It is a lasting loss to American history that during President Abraham Lincoln's administration there was no secretary whose job it was to record the stories of all of Lincoln's pardons.
Think of the one that lies behind this simple order penned by Lincoln:
"Let this woman have her boy."
This was another anecdote from the archives of Abraham Lincoln, Storyteller.
Mac
Gross, Anthony. (1912) Lincoln's Own Stories. New York City, NY: Harper and Brothers Publishers. p.202.
 |
| General Joseph Hooker (Photo by Mathew Brady) |
In the summer of 1863, the Potomac River wasn’t just a geographic boundary—it was a stage for drama, disappointment, and some of President Abraham Lincoln’s most vivid metaphors. As General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army danced across it, Lincoln watched two Union generals—Joseph Hooker and George Meade—let golden opportunities slip away. And he didn’t mince words.
On June 5, 1863, Lincoln wrote to General Hooker with a folksy but pointed warning:
“I would not take any risk of being entangled upon the river, like an ox jumped half over a fence and liable to be torn by dogs front and rear, without a fair chance to gore one way or kick the other.” [1]
Translation? Don’t get stuck halfway across the Rappahannock (a tributary of the Potomac) without a clear plan. Lincoln feared Hooker would be caught in a tactical no-man’s-land—unable to advance or retreat, vulnerable to attack from both sides. It was the kind of metaphor only Lincoln could conjure: part barnyard, part battlefield.
Just nine days later, on June 14, Lincoln fired off another metaphor—this time with a sharper edge:
“If the head of Lee's army is at Martinsburg and the tail of it on the plank road between Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, the animal must be very slim somewhere. Could you not break him?” [2]
Lee’s army was stretched thin, crossing the Potomac into Pennsylvania. Lincoln saw a golden opportunity to strike. But Hooker hesitated. The “slim animal” was a serpent of Confederate troops slithering northward—and Lincoln wanted Hooker to cut it in half.
Instead, Lincoln cut Hooker loose. On June 28, he replaced him with General George Meade.
Meade delivered the Union’s greatest battlefield victory at Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863). But when Lee’s battered army was trapped by the flooded Potomac (and no bridge to use), Meade hesitated—just as Hooker had. Lee finally got his army across and escaped back into Virginia.
Lincoln was devastated. In a letter he never sent, he wrote:
“My dear General, I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee’s escape.” [3]
It was déjà vu. Same river. Same enemy. Same president. Same missed chance.
As the Civil War droned on, the Potomac became more than just a river—it was a metaphor for the Union’s struggle to "seize the moment." Twice, Lincoln watched his generals hesitate at its banks. Twice, he saw Lee slip away. And twice, he reached for a way to express his frustration.
Whether it was an ox stuck on a fence or a slim animal ripe for breaking, Lincoln’s imagery captured the agony of opportunity lost. His metaphors weren’t just colorful—they were strategic pleas wrapped in wit.
By 1863, Lincoln understood military timing better than some of the men in uniform. He didn’t need jargon to spot hesitation. He needed clarity to get them to move. And he delivered it the way he always had: with stories and metaphors that moved men to act.
Lincoln’s metaphors weren’t just colorful—they were courtroom tactics repurposed for war. He didn’t speak fluent West Point, but he knew how to make a general see the point: an ox stuck on a fence; a snake stretched too thin. These weren’t just folksy images—they were strategic alerts wrapped in barnyard wit.
Leadership isn’t just about making decisions. It’s about recognizing a window of opportunity—and kicking, goring, or breaking through before it slips away. The Potomac, for Lincoln, became a symbol of hesitation. Twice, he watched his generals pause at its banks. Twice, he saw the cost of caution. And twice, he reached for metaphor to express what maps and orders could not: Seize the moment!
And they didn’t.
So whether you're leading an army, a team, or just your own life—remember Lincoln’s "ox" and his "slim animal". When the moment comes, don’t get stuck halfway over the fence. Don’t let it slip away. Be ready to gore or kick. Be ready to break through.
Because history—and opportunity—don’t wait at the riverbank.
Don't let it be your "River of Regret."
A story of the power of metaphors and life from the archives of Abraham Lincoln, Storyteller.
Mac
[1] Gross, Anthony. (1912). Lincoln's Own Stories. New York City, NY: Harper and Brothers Publishers. p.202.
[2] "Lee's Slim Animal". Stories and Anecdotes About Abraham Lincoln Website. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
[3] "Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 6 [Dec. 13, 1862-Nov. 3, 1863]." In the digital collection Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/lincoln1. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed September 29, 2025.
After the Civil War exploded across the nation in April 1861, the new President Abraham Lincoln was beset with one crisis or catastrophe after another that first year as he tried to get a handle on being "The President".
But Lincoln was brilliant, goal driven, adaptable, and most importantly, decisive. He displayed all of those traits during an international crisis in November 1861 that threatened to overwhelm the Union cause. The Trent Affair was precipitated by an overzealous, impulsive U.S. Navy captain seeking fame and recognition. [1]
As it happened, two Confederate diplomats, James M. Mason and John Slidell were on their way to London (Mason) and Paris (Slidell) aboard a British mail packet the R.M.S. Trent to seek the diplomatic recognition of the Confederacy as a legitimate nation by those governments and to arrange military and financial aid for the war effort.
On November 8th, the U.S. Navy warship captained by Wilkes - the U.S.S. San Jacinto - stopped the Trent in the open Atlantic Ocean, forcibly removed the two Confederate emissaries and their secretaries James E. McFarland and George Eustis, and released the Trent to continue its voyage. Wilkes then sailed for Hampton Roads, Virginia where he wired Washington the news of his arrest of the two diplomats and their entourage. [1]
The Northern newspapers, members of Congress, and several members of the President's new cabinet hailed Captain Wilkes as a hero and praised him for his 'derring-do'. Even Lincoln initially approved.
The British government, however, was not impressed. They protested Wilke's seizure of the diplomats as a breach of international law and a violation of Britain's neutrality. They also mobilized troops and threatened to send them to Canada for an possible invasion of the North if the diplomats from the Confederacy were not allowed to continue their mission. France supported Britain's demands. [1]
Lincoln then realized that this incident could lead to diplomatic recognition by England and France, as well as open a second front in a war with England at the Canadian border. He called a cabinet meeting.
He laid out the diplomatic possibilities they were facing, and his reluctance to go to war with England over the affair. Despite the gravity of the situation, only one cabinet member agreed with him; the rest felt it was a point of honor.
Lincoln said the lopsided support against him reminded him of a story back home in Illinois.
A drunk strayed into a church while a revival meeting was in progress. He walked up the aisle to the very front pew, joined audibly in the singing, and said a loud "Amen" at the close of the prayers. After a while, the drunk became drowsy and fell asleep. Before the meeting closed, the pastor asked the usual question, 'Who are on the Lord's side?' and the congregation arose en masse. When he asked 'Who are on the side of the Devil?' the congregation sat down. About that time, the sleeper wok up, and, seeing the minister on his feet, arose. Looking around the drunken man said, 'I don't exactly understand the question, but I'll stand by you, parson, to the last. But seems to me, we're in a hopeless minority.' [2]
At that point, in spite of being in the minority, Lincoln said to his cabinet - decisively - 'one war at a time', and ordered the Confederate emissaries released. Great Britain then backed down from its threat to send troops, and the crisis subsided. Neither France nor Britain ever diplomatically recognized the legitimacy of the Confederacy.
After the crisis of the Trent Affair had passed, Lincoln said the peaceful resolution reminded him of an incident that occurred in his youth.
There were two fields behind our house separated by a fence. In each field was a big bulldog, and those dogs spent the whole day racing up and down, snarling at each other through the fence. One day they both came at the same moment to a hole in the fence big enough for either of 'em to get through. What do you think they did? They just turned tail and scampered away as fast as they could in opposite directions.
Lincoln then summarized the entire Trent Affair: "England and America are like those bulldogs." [2]
This was another tale from Abe Lincoln, Storyteller.
Mac
[1] Mahin, Dean B. One War at A Time: The International Dimensions of the Civil War. (1999) Lincoln, Nebraska: Potomac Books, Inc. pp. 59, 61, 69.
[2] Leidner, Gordon. Lincoln's Gift: How Humor Shaped Lincoln's Life and Legacy. (2015) Naperville, Illinois: Cumberland House. pp. 131-132.
 |
In his Personal Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln (1928), Smith Stimmel – a member of the Union Light Guard that served as the President’s personal escort – related an incident on the grounds of the Old Soldiers’ Home [**] in the summer of 1864.
Apparently, while strolling the grounds one evening, the President was spotted by one of the soldiers in his escort unit. Emboldened by Lincoln’s kindly manner, the young man decided to approach Lincoln on behalf of the rest of the Union Light Guard unit, “stating in substance that the men felt that they were not needed where they were, and that there was greater need of their services at the front." [1]
Lincoln patiently listened to all the young soldier had to say, and the said:
Well, my boy, that reminds me of an old farmer friend of mine in Illinois, who used to say he ever could understand why the Lord put a curl in a pig’s tail; it did not seem to him to be either useful or ornamental, but he guessed the Lord knew what he was doing when he put it there.[1]
Lincoln went on to agree with the Stimmel that he also didn't see any reason for having soldiers "traipsing around" after him, but that his Secretary of War Edwin Stanton - "who knows a great deal more about such things than I do" - thought it necessary. Then using his courtroom logic, he finished the conversation with a mild rebuke and a grin:
If it is necessary to have soldiers here, it might as well be you as some one else . . It is a soldier’s duty to obey orders without question, and in doing that you can serve your country as faithfully here as at the front, and I reckon it is not quite as dangerous here as it is there. [1]
With a gentle wave of his hand, the President walked on.
The other men in his unit had a good laugh at Lincoln’s story, Stimmel continued, and they admired the way the President handled the brashness of their comrade. However, Stimmel noted, “you can rest assured that no other member of that Company ever ventured to carry any further complaints to the President about their service.” [1]
Humble, kind, funny – and when he found it necessary – tough. Another of the many facets of our Sixteenth President.
This was another tale from the archives Abraham Lincoln, Storyteller.
Mac
📚 Works Cited
[**] The Old Soldiers’ Home (now the Armed Forces Retirement Home) in Washington D.C. has quite a history. First of all, it was founded in 1851- a decade before the Civil War – by the combined efforts General Robert Anderson (of Fort Sumter fame), General Winfield Scott, and, ironically, Senator Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, as a retirement home for Mexican-American war veterans. The home has remained in continuous use since its founding!
Situated on a hilltop overlooking the U.S. Capitol and just three miles from the White House, the 250-acre wooded grounds included several two-story “cottages” [the red-roofed building to the left of the Old Soldiers’ Home in the postcard], one of which also served as the site of President Lincoln’s “Summer White House“. The Lincoln family used the cottage as a get-away from the sweltering heat of the summer. The peaceful wooded surroundings offered refreshing breezes and a relief from office seekers and White House protocol. Adjacent is the Soldiers’ Home National Cemetery – the first federal military cemetery in the United States. (Yes, it predates Arlington National Cemetery).
~ Information on The Old Soldiers’ Home is from President Lincoln’s Cottage website
[1] Stimmel, Smith (1928). Personal Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln. Minneapolis, MN: William H.M. Adams. pp. 25-27.
 |
| President Lincoln standing in his White House office (1863) (This office is now the Lincoln Bedroom) |
Charles A. Dana, who was Assistant Secretary of War under Mr. Stanton, told this story.
The head of the Confederate Secret Service, Jacob Thompson, had given the Union government considerable trouble from his base in Canada. Toward the end of the war, Dana received information that Thompson was about to escape to Liverpool, England.
Dana went to Stanton, who listened to the information and gave his opinion. However, Stanton referred his assistant to Mr. Lincoln for the final decision. Dana described the exchange:
“The President was at the White House, business hours were over, Lincoln was washing his hands. ‘Hallo, Dana,’ said he, as I opened the door, ‘what is it now?’
‘Well, sir,’ I said, ‘the Provost Marshal of Portland reports that Jacob Thompson is to be in town tonight, and inquires what orders we have to give.’
‘What does Stanton say?’ Lincoln asked.
‘Arrest him,’ I replied.
‘Well,’ he continued, drawling his words, ‘I rather guess not. When you have an elephant on your hands, and he wants to run away, better let him run.’”
When Stanton heard about Lincoln's recommendation, he went to see the president and urged Lincoln to have Thompson arrested as a traitor.
“By permitting him to escape the penalties of treason,” persisted the War Secretary, “you sanction it."
"Well,” replied Mr. Lincoln, “let me tell you a story. There was an Irish soldier here last summer, who wanted something to drink stronger than water, and stopped at a drug-shop, where he espied a soda-fountain. ‘Mr. Doctor,’ said he, ‘give me, plase, a glass of soda-wather, an’ if yez can put in a few drops of whiskey unbeknown to any one, I’ll be obleeged.’ '
Now,” continued Mr. Lincoln, “if ‘Jake’ Thompson is permitted to go through Maine unbeknown to any one, what’s the harm? So don’t have him arrested.”
Thompson "escaped" to England, but ironically, he spent the rest of his life trying to clear his name of the accusation that he'd helped plan Lincoln's assassination.
This was another tale from the archives of Abraham Lincoln, Storyteller.
Mac
[1] McClure, Alexander K. (1901). Lincoln's Yarns and Stories. Chicago, IL: The John C. Winston Company.
 |
| An Irishman and his Hansom Cab in NYC (c. 1896) Photo by Alice Austin [*] |
President Abraham Lincoln, while eager that the Union troops should be supplied with the most modern and serviceable weapons, was an exceedingly practical man, and when an invention, idea or discovery was submitted to him, his first step was to ascertain how any or all of them could be applied in a way to be of benefit to the army. However, he had little patience for wasting time on what he called "contrivances" - ideas that couldn't be put to practical use.
Unfortunately, some of his generals had a mania for experimenting with any and all ideas, regardless of their practicality.
As Lincoln once put it:
“Some of these generals experiment so long and so much with newfangled, fancy notions that when they are finally brought to a head they are useless. Either the time to use them has gone by, or the machine, when put in operation, kills more than it cures.
"One of these generals, who has a scheme for ‘condensing’ rations, is willing to swear his life away that his idea, when carried to perfection, will reduce the cost of feeding the Union troops to almost nothing, while the soldiers themselves will get so fat that they’ll ‘bust out’ of their uniforms. He reminds me of an Irishman—a cabman—who had a notion that he could induce his horse to live entirely on shavings. The latter he could get for nothing, while corn and oats were pretty high-priced. So he daily lessened the amount of food to the horse, substituting shavings for the corn and oats abstracted, so that the horse wouldn’t know his rations were being cut down.
“However, just as he had achieved success in his experiment, and the horse had been taught to live without other food than shavings, the ungrateful animal ‘up and died,’ and he had to buy another.
“So far as this general referred to is concerned, I’m afraid the soldiers will all be dead at the time when his experiment is demonstrated as thoroughly successful.”
As it turns out, Lincoln's summary was right. (See [**] below.)
This was another tale from the archives of Abraham Lincoln, Storyteller.
Mac
[*] Alice Austen (March 17, 1866 – June 9, 1952) was one of America’s earliest and most prolific female photographers. The earliest extant photograph by her is dated 1884. Over the next 40 years she produced around 8,000 photographs.
[**] That general's "idea" was actually a very brilliant one - just way ahead of his time. "Condensed" food has been a staple of the armed service units in the field since W.W.II. Today, they're called Meals Ready to Eat (MREs).
[1] McClure, Alexander K. (1901). Lincoln's Yarns and Stories. Chicago, IL: The John C. Winston Company.
