The National tribune., 1909-09-23
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Continued from page one.)

Continued from page one.)
drilled, disciplined and supplied. and,
best of all, animated with high conf
dence in their officers. from the Com
mander-in-Chief down.
Hooker's wonderful success lasted
thru April. By 4 manuyer which can
not be too highly praised. he completely
outwitted and outgeneraled Gen. Lee,
and threw the Army of the Potomac
across the Rapidan directly in Lees S
rear. and where he had his enemy at
his mercy. This eliminated. April 80,
1868, and if Hooker had been shot at
noon on that day he, would have passed
into history as one of the greatest Cen
erals that ever lived. What Will never
be satisfactorily explained is the sudden
syncope that overlook Gen. Hooker at
noon on April 80 Instead of following
up the overwhelming advantage he had
gained and crushing Lees army with
his superior force. Hooker stopped the
aggressive and began weak and OBJ
jectless defensive. Gen. Lee quickly
recovered himself and, seeing all the
dangerous aggressive fading in his Op-
ponent's demeanor, began the aggres-
sive on his own part. Again he acted
had no fear of anything Hooker might
do, dividing his command by a days
march and attacking with these isolated
divisions Hooker's front and right.
A Crushing Disappointment.
The wholly inexcusable disaster of
Charlottesville followed, and Hooker.
still suffering from that unaccountable
mental syncope, terminated the cam
paign so gloriously begun by humili-
ating withdrawal across the Rapidan.
There is widely circulated story that
President Lincoln actually contemplate
ed suicide after Charlottesville. OF
course, this is not credible, but if ever
a man had reason to despair of accom-
plishing anything with the Army of the
Potomac it was President Lincoln after
Charlottesville.
Mrs. Mary A. Livermore, who was
one of a delegation from the WOmen's
Council, comprising women gathered
from all sections of the country to con-
slider what they could do to help the
cause, called upon the President at this
time, and has left on record vivid
picture of his appearance:
Il shall never forget the shock that
his presence gave US at that time Not
more ghaStly nor rigid was his dead
face as he lay in his coffin on that
never-to-be-fOrgotten night His intro
verted look and his half-staggering gait
were like those of man walking in his
der the weight of his burdens. To the
suggestion that they desired from him
some word of encouragement, some
thing to cheer and stimulate, i have
no word of encouragement to give was
his sad and blunt reply. The military
situation is far from bright, and the
country knows it as well as 1 do. The
fact is. the people have not yet made
up their minds that We are at war with
the South. They haven't buckled down
to the determination to fight this war
thru. They've got the idea into their
heads that they're going to get out of
this fix somehow by strategy. That's
the word, strategy, They've no idea
that the war is to be carried on and
put thru by hard, tough fighting. And
no headway is going to be made while
this state of mind lasts "
Once back across the river, Hooker
became his old self, made pretense
that he had done much more than he
had expected to do, and tried in vain
to revive the spirit of confidence which
his men and officers had felt in him
before they crossed the Rapidan. 1t
was. however, too late for any resur-
rection, and tho Hooker again made
wise dispositions and manuvers, few of
his officers or men We're willing to trust
themselves under him in battle
On the other hand, the Confederates
were aroused TO the highest pitch of
enthusiasm by their unexpected and
undeserved victory. Gen. Lee was or
dered to again cross the Potomac. 1t
was hoped that by his mastery strategy
he could again catch the Army of the
Potomac at a disadvantage, and defeat
1t piecemeal. as he had at Chancellors-
vile. Could this be done, winning a
victory on loyal soil and menacing at
once New York, Philadelphia, Balti-
more and Washington, England and
France could no longer refuse the long
prayed-fOr recognition of the Southern
Confederacy.