Part 9 (1/2)

GETTING THE COMPANY COLUMN THROUGH ”ENDWISE.”

Captain Lincoln was drilling his men, marching the twenty or so ”by the front,” when he found himself before a gap in the fence through which he wanted to go.

He says: ”I could not for the life of me remember the proper words of command--(”By the right flank--file left--march.--Hardee's Tactics”)--for getting my company endwise so that it could get through the gateway; as we came near the pa.s.sage, I shouted:

”'Company, halt! break ranks! you are dismissed for two minutes, when you will fall in again on the other side of the gap!'”

REGULAR AND IRREGULAR.

In the Black Hawk War, Captain Lincoln came to cross-purposes with the regular army commissariat. The latter insisted on the fare and other service for the army being superior to what the Bucktail Rangers got; the latter, however, were empowered by the governor to forage rather freely, so that the settlers were said to fear more for their fowls through their protectors than from the Indians for their scalps. Once, when Lincoln's corps were directed to perform some duty which he did not think accrued to them, he did it. But he went to the army officer, to whom he reported, and said plainly:

”Sir, you forget that we are not under the orders and regulations of the War Department at Was.h.i.+ngton, but are simply volunteers under those of the governor of Illinois. Keep in your own sphere and there will be no difficulty! But resistance will be made to your unjust orders. Further, my men must be equal in all particulars to the regular army.”--(William Greene, who was in the Rangers.)

KNOWING WHEN TO GIVE IN.

If you will refer to the table of the Presidents, you will see that Lincoln's origin is set down as ”English.” But with the noted English love of fair play is coupled the art of not knowing when a man is beaten. This descendant of John Bull differs from his ancestors on this head.

During the Black Hawk War, the soldiers in camp entertained themselves by athletic contests. The captain of the Sangamon company excelled all the others, regulars and volunteers, in bodily pastimes. This induced the men to challenge all the army, pitting Lincoln against the whole field, one down t'other come up! A man of another regiment, named Thompson, appeared, with whom the preliminary tussle to feel the enemy gave Lincoln a belief that he had tackled more than he could pull off this time. He intimated as much to his backers, who, with true Western whole-souledness, were betting not only all their money, but their ”possibles” and equipment. Disbelieving him, though he had never shown the white feather, the first bout did terminate disastrously for Illinois. Lincoln was clearly ”downed.” The next, or settling bout, ended the same way--only Lincoln's supporters would not ”see,” and refused to pay up their bets. The whole company was about to lock horns on the decision, when Captain Lincoln spoke up:

”Boys, Thompson threw me fair and clean, and he did the same the next time, but not so clearly.”

”In peace or in war,” it was always the same ”Honest Abe” of Sangamon.

A FRUITFUL SPEECH.

At the age of twenty, Lincoln was studying law in off hours, and used to walk over to Boonville, ten or twelve miles, the county court center, to watch how law proceedings were conducted. He was interested in one murder case, ably defended by John Breckenridge; in fact, Lincoln hanging around the court-room doors to see the lawyers come out, was impelled by his ingenuous admiration to hail him, and say:

”That was the best speech I ever heard.” The advocate was naturally surprised at this frank outburst of the simple country lad. Years afterward, Breckenridge, [Footnote: Not the ex-vice-president and Confederate Cabinet officer of that name.] belonging to Texas, and having been an active Confederate, was in the position to implore the executive's clemency. It was granted him, while the donor reminded him of the far-off incident--which he still insisted included ”the best speech I ever heard!” The beneficiary might have retorted that the plea for his own pardon was, in his mind, more effective in sparing a life.

A CAPTAIN CHALLENGED BY HIS MEN.

At the outset of the Black Hawk War, an outbreak of Indians in Illinois, the popularity of Abraham Lincoln induced the young men of the Sangamon Valley, in forming a company of mounted riflemen, to vote him as their captain. The forces were very irregular _irregulars_, did no fighting as a body, and were insubordinate to the last. Once it was in an ironically amusing manner. The commander had saved a friendly Indian from a beating, that being General Ca.s.s' order, as well as what his humanity prompted, though at the same time there had been Indian tragedy in his own family, and he had the racial Indian hatred in his blood. The mutineers threatened still to shoot the captive.

”Not unless you shoot _me!_” rejoined the taunted commander.