One of the darkest and most trying experiences of the war was at the
time Lincoln relieved McClellan of his command:
Loud cries of dissatisfaction arose in the north. Men came
to Lincoln clamoring for changes in commands and plans and
policies. “Gentlemen,” he said to one delegation of advisers,
“suppose all the property you were worth was in gold and you
had put it in the hands of Blondin to carry across the Niagara
River on a rope. Would you shake the cable or keep shouting at
him, ‘Blondin, stand up a little straighter; Blondin, stoop
a little more; go a little faster; lean a little more to the
north; lean a little more to the south’? No, you would hold your
breath as well as your tongue and keep your hands off until he
was safe over. The Government is carrying an enormous weight.
Untold treasures are in our hands; we are doing the very best
we can. Don’t badger us. Keep silence and we will get you safe
across.”--JAMES MORGAN, “Abraham Lincoln, the Boy and
the Man.”
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