New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-01-27

Ill q / h Ii d Ii t
would like to borrow the army if Nc
Clellan was not going to use it."
When some one remarked that Nc
Clellan was fine engineer the presi-
dent quickly replied that he must be
a Stationary engineer"
To General Hooker he once tele-
graphed: IF the head of Lees army
is at Aartinsburg and the tail of it on
the plank road between eFredericks-
burg and Charlottesville, the animal
must be very slim somewhere Could
you not break him."
Concerning Meade he once said, "Of
the two great efforts to enslave the
human race in body and in mind the
first met it's grave 200 years ago under
Cromwell at Marston Moor and the
Meade at Gettysburg
His remarks concerning General
Grant are as famous as their subject.
'I can't spare this man; he fights"
was one. When Grant was accused of
intemperance the presidents retort is
brand of whisky he drinks I would
send barrel to some of the other gen.
erals At another time he said that
Grant was the first general he had had.
All the others asked for impossibilities.
Grant did not, but accomplished things
with the supplies furnished him.
The best of his encounters with the
generals, however, was at the time of
the surrender of Harpers Ferry. The
president tried to fix the responsibility
for the capitulatfon. In the inquiry he
sent for Halleck. Schenck, Milroy and
Hooker. Each denied responsibility.
Lincoln seemed disturbed and strobe
across the room several times. Finally
his face lighted up. 81 have it; /
know who is responsiblev' he cried
who, Mr.. President? Who is it," the
four cried in chorus Gentlemen, Gen
eral Lee is the man." That sort of wit
cuts to the quick.
One day clerical delegation called
upon Lincoln, and the large voiced
spokesman said that they had been
sent by the Lord to insist on a certain
policy
well, gentlemen" replied Mr.. Lin
coin, sit is not often one is favored
with delegation direct from the AL
mighty"
Lincoln was never a vain man on the
score of personal pulchritude and often
told the story of the ugly man who
handed him over knife which had
been given him as the homeliest man
in the country. He was convinced
that mistake had been made and
Lincoln was entitled to the knife.
4 variant of this story is also told.
but may not be true:
One day man with a face like a toad
drew revolver and pointed it at Lin
coin
What seems to be the matter?" said
the future president
Well" replied the stranger. ..some
years ago I swore oath that if 1 ever
came across an uglier man than myself
I would shoot him on the spot Mr. Lin
coin scrutinized the features of the other
closely and exploded, Shoot me. for if |
am an ugiier man than you 1 don't want
to live"
A Philadelphia delegation once wait
ed on the president to present him a
most beautiful portrait" of himself
Turning to the artist, Lincoln modest
" replied:
Il presume, sir, in painting your
beautiful portrait you took your idea
Of me from my principles and not
from my person
During the Lincoln Douglas debates
Judge Douglas one day espied the
form of Lincoln crossing the stage and
fonyuIsed the audience by exclaim.
ing:
AS ! gaze on the lengthy and atten-
uated form Of my adversary / am
tempted to eyclaim in the language OF
holy writ, How long, @ Lord. how
Iong?' .
When Lincoin's turn came he waited
until Douglas had to cross the plat
form, when he CALCULATED:
ssAs I gaze on the short and SQUAT
form of my adversary am tempted to
exclafm in the language Of holy writ,
The wicked shall be cut short in their
genera ton .
This recalls Douglas charge that
Lincoln sold liquor in a grocery and
Lincoln's retert that the only differ
1nee between them was that he was
behind the bar while Douglas was in
'front.' of it.
When the president heard that there
1850