The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1917-02-08
A Visit to Lincoln in Wartime

| famed both as commander in the civil war
and as the chief engineer during the coD-
struction of the Union Pacific railroad,
| wrote for private circulation book of per-
sonal "reminiscences of Lincoln, Grant and
Sherman, each of whom he knew; the last
two intimately. In the book Genefal Dodge
| recounts number of anecdotes of Lincoln
not generally known.
He tells of visit he paid to President
Lincoln at the White House at time when
the chief executive was greatly worried over
| the command of the Union forces because
he was receiving so many demands that
Dodge writes:
"When l arrived at Washington and
went to the White House to call on Presi-
dent Lincoln met Senator Harlan of my
state in the anteroom, and he took me in to
see the president. 1t happened at the hour
when the president was receiving the crowd
| in the antechamber next to his room. SEN
ator Harlan took me up to him Immediately
| and presented me to him. President Lin
| coin received me cordially and said he was
very glad to see me. He asked me to sit down
while he disposed of the crowd. 1 sat down
and waited. saw him take each person
by the hand and in his kindly way dispose
| of them. To an outsider it would seem
that they all got what they wanted, for they
seemed to 60 away happy.
81 sat there for some time and felt that l
was overstaying my time with him, SO STEP
ped up and said that l had merely called to
pay my respects and that l had no business
and so would say goodby. President Lin
coin turned to me and said: eff you have
the time wish you would wait. l want to
talk with you.'
81 sat down again and waited quietly un-
til he had disposed of the crowd. When
he was through he took me into the next
room. He saw that l was ill at ease, so he
| took down from his desk little book call
ed "The Gospel of Peace" think it was
written by Artemus Ward and was very
humorous. He opened the book, crossed
his legs and began to read a portion of
chapter which was so humorous that be-
gan to laugh, and it brought me to myself.
"When he saw that he had got me in his
power he laid the book down and began to
talk to me about my visit to the Army of
the Potomac and what saw. He did not
say single word about my own command
or about the west, showing his whole inter-
est was in the Army of the POTOMAC. While
we were sitting there talking we were called
to lunch.
''During the meal he talked about the
Army of the Potomac and about Grant and
finally led up to the place where he asked
me the question of what thought about
Grant and what thought of his next cam
paign.
'.Just as he asked the question we got up
from the table. l answered: 'Mr. Presi-
dent, you know we western men have the
greatest confidence in General Grant. l
have no doubt whatever that in this next
campaign he will defeat Lee. How and
when he is to do it cannot tell, but am
sure of it,
''He shook my hand in both of his and
very solemnly said, you don't know how
| glad l am to hear you say that
81 did not appreciate then what great
strain he was under-not until reading
Welles' celebrated diary, showing that Lin
coin had no person around him to advise
him; that everything he did was from his
own thoughts and decision. 1t is wonder
to me that he ever got through the war so
successfully. l did not know then that
Lincoln's table was piled with letters de-
handing the change of Grant, declaring
that his cam paign was failure and want
ing different commander sent, etc.
'When l was ready to leave l thanked
President Lincoln for what he had done for
me and asked if there was anything could
do for him. He said, IF you don't care
would like to have you take my respects
| to YOUR army' ''-SeLected