He was a tall, ungainly man, little versed in the refinements of society, but gifted by nature with great common sense, and everywhere known as "Honest Abe." Kind, earnest, sympathetic, faithful, democratic, he was anxious only to serve his country. His wan, fatigued face, and his bent form, told of the cares he bore, and the grief he felt. His only relief was when, tossing aside for a moment the heavy load of responsibility, his face would light up with a humorsome smile, while he narrated some incident whose irresistible wit and aptness to the subject at hand, convulsed his hearers, and rendered "Lincoln's stories" household words throughout the nation.] (SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT: 1861-1865) [Illustration] [Footnote: _Questions on the Geography of the Fifth Epoch_. --Locate the following places noted as battle-fields. Names of places in italic letters, as well as the Battles before Richmond, may be found on pages--and--. Philippi. Big Bethel. Boonville (Booneville). Carthage. Rich Mountain. Bull Run. Wilson's Creek. Hatteras Inlet. Lexington, Mo. Ball's Bluff. Belmont. Port Royal. Mill Spring. Fort Henry. Roanoke Island. Fort Donelson. Pea Ridge. New Berne (Newberne). Winchester. Pittsburg Landing. Island No. 10. Fort Pulaski. Fort Jackson. Fort Macon. Beaufort. Yorktown. Williamsburg. Corinth. _Fair Oaks._ Mechanicsville. _Gaines's Mill_. _Malvern Hill_. Cedar Mountain. South Mountain. Antietam. Fredericksburg. Holly Springs. Murfreesboro. Galveston. Fort Sumter (see map, p--). Chancellorsville. Vicksburg. Gettysburg. Port Hudson. Chickamauga. Chattanooga. Knoxville. Fort de Russy. Sabine Cross Roads. Fort Pillow. Wilderness. _Bermuda Hundred_. Spottsylvania Court House. Resaca. Dallas. _Cold Harbor_. Lost Mountain. Petersburg. Atlanta. Mobile. Fort Gaines. Fort Morgan. Cedar Creek. Fort McAlister (or McAllister). Nashville. Savannah. Fort Fisher. Columbia. Goldsboro. Fort Steadman. Five Forks. Appomattox Court House. (The battles above are named in chronological order)] INAUGURATION.--Rumor of a plan to assassinate Lincoln impelled him to come to Washington in disguise. He was inaugurated March 4, 1861, surrounded by troops under the command of General Scott. CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY--All was now uncertainty. The southern officers in the army and navy of the United States were daily resigning, and linking their fortunes with the Confederate cause. There was still, however, a strong Union sentiment at the South. Many prominent men in both sections hoped that war might be averted. The Federal authorities feared to act, lest they should precipitate civil strife. In striking contrast to this indecision was the marked energy of the new Confederate government. It was gathering troops, voting money and supplies, and rapidly preparing for the issue.