Part 23 (1/2)

But, as has already been said, the prospects during the summer,--for there was a period of fivebut cheering At this crisis there developed a orous support which had not previously been estimated at its full value In every loyal state there was a ”war governor” Upon these men the burdens of the war had rested so heavily that they understood, as they would not otherwise have understood, the superlative weight of cares that pressed on the President, and they saw er in swapping horses while crossing the river These war governors rallied with unanireat earnestness to the support of the President Other willing helpers were used The plain people, as well as the leading patriots, rallied to the support of the President

The deeneral theory that the as a failure As election day approached, the increased vigor hich the as prosecuted h success was not in sight The result of the election hat in later days would be called a landslide There were two hundred and thirty-three electors Of this number two hundred and twelve were for Lincoln The loyal North was back of hi the work

Such was his kindliness of spirit that he was not unduly elated by success, and never, either in trial or achieveeful After the election he was serenaded, and in acknowledgs he said, ”Now that the election is over,a common interest, reunite in a common effort to save our common country? For my own part, I have striven, and will strive, to place no obstacle in the way So long as I have been here _I have not willingly planted a thorn in any man's bosom_”

CHAPTER xxxVII

CLOSE OF THE WAR

As the year 1864 wore towards its close, military events manifestly approached a clireen

For obvious reasons the advantage was on the side of the South The South had so long been in substantial control at Washi+ngton that they had the enerals, they had nearly all the ar conflict, their militia were in the main in better condition But matters were different after three years The arenerals had been tried and their value was known Not least of all, Washi+ngton, while by no means free from spies, was not so co the departovernment was promptly reported to the authorities at Richmond Three and a half years had sufficed to weed out most of these

In that period a splendid navy had been constructed The Mississippi River was open from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico Every southern port was overne as it may seem, the available population of the North had increased The figures which Lincoln gave prove this The loyal states of the North gave in 1860 a suave a total of 3,982,011 That gave an excess of voters to the number of 111,789 To this should be added the number of all the soldiers in the field from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Indiana, Illinois, and California, who by the laws of those states could not vote away from their homes, and which number could not have been less than 90,000 Then there were t states, Kansas and Nevada, that had cast 33,762 votes This leaves an increase for the North of 234,551 votes It is plain that the North was not beco exhausted of men

Nor had the manufactures of the North decreased The manufacture of ar, and other industrial interests were flourishi+ng There was indeedThe financial problem was one of therowing desperate The factor of tiainst the with the passing years There was little hope of foreign intervention, there was not enerally accepted as a certainty that, if the Confederate governress of the war, especially of such battles as Chattanooga, the southern people would have recognized the hopelessness of their cause and the wickedness of additional slaughter, and the ould have terhth volume of the History by Nicolay and Hay there is a succession of chapters of which the headings alone tell the glad story of progress These headings are: ”Arkansas Free,” ”Louisiana Free,”

”Tennessee Free,” ”Maryland Free,” and ”Missouri Free”

In August Adut had captured Mobile General Grant with his veterans was face to face with General Lee and his veterans in Virginia General Sherh the territory of the Southern Confederacy and on Christ letter froenerals:

”EXECUTIVE MANSION, WAshi+NGTON, December 26, 1864

MY DEAR GENERAL SHERMAN:

Many, ift, the capture of Savannah

When you were about leaving Atlanta for the Atlantic, I was anxious, if not fearful; but feeling that you were the better judge, and reained,' I did not interfere

Now, the undertaking being a success, the honor is all yours; for I believe none of us went further than to acquiesce

And taking the work of General Thoreat success Not only does it afford the obvious and i to the world that your arer part to an ih to vanquish the old opposing force of the whole,--Hood's arht But what next?

I suppose it will be safe if I leave General Grant and yourself to decide

Please ment to your whole army--officers and men

Yours very truly, A LINCOLN”

The principal thing now to be done was the destruction of the Confederate arinia That and that only could end the war The sooner it should be done the better Grant's spirit cannot in a hundred pages be better expressed than in his own epigraht it out on this line if it takes all summer” It did take all summer and all winter too, for the Confederates as well as the Federals had grown to be good fighters, and they were no cowards They, too, were now acting on the defensive and were able to take advantage of swamp, hill, and river This was an important factor Grant had indeed captured two armies and destroyed one, but this was different

It needed not an experienced eye or ato see that this could only be done at a costly sacrifice of life But let it be reress had also been at a costly sacrifice of life The deadly erous as a bullet or bayonet Thousands upon thousands of soldiers were taken to hospital cursing in their wrath: ”If I could only have been shot on the field of battle, there would have been so the sater--this is awful!”