Presented for the second time to Mr. Welles, he reiterated his objection, and again refused his signature.  Though in the new form it bore the signatures of a majority of the cabinet, the paper was never presented to Mr. Lincoln.  The signers may have adopted the feeling of Mr. Welles that it was discourteous; or they may have thought that with only four members of the cabinet for it and three against it, it would be ineffectual; or, more likely than either, the mere progress of events may have brought them to consider it inexpedient.

The defeat of Pope became final and conclusive on the afternoon of August 30, and his telegram announcing it conveyed an intimation that he had lost control of his army.  President Lincoln had, therefore, to confront a most serious crisis and danger.  Even without having seen the written and signed protest, he was well aware of the feelings of the cabinet against McClellan.  With what began to look like a serious conspiracy among McClellan’s officers against Pope, with Pope’s army in a disorganized retreat upon Washington, with the capital in possible danger of capture by Lee, and with a distracted and half-mutinous cabinet, the President had need of all his caution and all his wisdom.  Both his patience and his judgment proved equal to the demand.

On Monday, September 1, repressing every feeling of indignation, and solicitous only to make every expedient contribute to the public safety, he called McClellan from Alexandria to Washington and asked him to use his personal influence with the officers who had been under his command to give a hearty and loyal support to Pope as a personal favor to their former general, and McClellan at once sent a telegram in this spirit.

That afternoon, also, Mr. Lincoln despatched a member of General Halleck’s staff to the Virginia side of the Potomac, who reported the disorganization and discouragement among the retreating troops as even more than had been expected.  Worse than all, Halleck, the general-in-chief, who was much worn out by the labors of the past few days, seemed either unable or unwilling to act with prompt direction and command equal to the emergency, though still willing to give his advice and suggestion.

Under such conditions, Mr. Lincoln saw that it was necessary for him personally to exercise at the moment his military functions and authority as commander-in-chief of the army and navy.  On the morning of September 2, therefore, he gave a verbal order, which during the day was issued in regular form as coming from the general-in-chief, that Major-General McClellan be placed in command of the fortifications around Washington and the troops for the defense of the capital.  Mr. Lincoln made no concealment of his belief that McClellan had acted badly toward Pope and really wanted him to fail; “but there is no one in the army who can man these fortifications and lick these troops of ours into shape half as well as he can,” he said.  “We must use the tools we have; if he cannot fight himself, he excels in making others ready to fight.”