Part 19 (2/2)

_Now, therefore,_ I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States, in tiovernment of, the United States, and as a fit and necessary warsaid rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do, publicly proclaimed for the full period of one hundred days fronate, as the states and parts of states wherein the people thereof respectively are this day in rebellion against the United States [here follows the list]

And by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated states and parts of states, are and henceforward shall be free; and that the executive govern the nize and maintain the freedom of said persons

And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free, to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defense, and I recommend to them, that in all cases, when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages

And I further declare and make known that such persons of suitable condition will be received into the ararrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon hty God

_In Testimony whereof,_ I have hereunto set my name and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed

Done at the city of Washi+ngton, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of Ahty-seventh

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

By the President: WILLIAM H SEWARD, Secretary of State

So he fulfilled his youthful vow He had hit that thing, and he had hit it hard! From that blow the cursed institution of slavery will not recover in a thousand years

CHAPTER xxxII

DISCOURAGEMENTS

The h the Confederates ress they certainly held their own Time is an important factor in all history, and the fact that the Confederates at least gained tiainst the Union

There were no decisive victories gained by the Federal troops

Antietam, to be sure, on, but the fruits of the victory were lost

Foreach other, and for the ton than Rich by and there was no tangible evidence that the government would ever be able to maintain its authority All this tinificent in nuence In every respect but one they were decidedly superior to the ene they needed was leadershi+p The South had generals of the first grade The generalshi+p of the North had not yet fully developed

Lincoln held on to McClellan as long as it was possible to do so He never resented the personal discourtesies He never wearied of the fruitless task of urging him on He never refused to let him have his oay provided he could show a reason for it But his persistent inactivity wore out the patience of the country and finally of the army itself With the exception of northern democrats with southern sy, namely, that the as a failure, the clah unanimous To this clamor Lincoln yielded only when it beca question was no less important: Who shall take his place?

There was in the East no general whose record would entitle him to this position of honor and responsibility In all the country there was at that time no one whose successes were so conspicuous as to point hienerals who had done good service, and just at that tiht of his success He was accordingly appointed His record was good He was an unusually handso, and possessed many valuable qualities He are and by his own are

His first battle as coht at Fredericksburg on the 15th of Decehter It is possible, in this as in every other battle, that had certain things been a little different,--had it been possible to fight the battle three weeks earlier,--he would have won a glorious victory But these thoughts do not bring to life the men ere slain in battle, nor do they quiet the clamor of the country

Burnside showed a certain persistence when, in disregard of the unanienerals, he tried to force a lue, and give battle again

But he got stuck in thethe death of a large nuh the bottomless mud After this one battle, it was plain that Burnside was not the coeneral

The next experiment ith Hooker, a valiant and able ested by his well-earned soubriquet of ”fighting Joe Hooker” He had his li him to the command Lincoln wrote him a personal letter This letter is here reproduced because it is a perfect illustration of the kindly patience of the man who had need of so much patience:

”EXECUTIVE MANSION, WAshi+NGTON, DC, January 26, 1863

MAJOR-GENERAL HOOKER,

GENERAL: I have placed you at the head of the Army of the Potomac Of course I have done this upon what appears to me to be sufficient reasons, and yet I think it best for you to know that there are soard to which I am not satisfied with you I believe you to be a brave and skilful soldier, which of course I like I also believe that you do not ht You have confidence in yourself, which is a valuable, if not indispensable, quality You are aood rather than har General Burnside's command of the army you have taken counsel of your ambition and thwarted hi to the country, and to a most meritorious and honorable brother officer I have heard, in such a way as to believe it, of your recently saying that both the arovernment needed a dictator Of course it was not for this, but in spite of it, that I have given you the coain success can be dictators What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorshi+p