From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst
26 May
Memorial Day: Lincoln
and the Troops, Second Installment
From our perspective, everybody knows the North won the Civil War, so
what’s the big deal: slam-dunk, right? Actually, no. As Civil War looked more
and more likely, the vast majority of America’s military talent sided with the
South, following the lead of arguably the most able field commander in American
history, the dazzling Robert E. Lee. The North, by contrast, was left to build its
military talent froml the ground on up, and that was destined to take time. In
those early months when the bumbling giant known as the North suffered defeat
after defeat at the hands of Lee, Lincoln consistently visited his troops in
the field – not merely to consult with his generals but to shore up his
demoralized troops, reminding them time and again how essential was their work
of preserving what he himself once called “the last, best hope of earth.” I’m
sure each visit represented the need, yet again, to ignite a soggy match.
Let me say that again: there’s no arguing with “consistently.” Think of
it this way: a husband prepares a cup of coffee for his disgruntled wife; she
might then throw it in his face, but she cannot take away the fact that he
prepared it for her in the first place.
Like I say, there’s no arguing with “consistently.”
Stay tuned: third installment tomorrow.
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