I found him greatly changed, his countenance bearing an expression of great mental anxiety.  The whole topic of our conversation was the war, which affected him deeply....  Two years after, I again visited Washington, and went to the White House to pay my respects, in company with my friend Thomas L. Forrest.  It was Saturday; and, as usual, about six o’clock the band from the navy-yard appeared and began to play.  The President, with Adjutant-General Thomas, was seated on the balcony.  The crowd was great, marching compactly past the President, the men raising their hats in salutation.  As my friend and myself passed he said to me, ’The President seems to notice you—­turn toward him.’  ‘No,’ I said, ’I don’t care to be recognized.’  At that instant Mr. Lincoln started from his seat, advancing quickly to the iron railing, and leaning over, beckoning with his long arm, called:  ‘Hubbard!  Hubbard! come here!’ I left the ranks and ascended the stone steps to the gate of the balcony, which was locked, General Thomas saying, ‘Wait a moment, I will get the key.’  ‘Never mind, General,’ said Mr. Lincoln, ’Hubbard is used to jumping—­he can scale that fence.’  I climbed over, and for about an hour we conversed and watched the large crowd, the rebel flag being in sight on Arlington Heights.  This was the last time I ever saw his face in life.”

It was noted by those about Lincoln during his residence at the White House that he usually avoided speaking of himself as President or making any reference to the office which he held.  He used some such roundabout phrase as “since I came into this place,” instead of saying “since I became President.”  The war he usually spoke of as “this great trouble,” and he almost never alluded to the enemy as “Confederates” or “the Confederate Government.”  He had an unconquerable reluctance to appear to lead public opinion, and often spoke of himself as the “attorney for the people.”  Once, however, when a Senator was urging on him a certain course which the President was not disposed to pursue, the Senator said, “You say you are the people’s attorney.  Now, you will admit that this course would be most popular.”  “But I am not going to let my client manage the case against my judgment,” Lincoln replied quickly.  “As long as I am attorney for the people I shall manage the case to the best of my ability.  They will have a chance to put me out by and by if my management is not satisfactory.”

The President was so tormented by visitors seeking interviews for every sort of frivolous and impertinent matter, that he resorted sometimes, in desperation, to curious and effective inventions to rid himself of the intolerable nuisance.  At one time, when he was importuned by some influential people to interfere to prevent the punishment of certain persons convicted of fraudulent dealings with the government—­a class of cases too common at that time—­the President wrote Secretary Welles that he desired to see the records of the case before it was disposed