partisans first and patriots second.  In the division among the Republicans they saw, not a chance to turn the scale in the President’s favor, but a chance to play politics on their own account.  A picturesque Ohio politician known as “Sunset” Cox opened the ball of their fatuousness with an elaborate argument in Congress to the effect that the President was in honor bound to regard the recent elections as strictly analogous to an appeal to the country in England; that it was his duty to remodel his policy to suit the Democrats.  Between the Democrats and the Jacobins Lincoln was indeed between the devil and the deep blue sea with no one certainly on his side except the volatile Abolitionists whom he did not trust and who did not trust him.  A great victory might carry him over.  But a great defeat—­what might not be the consequence!

On the thirteenth of December, through Burnside’s stubborn incompetence, thousands of American soldiers flung away their lives in a holocaust of useless valor at Fredericksburg.  Promptly the Jacobins acted.  They set up a shriek:  the incompetent President, the all-parties dreamer, the man who persists in coquetting with the Democrats, is blundering into destruction!  Burnside received the dreaded summons from the Committee.  So staggering was the shock of horror that even moderate Republicans were swept away in a new whirlpool of doubt.

But even thus it was scarcely wise, the Abolitionists being still fearful over the emancipation policy, to attack the President direct.  Nevertheless, the resourceful Jacobins found a way to begin their new campaign.  Seward, the symbol of moderation, the unforgivable enemy of the Jacobins, had recently earned anew the hatred of the Abolitionists.  Letters of his to Charles Francis Adams had appeared in print.  Some of their expressions had roused a storm.  For example:  “extreme advocates of African slavery and its most vehement exponents are acting in concert together to precipitate a servile war."(8) To be sure, the date of this letter was long since, before he and Lincoln had changed ground on emancipation, but that did not matter.  He had spoken evil of the cause; he should suffer.  All along, the large number that were incapable of appreciating his lack of malice had wished him out of the Cabinet.  As Lincoln put it:  “While they seemed to believe in my honesty, they also appeared to think that when I had in me any good purpose or intention, Seward contrived to suck it out of me unperceived."(9)

The Jacobins were skilful politicians.  A caucus of Republican Senators was stampeded by the cry that Seward was the master of the Administration, the chief explanation of failure.  It was Seward who had brought them to the verge of despair.  A committee was named to demand the reorganization of the Cabinet Thereupon, Seward, informed of this action, resigned.  The Committee of the Senators called upon Lincoln.  He listened; did not commit himself; asked them to call again; and turned into his own thoughts for a mode of saving the day.