f unaccountably akin with the graver and grander
strain of thought and feeling that inspired the greatest of his speeches.
Physically his splendid health does not seem to have been impaired beyond
recovery. But it was manifestly near to breaking; and the "deep-cut
lines" were cut still deeper, and the long legs were always cold.

The cloud over the North passed very suddenly. The North indeed paid the
penalty of a nation which is spared the full strain of a war at the
first, and begins to discover its seriousness when the hope of easy
victory has been many times dashed down. It has been necessary to dwell
upon the despondency which at one time prevailed; but it would be hard to
rate too highly the military difficulty of the conquest undertaken by the
North, or the trial involved to human nature by perseverance in such a
task. If the depression during the summer was excessive, as it clearly
was, at least the recovery which followed was fully adequate to the
occasion which produced it. On September 2 Sherman telegraphed, "Atlanta
is ours and fairly won." The strategic importance of earlier successes
may have been greater, but the most ignorant man who looked at a map
could see what it signified that the North could occupy an important city
in the heart of Georgia. Then they recalled Farragut's victory of a
month before. Then there followed, close to Washington, putting an end
to a continual menace, stirring and picturesquely brilliant beyond other
incidents of the war, Sheridan's repeated victories in the Shenandoah
Valley. The war which had been "voted a failure" was evidently not a
failure. At the same time men of high character conducted a vigorous
campaign of speeches for Lincoln. General Schurz, the German
revolutionary Liberal, who lived to tell Bismarck at his table that he
still preferred democracy to his amused host's method of government,
sacrificed his command in the Army--for Lincoln told him it could not be
restored--to speak for Lincoln. Even Chase was carried away, and after
months of insidious detraction, went for Lincoln on the stump. In the
elections in November Lincoln was elected by an enormous popular
majority, giving him 212 out of the 233 votes in the electoral college,
where in form the election is made. Three Northern States only, one of
them his native State, had gone against him. He made some little
speeches to parties which came to "serenade" him; some were not very
formal speeche