abraham lincoln and the union-第17章

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ually　the　House　in　a　vote　of　censure　condemned　the　Secretary　of　War。

Long　before　this　happened；　however；　Lincoln　had　interfered　and　very　characteristically　removed　the　cause　of　trouble；　while　taking　upon　himself　the　responsibility　for　the　situation；　by　nominating　Cameron　minister　to　Russia；　and　by　praising　him　for　his　〃ability；　patriotism；　and　fidelity　to　the　public　trust。〃　　Though　the　President　had　not　sufficient　hold　upon　the　House　to　prevent　the　vote　of　censure；　his　influence　was　strong　in　the　Senate；　and　the　new　appointment　of　Cameron　was　promptly　confirmed。

There　was　in　Washington　at　this　time　that　grim　man　who　had　served　briefly　as　Attorney…General　in　the　Cabinet　of　BuchananEdwin　M。　Stanton。　　He　despised　the　President　and　expressed　his　opinion　in　such　words　as　〃the　painful　imbecility　of　Lincoln。〃　　The　two　had　one　personal　recollection　in　common：　long　before；　in　a　single　case；　at　Cincinnati；　the　awkward　Lincoln　had　been　called　in　as　associate　counsel　to　serve　the　convenience　of　Stanton；　who　was　already　a　lawyer　of　national　repute。　　To　his　less…known　associate　Stanton　showed　a　brutal　rudeness　that　was　characteristic。　　It　would　have　been　hard　in　1861　to　find　another　man　more　difficult　to　get　on　with。　　Headstrong；　irascible；　rude；　he　had　a　sharp　tongue　which　he　delighted　in　using；　but　he　was　known　to　be　inflexibly　honest；　and　was　supposed　to　have　great　executive　ability。　　He　was　also　a　friend　of　McClellan；　and　if　anybody　could　rouse　that　tortoise…like　general；　Stanton　might　be　supposed　to　be　the　man。　　He　had　been　a　valiant　Democrat；　and　Democratic　support　was　needed　by　the　government。　　Lincoln　astonished　him　with　his　appointment　as　Secretary　of　War　in　January；　1862。　　Stanton　justified　the　President's　choice；　and　under　his　strong　if　ruthless　hand　the　War　Department　became　sternly　efficient。　　The　whole　story　of　Stanton's　relations　to　his　chief　is　packed；　like　the　Arabian　genius　in　the　fisherman's　vase；　into　one　remark　of　Lincoln's。　〃Did　Stanton　tell　you　I　was　a　fool？〃　said　Lincoln　on　one　occasion；　in　the　odd；　smiling　way　he　had。　　〃Then　I　expect　I　must　be　one；　for　he　is　almost　always　right；　and　generally　says　what　he　means。〃

In　spite　of　his　efficiency　and　personal　force；　Stanton　was　unable　to　move　his　friend　McClellan；　with　whom　he　soon　quarreled。　　Each　now　sought　in　his　own　way　to　control　the　President；　though　neither　understood　Lincoln's　character。　　From　McClellan；　Lincoln　endured　much　condescension　of　a　kind　perilously　near　impertinence。　　To　Stanton；　Lincoln's　patience　seemed　a　mystery；　to　McClellana　vain　man；　full　of　himselfthe　President　who　would　merely　smile　at　this　bullyragging　on　the　part　of　one　of　his　subordinates　seemed　indeed　a　spiritless　creature。　　Meanwhile　Lincoln；　apparently　devoid　of　sensibility；　was　seeking　during　the　anxious　months　of　1862；　in　one　case；　merely　how　to　keep　his　petulant　Secretary　in　harness；　in　the　other；　how　to　quicken　his　tortoise　of　a　general。

Stanton　made　at　least　one　great　blunder。　　Though　he　had　been　three　months　in　office；　and　McClellan　was　still　inactive；　there　were　already　several　successes　to　the　credit　of　the　Union　arms。　　The　Monitor　and　Virginia　（Merrimac）　had　fought　their　famous　duel；　and　Grant　had　taken　Fort　Donelson。　　The　latter　success　broke　through　the　long　gloom　of　the　North　and　caused；　as　Holmes　wrote；　〃a　delirium　of　excitement。〃　　Stanton　rashly　concluded　that　he　now　had　the　game　in　his　hands；　and　that　a　sufficient　number　of　men　had　volunteered。　　This　civilian　Secretary　of　War；　who　had　still　much　to　learn　of　military　matters；　issued　an　order　putting　a　stop　to　recruiting。　　Shortly　afterwards　great　disaster　befell　the　Union　arms。　　McClellan；　before　Richmond；　was　checked　in　May。　　Early　in　July；　his　peninsula　campaign　ended　disastrously　in　the　terrible　〃Seven　Days'　Battle。〃

Anticipating　McClellan's　failure；　Lincoln　had　already　determined　to　call　for　more　troops。　　On　July　1st；　he　called　upon　the　Governors　of　the　States　to　provide　him　with　300；000　men　to　serve　three　years。　　But　the　volunteering　enthusiasmexplain　it　as　you　willhad　suffered　a　check。　　The　psychological　moment　had　passed。　So　slow　was　the　response　to　the　call　of　July　1st；　that　another　appeal　was　made　early　in　August；　this　time　for　300；000　men　to　serve　only　nine　months。　　But　this　also　failed　to　rouse　the　country。　A　reinforcement　of　only　87；000　men　was　raised　in　response　to　this　emergency　call。　　The　able　lawyer　in　the　War　Department　had　still　much　to　learn　about　men　and　nations。

After　this　check；　terrible　incidents　of　war　came　thick　and　fast　the　defeat　at　Second　Manassas；　in　late　August；　the　horrible　drawn　battle　of　Antietam…Sharpsburg；　in　September；　Fredericksburg；　that　carnival　of　slaughter；　in　December；　the　dearly　bought　victory　of　Murfreesboro；　which　opened　1863。　　There　were　other　disastrous　events　at　least　as　serious。　　Foreign　affairs*　were　at　their　darkest。　　Within　the　political　coalition　supporting　Lincoln；　contention　was　the　order　of　the　day。　　There　was　general　distrust　of　the　President。　　Most　alarming　of　all；　that　ebb　of　the　wave　of　enthusiasm　which　began　in　midsummer；　1861；　reached　in　the　autumn　of　1862　perhaps　its　lowest　point。　　The　measure　of　the　reaction　against　Lincoln　was　given　in　the　Congressional　election；　in　which；　though　the　Government　still　retained　a　working　majority；　the　Democrats　gained　thirty…three　seats。

*　See　Chapter　IX。


If　there　could　be　such　a　thing　as　a　true　psychological　history　of　the　war；　one　of　its　most　interesting　pages　would　determine　just　how　far　Stanton　was　responsible；　through　his　strange　blunder　over　recruiting；　for　the　check　to　enthusiasm　among　the　Northern　people。　With　this　speculation　there　is　connected　a　still　unsolved　problem　in　statistics。　　To　what　extent　did　the　anti…Lincoln　vote；　in　1862；　stand　for　sympathy　with　the　South；　and　how　far　was　it　the　hopeless　surrender　of　Unionists　who　felt　that　their　cause　was　lost？　　Though　certainty　on　this　point　is　apparently　impossible；　there　can　be　no　doubt　that　at　the　opening　of　1863；　the　Government　felt　it　must　apply　pressure　to　the　flagging　spirits　of　its　supporters。　　In　order　to　reenforce　the　armies　and　to　push　the　war　through；　there　was　plainly　but　one　course　to　be　followedconscription。

The　government　leaders　in　Congress　brought　in　a　Conscription　Act　early　in　the　year。　　The　hot　debates　upon　this　issue　dragged　through　a　month's　time；　and　now　make　instructive　reading　for　the　present　generation　that　has　watched　the　Great　War*。　　The　Act　of　1863　was　not　the　work　of　soldiers；　but　was　literally　〃made　in　Congress。〃　　Stanton　grimly　made　the　best　of　it；　though　he　unwaveringly　condemned　some　of　its　most　conspicuous　provisions。　His　business　was　to　retrieve　his　blunder　of　the　previous　year；　and　he　was　successful。　　Imperfect　as　it　was；　the　Conscription　Act；　with　later　supplementary　legislation；　enabled　him　to　replace　the　wastage　of　the　Union　armies　and　steadily　to　augment　them。　　At　the　close　of　the　war；　the　Union　had　on　foot　a　million　men　with　an　enrolled　reserve　of　two　millions　and　a　half；　subject　to　call。

*　The　battle　over　conscription　in　England　was　anticipated　in　America　sixty…four　years　ago。　　Bagot　says　that　the　average　British　point　of　view　may　be　expressed　thus：　〃What　I　am　sayin'　is　this　here　as　I　was　a　sayin'　yesterday。〃　　The　Anglo…Saxon　mind　is　much　the　same　the　world　over。　　In　America；　today；　the　enemies　of　effective　military　organization　would　do　well　to　search　the　arguments　of　their　skillful　predecessors　in　1888；　who　fought　to　the　last　ditch　for　a　military　system　that　would　make　inescapable　〃peace　at　any　price。〃　　For　the　modern　believers　in　conscription；　one　of　their　best　bits　of　political　thunder　is　still　the　defense　of　it　by　Lincoln。


The　Act　provided　for　a　complete　military　census；　for　which　purpose　the　country　was　divided　into　enrollment　districts。　　Every　able…bodied　male　citizen；　or　intending　citizen；　between　the　ages　of　twenty　and　forty…five；　unless　exempted　for　certain　specified　reasons；　was　to　be　enrolled　as　a　member　of　the　national　forces；　these　forces　were　to　be　called　to　the　colors〃drafted；〃　the　term　wasas　the　Government　found　need　of　them；　each　successive　draft　was　to　be　apportioned　among　the　districts　in　the　ratio　of　the　military　population；　and　the　number　required　was　to　be　drawn　by　lot；　if　the　district　raised　its　quota　voluntarily；　no　draft　would　be　made；　any　drafted　man　could　offer　a　substitute　or　could　purchase　his　discharge　for　three　hundred　dollars。　　The　latter　provision　especially　was　condemned　by　Stanton。　　It　was　seized　upon　by　demagogues　as　a　device　for　giving　rich　men　an　advantage　over　poor　men。

American　politics　during　the　war　form　a　wildly　confused　story；　so　intricate　that　it　cannot　be　made　clear　in　a　brief　statement。　　But　this　central　fact　may　be　insisted　upon：　in　the　North；　there　were　two　political　groups　that　were　the　poles　around　which　various　other　groups　revolved　and　combined；　only　to　fly　asunder　and　recombine；　with　all　the　maddening　inconstancy　of　a　kaleidoscope。　The　two　irreconcilable　elements　were　the　〃war　party〃　made　up　of　determined　men　resolved　to　see　things　through；　and　the　〃copperheads〃*　who　for　one　reason　or　another　united　in　a　faithful　struggle　for　peace　at　any　price。　　Around　the　copperheads　gathered　the　various　and　singular　groups　who　helped　to　make　up　the　ever　fluctuating　〃peace　party。〃　　It　is　an　error　to　assume　that　this　peace　party　was　animated　throughout　by　fondness　for　the　Confederacy。　　Though　many　of　its　members　were　so　actuated；　the　core　of　the　party　seems　to　have　been　that　strange　type　of　man　who　sustained　political　evasion　in　the　old　days；　who　thought　that　sweet　words　can　stop　bullets；　whose　programme　in　1863　called　for　a　cessation　of　hostilities　and　a　general　convention　of　all　the　States；　and　who　promised　as　the　speedy　result　of　a　debauch　of　talk　a　carnival　of　bright　eyes　glistening　with　the　tears　of　revived　affection。　　With　these　strange　people　in　1863　there　combined　a　number　of　different　types：　the　still　stranger；　still　less　creditable　visionary；　of　whom　much　hereafter；　the　avowed　friends　of　the　principle　of　state　rights；　all　those　who　distrusted　the　Government　because　of　its　anti…slavery　sympathies；　Quakers　and　others　with　moral　scruples　against　war；　and　finally；　sincere　legalists　to　whom　the　Conscription　Act　appeared　unconstitutional。　In　the　spring　of　1863　the　issue　of　conscription　drew　the　line　fairly　sharply　between　the　two　political　coalitions；　though　each　continued　to　fluctuate；　more　or　less；　to　the　end　of　the　war。

*　The　term　arose；　it　has　been　said；　from　the　use　of　the　copper　cent　with　its　head　of　Liberty　as　a　peace　button。　　But　a　more　plausible　explanation　associates　the　peace　advocates　with　the　deadly　copperhead　snake。


The　peace　party　of　1863　has　been　denounced　hastily　rather　than　carefully　studied。　　Its　precise　machinations　are　not　fully　known；　but　the　ugly　fact　stands　forth　that　a　portion　of　the　foreign　population　of　the　North　was　roused　in　1863　to　rebellion。　　The　occasion　was　the　beginning　of　the　first　draft　under　the　new　law；　in　July；　1863；　and　the　scene　of　the　rebellion　was　the　City　of　New　York。　　The　opponents　of　conscription　had　already　made　inflammatory　attacks　on　the　Government。　　Conspicuous　among　them　was　Horatio　Seymour；　who　had　been　elected　Governor　of　New　York　in　that　wave　of　reaction　in　the　autumn　of　1862。　　Several　New　York　papers　joined　t