Part 22

=166. The Progress of Reconstruction.= Contentment of mind and regular, peaceful growth of trade and business did not return to the South until long after Johnson's presidency. Congress had little understanding of the difficulties with which it was faced. Under its reconstruction the life of the South was for a time cruelly unsettled. At last the old southern leaders themselves restored order. Then they governed much as before.

[Sidenote: =What Lincoln's death meant to the South=]

Lincoln had earned the respect of the South, for he was a leader great enough to be generous in victory. He might have checked the misrule which nearly ruined the industries of the South, and created more lasting bitterness than the war. The South suffered as great a loss as the North in the death of Lincoln.

SUGGESTIONS INTENDED TO HELP THE PUPIL

=The Leading Facts.= _1._ Lincoln, born of poor parents in the state of Kentucky, went over to Indiana at seven years of age. _2._ Helped build a cabin and clear the forest and went hunting. _3._ Lincoln lost his mother, and his father married again. _4._ His stepmother took good care of Abe and his young sister. _5._ Lincoln had little schooling, but read a few books thoroughly. _6._ He was physically strong at twenty-one, and he had read so much that he could "spell down" the whole country. _7._ The family moved to Illinois, and Abe was hired to take a flatboat down the Mississippi. _8._ He saw a slave auction at New Orleans. _9._ Lincoln was elected captain in the Black Hawk War; elected to the legislature for four terms. _10._ He studied law and was elected to Congress. _11._ Attacked Douglas for the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. _12._ Lincoln and Douglas held joint debates. _13._ Nominated for the presidency by the Republicans in convention at Chicago. _14._ Douglas displeased the South and the Democratic party was split. _15._ Lincoln was elected president, the South seceded, and Douglas stood by the Union. _16._ The battle between the _Merrimac_ and the _Monitor_ ushered in the age of the ironclad war vessel. _17._ Grant defeated Lee, and Lee surrendered. _18._ Lincoln went to the Ford Theater in Washington, and was assassinated. _19._ Johnson started to carry out Lincoln's plans for reconstruction, but Congress interfered, and tried to impeach him. _20._ Johnson caused the French to withdraw from Mexico, and bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7,200,000. _21._ The South was slow in recovering from the effects of the war.

=Study Questions.= _1._ Describe Lincoln's early surroundings. _2._ Picture Abe and his sister. _3._ How did Abe help get their meat? _4._ What did he owe to his mother? _5._ What did Abe's new mother do for him? _6._ What books did Abe read and how did he read them? _7._ Why was Abe liked in the family? _8._ How tall was Lincoln? How old was he when the family started for Illinois? _9._ What did he do soon after going to Illinois? _10._ What did he see in New Orleans that was new to him? _11._ Prove Lincoln was honest. _12._ Prove that the men of the countryside had confidence in Lincoln. _13._ How old was Lincoln when he ran for the legislature? _14._ Tell the story of Lincoln's experiences in running for the legislature. _15._ What was his success as a lawyer? _16._ Why did Lincoln love public speaking? _17._ Why was Lincoln not elected to Congress again? _18._ How did Lincoln become the champion speaker against Douglas? _19._ What was the effect of the debate? _20._ What new declaration did Lincoln make in his Springfield speech? _21._ Why did Lincoln challenge Douglas? _22._ How did Lincoln become widely known? _23._ What was the fatal question put to Douglas by Lincoln? _24._ To what rights did Lincoln say the black man is entitled? _25._ Picture the scene in the state convention of 1860. _26._ What was the effect of the Lincoln-Douglas debates on the Democratic party? _27._ Why did this result in Lincoln's election to the presidency? _28._ Give an account of the demonstrations made in honor of Lincoln. _29._ Who fired the first shot in the Civil War, and where was it fired? _30._ How many slave states in all remained loyal to the Union cause? _31._ What kind of a war did Lincoln make of this war? _32._ Tell the story of the _Merrimac_ and the _Monitor_. _33._ How was the _Merrimac_ protected? _34._ How did the Proclamation of Emancipation affect the strength of the Confederates? _35._ Describe the surrender of Lee. _36._ Tell the story of Lincoln's assassination. _37._ How did the nation feel over Lincoln's death? _38._ How has he been honored? _39._ Describe the statue in Edinburgh. _40._ Where was Lincoln buried? _41._ What was Lincoln's plan of reconstruction? _42._ What happened when Johnson tried to carry this out? _43._ Name two matters in which Johnson acted wisely.

=Suggested Readings.= ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Baldwin, _Four Great Americans_, 187-246; McMurry, _Pioneers of the Mississippi Valley_, 170-184; Wright, _Children's Stories of American Progress_, 159-178, 299-327; Brooks, _Century Book of Famous Americans_, 193-210; Hart and Stevens, _Romance of the Civil War_, 1-112; Bolton, _Lives of Poor Boys Who Became Famous_, 342-367; Mabie, _Heroes Every Child Should Know_, 309-319; Nicolay, _Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln_; Coffin, _Abraham Lincoln_; Mace, _Lincoln: The Man of the People_; Hale, _Stories of War_; Southworth, _Builders of Our Country_, Vol. II, 186-217.

ANDREW JOHNSON: Sparks, _Expansion of the American People_, 433-438; Guerber, _Story of the Great Republic_, 252-256.

TWO FAMOUS GENERALS

ULYSSES S. GRANT, THE GREAT GENERAL OF THE UNION ARMIES

[Sidenote: =Ulysses Simpson Grant, 1822=]

[Sidenote: =Early schooling=]

[Sidenote: =Fond of horses=]

=167. A Poor Boy Becomes a Great Man.= Ulysses Simpson Grant was born in 1822, in Ohio, at a place called Point Pleasant. When he was a year old his parents removed to Georgetown, Ohio, and there a few years later he attended school. He was taught little besides reading, writing, and arithmetic. As he grew up he helped his father and mother by hauling wood, plowing, and doing other useful work. He did not like the leather business, his father's occupation, but he found great pleasure in farm work because he was very fond of horses.

[Sidenote: =He liked to travel=]

Young Grant liked to travel. When the news came that he had been appointed a cadet at the United States Military Academy, he was glad because of the journey to West Point but not because of any other opportunities it offered. He did not like West Point, and studied only to please his father.

[Sidenote: =Fights under General Taylor=]

[Sidenote: =Resigns and returns home=]

After his graduation Grant fought in the Mexican War as lieutenant under General Taylor and later under General Scott. After peace was restored he served in California as a captain, but very soon resigned, and when the Civil War broke out in 1861 he was working as a clerk in his father's store at Galena, Illinois.

[Sidenote: =Grant goes to Springfield=]

[Sidenote: =His promotions=]

=168. A Great General.= When Lincoln's call for seventy-five thousand men startled the country, Grant was made chairman of a meeting at Galena called to raise a company of soldiers. He then went to Springfield, where the governor set him to work drilling soldiers and getting them ready for the war. After a time he became colonel of a regiment. A further promotion followed which made him a brigadier-general in command of several regiments. Later still he rose to be major-general, in command of an army.

Early in the war it was seen that in order to conquer the Confederacy it must be split in two by gaining possession of the Mississippi River. As a part of the great campaign with this end in view, we find Brigadier-General Grant directing the attacks on Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. These places were less than ten miles apart, in western Tennessee.

[Sidenote: =Captures Forts Henry and Donelson=]

With the help of Commodore Foote and his gunboats, Grant easily captured Fort Henry. To take Fort Donelson was not so easy. The Confederates tried to break through the right wing of Grant's army. After hard fighting they were driven back, and General Buckner asked what terms Grant would give if they surrendered. To this General Grant replied that he would consider "no terms but an unconditional and immediate surrender ... I propose to move immediately upon your works." This answer has become famous.

[Sidenote: =Confederates fall back=]

[Sidenote: =Grant moves against Vicksburg=]

The surrender of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson forced the Confederates to move back their line of defense. After winning the two days' battle at Pittsburg Landing, General Grant turned his attention to the Mississippi River. As long as the Mississippi remained open to the southern forces, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas could send food supplies to the Confederates on the east side of the river. This General Grant wanted to stop, so, early in 1863, he moved southward to take Vicksburg. He beat the Confederates in the field and drove them into Vicksburg. The siege of the city lasted seven weeks. No one could slip in or out. Meat and bread grew scarce. The houses were knocked to pieces by cannon balls, and people found shelter in cellars and caves.

[Sidenote: =The surrender=]

On the Fourth of July, 1863, Vicksburg, with Pemberton's army of more than thirty thousand men, surrendered. There was great happiness throughout the North. President Lincoln sent a message of thanks to General Grant, and Congress voted that he be given a medal.

[Sidenote: =Gettysburg on the same day=]

During this campaign in the lower Mississippi country a large Confederate army had marched north from Virginia, across Maryland into Pennsylvania. This army, under General Robert E. Lee, had won its way as far as Gettysburg. Here, at the end of a great three days' battle, the Confederates were decisively beaten; this defeat came on July 3, and on the very next day came the news that far-away Vicksburg had surrendered to Grant. After defeating the Confederates at Murfreesboro, General Rosecrans was in turn defeated at Chickamauga, and then cooped up in the town of Chattanooga by General Bragg. General Grant was sent to rescue the Union army, which he did in the battles of Lookout Mountain, led by Hooker, and Missionary Ridge, led by Sherman.

[Sidenote: =Lieutenant-general=]

=169. Great Commander of the Union Armies.= President Lincoln saw that General Grant was a great soldier. He sent for him to come to Washington and made him lieutenant-general in command of all the armies of the United States.

[Sidenote: =The "Wilderness"=]

Grant took command at once. His first great object was to capture Lee's army. The shortest way to Lee's army lay through the "Wilderness," a part of the country lying south of the upper part of the Rapidan, in Virginia, and covered with a thick forest of tangled underbrush. The route was dangerous. But into the "Wilderness" Grant plunged with his great army. General Lee was there with his troops. The fighting began. For a month it was almost constant charging, back and forth, and there were long lists of dead and wounded. Grant moved his army southward and nearer Richmond. Lee met him in the bloody battles of Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor.

[Sidenote: =Petersburg taken=]

Then Grant crossed the James River, south of Richmond, and began the attack on Petersburg. This place was taken in the spring of 1865.

[Sidenote: =Richmond given up=]

General Lee told the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis, that he could hold Richmond no longer. He tried to get his army away, but the men were weak from hard fighting, and Sheridan, with his cavalry, was too quick for him.

[Sidenote: =Lee surrenders at Appomattox=]

General Grant wrote to General Lee suggesting that he surrender, and thus prevent the loss of more lives. Lee agreed, and the papers were signed April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House. No more generous terms were ever given than those granted to Lee and his men.

After the war was over General Grant served for a time in the cabinet of President Johnson, who had become president at Lincoln's death.

[Sidenote: =Grant elected president=]

=170. President of the United States.= In 1868 Grant was elected President of the United States. He was elected again in 1872. Late in life he made a tour of the world, and everywhere was received with great honor.

[Sidenote: =Dies in 1885=]

He died July 23, 1885, at Mount McGregor, near Saratoga, New York. His body rests in Riverside Park, New York City, where a magnificent monument has been built to his memory.

ROBERT EDWARD LEE, THE MAN WHO LED THE CONFEDERATE ARMIES

[Sidenote: =Robert E. Lee, 1807=]

=171. The Great General of the Confederacy.= Robert E. Lee was born in Virginia in 1807. He went to school at Alexandria, where George Washington once lived, and became a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

[Sidenote: =Wins fame in Mexico=]

[Sidenote: =In charge at West Point=]

In the war with Mexico Lee earned honor and fame. He rose rapidly in rank. Starting as captain, he became major, lieutenant-colonel, and then colonel. When the Mexican War was over, he took charge of the Military Academy at West Point. After three years, he decided to give up the work at West Point and go West to fight the Indians.

[Sidenote: =Lee goes with his state=]

About this time the people began to insist that, in the United States, slavery must be given up. Even the army officers and men quarreled about it. Lee believed in the Union and did not want the South to leave it. But when Virginia followed other slave states out of the Union and into the Confederacy, Lee went with his native state.

[Sidenote: =In command of army defending Richmond=]

When the war began, Lee, as general, had command of the Virginia troops. After the battle of Fair Oaks, in which General Joseph E. Johnston was wounded, General Lee took charge of the army defending Richmond.

[Sidenote: =Compels McClellan to retreat=]

[Sidenote: =Invaded Maryland and Pennsylvania=]

=172. Lee Fights Battle after Battle.= Lee at once attacked the Union army which was trying to take Richmond. In a seven days' battle he forced McClellan, the Union general, to retreat. He then struck the army of Pope a fatal blow and marched with his victorious soldiers into Maryland. A great battle was fought at Antietam (1862) and Lee returned to Virginia. He won two great victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. In the latter battle he lost Stonewall Jackson, his best general. After this, his army rested and ranks filled, General Lee moved rapidly through Maryland and into Pennsylvania. The North became alarmed, but a great Union army was already hurrying to meet the Confederate forces.

[Sidenote: =Greatest battle of the war=]

[Sidenote: =Pickett's charge=]

[Sidenote: =The loss=]

The two armies met at Gettysburg, and there for three days was fought the greatest battle of the Civil War. On the last day General Pickett made his famous charge. Fifteen thousand southern soldiers charged across the valley--more than a mile wide--right up to the muzzles of the Union guns. But the help they expected from another direction did not arrive, and they had to retreat. Lee's army was defeated. More than fifty thousand men--including the killed, wounded, and missing on both sides--were lost at Gettysburg.

[Sidenote: =Lee never invades again=]

=173. Facing a Powerful Army.= General Lee then went back across the Potomac, never to invade the North again. From then onward, little was done until, in 1864, General Grant took command of all the Union forces. Then followed three great battles--the "Wilderness," so called because it was fought in a thick forest of tangled underbrush lying in Virginia just south of the upper portion of the Rapidan; Spottsylvania, fought near the Spottsylvania courthouse a little farther southward, and Cold Harbor, fought a few miles northeast of Richmond.

[Sidenote: =Lee's troops wearing out=]

General Lee's troops were wearing out. There were no more men to take the places of those killed and wounded. Food and clothing became scarce, and other supplies were hard to get. General Lee was now made commander in chief over all the Confederate armies. He immediately put Joseph E. Johnston back in command of his old army in the West, but it was too late.

[Sidenote: =Sheridan blocks the way=]

Lee decided in 1865 that Richmond must be given up. He wanted to take his army to Danville, Virginia, on the way to join the army of General Joseph E. Johnston, in North Carolina, but at Appomattox his troops met General Sheridan's cavalry.

[Sidenote: =Terms of surrender=]

=174. The Confederacy Was Lost.= General Lee received a letter from General Grant asking him to surrender. The two generals met at a farmhouse and agreed upon terms. Grant gave the officers and men permission to take their horses home "to do their spring plowing."

The next morning Lee, surrounded by his sorrowing men, mounted his horse, Traveler, and rode slowly away to his home in Richmond. The other Confederate armies surrendered one by one.

[Sidenote: =President of Washington College=]

[Sidenote: =Dies in 1870=]

After the war General Lee was elected president of Washington College at Lexington, Virginia, now Washington and Lee University. He greatly enjoyed his work of building up the young manhood of the South. He died at Lexington in 1870. A monument to the memory of this great man has been erected at Richmond, and another at Lexington.

SUGGESTIONS INTENDED TO HELP THE PUPIL

=The Leading Facts.= _1._ Grant born of parents who were farmers. Loved to work with horses. _2._ Sent to West Point; was in Mexican War under Generals Taylor and Scott. _3._ Was clerk for his father at Galena. _4._ In the Civil War rose rapidly till made a major-general. _5._ Captured Fort Donelson and Fort Henry. _6._ Captured Vicksburg; was made lieutenant-general, and sent into the Wilderness after General Lee. _7._ Fought a month, then moved around to Petersburg. _8._ Offered Lee terms of surrender. _9._ Was twice made president. _10._ Died at Mount McGregor. _11._ Robert E. Lee was born in Virginia and went to school at Alexandria. _12._ Went to West Point, and was in the Mexican War, where he earned honor and fame. _13._ Took charge at West Point. _14._ Followed Virginia when she seceded, and was given command of the troops defending Richmond. _15._ Won several victories over the North. _16._ Failed at Gettysburg. _17._ Fought to save Richmond. _18._ Surrendered to General Grant in spring of 1865. _19._ Became president of Washington College.

=Study Questions.= _1._ Tell the story of Grant until he reached West Point. _2._ What part did Grant take in the war with Mexico? _3._ What did Grant do at Galena when Lincoln's call came? _4._ Tell of his promotion. _5._ What would happen if Vicksburg and other Mississippi River places were taken? _6._ What two victories came on the Fourth of July, and what did both mean? _7._ How did Grant's victory impress the president? _8._ What can you tell of the "Battle of the Wilderness"? _9._ What happened at Richmond? _10._ Picture the scene at Appomattox Court House. _11._ Tell the story of Grant after the Civil War. _12._ Tell of Lee's promotion after leaving West Point. _13._ Did Lee want his state to leave the Union? _14._ Was he a victorious general at first? _15._ What happened at Gettysburg? _16._ Tell about Lee defending Richmond. _17._ What did Lee plan to do after Richmond fell? _18._ Why did he not carry out this plan? _19._ What position did Lee accept after the war?

=Suggested Readings.= ULYSSES S. GRANT: Burton, _Four American Patriots_, 195-254; Brooks, _Century Book of Famous Americans_, 181-191; Hart and Stevens, _Romance of the Civil War_, 179-183; Hale, _Stories of War_, 21-29, 74-91, 92-118, 168-187, 226-264; Bolton, _Famous American Statesmen_, 307-360.

ROBERT E. LEE: Hale, _Stories of War_, 61-73, 119, 149; Mabie, _Heroes Every Child Should Know_, 289-308; Magill, _Stories from Virginia History_, 162-172.

MEN WHO DETERMINED NEW POLITICAL POLICIES

RUTHERFORD B. HAYES

=175. A Wise and Independent President.= In 1822 a baby boy was born in the old college town of Delaware, Ohio. His parents named the boy Rutherford B. Hayes. As a youngster he loved his books and his playmates.

[Sidenote: =A leader at college=]

At an early age he entered Kenyon College, Ohio. Here he was a leader among his fellows, not only in college affairs, but in his daily work in the classroom. He graduated with first honors in his class.

For his after-college work Hayes decided to choose the law, and graduated from Harvard Law School. He was just beginning to win success when Lincoln's call to arms aroused the men of the North. It seemed terrible for northern men and southern men to fight against each other, but it had to be done to save the Union.

[Sidenote: =Becomes a general=]

Hayes volunteered and was made a major in command. By his fine work as an officer in caring for his men and in bravery on the field of battle, he won the title of general. While he was still fighting, the people at home, looking for a high-minded, honorable man for congress, nominated Hayes.

[Sidenote: =Refuses to leave his post to campaign=]

His supporters sent for him to come home and canvass for votes. He would not go. He said: "An officer fit for duty who, at such a time as this, would abandon his post to electioneer for a seat in Congress, ought to be scalped." Hayes remained at his post and was elected by a large majority.

Hayes had become known to all the people of his state and they wanted him for governor. So friendly was he toward all whether high or low, so honest was he that three times the people chose him to be their governor.

In 1876 the Republicans of the nation selected him to be their candidate for the high office of president. The Democratic candidate was a man of very high reputation, Samuel J. Tilden of New York. He was known as a fighter for honesty and against wrongdoing in public office.

[Sidenote: =Contest over the presidency=]

Unfortunately, the politicians aroused bitter feeling between the North and the South in this campaign. When it was seen that Hayes was winner by only one vote, there were threats of "civil war." But luckily Tilden did not lose his head, and his party, following his advice, accepted the result.

[Sidenote: =Generous toward the South=]

Hayes decided to take the Union soldiers out of the South. The radical Republicans opposed this action, but the majority of the people in the North favored it. The southern people were happy, because now they might manage their elections to suit themselves.

President Hayes also placed a southern man in his cabinet, and this, too, helped along the good feeling between the North and the South.