Abraham Lincoln Page #3

- How do you do, Mr. Herndon?

Happy to meet you, sir.

- Won't you sit down, gentlemen?

- Thank you.

Mr. Lincoln, your campaign against

Douglas has made you a national figure.

I'm here to ask you if you will consider

being the Republican party's candidate

for the presidency.

Did you say a failure in everything?

- A telegram for you, Mr. Fell.

- Oh thank you.

Mr. Lincoln, you know

ever since John Brown's raid,

the South has been infuriated,

the East on the verge of revolt,

and now New York

threatens to quit the Unin.

No, no New York mustn't do that.

We must keep the front door on the hinge.

There can be no secessin.

The Unin must be preserved.

The crisis is at hand, Mr. Lincoln,

and we believe you are the man.

Gentlemen,

I feel deeply grateful.

Paw, Maw says if you don't come on home,

you won't get no supper.

"I have another crisis; the soup and

the country are boiling over together!"

Maw's boiling too!

It needs deep consideratin.

Well, Mr. Lincoln,

mayn't we meet you at our hotel later?

- I'll be there within the hour?

- Thank you.

Come on, Paw, we're hungry.

They've started it.

This is gonna mean war!

This darkio saw it himself.

Brown and a gang of Abolxitionists

have captured the armory at Harper's Ferry!

They're arming the slaves

to rise up and murder us all.

They gived us all rifles.

And what'd you do with yours?

What'd I do? I trowed it down,

and I say, 'Feet, you travel'

- They can't invade Virginia.

- No!

Boys, go home and git your guns.

What's all this talk about guns?

This thing has gone far enough.

We'll be murdered

in our beds by our own slaves.

Pardon me, ladies,

while I find out about this desecratin.

- John Brown, eh?

- Abolitionists!

It's an outrage!

Outrage isn't the word.

I'll shoot on sight every Abolitionist

who dares defile the soil of old Virginia.

- Who's he?

- That's the actor, John Wilkes Booth.

He can't act

but the women don't know it.

All right, men, get your guns

and we'll meet at the square!

At the square!

Can't say much for her dispositin!

Hush! She may hear you.

Soldiers, indeed!

They can't even carry trunks.

Here you no, the stupid-looking one

put that over there...

and you... idiot

don't look at me like

a duck in a thunderstorm!

Hurry... hurry!

Will you put them in there?

I never saw such a lot of incompetents.

And as for you with the whiskers,

I told you to put it in there.

Oh, is it going to take forever?

Thank heavens, that's the last!

Imbeciles!

Well, Mary, we're here.

Thanks to me! If it wasn't for my advice,

you'd be out in Oregon, chopping trees.

Yes, you're always right, Mary.

I've found out one thing, Lincoln.

Servants here are no better

than they are in Springfield.

This place

hasn't been cleaned in a year.

Why, Mr. President!

Huh?

Then we agree that the situatin

of our country is ominous.

- Most alarming.

- Certainly.

We agree that we must yield

to the demands of the South

and evacuate Fort Sumter.

- Absolutely.

- It's the only solutin.

That must be done.

We agree that our President

must be firmly guided by us.

That we must make every effort

to control his inexperienced judgment.

- We certainly must.

- Yes.

Gentlemen...

- Mr. President.

- Good morning, Mr. President.

Thank you, Hay.

Thank you, gentlemen...

I will shoulder all responsibilities.

The relief shall go to Fort Sumter.

That means war.

Mr. Seward, I am a man of peace,

but the Unin shall be preserved.

Seventy-five thousand...

It might be difficult

to get that many volunteers.

- Glory, glory Hallelujah,-

- Glory, glory Hallelujah!-

- Glory, glory Hallelujah!-

- His soul is marching on!-

- Glory, glory Hallelujah,-

- Glory, glory Hallelujah!-

Glory, glory Hallelujah!-

- I wish I was in Dixie,-

- Hooray! Hooray!-

- In Dixieland I'll take my stand-

- To live and die in Dixie. -

- Away, away, away down South in Dixie,-

- Away, away, away down South in Dixie. -

- I wish I was in Dixie,-

- Hooray! Hooray!-

- In Dixieland I'll take my stand-

- To live and die in Dixie. -

- Away, away, away down South in Dixie,-

- Away, away, away down South in Dixie. -

President, the people demand a victory,

and we've got to take Richmond.

The country is discouraged.

We must do something.

That reminds me of a story...

about a man building

a boat to cross a river.

He got impatient

building the boat and started swimming.

Well, sir, what happened?

He drowned.

We've got to be careful

not to drown this country.

Ready here!

Ready here!

- Quartermaster General.

- Yes, sir.

Ready here!

Ready here!

- Ready here!

- Sergeant, I'm going out.

- How did you make out?

- Make out?

He darned near kissed me.

- Who?

- The Secretary of War.

We're just licking

the tar out of thorn all along the line.

- Who's next?

- I am.

I hope it's for the President.

I'd like to sec his face

when he gets the good news.

Ready here! Commissary.

For General Scott.

Marked private.

Rush it it's victory!

General Scott, what news?

We're winning, sir. I'm sure of it.

- I wish...

- Come in.

Rebel resistance broken at Bulll Run,-

our army sweeping everything before it. -

President, if we can

capture Richmond now,

it means the end of the war.

- Ah, thank God.

- And you, sir...

this victory will silence

your enemies forever

and you will be

the greatest president in our history.

It doesn't matter

what they think of me, General.

- We will have saved the Unin.

- Yes.

General, would you mind

letting me have that telegram?

I'd like to show it

to Mrs. Lincoln myself.

Why, certainly, not, Mr. President.

And would you mind

not calling me 'Mr. President'..

just Lincoln.

All right, Lincoln.

Ready here!

Headquarters!

Sergeant, all messages

for General Scott, hold.

All messages for General Scott hold.

All messages for General Scott hold.

Attentin! Commanding officer.

At ease!

Ready here!

Bad news?

Give it to me.

Attentin the President!

At ease!

Well, General, what news now?

And the first reports?

Over-confidence.

Yes, I should have known.

Impossible to reform lines. -

The men are a confused mob,-

entirely demoralized. -

You must make every effort

to save Washington.

- 1!

- 2!

- 3!

- 4!

- 1!

- 2!

- 3!

- 4!

- 1!

- 2!

- 3!

- 4!

- 1!

- 2!

Battalion!

On right into line, March!

Company, halt!

Left turn!

Right turn!

Halt!

First Company, right by fours.

Halt!

Forward!

Halt!

Forward!

Well, they're gathering.

The reserves are gathering, sir.

- How many regulars can we muster?

- About five thousand.

- Volunteers?

- Doubtful, sir.

Can we hold Washington?

We'll do our best sir.

Mr. Hay, is it true

we have to get out of Washington?

It is very serious, madam.

For heaven's sake,

what sort of an army have we anyhow?

They did the best

they could, Mrs. Lincoln.

They might have considered us.

It'll take forever

to get those trunks packed.

I'm sorry, madam, for all of us.

Mr. Lincoln, I hear we're leaving.

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