I yesterday proposed
to the President to take a short excursion down the river. He is pale and
languid. It is a month since he came to the Executive Mansion, and he has never
yet gone outside the doors. I told him this would not answer, — that no
constitution would endure such labor and close confinement. While impressing
him with my views, Speed came in, who earnestly joined me and implored the
President to go and take Stanton with him. It would, he said, do them both
good. Stanton was not well,—was overworked. There was, Speed said, a beautiful
boat, the River Queen, the President's yacht, intended by Stanton for his use,
in which Mr. Lincoln had taken his excursions to Hampton Roads and to Richmond.
He made some appeal to me on this point. But I told him that I knew nothing of
such a boat; that she did not belong to the Navy, nor had I any control over
her. Speed said that he knew the boat, that he came from Richmond on board of
her.
The President said
he thought he would go and would send me word. About noon, his clerk, Muzzy,
sent me word that the President would go the next day at 11 A.M. on the River
Queen. Here was a dilemma. I went over to the White House to ask whether it was
expected I would go, for I could not order the Queen. Muzzy said the Queen was
not the boat; it was his mistake; that the President would not put his foot on
that vessel, would go with me on a Navy vessel, etc. While talking, the
President came in from the library and said he wanted a naval vessel.
Went with the
President, his daughter Mrs. Patterson, her two children, Mrs. Welles, Edgar,
and John, Marshal Gooding, Horace Maynard, and two or three of the President's
secretaries on the Don, and proceeded down the Potomac below Acquia Creek. It
was a cloudy summer day, extremely pleasant for a sail. The President was
afflicted with a severe headache, but the excursion was of benefit to him.
Commander Parker
gave us a specimen of squadron drill and movements which was interesting. We
returned to Washington about 8 P.M.
SOURCE: Gideon
Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy Under Lincoln and
Johnson, Vol. 2: April 1, 1864 — December 31, 1866, p. 329-30
