Had considerable talk with the President this evening. He
understands that the day arranged for Grant’s movement is to be the 2d prox. — Monday.
Sherman has asked for a little more time, says that he can't fully come up to
his part in the programme before the 5th. Sigel is at work on his.
The stories of Grant’s quarrelling with the Secretary of War
are gratuitous lies. Grant quarrels with no one.
The President told a queer story of Meigs. “When McClellan
lay at Harrison’s Landing, Meigs came one night to the President and waked him
up at the Soldiers' Home to urge upon him the immediate flight of the army from
that point — the men to get away on transports, and the horses to be killed,
as they could not be saved. Thus often,” says the President, “I, who am not
a specially brave man, have had to restore the sinking courage of these
professional fighters in critical times.
“When it was proposed to station Halleck in general command,
he insisted, to use his own language, on the appointment of a General-in-Chief
who should be held responsible for results. We appointed him, and all went well
enough until after Pope’s defeat, when he broke down, — nerve and pluck all
gone, — and has ever since evaded all possible responsibility, — little more,
since that, than a first-rate clerk.”
Granville Moody was here this evening and told a good story
about Andy Johnson and his fearful excitement when Buell was proposing to give
up Nashville to the enemy. He found him walking up and down the room, supported
by two friends. “Moody, I'm glad to see you,” he said. The two friends left,
and he and Moody were alone. “We're sold, Moody, we're sold;”
fiercely reiterating. “He's a traitor, Moody,” and such. At last, suddenly, “Pray,
Moody!” And they knelt down and prayed, Andy joining in the responses like
Methodists. After they had done, he said: — “Moody, I feel better. Moody, I'm
not a Christian,—no church,—but I believe in God,—in the Bible,—all of it — Moody,
but I’ll be damned if Nashville shall be given up.”
The President was much amused by a story I told him of
Gurowski.
The venomous old Count says:— “I despise the anti-Lincoln
Republicans. I say I go against Lincoln, for he is no fit for be President; dé say dé for one term
(holding up one dirty finger) bimeby dé beat Lincoln, den dé for two term
(holding up two unclean digits): dé is cowards and Ass!”
A despatch just received from Cameron stating that the
Harrisburgh convention had elected Lincoln delegates to Baltimore properly
instructed. The President assents to my going to the field for this campaign if
I can be spared from here.
SOURCES: Clara B. Hay, Letters of John Hay and
Extracts from Diary, Volume 1, p. 186-8; See Michael Burlingame and John R.
Turner Ettlinger, Editors, Inside
Lincoln’s White House,: the complete Civil War Diary of John Hay, p. 191-2
for the full entry.
