New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-09

n,, branch Of the Executive Government OF inc
limited States. From every department scores oil
trained subordinates had gone, were going,'day
after day. When men OF the high rank ana
still higher character of Lee and Johnston couiu
stay in the service Of the Government for weeks
and then. without warning, send in their resigha-
tions TO draw their swords day or two later
in the hostile ranks none need wonder tnat III
Tho evil hour the President and his secretaries
of state knew not whom to trust Between ho'
knowing whom to trust and not knowing where
to 60 to get any given thing done, thefe oane
half work. overwork, double work and confusion.
There is, for example, the grotesque incideh1 Vi
tho war-steamer Powhatan, at one and the
same moment ordered by the Secretary Of State
under the direction of the President, without The
knowledge of the Secretary of the Navy, to Fort
Piekcns. and by the Secretary OF the Navy, I'M
known to the President, to Fort Sumter. For
n short time the former Governor of New-fork
paved the premier; how this shOrtlived PREMIER
shin came to an end may be read
in the incsive letter at the end OF
the third volume, where the President for the
first time asserts his authority IL can't AFFORD
70 let Seward take the first trick" he had SAID
n month before. when there was question OF the
Cabinet Il remark that if this must be done
must do it, was the way he now laid ASIDE the
nremier's question of the Presidency-and OF the
premiership as well.
H. NAV be that other men, 1t may even be that
many men. saw more clearly than Lincoln did that
war was coming But his alone was the response
blitv Of dealing with the issue thrust upon him by
the acts of the belgerent South The North was not
readv-was not yet reused. Even after sum-
fer. when the wounded men of the 9th Massa-
chusetts shot down in the streets OF Baltimore
came to see him at the White House, Lincoln III
the stress of the hour, driven to eXcialm'
begin to believe there is no North" Inc momehe
for a swift strong blow had come and gone. lhere
was no longer even the opportunity. lime was
now needed to rouse the North to vindicate the
cause before the nations to save the oorder o'aes
from the whirlpool Virginia drifted IN, OF was
dragged in. but Kentucky, Missouri and Maryland
wore saved to the Union by the firmness and the
patience of Lincoln in these early days Indeed ID
the handling of this border State business ne
showed in the highest degree the statesmans Skill
For the rest, all governments are weak ana all
instructions are strong; military dictatorship
might have struck more promptly and WIN a
heavier hand but the soil has not proved 1aVoraoie
to the crop. Free governments belnS paseu OH
.bo consent of the governed, are always slow TO
not oooinst forcible resistance yet they have com
monty shown themselves dangerous things, and
difficult to oppose or direct Apathy, enthus-
osm impatience succeed one another with I'M
comfortable rapidity.
When once the die was cast at Sumter Lincoln
acted with promptness and decision. From that
moment he began to grow rapidly, steadily surely
For nearly n wear he let his generals have pretty
much their own way, through good report ana
OWL report until his supporters and followers, WIFI
ont whom his Government could not ne carlleu
on began to revolt or draw aloof. linen ne oegah
70 study and to master tile art of war; as BEFORE on
the Springfield circuit he had studied ana hasteieu
Fuclid. He found them both simple enough 10
any man Of good mind that chooses 10 give hlinseH
70 the task The real difficulty, as IN o'her aI's'
lies in the reduction of principles 10 prac'loe'
This is never easy From the Presidents nrs'
executive order to his last may be noteu 'iie ue-
vclopment of strategist of the hrst order' ~
strategy as to other things, he Drought Ve 9elu'
Of common-sense. His letter to Mcclellan Noi
VI M 1sl-1sD. with the characteristic oeelnihhe
You remember my speaking 10 you Vi "ii"O
oorod vour overcautiousness, might almost serve
for lecture to a class of advanced students. Mo
C1o,Ian accented il. Lincoln was almost, if not
unite the first to measure the importance vi s'iA-
;nr and holding East Tennessee: and he seems TO
have been the only person not surprised ny '"'
COCO with which the conquest was at last effected.
However, here, as elsewhere, ho'apS ~ Wv
Shenandoah the means finally employed were
.os.I,, rrootor and far more effectively combined
tIor in the corresponding schemes of the earlier
ons 90 tho war. moreover, the Confederate power
,,,s broken beyond recovery, and was visloy
.hI;no The tboroughfare through this noun
tain fostness being held, the Rebellion could only
| linger and die, as Lincoln salu' hNe "n "''''
| with a thorn in its vitals"
In tbe short vet almost imperc us speech 10 HIS
Cohirot Vol TX. y. 800. about midsummer OF
1854 he appears as the master in council lus' as
o;,htocn months earlier in his sure handling and
~ .,,,,,or, defeat Of the combined Senatorial and
| cabinet intrigue to force him TO get new Sec
rotorv Of State he had shown himself the con-
| ,,,mo+e master Of household diplomacy.
In the oft-ouoted letter to Hooker on placing
him in command of the Army of the Potomac
lincoln seems TO us TO touch, and TO touch nrmly'
Tho HIGHEST point Of his authority over the Army
| This is opnarent upon bare perIsal. nut the
IMPRESSION is greatly deepened when we rehecO
that HoOker's advancement was the result or was
believed by his allies and his followers to be the
result Of n well-organized intrigue OF politicians
| and of generals for union o. hands anu
division of hOnors Then the sully mutterngs
and the silly gatherings about dictatorship
never long silent in these eventful years. became
! sibillant on every side. II in this sort OF non
sense one thing could be siller than another. that
filing was sure TO he the choice of the Dictator
Lincoln laid his hand on the affair with the al-
thority and the affection OF father reminding
an unruly son of his virtues in order that he may
! bear TO be told of his faults. L believe you TO
he a brave and sklful soldier, which, of course
7 like. | also believe you do not mix politics
with your profession, in which you are right
You have confidence in yourself. which is val
liable if not an indispensable quality. You are
ambitious which. within reasonable bounds does
good rather than harm; but think that during
| General Burnsides command of the army you
have taken counsel of your ambition and thwarted
him as much as you could, in which you did
great wrong TO the country and to most meritorl-