“He said just what you said when you were speaking of Missouri a while ago, that he was afraid of guerilla warfare, and that the war was nearly over.  I signed ’em.  And then what does he do but pull out another batch longer than the first!  And those were worse than the first.

“‘What! you don’t want me to turn these loose, too?’

“‘Yes, I do, Mr. President.  I think it will pay to be merciful.’

“‘Then durned if I don’t,’ I said, and I signed ’em.”

                  Steamer“River queen.” 
               On the Potomac, April 9, 1865.

Dear mother:  I am glad that the telegrams I have been able to send reached you safely.  I have not had time to write, and this will be but a short letter.

You will be surprised to see this heading.  I am on the President’s boat, in the President’s party, bound with him for Washington.  And this is how it happened:  The very afternoon of the day I wrote you, General Sherman himself arrived at City Point on the steamer ‘Russia’.  I heard the salutes, and was on the wharf to meet him.  That same afternoon he and General Grant and Admiral Porter went aboard the River Queen to see the President.  How I should have liked to be present at that interview!  After it was over they all came out of the cabin together General Grant silent, and smoking, as usual; General Sherman talking vivaciously; and Lincoln and the Admiral smiling and listening.  That was historic!  I shall never expect to see such a sight again in all my days.  You can imagine my surprise when the President called me from where I was standing at some distance with the other officers.  He put his hand on my shoulder then and there, and turned to General Sherman.

“Major Brice is a friend of mine, General,” he said.  “I knew him in Illinois.”

“He never told me that,” said the General.

“I guess he’s got a great many important things shut up inside of him,” said Mr. Lincoln, banteringly.  “But he gave you a good recommendation, Sherman.  He said that you wore white socks, and that the boys liked you and called you ‘Uncle Billy.’  And I told him that was the best recommendation he could give anybody.”

I was frightened.  But the General only looked at me with those eyes that go through everything, and then he laughed.

“Brice,” he said, “You’ll have my reputation ruined.”

“Sherman,” said Mr. Lincoln, “you don’t want the Major right away, do you?  Let him stay around here for a while with me.  I think he’ll find it interesting.”  He looked at the general-in-chief, who was smiling just a little bit.  “I’ve got a sneaking notion that Grant’s going to do something.”

Then they all laughed.

“Certainly, Mr. Lincoln,” said my General, “you may have Brice.  Be careful he doesn’t talk you to death—­he’s said too much already.”

That is how I came to stay.