Lincoln Page #16

Stephens pushes past Hunter. He nods to the soldier.

ALEXANDER STEPHENS

(with polite dignity:)

Much obliged.

He boards the ambulance. His fellow delegates follow in his

wake, Hunter glaring with defiant hatred at the soldiers

before climbing in.

INT. LINCOLN'S OFFICE, WHITE HOUSE - EARLY EVENING

Seward stands, stunned. Lincoln sits at the cabinet table.

Nicolay is gone.

SEWARD:

Why wasn't I consulted?! I'm

Secretary of State! You, you, you

informally send a reactionary

dottard, to - What will happen, do

you imagine, when these peace

commissioners arrive?

49.

LINCOLN:

We'll hear `em out.

SEWARD:

Oh, splendid! And next the

Democrats will invite `em up to

hearings on the Hill, and the

newspapers - well, the newspapers -

the newspapers will ask "why risk

enraging the Confederacy over the

issue of slavery when they're here

to make peace?" We'll lose every

Democrat we've got, more than

likely conservative Republicans

will join `em, and all our work,

all our preparing the ground for

the vote, laid waste, for naught.

LINCOLN:

The Blairs have promised support

for the amendment if we listen to

these people -

SEWARD:

Oh, the Blairs promise, do they?

You think they'll keep their

promise once we have heard these

delegates and refused them? Which

we will have to do, since their

proposal most certainly will be

predicated on keeping their slaves!

LINCOLN:

What hope for any Democratic votes,

Willum, if word gets out that I've

refused a chance to end the war?

You think word won't get out? In

Washington?

SEWARD:

It's either the amendment or this

Confederate peace, you cannot have

both.

LINCOLN:

"If you can look into the seeds of

time, And say which grain will grow

and which will not, Speak then to

me..."

SEWARD:

Oh, disaster. This is a disaster!

50.

LINCOLN:

Time is a great thickener of

things, Willum.

SEWARD:

Yes, I suppose it is - Actually I

have no idea what you mean by that.

Lincoln stands.

LINCOLN:

Get me thirteen votes.

(in a thick Kentucky

ACCENT:
)

Them fellers from Richmond ain't

here yit.

INT. INSIDE THE AMBULANCE WAGON - DAY

The ambulance has come to a stop. The rear door opens and the

soldiers immediately hop out. The commissioners squint,

blinded, into the dazzling sunlight, at the River Queen,

Grant's side-wheel steamer, docked on the banks of the James

River.

TITLE:
US ARMY HEADQUARTERS

CITY POINT, VIRGINIA

JANUARY 12

INT. LINCOLN'S BEDROOM, SECOND FLOOR OF THE WHITE HOUSE -

LATE AFTERNOON:

Tad, in fancy military uniform, sits on the bed, Gardener's

box of glass negatives open beside him. He holds up a plate

to a lamp:

An old black man with a thick beard and hair, shirtless.

Tad looks at another plate:

A young black woman, headscarf, huge ugly scar across her

cheek and down her neck.

He studies these with solemn concentration.

ROBERT (O.C.)

You drafted half the men in Boston!

What do you think their families

think about me?

51.

Lincoln is being dressed in formal wear by his valet, WILLIAM

SLADE, a light-skinned black man in his 40s. Robert, already

in his morning suit, is standing by the door.

ROBERT (CONT'D)

The only reason they don't throw

things and spit on me is `cause

you're so popular. I can't

concentrate on, on British

mercantile law, I don't care about

British mercantile law. I might not

even want to be a lawyer -

LINCOLN:

It's a sturdy profession, and a

useful one.

ROBERT:

Yes, and I want to be useful, but

now, not afterwards!

Slade hands Lincoln his formal gloves.

LINCOLN:

I ain't wearing them things, Mr.

Slade, they never fit right.

WILLIAM SLADE:

The missus will have you wear `em.

Don't think about leaving `em.

ROBERT:

You're delaying, that's your

favorite tactic.

WILLIAM SLADE ROBERT

(to Robert:
) You won't tell me no, but the

Be useful and stop war will be over in a month,

distracting him. and you know it will!

LINCOLN:

(TO ROBERT:
)

I've found that prophesying is one

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