Hisrefusaltocompromisewasbeginningtobearfruit。TheGulfStatesseceded。ASouthernConfederacywasformed。Thereisnoevidencethathelostfaithinhiscourse，butabundantevidencethathewasterriblyunhappy。Hewaspreyeduponbyhissenseofhelplessness，whileBuchananthroughhisweaknessandvacillationwas“givingawaythecase。““Secessionisbeingfostered，“saidhe，“ratherthanrepressed，andifthedoctrinemeetswithgeneralacceptanceintheBorderStates，itwillbeagreatblowtothegovernment。“[9]Hedidnotdeceivehimselfuponthepossibleeffectofhisultimatum，andsentwordtoGeneralScotttobepreparedtoholdorto“retake“thefortsgarrisonedbyFederaltroopsintheSouthernStates。[10]
　　Allthewhilehispremonitionoftheapproachofdoomgrewmoredarklyoppressive。Thetrailoftheartistisdiscernibleacrosshisthoughts。Inhistroubledimaginationheidentifiedhisownsituationwiththatoftheprotagonistintragediesonthethemeoffate。Hedidnotwithholdhisthoughtsfromthesupremeinstance。Thatsamefriendwhofoundhimpossessedofgloompreservedthesewordsofhis：“IhavereadonmykneesthestoryofGethsemane，whentheSonofGodprayedinvainthatthecupofbitternessmightpassfromhim。IamintheGardenofGethsemanenowandmycupofbitternessisfullandoverflowingnow。“[11]
　　“Likesomestrongseerinatrance，Seeingallhisownmischance，Withaglassycountenance，“
　　hefacedtowardWashington，towardthegloriousterrorpromisedhimbyhissuperstitions。
　　Thelastdaysbeforethedepartureweredaysofmingledgloom，desperation，andtheattempttorecoverhope。Hevisitedhisoldstepmotherandmadeapilgrimagetohisfather’sgrave。
　　Histhoughtsfondlyrenewedthedetailsofhispastlife，lingereduponthisandthat，asiffearfulthatitwasallslippingawayfromhimforever。AndthenherousedhimselfasifinsuddenrevoltagainsttheFates。ThedaybeforeheleftSpringfieldforeverLincolnmethispartnerforthelasttimeattheirlawofficetowindupthelastoftheirunsettledbusiness。“Afterthosethingswerealldisposedof，“saysHerndon，“hecrossedtotheoppositesideoftheroomandthrewhimselfdownontheoldofficesofa……Helaythereforsomemomentshisfacetotheceilingwithouteitherofusspeaking。Presently，heinquired：’Billy’——healwayscalledmebythatname——’howlonghavewebeentogether？’’Oversixteenyears，’Ianswered。’We’veneverhadacrosswordduringallthattime，havewe？’……Hegatheredabundleofpapersandbookshewishedtotakewithhimandstartedtogo，butbeforeleaving，hemadethestrangerequestthatthesignboardwhichswungonitsrustyhingesatthefootofthestairwaywouldremain。’Letithangthereundisturbed，’hesaid，withasignificantloweringofthevoice。’GiveourclientstounderstandthattheelectionofaPresidentmakesnochangeinthefirmofLincoln&Herndon。IfIlive，Iamcomingbacksometime，andthenwe’llgorightonpractisinglawasifnothinghadhappened。’Helingeredforamomentasiftotakealastlookattheoldquarters，andthenpassedthroughthedoorintothenarrowhallway。“[12]
　　Onadrearydaywithacoldrainfalling，hesetforth。Therailwaystationwaspackedwithfriends。Hemadehiswaythroughthecrowdslowly，shakinghands。“Havingfinallyreachedthetrain，heascendedtherearplatform，and，facingabouttothethrongwhichhadclosedabouthim，drewhimselfuptohisfullheight，removedhishatandstoodforseveralsecondsinprofoundsilence。Hiseyesrovedsadlyoverthatseaofupturnedfaces……Therewasanunusualquiveronhislipsandastillmoreunusualtearonhisshriveledcheek。
　　Hissolemnmanner，hislongsilence，wereasfullofmelancholyeloquenceasanywordshecouldhaveuttered。“[13]Atlength，hespoke：“Myfriends，noonenotinmysituationcanappreciatemyfeelingofsadnessatthisparting。Tothisplaceandthekindnessofthesepeople，Ioweeverything。HereIhavelivedaquarterofacentury，andhavepassedfromayoungtoanoldman。Heremychildrenhavebeenbornandoneisburied。Inowleave，notknowingwhenorwhetherever，Imayreturn，withataskbeforemegreaterthanthatwhichresteduponWashington。
　　WithouttheassistanceofthatDivineBeingwhoeverattendedhim，Icannotsucceed。Withthatassistance，Icannotfail。
　　TrustinginHimwhocangowithmeandremainwithyou，andbeeverywhereforgood，letusconfidentlyhopethatallwillyetbewell。ToHiscarecommendingyou，asIhopeinyourprayersyouwillcommendme，Ibidyouanaffectionatefarewell。“[14]
　　Thereisaperiodofsixteenmonths——fromFebruary，1861，toadayinJune，1862，——whenLincolnisthemostsingular，themostproblematicofstatesmen。Outofthisperiodheissueswithapparentabruptness，thefinalLincoln，withaplaceamongthefewconsummatemastersofstate-craft。Duringthesixteenmonths，hisgeniuscomesandgoes。Hisconfidence，whetherinhimselforinothers，isanuncertainquantity。Attimesheisbold，evenrash；atothers，irresolute。Theconstantfactorinhismoodallthiswhileishisamazinghumility。Heseemstohaveforgottenhisownexistence。Asapersonwithlikesanddislikes，withpersonalhopesandfears，hehasvanished。Heisbutanafflictedandperplexedmind，strugglingdesperatelytosavehiscountry。Aselflessman，hemaybetrulycalledthroughmonthsoftormentwhichmadehimoverfromatheoreticaltoapracticalstatesman。Heenteredthisperiodaliterarymanwhohadbeenelevatedalmostbyaccidenttothepositionofaleaderinpolitics。Aftermanyblunders，afterdoubt，hesitationandpain，hecameforthfromthissternordealapowerfulmanofaction。
　　Theimpressionwhichhemadeonthecountryattheopeningofthisperiodwasunfortunate。Theverypowerthathadhithertobeenthemakingofhim——theliterarypower，revealingtomeninwonderfullyconvincingformtheideaswhichtheyfeltwithinthembutcouldnotutter——thishaddesertedhim。Explainthepsychologyofitanywayyouwill，thereisthefact!ThespeechesLincolnmadeonthewaytoWashingtonduringthelatterpartofFebruarywereappallinglyunlikehimself。Hismindhadsuddenlyfallendumb。Hehadnothingtosay。Thegloom，thedesolationthathadpenetratedhissoul，somehow，forthemoment，madehimcommonplace。Whenhetalked——asconventionrequiredhimtodoatallhisstoppingplaces——hiswordswerebutfaintechoesofthegreatpoliticalexponentheoncehadbeen。Hisutteranceswerefatuous；mereexhortationstothecountrynottoworry。“Thereisnocrisisbutanartificialone，“hesaid。[1]Andthecountrystoodaghast!
　　Amazement，bewilderment，indignation，wasthecourseofthereactioninmanymindsofhisownparty。TheirverdictwasexpressedintheangrylanguageofSamuelBowles，“LincolnisaSimpleSusan。“[2]
　　Inprivatetalk，Lincolnadmittedthathewas“moretroubledabouttheoutlookthanhethoughtitdiscreettoshow。“Thisremarkwasmadetoa“PublicMan，“whosediaryhasbeenpublishedbutwhoseidentityisstillsecret。ThoughkeenlyalertforanytouchofweaknessorabsurdityinthenewPresident，callinghim“themostill-favoredsonofAdamI
　　eversaw，“thePublicManfoundhim“craftyandsensible。“Inconversation，theoldLincoln，thematchlessphrase-maker，couldstillexpresshimself。AtNewYorkhewastoldofawildschemethatwasonfoottoseparatethecityfromtheNorth，formacitystatesuchasHamburgthenwas，andsetupacommercialalliancewiththeConfederacy。“Astothefreecitybusiness，“saidLincoln，“well，Ireckonitwillbesometimebeforethefrontdoorsetsupbookkeepingonitsownaccount。“[3]
　　TheformalroundofentertainmentonhiswaytoWashingtonweariedLincolnintensely。Harassedandpreoccupied，hewasgenerallyillatease。Andhewastotallyunusedtosumptuousliving。Failuresinsocialusagewereinevitable。NewYorkwasconvulsedwithamusementbecauseattheoperaheworeapairofhugeblackkidgloveswhichattractedtheattentionofthewholehouse，“hangingastheydidovertheredvelvetboxfront。“Ataninformalreception，betweenactsinthedirector’sroom，helookedterriblyboredandsatonthesofaattheendoftheroomwithhishatpushedbackonhishead。
　　Caricaturesfilledtheoppositionpapers。Hewasspokenofasthe“Illinoisape“andthe“gorilla。“Everyrashremark，every“break“insocialform，everygaucheriewasseizeduponandridiculedwith-outmercy。
　　ThereisnodenyingthattheodditiesofLincoln’smannerthoughquicklydismissedfromthoughtbymenofgenius，seriouslytroubledevengenerousmenwholackedtheintuitionsofgenius。Andheneverovercametheseoddities。Duringtheperiodofhisnovitiateasaruler，thecriticalsixteenmonths，theywerecarriedawkwardly，withembarrassment。Laterwhenhehadfoundhimselfasaruler，whenhisself-confidencehadreacheditsultimateformandheknewwhathereallywas，heforgottheirexistence。Nonetheless，theywerealwaysapartofhim，hisindelibleenvelope。Attheheightofhispower，hereceivedvisitorswithhisfeetinleatherslippers。[4]
　　Hediscussedgreataffairsofstatewithoneofthoseslipperedfeetflungupontoacornerofhisdesk。Afavoriteattitude，evenwhendebatingvitalmatterswiththegreatonesofthenation，isdescribedbyhissecretariesas“sittingonhisshoulders“——hewouldslidefardownintohischairandstickupbothslipperssohighabovehisheadthattheycouldrestwitheaseuponhismantelpiece。[5]Nowonderthathisenemiesmadeunlimitedfun。Andtheyprofessedtobelievethattherewasanissuehere。WhentheelegantMcClellanwasmovingheavenandearth，ashefancied，togetthearmyoutofitsshirt-sleeves，thePresident’smannerwasacauseofendlessirritation。
　　Stillmoreseriouswastheeffectofhismanneronmanymenwhoagreedwithhimotherwise。Suchahigh-mindedleaderasGovernorAndrewofMassachusettsnevergotoverthefeelingthatLincolnwasarowdy。Howcouldarowdybethesalvationofthecountry？Inthedarkdaysof1864，whenarebellionagainsthisleadershipwasattempted，thismerelyaccidentalsideofhimwasanelementofdanger。Thebarrierithadcreatedbetweenhimselfandthemoreformaltypes，madeithardforthemenwhofinallysavedhimtoovercometheirprejudiceandnailhiscolorstothemast。Andrew’sbiographershowshimselfashrewdobserverwhenheinsistsontheunexpressedbutinexorablescalebywhichAndrewandhisfollowingmeasuredLincoln。Theyhadgrownupinthefaiththatyoucouldtellastatesmanbycertainexternalsigns，chieflybyagrandioseandcommandingaspectsuchasmadeoverpoweringthepresenceofWebster。Andthisideawasnotconfinedtoanyonelocality。
　　Everywhere，moreorless，theconservativeportionineverypartyheldthisview。ItwastheviewofWashingtonin1848
　　whenWashingtonhadfailedtoseetherealLincolnthroughhissurfacepeculiarities。ItwasagaintheviewofWashingtonwhenLincolnreturnedtoit。
　　Furthermore，hisfreewayoftalking，thebroadstorieshecontinuedtotell，weremadecountsinhisindictment。OneofthebequestsofPuritanisminAmericaistheideal，atleast，ofextremescrupulousnessintalk。TomanysinceremenLincoln’schoiceoffableswasoftenadeadlyoffense。CharlesFrancisAdamsnevergotovertheshockoftheirfirstinterview。Lincolnclenchedapointwithabroadstory。Manyprofessionalpoliticianswhohadnoobjectiontosuchtalkinitself，glaredandsneeredwhenthePresidentusedit——becauseforsooth，itmightestrangeavote。
　　Then，too，Lincolnhadnoneofthesocialfinessethatmighthaveadaptedhismannertovariousclasses。Hewasalwaysincorrigiblythedemocratpureandsimple。Hewouldhavelaugheduproariouslyoverthatundergraduatehumor，thejoyofafamousAmericanUniversity，supposedlystrongonDemocracy：
　　“WhereGodspeakstoJones，intheverysametones，ThatheusestoHadleyandDwight。“
　　ThoughLincoln’squeeraplomb，hisgood-humoredfamiliarityonfirstacquaintance，delightedmostofhisvisitors，itoffendedmany。Itwaslackingintact。Oftenitwasaclumsyattempttobejovialtoosoon，aswhenheaddressedGreeleybythenameof“Horace“almostonfirstsight。Hisdevicesforputtingmenonthefamiliarfootinglackedoriginality。Thefrequencywithwhichhecalleduponatallvisitortomeasureupagainsthimrevealsthepovertyofhissocialinvention。HeappliedthisdevicewithequalthoughtlessnesstothestatelySumner，whoprotested，andtoanobodywhogrinnedandwasdelighted。
　　ItwasthismereenvelopeofthegeniusthatwasdeplorablyevidentonthejourneyfromSpringfieldtoWashington。Therewasonedetailofthejourneythatgavehisenemiesamoredefinitegroundforsneering。Bytheironyoffate，thefirstclearinstanceofLincoln’shumility，hisreluctancetosetuphisownjudgmentagainsthisadvisers，wasalsohisfirstseriousmistake。Thereisadistinctionherethatisvital。
　　Lincolnwasenteringonanewrole，theroleofthemanofaction。Hithertoallthegreatdecisionsofhislifehadbeenspeculative；theyhaddevelopedfromwithin；theydealtwithideas。Theinflexiblesideofhimwasintellectual。Now，withoutanyadequateapprenticeship，hewascalledupontomakepracticaldecisions，todecideoncoursesofaction，atonesteptopassfromthedreamofstatecrafttoitsapplication。
　　Inevitably，foraconsiderabletime，hewastwopeople；hepassedbackandforthfromonetotheother；onlybydegreesdidhebringthetwotogether。Meanwhile，heappearedcontradictory。Inwardly，asathinker，hisdevelopmentwasunbroken；hewasstillcool，inflexible，drawingallhisconclusionsoutofthedepthsofhimself。Outwardly，inaction，hewaslearningthenewtask，hesitatingly，withvacillation，withexcessiveregardtotheadviserswhomhetreatedasexpertsinaction。Itwasnoslightmatterforanextraordinarilysensitivemantotakeupanewroleatfifty-two。
　　ThisfirstofficialmistakeofLincoln’swasingivingwaytothefearsofhisretinueforhissafety。Thetimehadbecomehysterical。Thewildestsortofstoriesfilledtheair。EvenbeforeheleftSpringfieldtherewererumorsofplotstoassassinatehim。[6]OnhisarrivalatPhiladelphiainformationwassubmittedtohiscompanionswhichconvincedthemthathislifewasindanger——anattemptwouldbemadetokillhimashepassedthroughBaltimore。SewardatWashingtonhadheardthesamestoryandhadsenthissontoPhiladelphiatoadvisecaution。Lincoln’sfriendsinsistedthatheleavehisspecialtrainandproceedtoWashingtonwithonlyonecompanion，onanordinarynighttrain。Railwayofficialswerecalledin。
　　Elaborateprecautionswerearranged。Thetelegraphlineswerealltobedisconnectedforanumberofhourssothateveniftheconspirators——assumingtherewereany——shoulddiscoverhischangeofplan，theywouldbeunabletocommunicatewithBaltimore。Theonesoldierintheparty，ColonelSumner，vehementlyprotestedthatthesechangeswereall“adamnedpieceofcowardice。“ButLincolnacquiescedintheviewsofthemajorityofhisadvisers。HepassedthroughBaltimorevirtuallyindisguise；nothinghappened；nocertainevidenceofaconspiracywasdiscovered。Andallhisenemiestookupthecryofcowardiceandrangthechangesuponit。[7]