The Titans (4 page)

out of a real fix on the inauguration platform when I ct oldn't find a place for my old stovepipe." Writing, Jephtha smiled. "I remember how he took the hat and held it while you spoke-was The smile faded. And I remember your closing words. Eloquent words about the better angels of man's nature. I don't believe they exist any longer. Not in this country- "Can you say anything about the state of the army? Before your call for troops, it was only fifteen thousand men-was "Sixteen. Most of 'em scattered hither and yon on the Western borders." "Will they be able to put down the insurrection with the help of the militia?" Lincoln reflected. "Mr. Kent, I won't answer that I've already expressed my thinking in the proclamation. 708An Oath Registered in Heaven" To say anything further might sound overly belligerent. Make matters worse. The truth is, I'm saddened the South has forced war on this government-was "Some say you maneuvered the events at Sumter. Specifically, by sending Mr. Chew of the War Department to Charleston earlier this month to inform Governor Pickens you intended to reprovision the fort by sea." Lincoln looked somber, his silence acknowledging a degree of truth in Jephtha's rather bold observation. But the President let him continue: "In effect, Mr. Chew's mission signaled a repetition of the Star of the West incident before you took office. In Charleston they regarded it as a warning that you wouldn't surrender Federal property. That you'd fight instead-and hoped to provoke them into firing the first shots. Which, as it turned out, they did." "I'm aware of what people are saying," Lincoln sighed. "They can't see the difference between my duty and my personal feelings. I had to take a stand on the matter of the forts-but the last thing I wanted to do was provoke war. The very idea of Americans quarreling is grievous to me, Mr. Kent. I've said repeatedly I bear no ill will toward the Southern states. I've tried to make it plain my policy was not to interfere in the South's domestic institution where it already exists, only to promote its containment. But that didn't satisfy then- more extreme spokesmen. So I tried to sue for accord when I gave my inaugural-though my conscience did compel me to be absolutely candid on one point. I said it in March, and I'll say it now-I do believe I have a solemn oath registered in heaven to prevent an unconstitutional act. I mean the destruction of the Union. But believe me, Mr. Kent, I want to end this struggle quickly, not prolong or inflame it." Trying to write the essence of the President's thoughts, Jephtha nodded again, then said: The Titans71 "All right, sir. Could we turn for a moment to the high command of the army?" Lincoln's hairy brows puckered together. "What are you getting at? Scott is general-in-chief-was "But he's almost seventy-five. In poor health-was Lincoln grinned. "Fat as a prairie hen, too. His gout wouldn't plague him so severely if he'd stay away from all that rich food and wine." A finger stabbed out "Don't write that down." "I realize General Scott's the senior officer in the service. But there have been persistent rumors that the actual command of the Federal army will be offered to Colonel Lee." Lincoln's quick backward movement-a sort of jerking in his chair-showed Jephtha he'd hit a target. The President's fids drooped a moment The gaunt, yellowish face grew unreadable: "I consider Bob Lee the best officer in the United States army, Mr. Kent. That's no secret" "No, sir. It was evident in March after he came back from Texas and General Scott promoted him to full colonel and command of the First Cavalry." Hoping to insure Lee's continued loyalty? Jephtha didn't voice the cynical suspicion. He let Lincoln resume at his own pace: "Bob Lee's served the Union in exemplary fashion. You know he commanded the Marines who captured that lunatic Brown at Harper's Ferry. But Bob Lee is also a Virginian. I reckon I shouldn't say a word about his possible reaction to any overtures. Not that there are any overtures-or will be," Lincoln emphasized. But Jephtha knew Colonel Lee was resting at his mansion across the river in Arlington. If the special convention sitting in Richmond right this moment vojed for secession, Lee's reaction would be of inestimable importance to those on both sides of the quarrel The President rose. 7'I don't wish to be short with you, Mr. Kent. But we've passed the allotted time by several minutes." Jephtha stood. "Just one or two more questions before I go-was "Guess I'm trapped," Lincoln said, chuckling. "You do have a reputation as one of the most persistent reporters in the whole town." "Is the city in any danger at present?" "Military danger?" Jephtha nodded. Lincoln's eyes shifted away. For the first time during the conversation, Jephtha sensed a deliberate evasion coming. "I think not. Virginia hasn't left the Union-was "But everyone assumes she will. Congressman Pryor went to Charleston a while back and all but pleaded with the governor to start the attack on Sumter." "Yes, I'm acquainted with the pleadings of Mr. Pryor of Virginia. 'Strike a blow," he said. Then his state would surely step into line. Still, even if Virginia does join the insurrection, we'll manage to keep house. Precautions are being taken-was His tone said the subject was closed. But it wasn't for Jephtha. "There are very few Federal troops in Washington, sir. Even with more, can it be defended?" The President hesitated before answering. "I believe General Scott thinks not. But he also feels we won't be attacked. I can't say whether he's right or wrong. But I do know-and I'm sure you do too-the internal threat is just as great as the threat from Virginia. Southern sympathizers are pretty thick in this town. I know from all the gossip I've heard about us folks from the Northwest. The Southern crowd believes we're sour. Puritanical. Can't even enjoy a good party because of our religious principles-oh, I've heard it all," he finished with a weary wave. "i 28An Oath Registered in Heaven' The Titans73 Potential danger for city-real? Fancied? Jephtha wrote, cupping the sheet so the President couldn't see. As he finished jotting the final word, he said: "Even though fighting's broken out, will you attempt any further conciliation with the Confederacy?" "I'm sorry, but you're tramping forbidden ground again, Mr. Kent. I won't discuss policy before it's decided. Besides, things are moving so fast, policy has to run like the devil just to stay ten yards behind! Any announcements along the lines you mentioned will be official, not informal ones. "However, speaking in total confidence, I want peace. Soon, if that's possible. But there can be no compromising with rebellion. The first responsibility of this administration is to prove that popular government hasn't become an absurdity." The intense, deep-set eyes seemed to catch fire and burn a moment. Strangely, Jephtha was conscious of the humanity of the man before him, not the office he represented. Lincoln's clothes were untidy. His speech was nasal, and to some ears, grating. The Congress wouldn't even vote funds to refurbish the building in which he lived and worked under the awesome burdens of the moment. Directly beneath the conference table, there was a large rip in the threadbare carpet- "We must settle the question now" Lincoln went on. "In a free government, does the minority have the right to sunder the whole whenever they choose? I say no. This administration says no. But if we fail in proving our case it will go far to demonstrate the incapability of the people to govern themselves-was A sharp knock broke the President's concentration. Jephtha finished writing and slipped his paper and pencil back into his pocket as Lincoln accompanied him toward the rosewood door. "It's the personal price of what we face that disturbs me most," the President said. "My Bob is old enough to 748An Oath Reystered in Heaven" fight. And you have bovs of your own-in Virginia- didn't you mention that when we dined together?" "The bovs were in Virginia," Jephtha answered, feeling the familiar anger. "I have no idea where they are now. My wife has remarried. Her husband travels-was He didn't want to reveal that Fan was married to a man who engaged in a profession respectable oeople considered only a cut above operating saloons or bawdyhouses. He was an actor. It truly baffled Tephtha that his former wife, always a prooer sort, had taken up with a man such as Edward Lamont. Jephtha would have been hurt, even angry, no matter whom she'd married. But if Fan had chosen a merchant, or a teacher, it wouldn't have been half so humiliating- "Well," Lincoln said, "for the sake of your boys, and mine, I hope we can bring the conflict to a speedy end. I sometimes get depressed and conclude Americans can only settle their great disputes with bloodshed. The trouble is, it's never the disputants-the politicians- who shed the blood. They send their sons and your sons and my sons off to do it for them." He shook his head. "Sad-was As Lincoln reached for the door, it was opened by an impatient Nicolay, watch in hand: "Mr. President, forgive me, but it's twenty-five past the hour!" "Can't help it, John. Mr. Kent and I got engaged in a good chat." Lincoln held out his hand. Jephtha shook it. The President had a strong grip. Nicolay kept fidgeting. But the melancholy eyes looking out from under the black brow made Jephtha blurt one more question: "Do you ever regret you've taken this office, sir?" The President leaned against the door frame in a relaxed way. He put one hand in his pocket. The sentry, rifled musket raised, moved down the hall to bar the The Titans75 favor-seekers who had risen from their benches at the sight of the Chief Executive. "You know, Mr. Kent, once in a while I feel exactly like a fellow I knew back in Springfield. The man committed a public indecency and was promptly covered with tar and chicken feathers and escorted out of town riding on a rail. Someone asked him how it felt." The pushy throng in the hallway quieted. "Well, the miscreant said-was Lincoln's right thumb hooked under his coat and caught his suspender. His eyes twinkled as he lapsed into an exaggerated rural dialect: "To be honest, fellers, if it wasn't for the honor involved, I'd jist as soon walk." Jephtha smiled, then thanked the President for granting him more time than originally allotted. Nicolay tapped a nail against the case of his watch. Slowly, like a curtain falling, a tired expression came across Lincoln's face. He turned to re-enter the office, ignoring a man down the hall who held up his hand and exclaimed, "Mr. President, if I could just speak to you for a moment-was Lincoln scuffed his shoes on the carpet. His shoulders slumped. Nicolay followed him inside. The rosewood door closed. The man who'd raised his hand swore. Jephtha pushed through the fetid petitioners and headed down the staircase. On the ground floor he saw the German family clustered around draperies at one of the windows. With a guilty look, the wife returned a small pair of scissors to her reticule-and then something else. Jephtha noticed a square had been snipped from one of the drapes. He shook his head as he walked to the doors. Souvenir-stealing at the mansion was nothing new. But he was deeply concerned about the lack of security in the building. Lincoln was passionately hated by a great many people. Those around the President should exercise 768An Oath Registered in Heaven" more caution-insist on more guards-even if the President refused to do so. Jephtha knew Lincoln had a fatalistic view about his own death. He'd been exposed to repeated threats on his life and dismissed them, feeling his time had not yet come. Jephtha recalled reading a piece in MedilTs Chicago Daily Tribune written out of Springfield the morning after the election. Lincoln had spoken of a puzzling dream the preceding night. A dream or, his detractors would claim, hallucination; he was known to fall into black, almost suicidal moods. The story said that as Lincoln started to go to sleep, he glanced in a mirror and saw himself lying full length on a sofa covered with haircloth. His image had one body, but two faces. When he rose, the vision disappeared. When he lay down a second time, twin faces again shimmered in the glass. One face was chalk-white. Lincoln's wife Mary, the small, ambitious woman whom many said vexed her husband almost beyond endurance, had circulated the story next day and given it an eerie twist. She maintained the two faces meant her husband would be elected to a second term. The pallor of one face meant he would never complete it. Thinking of the story as he went down the mansion's outer steps, Jepntha shivered. Enemies of the President were always circulating tales about his wife's mental instability. Whether Mrs. Lincoln had a morbid imagination was beside the point. Lincoln was vulnerable in the too-public presidential residence. Washington was no longer merely a rough-hewn, basically Southern city that came to life for a few months every year when Congress sat. It was the capital of a nation at war with itself. In war, men killed other men- And not always on the battlefield. Jephtha headed toward the brick State Department building. He intended to drop in on one of his contacts The Titans77 to learn whether Lincoln's muzzling of all government officials was a reality. As he approached the building, a party of men emerged, headed for the White House. In the center of the group, with those on either side leaning close to catch his hoarse, whispery voice-a voice ruined by too many cigars-Secretary of State William Seward kept up a nonstop conversation. Seward was tall, stooped, and in his sixties. Lincoln had scored a coup by persuading his former opponent to join his cabinet. Some said Seward had already attempted to increase his personal power by offering to assume the burdens of presidential decision-making. Jephtha had never seen the provocative memorandum in which the offer had reportedly been made. But he understood Lincoln had thanked Seward and politely said no. Yet as far as Jephtha could learn, Seward and the Chief Executive still respected one another and were becoming close personal friends. Seward acknowledged Jephtha's presence with a reedy rasp. The actual words were indistinguishable as he rushed past with his entourage. Ten minutes later Jephtha emerged from State, having satisfied himself that his customary sources of rumor and half-truth were indeed no longer talking. His contact had been exceedingly nervous-r-and had twice referred to the small number of militia companies guarding Washington. Jephtha began to think the specter of Southern invasion might be more real than anyone wanted to admit. He neared several Treasury clerks who had paused to shoo a flock of clucking geese. As he passed, he heard one of the clerks growl: "comdamn fools to go after Sumter