New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-03-22

Ing! hI moAs ,rangIar order. and had the gIm salts
faction of seeing the owls in epauiettes nio ou''
never 20 nc bs awIwarduess of manner. and utter
disregard of social conventionalites that scemeu 70
invite familiarity there was something anon ar
Abraham Lincoln tnas AFTERNOON to be other
Than respectful Twas told at Springheid lhae .nis
accompanied him through life Among MS r ~, 81
associates when young, he WAS leader, looked UP "
and oheved because they folt OF his muscle ana s
readiness ia its use. Among his associates az ene
bar il was attributed to his ready WIZ; Wacn KEEP
bs duller associates Mt n distance. Ihe TACT was,
boweyer that this power came from a sense OF y
reserve force of intellectual ability tnat no one io
account of in its results Inronsn onu long
Intervals giant had been born 10 Ine pour wn.eg
of Kentucky. and the SENSE OF superoty Possessodd
President Lincoln at al .ng he was not modest in
his assertion and he as quietly directed seward ID
Shaping our delicate aud difficult foreign P9ley. rs
Stanton in the War Department: These men, great
as they were felt their inferlority 10 tnei ns.o;
ana while all three were eaten ,Y ;aStsd as If his
oS did NOT carry Atlas like. the fate of an
empire . L.. ,,oo o,J b,d m
wish TO see second exhibition OF his wrath; we
,,a,a in command of what called the Middle
Denartment. with headquarters at Baltimore. Gen-
cral Schenck, with that intense Loyalty when
Gstinpuished this eminent soldier shifted the mill
tarv sympathy from the aristocracy OF hiryianu 10
the Union men, and made the oio!mp sint nuhhg s
Rond our associates and advisers. !hesc gentlemen
cpnld not understand why. having such ehtire
command of Maryland the government me, a,u nos
from the disoyal, render them weak ana harmless;
and bring the border of free States to me captal o,
the Union. The fortcations aoout baitlinoie usru
beTotofore to threaten that city, now under tho IN
uence of Davis Bond. Wallace and others mad thelr
unns turned outward for the protection OF the place
and il seemed only necessary to inspire the negroes
With q faith in us as lbcratOrs to perfect the work
The first intimation received that this policy OF
freeing Mary land was 1istasteiul 10 the hdinihis
ration came from Secretary stanton mad toid
him what we thought. and what we hoped 10 accom-
piish noticed an amused expression ON the lace
Of the War Secretary ana Th" s GeU tn yonr
own business | asked him what he meant by !" our
business" lie said. Obeying orders. tnat all.
Not long after this talk with Mr. stanton, the
gallant General William Birney, son OF the enllienI
LANES q. Birney came into Maryland TO recruit ior
a neg.o brigade then first authorized. l directed
N:rney to recruit slaves only. lie SAID ne womb DO
clad 10 do 40 but wanted authority IN writing IRON
General Schenck. i tried my General, ana ne
refuse,l saying that such authority cnuid come oniy
from the War Department, as Birney was acting
directly under its il structiOns. / could not move
him and knowing that he had leave o. absence
for few DAYS to transact .sole I y ~ I ,ha,
ssued the order to General Brney. Inc General
took an idle Government steamer ana lcit ior the
part of aryland where the slaves dld most abound
Rirnev was scarcely ont Of sight before awakened
TO the opposition had excited. The Hon. heNeIdy
Johnson appeared at headquarters, heading a dele,
Slavery saved, one and inseparable gave them
scant comfort and they left for Washington. That
afternoon came telegram from the p Wat Depart
ment asking who was III command NJ baltimore
responded that, General Schenck being absent lot
few days only. hgd left affairs in control OF his
Chief of staff. Then came "a curt summons, ordering
me 10 appear at the War Department. ] obeyed. ar-
irving i'm the evening NJ the old. somhre building
Being informed that tho Secretary was at the Exec
utlye Mansion, ] repaired there, sent in my card,
and WAS at once shown into the presence. not oil Mr.
stanton but of the President. do not care 10 fecai
the words OF Mr.. Lincoln. | wrote them ont that
night for was threatened a shameful Dismissal
from the service. aud intended appealing to the
public. They were exceedingly severe, Tor tue
President was in a rage was not allowed word
in my own defence and was only permitted 10 say
that would countrrnand my order as well as j
could | was saved cashioring through tho inter
ference of Stanton and Chase, ani the further Tact
that a row over such transaction ut that time
would be extremely awkward. - ,
My act made Maryland free state Word
went out ard spread like wildiirc, that " Mr.
Linkum was calm on do slaves To fight foh
freedum" and the hor-handle was dropped. never
again to be taken M by pnrcqultca ,olL me poor
on foot, on horseback in old wagons and even on
sleds stolen from their mastors Inc late masters ~.
Lincoln ordered commission to assess damages
Secretary stanton put ~ proyiso thnt those eaSs
take the iron bound oath OF allegiance. oi course
no slaves were paid Tor. ,
The President never iorgaye me- subsequently.
when General Schenck resigned command To take
his seat in Congress, the Union men Of Maryland
and Delaware loaded by Judge Bond. waited on
the President with IA request that bc promoted 10
Maas ana ' hnco" heard them
patiently. and then refused saying schenck ana
Piatt are good fellows and II there were any rotten
apples IN he barrel they'd be sure 70 hook EN- out
But they run their machine ON too high level Tor
me They never could understand that was boss"
Edwin NJ stanton told me. after he lett the War
Department, that when he sent list OF officers TO
the President, my name included, rs worthy pro-
motion. Lincoln would quietly draw his pen through
NV name do not blame him His great thought
full brain saw at the time what has taken years for
us to discover and appreciate. lie understood the
people he held to death struggle in behalf OF the
great Republic. and knew that while the masses
would fight the bitter end III behalf OF the Union
they would not kali their own brothers and spread
mourning over the entire land, III behalf or the
negro. lie therefore kept the cause OF the I'm on TO
the front and " rOte To Horace Greeley the memoir
able words: "lf TO preserve the Union IT is
necessary TO destroy slavery, slavery will be
destroyed and If TO preserve tho Union slavery ~
to he maintained. slavery WI be maintained He
well knew that the North was not fighting To
liberatc slaves nor the South to preserve slavery
The people OF the slave States plunged into a
bloody war to build southern empire OF their own
and the people of the North fought u preserve the
Government of the fathers on all the land the
fathers left In that awful conflict, slavery went
to pieces. ,.. A.. ..o..
recognize the trnths that knock from pre-
tentious claims to "a high philanthropy. As have
SAID aboiltoni'm was !, no. ohy un9opThr when tue
that elected Mr.. Lincoln had fallen heir 10 the
Wing votes OF the North, and while pledging itself
in platforms and speeches, to solemn resolve to
keep slavery under the Constitution in the States
resrIc ed its anti-savcry purpose to the prevention
of its spread into the Territories remember when
the Hutchnsons were driven from the camps of the
Potomac Army by the soldiers for singing their
abolition songs and remember well that for two
years nearly of Onr service as soldiers we were
engaged in returning slaves TO their masters when
the poor creatures sought shelter In our lines.
President LncOlns patriotism and wisdom rose
above impulse or his positive temperament and
intellect kept hun free of mere sentiment Looking
back now at this grand man. and the grave situa-
ton at the time ain ashamed of my act of insubor.
dination and although it freed Maryland it now
lowers me in my estimation. Had the Presi-
dent carried his threat Of punishment into execution