As the letters of support for me to become Minister of France continued to pile up on Abraham Lincoln’s desk in Springfield, I was asked to join him at his office. My wife Sallie was beside herself – very sure Mr. Lincoln was going to announce that he made the appointment. Her bags were packed to be shipped to Paris.
Mr. Lincoln didn’t mince words. But instead of announcing me as the new Minister of France, he said the following: “You know, Hill, that I will have little support in Washington. I am trying to pull together my political opponents for my Cabinet. I think they will agree to aid me with this difficult task. Congress does not meet until the fall. The country is in crisis. And I will be accepting the job as President of the United States, perhaps the most important position anywhere, with no experience handling even a small portion of the job. Please, Hill, tell me you will go with me.”
I was honored to be asked, while at the same time realizing that Mrs. Lamon would not find Washington, D.C. anywhere near as appealing as Paris, France. I did not let her feelings influence my decision. Right away I agreed to go to Washington with Mr. Lincoln.
Sallie’s response was not quite as enthusiastic. In fact, her words are not printable. She actually refused to go with me to Washington.
W. H. Lamon
No comments:
Post a Comment