Abraham Lincoln is often celebrated for his wit, empathy, mimicry, and storytelling—qualities that made him a top lawyer and a top-ten president. But one often unrecognized talent is Lincoln's uncanny ability to see the larger picture of the future based on any set of present or near-present circumstances—no matter how sparse the details. His actions, decisions, speeches, and even his musings [*] reflect a strategic foresight unparalleled in Civil War leadership.
In late 1862, the Union war effort was fraught with challenges. The Mississippi River, a crucial artery for supplies and strategy, remained partially under Confederate control, and General Nathaniel Banks had been tasked with securing the Department of the Gulf. However, Lincoln had grown increasingly impatient with delays from his generals—most notably George McClellan, whose caution often paralyzed Union advancement. When Banks hesitated and submitted an overwhelming requisition for supplies, Lincoln responded with a stern but insightful letter. It was not just a rebuke; it was a lesson in pragmatism and urgency, underpinned by Lincoln's remarkable ability to anticipate logistical challenges and foresee outcomes.
This sternly worded letter to General Banks, written in late November 1862, exemplifies Lincoln’s strategic foresight.
Washington, Nov. 22, 1862 - Early last week ,you left me in high hope with your assurance that you would be off [to command the Department of the Gulf, with orders to open up the Mississippi] … at the end of that week, or early in this. It is now the end of this, and I have just been overwhelmed and confounded with the sight of a requisition made by you, which I am assured, can not be filled, and got off within an hour short of two months! I inclose you a copy of the requisition, in some hope that it is not genuine—that you have never seen it.
At this point, Lincoln projected a "larger picture" for Banks. His prior experience with General McClellan had taught him the consequences of delay, but here he went further, creating an incisive analysis from sparse details. Lincoln used the requisition numbers alone to paint a grim, yet vivid picture of the logistical nightmare they represented:
My dear General, this expanding and piling up of impedimenta, has been, so far, almost our ruin, and will be our final ruin if it is not abandoned. If you had the articles of this requisition upon the wharf, with the necessary animals to make them of any use, and forage for the animals, you could not get vessels together in two weeks to carry the whole, to say nothing of your twenty thousand men, and having the vessels, you could not put the cargoes aboard in two weeks more. And, after all, where you are going, you have no use for them. … You must be off before Congress meets. You would be better off any where, and especially where you are going, for not having a thousand wagons, doing nothing but hauling forage to feed the animals that draw them, and taking at least two thousand men to care for the wagons and animals, who otherwise might be two thousand good soldiers. Now dear General, do not think this an ill-natured letter—it is the very reverse.
Lincoln's ability to blend critique with compassion shines here. But he also knew, from his McClellan experience, the challenges of managing egos and protecting the administration’s broader strategy. To forestall potential fallout, he made a preemptive move:
"The simple publication of this requisition would ruin you. Very truly your friend, A. Lincoln.”
Lincoln's letter to General Banks is more than just a historical artifact; it exemplifies his leadership style—firm yet friendly, strategic yet empathetic. His ability to see the larger picture, to calculate the practical and political implications of decisions, and to motivate action without alienation was instrumental in guiding the Union through its darkest hours.
While his anecdotes and humor often define his public persona, letters like this reveal the incisive mind of a leader who could turn sparse details into decisive action. It’s this combination of foresight, tact, and resolve that cements Abraham Lincoln’s legacy as one of the greatest figures in American history.
This is another anecdote about Abe Lincoln, Storyteller.
Mac
[*] Roy Basler and his colleagues, who edited and published the multi-volume set of Lincoln's Collected Works (1953), continued the labeling practice of Lincoln's secretaries, John Nicolay and John Hay, of calling them "Fragments". Lincoln often squirreled away pieces of paper, backs of envelopes and so forth on which he had written reflections, inspirations, thoughts or even tried out ideas for speeches. They were not titled, dated, or signed - hence, "Fragments".
For the most part, these nuggets of insight have been overlooked by scholars and general readers alike - most likely because of their scattershot configuration. Like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, they are spread across the massive collection of Lincoln’s writings, as the respective editors attempted to place them by possible dates.
Works Cited
[1] "Letter to Nathaniel P. Banks". Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 5 [Oct. 24, 1861-Dec. 12, 1862]. In the digital collection Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/lincoln5. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 15, 2025.
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