February 23, 1861 (Saturday)

"Nuts"...Lincoln's secret service nickname

"Lincoln never wrote about what it must have been like to be at the center of attention on a scale that no American ever had, the cynosure of millions seen and unseen, his every clod-hop noticed.  But his secretary John Nicolay conveyed some of the ups and downs of an emotional journey:

It is hard for anyone who had not had the chance of personal observation to realize the mingled excitement and apprehension, elation and fatigue which Mr. Lincoln and his suite underwent, almost without intermission for the period of nearly two weeks...

The downs were impressive.  Lincoln was relentlessly criticized, and even on the verge of assuming office -- struck many sophisticated commentators as less than presidential.  The New York World huffed that his journey 'after the manner of princes and conquerors, is in bad taste.'  Another wrote that Lincoln's Columbus speech was read 'amidst irresistible bursts of laughter.'

Others wrote much worse.  His features were often lampooned, and even within his entourage, members of the press ridiculed him.  But perhaps that is precisely what made this trip so memorable.  And ultimately, so successful.  Rarely has a president ever needed to meet his people, up close, as Lincoln did in February 1861.  He was still an unknown quantity, despite his fame, and he needed to persuade them that he was fighting for them, just as they would fight for him.  He literally reached out to them, shaking hands by the tens of thousands.  Even Villard had to admit, 'He never refused to respond to a call for his appearance whenever the train stopped.'  He achieved all of this while moving faster and farther than any president-elect ever had.

Nicolay continued, 'As Lincoln's journey progressed, his wisdom in making it one of public oration became apparent.'  It was not just the words he came to say, day in and day out, to immense throngs and to tiny clusters of rural families, waving mutely as the train sped past.  It was the man himself.  They saw him, and felt reassured.  By an alchemy that we cannot perceive through any photograph, the physical experience of seeing Lincoln inspired people.  Nicolay:  'his whole bearing manner, and utterance carried conviction to all beholders that the man was of them as well as for them."  (The story of the last day of Lincoln's journey to Washington by Ted Widmer entitled, "Nuts", New York Times, February 22, 2011.)