ookout Mountain and
Mission Ridge, not only effaced the memory of Rosecrans's previous
disaster, but brought fresh and imperishable laurels to the Union Arms
--stiffened the President's backbone, and that of Union men everywhere.

Not that Mr. Lincoln had shown any signs of weakness or wavering, or any
loss of hope in the ultimate result of this War for the preservation of
the Union--which now also involved Freedom to all beneath its banner.
On the contrary, a letter of his written late in August shows
conclusively enough that he even then began to see clearly the coming
final triumph--not perhaps as "speedy," as he would like, in its coming,
but none the less sure to come in God's "own good time," and furthermore
not appearing "to be so distant as it did" before Gettysburg, and
especially Vicksburg, was won; for, said he: "The signs look better.
The Father of Waters again goes unvexed to the Sea".

[This admirable letter, reviewing "the situation" and his policy,
was in these words

EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, August 26. 1863.

HON. JAMES C. CONKLING

MY DEAR SIR; Your letter inviting me to attend a Mass Meeting of
unconditional Union men to be held at the Capital of Illinois, on
the 3rd day of September, has been received. It would be very
agreeable for me thus to meet my old friends at my own home; but I
cannot just now be absent from here so long a time as a visit there
would require.

The meeting is to be of all those who maintain unconditional
devotion to the Union; and I am sure that my old political friends
will thank me for tendering, as I do, the Nation's gratitude to
those other noble men whom no partisan malice or partisan hope can
make false to the Nation's life.

There are those who are dissatisfied with me. To such I would say:
you desire Peace, and you blame me that we do not have it. But how
can we attain it? There are but three conceivable ways: First, to
suppress the Rebellion by force of Arms. This I am trying to do.
Are you for it? If you are, so far we are agreed. If you are not
for it, a second way is to give up the Union. I am against this.
Are you for it? If you are, you should say so plainly. If you are
not for Force, nor yet for Dissolution, there only remains some
imaginable Compromise.

I do not believe th