On the 25th of March, 1864, in honor of the President's renewal of
office, a grand review had been fixed at City Point, outside the
capital.
Whatever the opinion of the old military, the volunteers gave the
civilian commander "the soldiers' vote." In imitation of the French
soldiers dubbing Bonaparte "the Little Corporal," after his Italian
victories, the Americans promoted Lincoln to be their "captain," as
Walt Whitman worded it, after his repeated reinstatement. He was
rapturously greeted by "his boys in blue." But the arrangements made at
Washington in the undisturbed council were upset by General Lee. On
that very morning he had attacked and taken Fort Stedman. To drive him
out required a veritable action not terminating for several hours.
Lincoln visited the scene of restoration after the carnage, and, on
hearing regrets that the review--the chief _recreation_ of the
Washingtonians--he checked the light-souled attendants with:
"This victory is better than any review."
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