An officer of low volunteer rank persisted in telling and re-telling his
troubles to the President on a summer afternoon when Lincoln was tired
and careworn.
After listening patiently, he finally turned upon the man, and, looking
wearily out upon the broad Potomac in the distance, said in a peremptory
tone that ended the interview:
“Now, my man, go away, go away. I cannot meddle in your case. I could as
easily bail out the Potomac River with a teaspoon as attend to all the
details of the army.”