Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 34.djvu/301

 Famous Retreat from Philippi. 293

disorganized army was hurled back to Washington, and Mr. Lincoln and his Cabinet had sent to Randolph county with all haste for General McClellan, and when he reached Washington he was hailed as -Napoleon, and Mr. Lincoln would jocularly tell his dishearted friends to "wait and see what little Mac would do." Poor Lincoln! He never seemed to have realized what sorrow, what bloodshed, and what suffering he was causing the country by his acts, and the levity with which he was accus- tomed to treat all questions touching the war must ever render his character contemptible in that respect.