The cartoon reproduced below was published in “Harper’s Weekly” on
January 31st, 1863, the explanatory text, underneath, reading in this
way:
MANAGER LINCOLN: “Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to say that the tragedy
entitled ‘The Army of the Potomac’ has been withdrawn on account of
quarrels among the leading performers, and I have substituted three
new and striking farces, or burlesques, one, entitled ‘The Repulse of
Vicksburg,’ by the well-known favorite, E. M. Stanton, Esq., and
the others, ‘The Loss of the Harriet Lane,’ and ‘The Exploits of the
Alabama’--a very sweet thing in farces, I assure you--by the veteran
composer, Gideon Welles. (Unbounded applause by the Copperheads).”
In July, after this cartoon appeared, the Army of the Potomac defeated
Lee at Gettysburg, and sounded the death-knell of the Confederacy;
General Hooker, with his corps from this Army opened the Tennessee
River, thus affording some relief to the Union troops in Chattanooga;
Hooker’s men also captured Lookout Mountain, and assisted in taking
Missionary Ridge.
General Grant converted the farce “The Repulse of Vicksburg” into a
tragedy for the Copperheads, taking that stronghold on July 4th, and
Captain Winslow, with the Union man-of-war Kearsarge, meeting the
Confederate privateer Alabama, off the coast of France, near Cherbourg,
fought the famous ship to a finish and sunk her. Thus the tragedy of
“The Army of the Potomac” was given after all, and Playwright Stanton
and Composer Welles were vindicated, their compositions having been
received by the public with great favor.
“HE’S THE BEST OF US.”
Secretary of State Seward did not appreciate President Lincoln’s ability
until he had been associated with him for quite a time, but he was
awakened to a full realization of the greatness of the Chief Executive
“all of a sudden.”
Having submitted “Some Thoughts for the President’s Consideration”--a
lengthy paper intended as an outline of the policy, both domestic and
foreign, the Administration should pursue--he was not more surprised
at the magnanimity and kindness of President Lincoln’s reply than the
thorough mastery of the subject displayed by the President.
A few months later, when the Secretary had begun to understand Mr.
Lincoln, he was quick and generous to acknowledge his power.
“Executive force and vigor are rare qualities,” he wrote to Mrs. Seward.
“The President is the best of us.”