At his inauguration Lincoln denied the right of any State or number of States to go out of the In the South the address was re garded as practically a declaration of war, and preparations were hurried: in the North it was strongly approved, and parties were quickly con solidated. Less than six weeks afterwards. Gen eral Beauregard. on behalf of the Confederate Government, bombarded Fort Sumter, in Charles ton Harbor. forcing the surrender of Anderson and his small force on April 14th. There began the Civil War, and from that day to the day of his death the political biog raphy of Lincoln is nearly identical with the history of the United States. On April 15th he called for 75.000 volunteers, and hundreds of thousands in the first flush of patriotic feeling thronged to enlist. At the same time Lincoln called for a special session of Congress to meet on the Fourth of July. On April 19th he pro claimed a blockade of the Southern ports: on April 27th he authorized the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. The date for the meeting of Congress had been made distant, not only to allow the President to develop his policy and to avoid the turmoil that would ensue if the mem bers net in the height of passion, hut also to take advantage of the famous holiday—thus sat a curious superstitious streak in Lin coin's nature. The only direct request made was for 400.000 men and $400,000,000. The request was granted with additions. On July kith a Democratic member (MeClernand of Illinois) of fered a resolution pledging the House to vote any amount of money and any number of men neces sary to put down the rebellion and restore the authority of the Government. There were only live opposing votes in a }louse of nearly 300 members.
On July 21st the Union forces were badly de feated at Bull Run, and driven in a panic back upon Washington. For a moment this night had the effect of disheartening the President. Gen eral Scott, who was commander-in-chief when the war broke out, resigned at the end of Octo ber. 1861. and Gen. George B. McClellan took his place. McClellan was a skillful tactician and organizer, but slow to strike. Lincoln realized the necessity for acting. hut he had not yet gained the knowledge of war that he later ac quired. His appointment of Edwin M. Stanton, a man not pleasing to him personally, as Secre tary of )Car (January 14. 18621. was an evidence of great statesmanship, and Lincoln had trials that would have broken a weaker man. McClel lan. after waiting and complaining unnecessarily, finally began a campaign in which he was thoroughly baffled by General Lee. In .luly Hal leek was appointed general-in-chief of the armies of the United States. At the end of August the principal Federal force, under the command of Pope, was defeated in the second battle of Bull Run. On September 16th-17th McClellan met Lee in the bloody battle of Antietam in Mary land. This engagement was hardly decisive, but as the Confederates were forced to give up their invasion, Lincoln chose this moment to issue his proclamation. September 22, 1862. declaring that lie would on January 1. 1863. emancipate the slaves of all the States then or thereafter in re bellion. This proclamation was a military meas ure justified as depriving the South to some ex tent of an advantage it enjoyed. Politically it was of the utmost importance, since it was the means of winning from the anti-slavery element throughout. the North a more hearty support than had previously been accorded, and added greatly to the influence of the National Govern ment abroad. where economic hardships threat ened to conceal the fact that the war was being fought largely to vindicate a great moral prin ciple. The support it received finally showed Lincoln to be Before this, though desiring emancipation, he had labored to persuade the border States to take the step of their own ac cord, in return for compensation. but he had been ummecessful. Two years afterwards Lincoln said of the proclamation: "As affairs have turned it is the central act of my administration, and the great event of the nineteenth century." McClel
lan failed to use his great force to follow Lee after Antietam: Burnside took eommand and was defeated at Fredericksburg; Hooker was appoint ed and suffered the disaster of Chaneellorsvillc. Then the tide began to turn. and on July 4th. I863. General Grant captured At the Caine time 'Meade at Gettysburg heat off the see ond invasion of Lee and won a decisive victory. On November 10, 1863. Lincoln made his immor tal speech on the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. Meade having failed to follow up his victory over Lec, Lincoln, in 1864. complying with the recommendation of Congress, appointed Grant commander-in-ehief. The South was nearly worn out and Lee': supe rior generalship could not prevail against Grant'; determination and unlimited resources. on April 9, Ise:). Lee surrendered at Appomattox.
Nuvember 'i, 1864, ill NN. s releeted Over General Mc( lellan by a you of 21 ' to Andrew John-on was elected Vice-President. When Lee's surrender tile Wa r busy with plans for reconstruetion, but fm April 14, 1S;5, before he could do anything toward uti lizing his wisdom in reorganization. he was -hot in 111, box •at Ford'; Theatre by John Wilke: Boothg a dissipated and fanatical actor. The ball entered Lincoln's brain :Ind he never regained conseiousness. At 7 o'clock on the morning he was dead.
The loss to the country by this death was in and the injured m, st all the people he would have served. The problem of bringing the two section- again into a union which should he more than one of force was; as difficult as that of managing the war. To this problem Lincoln would have not Only his experience, but generosity, utter lack of vin dictiveness, incomparable tact, a tried strength which prevented vacillation. Lincoln's most marked characteristic was the accuracy with which lie understood the American people. lie was wholly honest; he thought fairly and never as a bigoted partisan. As a lawyer he was weak unless convinced of inherent right in hi ease. and when he was convinced he relied for victor on a -kill in presenting facts which often set the other side in a light clearer than their attorneys could throw on their ease. Ile con quered by the power of truth. This love for truth, his infinite patience, and his hard thinking seem to have guided him unerringly in every great problem he had to solve. Ile who had grown up in a drifting, almost illiterate, ;hiltless society, who had no education save that which he had been able to pick tip in hour; not devoted to bread-getting, who had been for years a mere country lawyer, with a narrow horizon, directed foreign policy of dignity, strength. and Lincoln canine of roneb, shiftless, poverty-stricken stock, but through inexplicable gifts 1 e wielded in a democracy and with the full consent of t he people a power as great as that of the Czar. It was altogether fitting that a man ( f such charity should have the honor of doing most to free his country of slavery. This was his great aehieVe ment, but it must not he forgotten that eVellt... -.1 great as the inception of the Pacific railroads and of the present national banking system belong to his administration. Some of the n•asnres 1; ken to repress Northern sympathizers with the 'south brought upon him harsh criticism, but these probably be condoned by hi-tory. or at most condemned very tenderly. For the in, an ry of the great martyr President is year by v. ar !odd in more honor throughout the entire CI ion fe r which he gave hi- life.
('onsult: Lints by Hollan 1 Id. Ma-- 1865) : Lannon ( It-ton. 1872 : Le (ton l New York. 1879 ; Arnold (Chi •ago. : by Hern don and Weik (3 vols.. ih.. : l v Nieolay and Hay (10 vols.. New York. Iso0 zuol an abridornent Nicolay in 1902: ll, miniseraers by distinguished men of his time New York. '185); .Nlorse in the rue t esmen Se ries" (Boston. 1S93) Ilapgood (New York.
1899) ; and Tarbell (New York, 1900).