One of Mr. Lincoln’s biographers, speaking of the relations which
existed between the President and his Cabinet, says:--
“He always maintained that the proper duty of each Secretary was to
direct the details of everything done within his own department,
and to tender such suggestions, information, and advice to the
President, as he might solicit at his hands. But the duty and
responsibility of deciding what line of policy should be pursued,
or what steps should be taken in any specific case, in his
judgment, belonged exclusively to the President; and he was always
willing and ready to assume it.”[6]
The suppression of a portion of Secretary Cameron’s official report for
1861, is a case in point. A number of printed copies of the report had
left Washington before the “incendiary” passage was observed by Mr.
Lincoln. The New York “Tribune” published it as originally written.
Late in the evening of the day that these were sent, the government
printer took a copy to the President, saying he thought he ought to
look it over and see if it was satisfactory. He stated, also, that
a number of copies of the report had been already ordered from the
printing-office. Mr. Lincoln glanced over the copy placed in his hands,
and his eye rested upon the passage in question, which had reference
to arming the slaves. Instantly he was aroused. “This will never do!”
said he. “Gen. Cameron must take no such responsibility. That is a
question which belongs exclusively to me!” Then, with a pencil, he
struck out the objectionable clause, and ordered measures to be taken
at once to suppress the copies already issued. This decided action
created considerable excitement at the time, as the President’s policy
in reference to slavery had not then been indicated. In the light of
subsequent history, it will be regarded as striking evidence of the
caution with which he felt his way on this intricate and momentous
question. In his own language, in the letter to Col. Hodges, he
objected, because the indispensable necessity had not then arrived. To
Simon Cameron, however, the honor will ever belong of being the first
man connected with the Administration to strike an official blow at the
great cause of the war.
Some time after the first battle of Bull Run, General Patterson, who
had been severely censured for his action, or want of action, on that
occasion, called upon Secretary Cameron, and demanded an investigation
of the causes of the failure of the campaign. After listening to his
statement, the Secretary said that he would like the President to
see the orders and correspondence, and an interview was accordingly
arranged for the same evening. The result is given in General
Patterson’s own words:--
“I called at the hour named, was most kindly received, and read the
papers, to which the President attentively listened. When I had
finished, Mr. Lincoln said, in substance, ‘General, I have never found
fault with you nor censured you; I have never been able to see that
you could have done anything else than you did do. You obeyed orders,
and I am satisfied with your conduct.’ This was said with a manner
so frank, candid, and manly as to secure my respect, confidence, and
good-will. I expressed my gratification with and sincere thanks for
his fairness toward me, and his courtesy in hearing my case,--giving
me some five hours of his time. I said that so far as he and the War
Department were concerned I was satisfied; but that I must have a trial
by my peers, to have a public approval, and to stop the abuse daily
lavished upon me. The President replied that he would cheerfully accede
to any practicable measure to do me justice, but that I need not expect
to escape abuse as long as I was of any importance or value to the
community; adding that he received infinitely more abuse than I did,
but that he had ceased to regard it, and I must learn to do the same.”
Although the friendly relations which existed between the President
and Secretary Cameron were not interrupted by the retirement of the
latter from the War Office, so important a change in the Administration
could not of course take place without the irrepressible “story” from
Mr. Lincoln. Shortly after this event some gentlemen called upon the
President, and expressing much satisfaction at the change, intimated
that in their judgment the interests of the country required an entire
reconstruction of the Cabinet. Mr. Lincoln heard them through, and
then shaking his head dubiously, replied, with his peculiar smile:
“Gentlemen, when I was a young man I used to know very well one Joe
Wilson, who built himself a log-cabin not far from where I lived. Joe
was very fond of eggs and chickens, and he took a good deal of pains
in fitting up a poultry shed. Having at length got together a choice
lot of young fowls,--of which he was very proud,--he began to be much
annoyed by the depredations of those little black and white spotted
animals, which it is not necessary to name. One night Joe was awakened
by an unusual cackling and fluttering among his chickens. Getting up,
he crept out to see what was going on. It was a bright moonlight night,
and he soon caught sight of half a dozen of the little pests, which
with their dam were running in and out of the shadow of the shed. Very
wrathy, Joe put a double charge into his old musket, and thought he
would ‘clean’ out the whole tribe at one shot. Somehow he only killed
_one_, and the balance scampered off across the field. In telling the
story, Joe would always pause here, and hold his nose. ‘Why didn’t you
follow them up, and kill the rest?’ inquired the neighbors. ‘Blast
it,’ said Joe, ‘why, it was eleven weeks before I got over killin’
_one_. If you want any more skirmishing in that line you can just do it
yourselves!’”