The record-union., 1899-08-30
LINCoLN's DARK HOUR.
Defeat Of the Union Forces Almost
Tempted Him to Suicide.


remaining silent for probably a minute,
looking in 4 vacant way at some manu-
script lying on the desk before him,
he turned in his chair and said: Cen
tlemen, there is nothing that gives Inc
SC much pain as the opinion that seems
prevalent, judging from the neWspa-
pers, that Mr.. Lincoln was an habiuual
joker; that it was an impossibility for
him to be serious, no matter how grave
the occasion might be. Nothing IS
further from the truth. His heart was
big and good, his nature warm and
sunny; hence he naturally looked at the
bright side of events; but no man OF
my acquaintance was more serious
than he when the surroundings of the
case warranted that he should be. I
VIII give you a point in instance.
Mr.. Lincoln, during the war, was
very sensitive of the criticisms on his
Administration by the newspaper press,
pelleVlng 1t to be, as he asserted, the
true voice of the people. The failures
OF Mcdowell, Mcclellan, Burnside and
Pope with the Army of the Potomac
and the criticisms made thereon by
the newspapers almost craZed him.
Time and again he would free himself
from the Executive Mansion and seek
my little office, the only place in Wash
ington, he often said, where he could be
absolutely free from interruption. When
he became cloSeted with me on these
visits Mr.. Lincoln would unbosom him
self and talk of his cares and woes
Several times he insisted that he ought
to resign, he thought he ought to i'm
no OF of
giving the absolute control of the army
to some purely military man. 1t was
during one of these moods that he con-
ceived the idea of placing Hooker in
command Of the army of the Potomac
and of vesting him with such power
that in his opinion, he could not fail
of success. He had a great idea of
HoOker's ability as a soldier, and in ad-
dition he believed him to be an hon.
est man and a sincere patriot. He
wanted him to fight what he intended
should be, and what he felt would be,
the closing battle of the war. Accord
ingly, when Hooker got under way and
the news came that at Charlottesville
he would make his fight, Mr.. Lincoln
was in the greatest state of mental eX-
citement. From the time that Hooker's 5
army began its march until the smoke
of battle had cleared from the fatal
field of Charlottesville he scarcely
knew what it was to sleep.
TT will be remembered that the fight
lasted three days. During the first two
days it looked as if Hooker was about
to accomplish what so many generals
before him had failed to do; but, early
on the third day, the usual half-hour
dispatches began to make matters look
dark and ominous of defeat. That whole
day Mr.. Lincoln was miserable. He
ate nothing and would see no one but
me- As it grew dark the dispatches
ceased coming at all. Mr.. Lincoln
would walk from the White House to
my department and anXiously inquire
for news from Hooker. With the go
ing down of the sun a cold and drench-
ing rain set in, which lasted through
the night At about Z o'clock Mr.
Lincoln ceased his visits to my de-
partment, and gave orders at the Exec
utive Mansion that he would see no one
before morning. An hour afterward
a dispatch of indefinite character was
received from Hooker, and I hurried
with it to Mr. Lincoln's apartments.
When I entered I found him walking
the floor, and his agoniZed appearance
so terrified me that it was with Difficult
ty that I could speak. Mr.. Lincoln ap-
preached me like a man wild with anx-
iety and excitement, seized the dis
patch from my hand, read it, and, his
face slightly frightening, remarked:
Stanton, there is hope yeti At my
solicitation, Mr. Lincoln accompanied
M, ~ xxrl1o l1a
agreed to spend the night, or until
something definite was heard from
Hooker. For FIVE hours, the longest
and most wearisone of my life, wait
ed before a dispatch announcing the
retreat of Hooker was received. When
Mr.. Lincoln read it he threw up his
hands and exclaimed: MY God! Stan
ton, our cause is lost! We are ruined; /;
and such a fearful loss of life! My Cod
this is more than I can endured" He
stood, trembling visibly, his face of a
CHASTITY hue, the perspiration standing
out in big spots on his brow. He put
on his hat and coat and began to pace
the floor For five or more minutes
he was silent, and then, turning to me,
he said: If I am not about early to-
morrow. do not send for me, nor allow
any one to disturb me. Defeated again,
and so many of our noble countrymen
killed. What will the people say?'
LAS he finished he started for the
door. 1 was alarmed. There was
something indescribable about the
Presidents face and manner that made
me feel that my chief should not be
left alone How to approach him with
out creating suspicion was the thought
of a second Going up to him and laying
my hand on his shoulder, l said: Mr..
President, I too, am feeling that I
would rather be dead than alive; but
is if nanly-is it brave-that we should
be the first to succumb? have an idea:
You remain here with me tonight. Lie
down on yonder lounge, and, by the
time you have had few hours sleep,
I will have vessel at the wharf, and
we will go to the front, and see for our
selves the condition of the army
"The idea of visiting the army in per-
son acted like a tonic Mr. Lincoln
instantly adopted the suggestion. The
next morning we left Washington on a
gunboat for Hooker's command. On
our return trip Mr. Lincoln told me
| that when he started to leave the War
! Department on that evening he had
fully made up his mind to go immedi-
ately to the Potomac River and there
| end his life, as many a poor creature
| but none half so miserable as he was
at that time-had done before him. =
| Congressman Young in Philadelphia
! Times.