Buttheofficerpleadedinvain。LincolnlaughinglyparaphrasedCharlesII，“Nowastopoliticalassassination，doyouthinktheRichmondpeoplewouldliketohaveHannibalHamlinhereanymorethanmyself？……Astothecrazyfolks，Major，whyImustonlytakemychances-themostcrazypeopleatpresent，Ifear，beingsomeofmyowntoozealousadherents。“[11]WithCarpenter，towhomheseemstohavetakenaliking，hewouldramblethestreetsofWashington，lateatnight，“withoutescortoreventhecompanyofaservant。“[12]
ThoughHallecktalkedhimintoacceptinganescortwhendrivingtoandfrobetweenWashingtonandhissummerresidenceattheSoldiers’Home，hewouldfrequentlygiveittheslipandmakethejourneyonhorsebackalone。inAugustof1862ononeofthesesolitaryrides，hislifewasattempted。Itwasaboutelevenatnight；hewas“joggingalongataslowgaitimmersedindeepthought“whensomeonefiredathimwithariflefromnearathand。TheballmisseditsaimandthePresident’shorse，asLincolnconfidedtohisfamiliars，“gaveproofofdecideddissatisfactionattheracket，andwithonerecklessbound，heunceremoniouslyseparatedmefrommyeight-dollarplughat……Atbreak-neckspeedwereachedahavenofsafety。Meanwhile，IwasleftindoubtwhetherdeathwasmoredesirablefrombeingthrownfromarunawayFederalhorse，orasthetragicresultofarifleballfiredbyadisloyalbushwhackerinthemiddleofthenight“[13]
Whilecarryinghislifeinhishandsinthisoddlyrecklessway，hebeliedhimself，aseventsweretoshow，bytellinghisfriendsthathefanciedhimself“agreatcowardphysically，“
thathefeltsurehewouldmakeapoorsoldier。Buthewassufficientlyjusttohimselftoadd，“MoralcowardiceissomethingwhichIthinkIneverhad。“[14]
Lincoln’shumorfoundexpressioninotherwaysbesidestellingstoriesandlaughingathimself。Heseizedeveryopportunitytoconvertapetitionintoajoke，whenthiscouldbedonewithoutcausingpain。Oneday，thereenteredagreatmanwithalonglistoffavorswhichhehopedtohavegranted。Amongthesewas“thecaseofBetsyAnnDougherty，agoodwoman，“saidthegreatman。“Shelivedinmycountyanddidmywashingforalongtime。HerhusbandwentoffandjoinedtheRebelarmyandIwishyouwouldgiveheraprotectionpaper。“ThepompousgravityofthewaythecasewaspresentedstruckLincolnasveryfunny。Hisvisitorhadnohumor。HefailedtoseejokeswhileLincolnquizzedhimastowhoandwhatwasBetsyAnn。AtlengththePresidentwrotealineonacardandhandedittothegreatman。“TellBetsyAnntoputastringinthiscardandhangitroundherneck，“saidhe。“WhentheofficerswhomayhavedoubtedheraffiliationsseethistheywillkeeptheirhandsoffyourBetsyAnn。“Onthecardwaswritten，“LetBetsyAnnDoughertyaloneaslongasshebehavesherself。A。
Lincoln。“[15]
Thiseagernessforajokenowandthengaveoffense。Ononeoccasion，anotedCongressmancalledonthePresidentshortlyafteradisaster。Lincolnbegantotellastory。TheCongressmanjumpedup。“Mr。President，Ididnotcomeherethismorningtohearstories。Itistooseriousatime。“
Lincoln’sfacechanged。“Ashley，“saidhe，“sitdown!I
respectyouasanearnest，sincereman。YoucannotbemoreanxiousthanIhavebeenconstantlysincethebeginningofthewar；andIsaytoyounow，thatwereitnotforthisoccasionalvent，Ishoulddie。“[16]Againhesaid，“WhenthePeninsulaCampaignterminatedsuddenlyatHarrison’sLanding，IwasasnearinconsolableasIcouldbeandlive。“[17]
Lincoln’simaginativepower，theineradicableartistinhim，madeofthingsunseentruerealitiestohissensibility。
Reportsofarmysufferingbowedhisspirit。“Thiswasespecially’thecasewhenthenoblevictimswereofhisownacquaintance，orofthenarrowercircleofhisfamiliarfriends；andthenheseemedforthemomentpossessedofasenseofpersonalresponsibilityfortheirindividualfatewhichwasatoncemostunreasonableandmostpitiful。“Onhearingthattwosonsofanoldfriendweredesperatelywoundedandwouldprobablydie，hebrokeoutwith：“Here，now，arethesedearbraveboyskilledinthiscursedwar。MyGod!MyGod!Itistoobad!Theyworkedhardtoearnmoneytoeducatethemselvesandthisistheend!Ilovedthemasiftheyweremyown。“[18]Hewasoneofthefewwhohaveeverwrittenabeautifulletterofcondolence。Severalofhislettersattemptingthisallbutimpossibletask，comeasneartheirmarkassuchthingscan。
Onehasbecomeaclassic：
“Ihavebeenshown，“hewrotetoMrs。Bixby，“inthefilesoftheWarDepartmentastatementoftheAdjutant-GeneralofMassachusettsthatyouarethemotheroffivesonswhohavediedgloriouslyonthefieldofbattle。Ifeelhowweakandfruitlessmustbeanywordsofminewhichshouldattempttobeguileyoufromthegriefofalosssooverwhelming。ButI
cannotrefrainfromtenderingtoyoutheconsolationthatmaybefoundinthethanksoftheRepublictheydiedtosave。I
praythatourheavenlyFathermayassuagetheanguishofyourbereavement，andleaveyouonlythecherishedmemoryofthelovedandlost，andthesolemnpridethatmustbeyourstohavelaidsocostlyasacrificeuponthealtaroffreedom。“[19]
Alltheseinnumerableinstancesofhissympathypassedfrommouthtomouth；becamepartofafloatingpropagandathatwasorganizingthepeopleinhissupport。Tothesewereaddedmanyanecdotesofhismercy。TheAmericanpeoplehadnotlearnedthatwarisarigorousthing。Disciplineinthearmywasoftenhardtomaintain。Impulsiveyoungmenwhotiredofarmylife，orwhoquarreledwiththeirofficers，sometimeswalkedaway。
Thereweremanycondemnationseitherformutinyordesertion。
InthestreamofsuppliantspouringdailythroughthePresident’soffice，manywereparentsimploringmercyforrashsons。Aseverydeath-warranthadtobesignedbythePresident，hisgeneralswerefrequentlyenragedbyhisrefusaltocarryouttheirdecisions。“General，“saidhetoanangrycommanderwhochargedhimwithdestroyingdiscipline，“therearetoomanyweepingwidowsintheUnitedStatesnow-ForGod’ssakedon’taskmetoaddtothenumber；forItellyouplainlyIwon’tdoit。“[20]
Hereagain，kindnesswasblendedwithstatecraft，mercywithshrewdness。Thegeneralscouldnotgraspthepoliticalsideofwar。Lincolntriedtomakethemseeit。Whentheycouldnot，hequietlyinthelastresortcounteractedtheirinfluence。
WhensomeofthemtalkedofEuropeanexperience，heshookhishead；itwouldnotdo；theymustworkwiththetoolstheyhad；
firstofallwithanuntrainedpeople，intenselysensitivetothevalueofhumanlife，impulsive，quicktoforgetoffenses，ultra-considerateofyouthanditsrashness。WhateverelsethePresidentdid，hemustnotallowthecountrytothinkofthearmyasanogredevouringitssonsbecauseoftechnicalities。
TheGeneralsawonlythediscipline，themorale，ofthesoldiers；thePresidentsawthefarmoredifficult，themoreroundaboutmatter，thedisciplineandthemoraleofthecitizens。Theonebelievedthathecouldcompel；theotherwithhisfingeronthenation’spulse，knewthathehadtopersuade。
However，thisflowingarmyofthepropagandadidnotalwaysengagehimonthetragicnote。Onedayalargefleshyman，ofasternbuthomelycountenanceandasolemnanddignifiedcarriage，immaculatedress——“swallow-tailedcoat，ruffledshirtoffaultlessfabric，whitecravatandorange-coloredgloves“——enteredwiththethrong。LookingathimLincolnwassomewhatappalled。Heexpectedsomeformidabledemand。Tohisrelief，theimposingstrangerdeliveredabriefharangueonthePresident’spolicy，closingwith，“Ihavewatchedyounarrowlyeversinceyourinauguration……Asoneofyourconstituents，Inowsaytoyou，doinfutureasyoudamnplease，andIwillsupportyou。““Sitdown，myfriend，“saidLincoln，“sitdown。Iamdelightedtoseeyou。Lunchwithustoday。Yes，youmuststayandlunchwithus，myfriend，forI
havenotseenenoughofyouyet。“[21]ThereweremanyoftheseinformalambassadorsofthepeopleassuringthePresidentofpopularsupport。AndthisfloridgentlemanwasnottheonlyonewholunchedwiththePresidentonfirstacquaintance。
Thiscasualwayofinvitingstrangerstolunchwithhimwastypicalofhismodeoflife，whichwasexceedinglysimple。Hesleptlightlyandroseearly。insummerwhenheusedtheSoldiers’Homeasaresidence，hewasathisdeskintheWhiteHouseateighto’clockinthemorning。Hisbreakfastwasaneggandacupofcoffee；luncheonwasrarelymorethanaglassofmilkandabiscuitwithaplateoffruitinseason；hisdinneratsixo’clock，wasalwaysalightmeal。Thoughhehadnotcontinuedatotalabstainer，asintheearlydaysatSpringfield，heveryseldomdrankwine。Heneverusedtobacco。
SocarelesswashewithregardtofoodthatwhenMrs。Lincolnwasawayfromhome，therewaslittleregularityinhismeals。
Hedescribedhishabitsonsuchoccasionsas“browsingaround。“[22]
EvenwhenMrs。LincolnwasincommandattheWhiteHouse，hewasnotinvariablydutiful。Anamusinginstancewasobservedbysomehighofficials。Theluncheonhourarrivedinthemidstofanimportantconference。Presently，aservantappearedremindingMr。Lincolnofthehour，buthetooknonotice。
Anothersummons，andagainnonotice。Afterashortinterval，thedooroftheofficeflewopenandthetitular“FirstLady“
flouncedintotheroom，aruffled，angrylittlefigure，hereyesflashing。Withdeliberatequiet，asifinadream，Lincolnroseslowly，tookhercalmly，firmlybytheshoulders，liftedher，carriedherthroughthedoorway，setherdown，closedthedoor，andwentonwiththeconferenceasifunconsciousofaninterruption。[23]Mrs。Lincolndidnotreturn。
Theremainderoftheincidentisunknown。
Theburdenofmanyanecdotesthatwereincludedinthepropagandawashiskindnesstochildren。Itbeganwithhisown。Hislittlerascal“Tad，“afterWillie’sdeath，wastheappleofhiseye。Theboyrompedinandoutofhisoffice。
Manyatimehewasperchedonhisfather’skneewhilegreataffairsofstatewereunderdiscussion。[24]Lincolncouldpersuadeanychildfromthearmsofitsmother，nurse，orplayfellow，therebeinga“peculiarfascinationinhisvoiceandmannerwhichthelittleonecouldnotresist。“[25]
Allimpressionable，imaginativeyoungpeople，broughtintocloseassociationwithhim，appeartohavefelthisspell。Hisprivatesecretarieswerehisswornhenchmen。Hay’sdiaryringswithadmiration-thekeen，discriminating，significantadmirationofyourrealobserver。Hayreferstohimbypetname-“TheAncient，““TheOldMan，““TheTycoon。“Lincoln’sentirerelationwiththesegiftedyoungstersmaybetypifiedbyoneofHay’squaintestanecdotes。Lincolnhadgonetobed，assooftenhedid，withabook。“AlittleaftermidnightasI
waswriting。thePresidentcameintotheofficelaughing，withavolumeofHood’sWorksinhishand，toshowNicolayandmethelittlecaricature，’AnUnfortunateBeing’；seeminglyutterlyunconsciousthathe，withhisshortshirthangingabouthislonglegs，andsettingoutbehindlikethetailfeathersofanenormousostrich，wasinfinitelyfunnierthananythinginthebookhewaslaughingat。Whatamanitis!occupiedalldaywithmattersofvastmoment，deeplyanxiousaboutthefateofthegreatestarmyoftheworld，withhisownplansandfuturehangingontheeventsofthepassinghour，heyethassuchawealthofsimplebonhomieandgoodfellowshipthathegetsoutofbedandperambulatesthehouseinhisshirttofindusthatwemaysharewithhimthefunofpoorHood’squeerlittleconceits。“[26]
Inmidsummer，1863，“TheTycoonisinfinewhack。Ihaverarelyseenhimmoresereneandbusy。Heismanagingthiswar，thedraft，foreignrelations，andplanningareconstructionoftheUnion，allatonce。IneverknewwithwhatatyrannousauthorityherulestheCabinet，untilnow。Themostimportantthingshedecidesandthereisnocavil。Iamgrowingmoreconvincedthatthegoodofthecountrydemandsthatheshouldbekeptwhereheistillthisthingisover。Thereisnomaninthecountrysowise，sogentle，andsofirm。“[27]
Andagain，“YoumaytalkasyoupleaseoftheAbolitionCabaldirectingaffairsfromWashington；somewell-meaningnewspapersadvisethePresidenttokeephisfingersoutofthemilitarypie，andallthatsortofthing。Thetruthis，ifhedid，thepiewouldbeasorrymess。Theoldmansitshereandwields，likeabackwoodsJupiter，theboltsofwarandthemachineryofgovernmentwithahandespeciallysteadyandequallyfirm……
Idonotknowwhetherthenationisworthyofhimforanotherterm。Iknowthepeoplewanthim。Thereisnomistakingthatfact。Butthepoliticiansarestrongyet，andheisnottheir’kindofacat。’IhopeGodwon’tseefittoscourgeusforoursinsbyanyofthetwoorthreemostprominentcandidatesontheground。“[28]Thiswastheconclusiongrowingeverywhereamongthebulkofthepeople。Thereisonemorecauseofittobereckonedwith。Lincolnhadnotceasedtobetheliterarystatesman。infact，hewasthatmoreeffectivelythanever。