EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, November 21, 1864.

DEAR MADAM:-I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

To Mrs. BIXBY, Boston, Massachusetts.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

This letter, addressed to one conspicuous among the thousands who had laid "costly sacrifices upon the altar of Freedom," touched the hearts of all, and strengthened the feelings of love which the great body of the people were coming to cherish for the man whom Providence had made their ruler.

Prominent among the sentiments which ruled the heart and life of Mr. Lincoln, was that reverential sense of dependence upon an Almighty Providence, which finds strong expression in the following letter which he addressed to Mrs. Eliza P. Gurney, an American lady resident in London, and wife of a wealthy Quaker banker of that city :

MY ESTEEMED FRIEND:-I have not forgotten, probably never shall forget, the very impressive occasion when yourself and friends visited me on a Sabbath forenoon, two years ago; nor had your kind letter, written nearly a year later, ever been forgotten. In all it has been your purpose to strengthen my reliance in God. I am much indebted to the good Christian people of the country for their constant prayer and consolation, and to no one of them more than to yourself. The purposes of the Almighty are perfect and must prevail, though we erring mortals may fail to accurately perceive them in advance. We hoped for a happy termination of this terrible war long before this, but God knows best, and has ruled otherwise. We shall yet acknowledge His wisdom and our own errors therein. Meanwhile we must work earnestly in the best lights He gives us, trusting that so working still conduces to the great ends He ordains. Surely, He intends some great good to follow this mighty convulsion, which no mortal could make, and no mortal could stay.

Your people-the Friends-have had, and are having, very great trials. On principle and faith opposed to both war and oppression, they can only practically oppose oppression by war. In this hard dilemma, some have chosen one horn and some the other. For those appealing to me on conscientious grounds, I have done and shall do the best I could and can in my own conscience under my oath to the law. That you believe this, I doubt not, and believing it, I shall still receive for our country and myself your earnest prayers to our Father in Heaven.

Your sincere friend,

A. LINCOLN.

This sense of religious reliance upon Providence, evident in all his acts, as well as in his expressions, and a feeling of the integrity and purity of purpose which pervaded all his acts, had won for Mr. Lincoln the cordial support of the various Christian churches of the country, and he had good reason, therefore, for thus expressing his indebtedness to the "Christian people of the land for their constant prayer and consolation." Though not a member of any church or sect, he never neglected a proper occasion for declaring his faith in those great principles on which all Christian churches and sects are built.

When a committee of colored men from Baltimore came to him to present him an elegant copy of the Bible, he made the following brief speech in answer to their address:

I can only say now, as I have often said before, it has always been a sentiment with me, that all mankind should be free. So far as I have been able, so far as came within my sphere, I have always acted as I believed was just and right, and done all I could for the good of mankind. I have, in letters sent forth from this office, expressed myself better than I can now.

In regard to the great Book, I have only to say it is the best gift which God has ever given to man. All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through this Book. But for that Book, we could not know right from wrong. All those things desirable to man are contained in it. I return you sincere thanks for this very elegant copy of this great Book of God which you present.

All knew that Mr. Lincoln was a man of thorough honesty of speech, and his whole life vindicated his asser

tion that he had acted as he believed was just and right, and had done all he could for the good of mankind. It was not strange, therefore, that the churches of the country gathered around such a leader of such a cause. When the General Conference of the Methodist Church met in May, 1864, they adopted a series of resolutions, expressing the loyalty of that church, and their sympathy with him. These resolutions were presented to the President, who responded to the accompanying address as follows :—

GENTLEMEN:-In response to your address, allow me to attest the accuracy of its historical statements, indorse the sentiments it expresses, and thank you in the nation's name for the sure promise it gives. Nobly sustained, as the Government has been, by all the churches, I would utter nothing which might in the least appear invidious against any. Yet without this, it may fairly be said, that the Methodist Episcopal Church, not less devoted than the best, is by its greatest numbers the most important of all. It is no fault in others that the Methodist Church sends more soldiers to the field, more nurses to the hospitals, and more prayers to Heaven than any other. God bless the Methodist Church. Bless all the churches; and blessed be God, who in this our great trial giveth us the churches.

Similar action was also taken by the Baptist Church, and to their delegation, on the presentation of the resolutions, the President spoke as follows:

In the present very responsible position in which I am engaged, I have had great cause of gratitude for the support so unanimously given by all Christian denominations of the country. I have had occasion so frequently to respond to something like this assemblage, that I have said all I had to say. This particular body is, in all respects, as respectable as any that have been presented to me. The resolutions I have merely heard read, and I therefore beg to be allowed an opportunity to make a short response in writing.

These expressions were not confined to the religious bodies; they came to the President from all quarters. His sense of this sympathy on the part of those engaged in the educational interest was expressed in a letter which he wrote on learning that Princeton College had given him the degree of LL.D. The letter was as follows:

EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, December 27, 1864. MY DEAR SIR:--I have the honor to acknowledge the reception of your note of the 20th of December, conveying the announcement that the Trustees of the College of New Jersey had conferred upon me the degree of Doctor of Laws.

The assurance conveyed by this high compliment, that the course of the Government which I represent has received the approval of a body of gentlemen of such character and intelligence, in this time of public trial, is most grateful to me.

Thoughtful men must feel that the fate of civilization upon this continent is involved in the issue of our contest. Among the most gratifying proofs of this conviction is the hearty devotion everywhere exhibited by our schools and colleges to the national cause.

I am most thankful if my labors have seemed to conduct to the preservation of those institutions, under which alone we can expect good government, and in its train sound learning, and the progress of the liberal arts.

I am, sir, very truly, your obedient servant,

Dr. JOHN MACLEAN.

A. LINCOLN.

It was with no ordinary interest that the "good Christian people" of the North had in the political campaign. And it was with satisfaction that they saw the triumph of the cause, which was so dear to their hearts, secured by the re-election of a man so true, so pure, so honest, so kindly, so thoroughly Christian in the true sense of the word, as President Lincoln.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE MEETING OF CONGRESS AND PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY AT THE MEETING OF CONGRESS.-THE MESSAGE. PROCEEDINGS IN CONGRESS.-FORT FISHER.-DEATH OF EDWARD EVERETT.-PEACE CONFERENCE IN HAMPTON ROADS.-MILITARY AF

FAIRS.

THE condition of the country when Congress met in December, 1864, was in every way encouraging. At the South, General Sherman, taking advantage of Hood's having left the way clear for his march to the sea, had destroyed Atlanta and plunged into the heart of Georgia.

His plans were not positively known, but it was known that he was making good progress, and the greatest confidence was felt in his accomplishing his designs, whatever they were. The President described the position of affairs exactly in the following little speech, which he made, on December 6th, in response to a serenade:

FRIENDS AND FELLOW-CITIZENS:-I believe I shall never be old enough to speak without embarrassment when I have nothing to talk about. I have no good news to tell you, and yet I have no bad news to tell. We have talked of elections until there is nothing more to say about them. The most interesting news we now have is from Sherman. We all know where he went in at, but I can't tell where he will come out at. I will now close by proposing three cheers for General Sherman and his army.

Hood had marched into Tennessee with the hope of overrunning the State, now that Sherman's army was out of his way, but found General Thomas an opponent not to be despised, and had already, in his terrible repulse at Franklin, received a foretaste of the defeats which were about to fall upon him in front of Nashville.

In the East, Grant still held Lee's army with deadly gripe. He had cut off the Weldon Railroad and was slowly working to the southward, while Sheridan was