The Backwoods Boy; or, The Boyhood and Manhood of Abraham LincolnAlger, Horatio, Jr.
General
The Backwoods Boy; or, The Boyhood and Manhood of Abraham Lincoln
Alger, Horatio, Jr.
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Dr. Holland adds that Rev. Newman Hall, of London, in a sermon preached
upon and after Mr. Lincoln’s death, says that the dead body of this
youth was found among the slain on the field of Fredericksburg, wearing
next his heart the photograph of his preserver, beneath which he had
written, “God bless President Lincoln.” On another occasion, when Mr.
Lincoln was asked to assent to the capital punishment of twenty-four
deserters, sentenced to be shot for desertion, he said to the General
who pleaded the necessity of enforcing discipline, “No, General, there
are already too many weeping widows in the United States. For God’s
sake, don’t ask me to add to the number, for I won’t do it.”
From Mr. Carpenter’s “Six Months at the White House,” I make the
following extract:
“The Secretary of War and Generals in command were frequently much
annoyed at being overruled,--the discipline and efficiency of the
service being thereby, as they considered, greatly endangered. But there
was no going back of the simple signature, ‘A. Lincoln,’ attached to
proclamation or reprieve.
“My friend Kellogg, Representative from Essex County, New York, received
a dispatch one evening from the army, to the effect that a young
townsman who had been induced to enlist through his instrumentality,
had, for a serious misdemeanor, been convicted by a court-martial, and
was to be shot the next day. Greatly agitated, Mr. Kellogg went to the
Secretary of War, and urged in the strongest manner, a reprieve.
“Stanton was inexorable.
“‘Too many cases of the kind had been let off,’ he said; ‘and it was
time an example was made.’
“Exhausting his eloquence in vain, Mr. Kellogg said: ‘Well, Mr.
Secretary, the boy is not going to be _shot_--of that I give you fair
warning!’
“Leaving the War Department, he went directly to the White House,
although the hour was late. The sentinel on duty told him that special
orders had been issued to admit no one that night. After a long parley,
by pledging himself to assume the responsibility of the act, the
Congressman passed in. The President had retired; but, indifferent to
etiquette or ceremony, Judge Kellogg pressed his way through all
obstacles to his sleeping apartment. In an excited manner he stated that
the dispatch announcing the hour of execution had but just reached him.
“‘This man must not be shot, Mr. President,’ said he. ‘I can’t help what
he may have done. Why, he is an old neighbor of mine; I can’t allow him
to be shot!’
“Mr. Lincoln had remained in bed, quietly listening to the vehement
protestations of his old friend (they were in Congress together). He at
length said, ‘Well, I don’t believe _shooting_ him will do him any
good. Give me that pen. And, so saying, ‘red tape’ was unceremoniously
cut, and another poor fellow’s lease of life was indefinitely extended.”
I continue to quote from Mr. Carpenter:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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