The National tribune., 1909-04-01
HIS INTERVIEW WITH lincoln.
The President Saw That the soldiers
Were Paid 10

| Editor National Tribune: Now that
the Tooth anniversary Of our noble ex-
President Abraham Lincoln is at hand. al
low me to express my gratitude and to
show you his goodness and kindaess.
When "Od Glory was. fired upon on
| April u. 1861, i started for Washington
| City and arrived there fon the 18th of
April, for / suspected what was coming.
l helped to organize a volunteer company
to serve for three months, and myself was
| mustered in, in front of the White House.
| by the late Gen. Irwin McDowell-(G
Scott being in command of the troops of
| the District of Columbia). These were
stirring times in the City of Washington.
which some of you may recolect Also
we were stationed at Great Falls, Md,
and keeping open the railroad line between
Baltimore and Washington.
On July 22, 1861, we were mustered
| out, but received no pay at that time, and
II struck me that there was no way where
by we could get our pay fer such service,
for we had been without pay for eight or
| ten days, So the weather being very warm,
my chum and | used TO get up by or 5
o'clock and scout around the city. One
| morning we heard a drum near the depot,
and my chum mentioned that troops were
| coming in. Let us go down and see them
and get our breakfast if we can. AS We
approached we found two regiments along
| JIie s!ucNdih. tDluh AZ Nds IL teTluOIt
and a Massachusetts. Their time being
out they were on the eve of going home.
| They were n happy, jolly crowd, and they
| invited lie 10 share their rations with them,
| and we accepted. Just about that time,
somebody tapped me on the shoulder and
said. Sergeant. the darkey who is the
driver of carriage over there is desirous
asked him what he wished. He sad:
'The President wishes to speak to you,"
and sure enough it was President Abraham
Lincoln. / saluted respectfully and said:
Mr. President. / am at your command
What is vour wish" can see his smiling
face at the present time as he said to me !:
What troops are these, and what are
they doing here" ] gave him the State
they were from, and also the number.
replied also that they were cooking their
breakfast and were on the eve of going
home. Then the President remarked that
they were a fine body of men and he said
10 the driver: Drive on" j said: "Stop
moment, Mr.. President, have little
request to make of you. Allow me to
shake hands with you this morning" He
reached cut his honest hand, and with the
| fullness Of my heart / grasped it, and
pressed it so hard that he said to me.
let 60" AT that moment it struck me
that now was the time TO ask for our pay.
| said TO him: II have one more little
III,
"and what is it:' / stated that we had
been mustered out for some days. and that
We had not yet been paid and if we had
our money we would 20 home and see our
| friends for a few days, and / can assure
you. Mr.. President, that we will all come
back again. He turned to Secretary Sew
ard, who was in the carriage with him,
and said: "Mr. Secretary. that matter
ought to be looked into" and the good old
Secretary nodded his approyaI in his dry
old way.
Well, comrades, you might ask if we got
paid. Well, two days afterward we did
get our pay, and as for my part / kept
the promise which l made to President
Lincoln that / would come back. / came
back to Washington, walked across the
Long Bridge to Virginia, and hunted up the
Doth n. Y. and was mustered In as First
Sergeant, Co. II of that regiment on
Aug. ], 1861. served my time out with the
regiment and was mustered out in New
York City in 1863. These are facts, which