieswasimpossible。Intheautumnof1862，amovementofliberalDemocratsinMichiganforthepurposeofaworkingagreementwiththeRepublicanswasfrustratedbytheflintyoppositionofChandler。[1]However，itstillseemedpossibletocombineportionsofpartiesinanAdministrationgroupthatshouldforswearthesavageryoftheextremefactionsandmaintainthewarinamercifultemper。
ThecreationofsuchagroupwasLincoln’saimatthecloseoftheyear。
TheRepublicanswerenotindoubtwhathewasdrivingat。
Smartingovertheirlossesintheelection，therewasangrytalkthatLincolnandSewardhad“slaughteredtheRepublicanparty。“[2]EvenassaneamanasJohnSherman，writingtohisbrotheronthecausesoftheapparentturnofthetidecouldsay“thefirstisthattheRepublicanorganizationwasvoluntarilyabandonedbythePresidentandhisleadingfollowers，andano-partyunionwasformedtorunagainstanold，well-drilledpartyorganization。“[3]WhenJulianreturnedtoWashingtoninDecember，hefoundthatthemenacetotheRepublicanmachinewas“generallyadmittedandhisearnestoppositiontoitfullyjustifiedintheopinionoftheRepublicanmembersofCongress。“[4]HowfullytheyperceivedtheirdangerhadbeenshownintheirattempttodriveLincolnintoacornerontheissueofanewCabinet。
Evenbeforethat，Lincolnhaddecidedonhisnextmove。AsintheemancipationpolicyhehaddrivenawedgebetweenthefactionsoftheRepublicans，sonowhewoulddriveawedgeintotheorganizationoftheDemocrats。Ithadtwopartswhichhadlittletoholdthemtogetherexcepttheirrootedpartisanhabit。[5]Onebranch，soontoreceivethelabel“Copperhead，“
acceptedthesecessionprincipleandsympathizedwiththeConfederacy。Theother，whilerejectingsecessionandsupportingthewar，denouncedtheemancipationpolicyasusurpedauthority，andfeltpersonalhostilitytoLincoln。ItwasthelatterfactionthatLincolnstillhopedtowinover。
ItsmostimportantmemberwasHoratioSeymour，whointheautumnof1862waselectedgovernorofNewYork。Lincolndecidedtooperateonhimbyoneofthoseastoundingmoveswhichtotheselflessmanseemednaturalenough，bywhichtheordinarypoliticianwasalwayshopelesslymystified。HecalledinThurlowWeedandauthorizedhimtomakethisproposal：ifSeymourwouldbringhisfollowingintoacompositeUnionpartywithnoplatformbutthevigorousprosecutionofthewar，LincolnwouldpledgeallhisinfluencetosecuringforSeymourthepresidentialnominationin1864。Weeddeliveredhismessage。SeymourwasnoncommittalandLincolnhadtowaitforhisansweruntilthenewGovernorshouldshowhishandbyhisofficialacts。Meanwhileanewcrisishaddevelopedinthearmy。Burnside’scharacterappearstohavebeenshatteredbyhisdefeat。PrevioustoFredericksburg，hehadseemedtobeagenerous，high-mindedman。FromFredericksburgonward，hebecamemoreandmoreanimpossible。AreflectionofMcClellaninhisearlierstage，hewassomehowtransformedeventuallyintoareflectionofvindictivism。HislatercharacterbegantoappearinhisfirstconferencewiththeCommitteesubsequenttohisdisaster。Theyvisitedhimonthefieldand“hisconversationdisarmedallcriticism。“Thiswasbecausehestrucktheirownnotetoperfection。“Oursoldiers，“hesaid，“werenotsufficientlyfiredbyresentment，andheexhortedme[Julian]ifIcould，tobreatheintoourpeopleathomethesamespirittowardourenemieswhichinspiredthemtowardus。“[6]
WhatatransformationinMcClellan’sdisciple!
ButthecountrywasnotwonoversoeasilyastheCommittee。
Therewasloudandgeneraldisapprovalandofcourse，thehabitualquestion，“Whonext？“ThepublicationbytheCommitteeofitsinsinuationthatoncemorethestubbornPresidentwastherealculpritdidnotstemthetide。Burnsidehimselfmadehiscasesteadilyworse。Hisjudgment，suchasitwas，hadcollapsed。Heseemedtobestubbornlybentonavirtualrepetitionofhispreviousfolly。LincolnfeltitnecessarytocommandhimtomakenoforwardmovewithoutconsultingthePresident。[7]
Burnside’ssubordinatesfreelycriticizedtheircommander。
GeneralHookerwasthemostoutspoken。Itwasknownthatamovementwasafoot——anintrigue，ifyouwill-todisgraceBurnsideandelevateHooker。Chafingundercriticismandrestraint，Burnsidecompletelylosthissenseofpropriety。Onthetwenty-fourthofJanuary，1863，whenHenryW。Raymond，thepowerfuleditoroftheNewYorkTimes，wasonavisittothecamp，BurnsidetookhimintohistentandreadhimanorderremovingHookerbecauseofhisunfitness“toholdacommandinacausewheresomuchmoderation，forbearance，andunselfishpatriotismwererequired。“Raymond，aghast，inquiredwhathewoulddoifHookerresisted，ifheraisedhistroopsinmutiny？
“HesaidhewouldSwinghimbeforesundownifheattemptedsuchathing。“
Raymond，thoughmorethanhalfinsympathywithBurnside，feltthatthesituationwasstartling。HehurriedofftoWashington。“Iimmediately，“hewrites，“calleduponSecretaryChaseandtoldhimthewholestory。HewasgreatlysurprisedtohearsuchreportsofHooker，andsaidhehadlookeduponhimasthemanbestfittedtocommandthearmyofthePotomac。Butnomancapableofsomuchandsuchunprincipledambitionwasfitforsogreatatrust，andhegaveupallthoughtofhimhenceforth。HewishedmetogowithhimtohishouseandaccompanyhimandhisdaughtertothePresident’slevee。IdidsoandfoundagreatcrowdsurroundingPresidentLincoln。I
managed，however，totellhiminbrieftermsthatIhadbeenwiththearmyandthatmanythingswereoccurringtherewhichheoughttoknow。ItoldhimoftheobstaclesthrowninBurnside’swaybyhissubordinatesandespeciallyGeneralHooker’shabitualconversation。Heputhishandonmyshoulderandsaidinmyearasifdesirousofnotbeingoverheard，’Thatisalltrue；Hookertalksbadly；butthetroubleis，heisstrongerwiththecountrytodaythananyotherman。’Iventuredtoaskhowlonghewouldretainthatstrengthifhisrealconductandcharactershouldbeunderstood。’Thecountry，’
saidhe，’wouldnotbelieveit；theywouldsayitwasallalie。’“[8]
WhetherChasedidwhathesaidhewoulddoandceasedtobeHooker’sadvocate，maybequestioned。TraditionpreservesadealbetweentheSecretaryandtheGeneral——theSecretarytourgehisadvancement，theGeneral，ifhereachedhisgoal，tocontenthimselfwithmilitaryhonorsandtoassisttheSecretaryinsucceedingtothePresidency。Hookerwasapublicfavorite。Thedashing，handsomefigureof“FightingJoe“