CIVIL AND MILITARY INTRIGUES.
Schuyler Colfax was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives.
When Congress met on the 7th of December, 1863, among the new
members sworn in were Generals Garfield and Schenck, of Ohio, and
Deming, of Connecticut, who had seen service; Mr. James G. Blaine,
who had been the editor of the Portland _Advertiser_, and Mr. James
G. Brooks, who had for many years edited the New York _Express_,
with Brutus J. Clay, of Kentucky; George S. Boutwell and Oakes
Ames, of Massachusetts, and other prominent men. One of the first
acts of Congress was to vote a medal of thanks to General Grant
for the victories which he had won at Missionary Ridge and at
Chattanooga. On one side of this medal was his profile, surrounded
by a wreath of laurel, with his name, the date and authority of
the presentation, and, on the encircling work, a star for each
State. On the reverse was a figure of Fame, seated in the heavens
with emblems of prosperity and power; while upon various parts of
the work the names of Grant's chief victories were inscribed.
At the New Year's reception Mr. Lincoln was in excellent spirits,
giving each passer-by a cordial greeting and a warm shake of the
hand, while for some there was a quiet joke. Mrs. Lincoln stood
at his right hand, wearing a purple silk dress trimmed with black
velvet and lace, with a lace necktie fastened with a pearl pin;
her head-dress was ornamented with a white plume. Secretary Seward
was there, sphinx-like and impassible. Governor Chase seemed
somewhat perplexed, balancing, perhaps, between the succession to
the Presidency or the Chief Justiceship; Secretary Wells' patriarchal
form towered above the crowd, and there were a few Senators and
Representatives, a majority of either House being, _on dit_, enjoying
the hospitalities of New York. But the army officers, as they came
in from the War Department, headed by General Halleck, presented
an imposing display, some with epaulettes and feathers, but a
majority in battle attire. The naval officers, headed by Admiral
Davis, also presented a fine appearance.
At twelve o'clock, the portals were thrown open, and in poured the
people in a continuous stream. For two hours did they pass steadily
along, a living tide, which swept in, eddied around the President
and his wife, and then surged into the East Room, which was a
maelstrom of humanity, uniforms, black coats, gay female attire,
and citizens generally.
Vice-President Hamlin kept open house at his residence on F Street,
and the Secretaries were all at their homes. At Governor Seward's,
Mrs. Fred Seward did the honors, assisted by Miss Seward and a
friend from Auburn, while at Governor Chase's his recently married
daughter, Mrs. Senator Sprague, and Miss Chase welcomed many friends.
Mayor Wallach entertained his visitors with old Virginia hospitality,
and at many private residences there were the traditionary bowls
of egg-nog and of apple-toddy.
The friends of General Grant in Congress urged the passage of a
bill to revive the grade of Lieutenant-General of the army. It
met with some opposition, especially from General Garfield, who
opposed the bill mainly on the ground that it would be improper at
that stage of the war to determine and award the greatest prize of
the conflict in the way of military preferment to any one of the
distinguished Generals of the army. It would, he thought, be far
more fitting for Congress to wait until war was over, and see whose
head towered above the rest in the army, and then give this crown
to the one whose head had risen highest.
Notwithstanding this opposition, the bill was passed by both Houses,
approved by the President on the 1st day of March, 1864, and the
next day he sent to the Senate the nomination of Ulysses S. Grant,
which was confirmed immediately, and General Grant was summoned to
Washington in person. He wore a plain, undress uniform and a felt
hat of the regulation pattern, the sides of the top crushed together.
He generally stood or walked with his left hand in his trousers
pocket, and had in his mouth an unlighted cigar, the end of which
he chewed restlessly. His square-cut features, when at rest,
appeared as if carved from mahogany, and his firmly set under-jaw
indicated the unyielding tenacity of a bulldog, while the kind
glances of his gray eyes showed that he possessed the softer traits.
He always appeared intensely preoccupied, and would gaze at any
one who approached him with an inquiring air, followed by a glance
of recollection and a grave nod of recognition. It was not long
after his arrival before Secretary Stanton realized that he was no
longer supreme, and the Army of the Potomac, which had virtually
dictated to its successive commanders, found that the time had come
when obedience was imperative, no matter what the loss of life
might be.
When General Grant called on the President, he met with a hearty
reception, and Mr. Lincoln, taking him into a private room, repeated
to him a story from a comic article by Orpheus C. Kerr, satirically
criticising the conduct of the war. It was a story about Captain
Bob Shorty and the Mackerel Brigade and the Anaconda Policy--
something about generals in the field being hampered by a flood of
orders. When he had finished his story, he told General Grant that
he did not care to know what he wanted to do, only to know what
was wanted. He wished him to beat Lee. How he did it was his own
lookout. He said he did not wish to know his plans or exercise
any scrutiny over his operations. So long as he beat the rebel
army he was satisfied. The formal presentation of the new commission
as Lieutenant-General was made in the presence of Cabinet officers
and other distinguished guests, and was in all respects a notable
historic scene.
On the 4th of March, General Grant ordered a forward movement, and
General Meade crossed the Rappahannock with the Army of the Potomac
one hundred and seventeen thousand strong. It was understood that
soon after the forward movement was commenced, General Meade
hesitated about crossing the stream, under a heavy fire, but General
Grant peremptorily ordered him to move forward. This was alluded
to in a letter sent to a Philadelphia newspaper by Mr. Edward
Crapsey, a native of Cincinnati, who had been reputably connected
with several leading journals. He said in his correspondence:
"History will record, but newspapers cannot, that on one eventful
night during the present campaign Grant's presence saved the army
and the nation, too. Not that General Meade was on the point of
committing a great blunder, unwittingly, but his devotion to his
country made him loath to lose her last army of what he deemed a
last chance. Grant assumed the responsibility, and we are still
'On to Richmond!'" When the newspaper containing this paragraph
reached the Army of the Potomac, General Meade issued an order that
Mr. Crapsey be arrested, paraded through the lines of the army,
with a placard marked "Libeler of the Press," and then be put
without the lines and not be permitted to return. This humiliating
punishment was carried out in the most offensive manner possible,
and Mr. Crapsey, after having been escorted through the camp on
horseback, bearing the offensive label, was sent back to Washington.
The terrific battle of the Wilderness followed, and General Grant
telegraphed for recruits, saying, "We have ended this sixth day of
very heavy fighting. The result at this time is very much in our
favor. Our losses have been heavy, as well as those of the enemy.
I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer."
General Lee, wishing to force General Grant back to the defense of
Washington, ordered a corps under General Early to attack the Union
capital, which was thought to be guarded only by a few regiments
of heavy artillery and by a home brigade of quartermasters' clerks,
improvised by Quartermaster-General Meigs. On the 12th of July,
1864, the advance-guard of the Confederates, commanded by General
Breckinridge, came within the defenses of Washington, where they
were, to their great surprise, confronted by the veteran Sixth
Corps, under General Wright, and after a few volleys had been
exchanged they precipitously retreated, and hurriedly recrossed
the Potomac. This brief engagement was witnessed from the parapet
of Fort Stevens by President Lincoln, who would not retire until
an officer was shot down within a few feet of him, when he reluctantly
stepped below. Sheltered from the sharp-shooters' fire, Cabinet
officers and a group of society ladies watched the fortunes of the
fight. It was no mock-battle that they witnessed on the outskirts
of the national metropolis. Stretchers soon conveyed the dying
and wounded to the hospital in the rear of the fort, and the graves
remain there of those who fought and fell, with the President of
the United States and his competitor at the preceding election on
opposite sides, interested spectators of the scene.
Meanwhile Mr. Chase, provoked because the President overruled him,
had resigned his position as Secretary of the Treasury, and Mr.
Fessenden had been appointed in his place. Mr. Chase desired the
Presidential nomination, and an organization was formed with Senator
Pomeroy, of Kansas, at its head to secure the election of Chase
delegates to the next National Republican Convention. Meanwhile
Chief Justice Taney died in October, 1864, and Mr. Sumner immediately
urged the President to appoint Mr. Chase as his successor. There
was then much dissatisfaction with Mr. Lincoln's Administration,
and the friends of Mr. Chase were openly and secretly urging his
nomination.
When Mr. Sumner came to Washington he renewed his request that Mr.
Chase be appointed, and he had several interviews with Mr. Lincoln
on the subject. One day Mr. Lincoln proposed to send for Mr. Chase
and frankly tell him that he wanted to nominate him as Chief Justice,
that he would make the greatest and best Chief Justice the country
had ever had, and that he would do so if he would only give up all
idea of being elected President. Mr. Sumner replied that such a
statement, however frank it might be, would never answer, as it
would not only expose the President to criticism as attempting to
purchase an opponent, but it would be offensive to Mr. Chase, as
an attempt to extort from him a pledge that he would never be a
candidate for the Presidency. Mr. Lincoln, who was quick-witted,
saw the force of Mr. Sumner's argument, and pleasantly said: "Well,
take this card and write on it the name of the man you desire to
have appointed." Mr. Sumner wrote "Salmon P. Chase," and Salmon
P. Chase was promptly nominated on the 6th of December, 1864. Mr.
Sumner urged the immediate confirmation of the appointment, and
having carried it, hastened from the Senate Chamber to congratulate
the new Chief Justice. As he came out of the room in which he
conveyed the news he met Mrs. Kate Sprague, who shook her index
finger at him and said: "And you, too, Mr. Sumner? Are you in
the business of shelving papa? But never mind, I will defeat you
all!" Mr. Sumner used to relate this incident as showing how he
had been rewarded for what he regarded as one of the most praiseworthy
acts of his life. Besides, Mr. Lincoln was not the only candidate
for the Presidential chair who would lose a rival by the appointment
of Judge Chase. Mr. Sumner had strong aspirations in that direction,
but I doubt if he regarded the bench of the Supreme Court as a
stepping-stone to the White House. Had the Senate found Mr. Johnson
guilty on the impeachment charges, and had Ben Wade thus become
President, Mr. Sumner would have been his Secretary of State, and
I am not sure that this did not influence Mr. Fessenden in his vote
of "Not guilty." Had General Grant offered Mr. Sumner the same
position it would have been accepted with the understanding that
he was to direct the foreign policy of the country untrammeled.
[Facsimile]
Joseph Hooker
JOSEPH HOOKER, born at Hadley, Mass., November 13th, 1813; graduated
at West Point, 1837; served in the Mexican War; resigned, but re-
entered the service as Brigadier-General, May, 1861; Major-General,
1862; Corps Commander, September, 1862; Division Commander, December,
1862; Commander of the Army of the Potomac, January, 1863; transferred
to the West and served from Lookout Mountain to Atlanta; commanded
the Northern Department, September, 1864, to July, 1865; retired
October 15th, 1868; died, 1879.