Abraham Lincoln: The Observations of John G. Nicolay and John Hay

5. Washington Besieged: April 1861

51  washington besieged: april 1861 /n April 19, 1861, the anniversary of the 1775 Battle of Lexington, where Massachusetts men were the first to be killed in the Revolutionary War, members of the Sixth Massachusetts regiment were the first to die in the Civil War when a mob attacked them as they passed through Baltimore.1 Shots were exchanged, killing four soldiers and wounding thirty-six others; in addition, twelve civilians were killed and scores wounded.2 The North howled in outrage, causing residents of the Monumental City to become “greatly depressed by forebodings of the terrible retribution in store for them.”3 When informed of the attack on the Massachusetts Sixth, Lincoln “was very much astonished” and said that Maryland Governor Thomas H. Hicks “had assured him, the day before, that the troops would have no trouble in passing through Baltimore, and that if they wanted any troops from Washington he (Gov. Hicks) would telegraph.” When Hicks wired saying “Send no more troops,” the president assumed that the governor wanted no help from the administration “and that he would take care and see that the troops passed safely.”4 (In fact, on April 18 Governor Hicks and Baltimore Mayor George W. Brown telegraphed Lincoln, “Send no troops here.” They repeated that message the following day.)5 When two leading citizens of the Monumental City expressed fear that indignant Northerners might swarm into the Free State, Lincoln 52 washington besieged “most solemnly reassured them that there was no danger. ‘Our people are easily influenced by reason. They have determined to prosecute this matter with energy but with the most temperate spirit. You are entirely safe from lawless invasion.’”6 Upon the arrival of the Massachusetts Sixth in Washington, Lincoln greeted its commander, Colonel Edward F. Jones, warmly: “Thank God, you have come; for if you had not Washington would have been in the hands of the rebels before morning.”7 Observing their shabby uniforms, the president directed that the troops be given regular army shirts and trousers.8 After midnight, when a delegation from Baltimore arrived at the White House to make an appeal like Hicks’s, Nicolay refused to wake the president but called on the secretary of war, who indicated no interest in complying with their request. The next morning Lincoln encountered the Baltimoreans as he descended the White House stairs to confer with General Scott, who urged that reinforcements be sent around rather than through Baltimore. The president, “always inclined to give all men credit for fairness and sincerity,” agreed to this compromise solution , thus satisfying the committee. Half in jest, he told them that “if I grant you this, you will come to-morrow demanding that no troops shall pass around.”9 Lincoln then wired Hicks and Brown, summoning them to Washington for a consultation. Around midnight a telegram arrived from Brown stating that Hicks was unavailable and asking if he should come alone. At 1 a.m., Nicolay woke Lincoln, who had his secretary reply to the mayor, “Come.”10 On April 20, Lincoln also met with Maryland Congressmen Anthony Kennedy and J. Morrison Harris, who repeated the message of the previous Baltimore callers. Impatiently, Lincoln declared, “My God, Mr. Harris, I don’t know what to make of your people. You have sent me one committee already, and they seemed to be perfectly satisfied with what I said to them.” When Harris insisted that no more troops pass through 53 washington besieged his state, the president answered, “My God, Sir, what am I to do? I had better go out and hang myself on the first tree I come to, than to give up the power of the Federal Government in this way. I don’t want to go through your town, or near it, if I can help it; but we must have the troops here to relieve ourselves, or we shall die like rats in a heap.” Lincoln then chided Harris for abandoning his Republican principles.11 Sunday, April 21, was a “dreary and anxious” day at the White House.12 That morning, Brown and several of his fellow townsmen ful- filled Lincoln’s prediction by demanding “in the most earnest manner” that no troops pass through their state at all! The president at first balked, asserting “with great earnestness” that the protection of Washington “was the sole object of concentrating troops there, and he protested that none...