During his presidency, Abraham Lincoln delivered only three speeches outside of Washington, D.C. The first was at Gettysburg in November 1863. Baltimore was the second in April 1864. The third would come in Philadelphia two months later. Lew Wallace had been appointed Commander of the 8th Army Corps with headquarters in Baltimore by Lincoln earlier in 1864 and had already successfully supported an election in Maryland that assured that the state would remain in the Union.
In his Baltimore speech in April, without mentioning Lew Wallace’s success in managing the Maryland vote, Lincoln made reference to it saying: “The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep’s throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as a liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty, especially as the sheep was a black one. Plainly the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of the word liberty; and precisely the same difference prevails to-day among us human creatures, even in the North, and all professing to love liberty. Hence we behold the processes by which thousands are daily passing from under the yoke of bondage, hailed by some as the advance of liberty, and bewailed by others as the destruction of all liberty. Recently, as it seems, the people of Maryland have been doing something to define liberty; and thanks to them that, in what they have done, the wolf’s dictionary, has been repudiated.”
On June 7 and 8, 1864, the Republican National Convention met in Baltimore and nominated Lincoln to a second term in the White House. As was customary, Lincoln was not in attendance. Holding the Convention in Baltimore furthered the Union cause in Maryland. Within a week of the nomination, Lincoln was on the road for the third and final speech he made outside of Washington during his presidency.
On June 16, the President travelled from Washington, through Baltimore and on to a Philadelphia Fair being held as a benefit for the Sanitary Commission. Lew Wallace was part of the President’s entourage. The Sanitary Commission was a private relief agency established by federal legislation to support sick and wounded Union soldiers. Upon his arrival in Philadelphia the President was greeted by local dignitaries and taken in a coach to great applause by people who lined Chestnut Street including some African-American soldiers.
Seeing the exceptional response to word of the President’s attendance, the Executive Committee of the Fair raised the price of admission to $1 during the time the President was to be there. Lincoln, who was accompanied by Mrs. Lincoln and one of their sons, arrived at the Fair at 4:30. The crowd, swelling to over 15,000 people, was a swaying mass of humanity that overran barriers and overwhelmed the door keepers as people strained to get a glimpse of Lincoln. The President entered the Horticultural Display and at length was “rescued” and taken to a private room where Mrs. Lincoln had already been taken. After a short respite, the President headed back out and toured the Fair for two hours shaking hands, with newspapers reporting he gave preference to the ladies.
Late in the day, around 8:00 p.m. he returned to the dining room of his hotel for the formal dinner. Joining him at his table were the Honorable Edward Everett (who had been the featured speaker at the Gettysburg Dedication in 1863), former Governor Cannon of Delaware, the Mayor of Philadelphia, several local dignitaries, and General Lew Wallace.
The evening began with a toast to the health of the President by Thomas Webster, to which Lincoln responded. In acknowledging the toast he noted the work of the Sanitary Commission with comments that came to be known as his “hung in black” speech. Lincoln said: “I suppose that this toast is intended to open the way for me to say something. War at the best is terrible, and this of ours, in its magnitude and duration, is one of the most terrible the world has ever known. It has deranged business totally in many places, and perhaps in all. It has destroyed property, destroyed life, and ruined homes. It has produced a national debt and a degree of taxation unprecedented in the history of this county. It has caused mourning among us until the Heavens may almost be said to be hung in black. . . .” After noting the important work of the Sanitary and Christian Commissions, Lincoln went on to say, “When is this war to end? I do not wish to name a day when it will end, lest the end should not come at the given time. We accepted this war, and did not begin it. We accepted it for an object, and when that object is accomplished the war will end; and I hope to God it will never end until that object is accomplished.”
These comments by Lincoln were powerful words at a difficult time. Although Lincoln had been re-nominated by his party, his re-election in the fall was by no means assured at the time of this talk in June of 1864. The North was still reeling from the devastating Battle of Wilderness in May which saw almost 29,000 casualties. During this battle Lincoln barely slept for four days, wandering the White House corridors muttering “I must have some relief from this terrible anxiety or it will kill me.” After the Wilderness, came Cold Harbor in late May and early June where more than 9,000 men were killed in one hour. In the six weeks before this speech in Philadelphia, General Grant’s army had seen 52,000 casualties and people as close to the President as Mrs. Lincoln were demanding the removal of Grant. Lincoln stood firm and snapped back: “I can’t spare him. He fights!” As losses mounted and morale in the North teetered. Lincoln also faced the popular Union General George McClellan, who was running for President as a Democrat, and urging a negotiated settlement with the South to end the war in a way that might very well have split the nation.
After Lincoln concluded his comments, the next toast was directed to General Wallace. Lew made a brief speech intended to support Lincoln’s stance by declaring that General Grant was the right man in the right place and stating that his (Wallace’s) mind was free from all doubt that Grant would capture the rebel capital and capture Lee’s forces. The support that Wallace expressed for General Grant was timely, significant, and helpful at this moment.
After Wallace’s comments, Edward Everett was toasted. In contrast to his hour’s long speech at Gettysburg, Everett kept his comments brief, saying in part: “After such an address from the man who has borne upon his shoulder the cares and burdens of this struggle, what can I acceptably say? . . . The President has spoken of it (the Sanitary Commission) as one of those things which help to counterbalance the losses of war, yet but for this war we should never have seen this grand magnificence (the Fair) arising in an instant . . .”
After a few additional comments and presentations, the evening wound down. Lincoln made a more visits around town that night but declined invitations to speak. The next day, Lincoln and his party, which included Wallace, returned to the White House where additional battles and losses would occupy the President’s days. One of these would be the Battle of Monocacy Junction just three weeks later in July where Lew Wallace fought and lost to Jubal Early as the Confederate General advanced on Washington, D.C. Although Wallace lost this battle, his delaying of the Confederates saved the city and Lincoln from capture and led to General Grant’s comments that Wallace had done more for the Union cause by losing his battle than many generals had accomplished by winning theirs.
Note: For a list of what are considered Lincoln’s Eleven Greatest Speeches, see Louis P. Masur, April 11, 2015, OUPblog
