Existing comment:
1863:
Taking Command:
Untested in battle, the president faced a steep learning curve when it came to directing the army. Lincoln grew frustrated when his generals did not produce successes. He complained that his armies moved too slowly and did not capitalize on their gains. In an April 9, 1862 letter to McClellan, Lincoln wrote; "I think it is the precise time for you to strike a blow -- By delay the enemy will relatively gain upon you -- that is, he will gain faster by fortifications and reinforcements, than you can by re-enforcements alone."
1863 was the turning point of Lincoln's presidency. The year would test Lincoln's abilities -- to harness the Union's military and industrial might -- to find generals who could exploit such advantages -- and to prevent Northern war-weariness from reaching fatal proportions.
"This War Is Eating My Life Out":
In public, Lincoln adopted a bloody but unbowed stance toward his critics. "If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business," he said. "I do the very best I know how -- the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference."
Around friends, however, Lincoln dropped his mask. "This war is eating my life out," he told one. "I have a strong impression I shall not live to see its end." |