that I'll give that coat a good brushing."
Sherman sighed deeply and climbed to his feet, straightened his back. "You are right, of course. A war is being fought and I am a soldier and I do not fear battle. In fact I welcome it. And the first battle is to put these dark thoughts behind me now and think only of this meeting. My future depends upon its success."
Senator John Sherman was smoking his first cigar of the day when he saw the couple come down the stairs. He stubbed it out and crossed the lobby to give his sister-in-law a fraternal kiss on the cheek. Turned, smiling with pleasure, to greet his brother.
"You're looking fit as a fiddle, Cump. Ready to meet with the railsplitter?"
Sherman smiled, but his eyes remained icy cold. Today's meeting was too important to make jokes about.
"Can't these job seekers wait? Must everyone who wants a government appointment come to see me personally?" the President asked, lifting the thick sheaf of papers unread, letters unsigned, urgent matters unresolved.
"I've kept the ones that are not urgent waiting, for weeks some of them, and have dissuaded or canceled the very worst of them," Nicolay said. "But you made this appointment yourself, with Senator John Sherman. And he wants you to meet his brother, General Sherman."
Lincoln sighed deeply and let the papers drop back onto the desk. "Well—it is politics that keeps this war going, so politics it will be. See them in."
They were not a very prepossessing pair. The Senator was young and already balding. General Sherman had a wiry red beard and a short but tough body, although he did have the erect and military bearing of a West Point graduate. His eyes were as cold and empty as those of a bird of prey. Unless he was addressed directly he did not speak. Instead he sat quietly, looking out the window at the Potomac River and past that to the plowed fields of Virginia on the far side. Apparently having no interest at all in the political conversation. Lincoln watched him out of the corners of his eyes, struggling with a memory that was just below the surface. Of course!
"Well Senator," the President cut in, interrupting what was turning into an all too familiar abolitionist speech, "what you say has a lot of good reason to it. All I have to say is what the girl said when she put her foot into the stocking, 'It strikes me that there is something in it'. I shall keep your thoughts in mind. But now I would also like to have a word or two with your brother." He turned in his chair to face Sherman. "General, stop me if I am wrong, but didn't we meet at least once before?"
Sherman nodded. "We have, Mr. Lincoln. It was soon after the Battle of Bull Run."
"That's it, of course, a little matter of discipline with one of your Irish regiments as I recall."
"You might say that. As I remember it happened soon before you arrived. A captain, a lawyer if you will excuse my saying so, came up to me and spoke while a number of his soldiers were within earshot. In no uncertain terms he told me that his three-month term was up and he was going home. I was not going to abide by this, not in front of the men."
Sherman's face was rigid with anger as he relived the moment. "This kind of thing has to be stopped the instant it starts. Particularly in front of men who have already fled once from battle. So I reached inside my overcoat and said, 'If you attempt to leave without orders, it will be mutiny, and I will shoot you like a dog'. The matter ended there."
"Not quite," Lincoln said, smiling at the memory. "It must have been later that same day when I was riding through the encampment with Secretary of State Seward when this same captain comes up and points at you and says, 'Mr. President, I have a cause of grievance. This morning I went to speak to Colonel Sherman, and he threatened to shoot me'."
Always savoring a good story, Lincoln leaned back while he hesitated a dramatic moment before going on.
"I waited a bit, then leaned down and
Sherman sighed deeply and climbed to his feet, straightened his back. "You are right, of course. A war is being fought and I am a soldier and I do not fear battle. In fact I welcome it. And the first battle is to put these dark thoughts behind me now and think only of this meeting. My future depends upon its success."
Senator John Sherman was smoking his first cigar of the day when he saw the couple come down the stairs. He stubbed it out and crossed the lobby to give his sister-in-law a fraternal kiss on the cheek. Turned, smiling with pleasure, to greet his brother.
"You're looking fit as a fiddle, Cump. Ready to meet with the railsplitter?"
Sherman smiled, but his eyes remained icy cold. Today's meeting was too important to make jokes about.
"Can't these job seekers wait? Must everyone who wants a government appointment come to see me personally?" the President asked, lifting the thick sheaf of papers unread, letters unsigned, urgent matters unresolved.
"I've kept the ones that are not urgent waiting, for weeks some of them, and have dissuaded or canceled the very worst of them," Nicolay said. "But you made this appointment yourself, with Senator John Sherman. And he wants you to meet his brother, General Sherman."
Lincoln sighed deeply and let the papers drop back onto the desk. "Well—it is politics that keeps this war going, so politics it will be. See them in."
They were not a very prepossessing pair. The Senator was young and already balding. General Sherman had a wiry red beard and a short but tough body, although he did have the erect and military bearing of a West Point graduate. His eyes were as cold and empty as those of a bird of prey. Unless he was addressed directly he did not speak. Instead he sat quietly, looking out the window at the Potomac River and past that to the plowed fields of Virginia on the far side. Apparently having no interest at all in the political conversation. Lincoln watched him out of the corners of his eyes, struggling with a memory that was just below the surface. Of course!
"Well Senator," the President cut in, interrupting what was turning into an all too familiar abolitionist speech, "what you say has a lot of good reason to it. All I have to say is what the girl said when she put her foot into the stocking, 'It strikes me that there is something in it'. I shall keep your thoughts in mind. But now I would also like to have a word or two with your brother." He turned in his chair to face Sherman. "General, stop me if I am wrong, but didn't we meet at least once before?"
Sherman nodded. "We have, Mr. Lincoln. It was soon after the Battle of Bull Run."
"That's it, of course, a little matter of discipline with one of your Irish regiments as I recall."
"You might say that. As I remember it happened soon before you arrived. A captain, a lawyer if you will excuse my saying so, came up to me and spoke while a number of his soldiers were within earshot. In no uncertain terms he told me that his three-month term was up and he was going home. I was not going to abide by this, not in front of the men."
Sherman's face was rigid with anger as he relived the moment. "This kind of thing has to be stopped the instant it starts. Particularly in front of men who have already fled once from battle. So I reached inside my overcoat and said, 'If you attempt to leave without orders, it will be mutiny, and I will shoot you like a dog'. The matter ended there."
"Not quite," Lincoln said, smiling at the memory. "It must have been later that same day when I was riding through the encampment with Secretary of State Seward when this same captain comes up and points at you and says, 'Mr. President, I have a cause of grievance. This morning I went to speak to Colonel Sherman, and he threatened to shoot me'."
Always savoring a good story, Lincoln leaned back while he hesitated a dramatic moment before going on.
"I waited a bit, then leaned down and
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