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Show Lincolry Struck J RIBuItet I p M .a O nil bill 0. foW certainly ' but moro than n Bcore, Bj porhaps not mora than n tA dozen It Is nowB that JL Abraham Lincoln was hit by a bullet fired by a 'Johnny Keb" in battle. Tho histories histor-ies do not record it, nor tho biographies. biograph-ies. Thoso who saw tho occurrctr thought llttlo of it nt tho time, so pressing was tho work they had In hand, nnd tho prcsldont is not known over to havo mentioned tho Incident Concerned only with tho welfaro of a sundored nation nnd Its suffering millions, nnd least of all with self, It Is probablo that no thought of tho expcrlcnco recurred to him at nay tlmo In tho period of stress and anxiety anx-iety and Important occupation that followed nnother bullet, lesB honest, that took away his Hfo. On tho morning or July 12, mil, a young lieutenant-colonel of tho Sixty-fifth Now York volunteers, standing Just outBldo Fort StovenB, ono of tho sorlcs of forts that completely stir rounded nnd guarded Washington, Baw President Lincoln walking fear lessly among his soldiers, discussing tho conditions nnd circumstances of tho then Impending nttack upon tho city by Gen. Early and his confederate confeder-ate forces, whllo a battlo raged outBldo out-Bldo tho breastworks. Watching with tho curiosity of n soldier who had Been his president only twlco boforo, tho colonel was nlarmed when ho saw him hit by a bullet, which had sped through tho air from tho camp of tho enemy. Thnt young officer was William I. Iloonio, who was adjutnntgenornl nnd chlof of staff to MaJ.-Gpn. Upton. SomotlmoB (Jol. Iloomo has thought of writing to I.lncoln'H biographers and tolling them of tho Incident, hut ho procrastinated, pot considering it a matter of sufficient Importanco to Interest them. Lately, howover, noting not-ing tho ronowed Interest In tho minutest minut-est details ot tho llfo ot Lincoln, he belioves that Americans would llko to know the facts. When tho bombardment of Sumter was in progress Walker, tho confederate confed-erate secretary of war, making n fiery speech at Montgomery, Ala., declared: "Tho flag which now Haunts tho breeze hero will Moat ovor the dome of tho old capltol at Washington boforo bo-foro tho first of May." That boast appeared In tho samo Issue of the newspaper that printed I'rcsldont Lincoln's call for troops, and Intensified tho fears for tho security se-curity of tho capital already great becauso ot tho probablo secession of Virginia and tho doubt as to the position po-sition of Maryland. President Lincoln realized how much depended on his holding Washington. Wash-ington. Thu loss of tho capital doubtless, doubt-less, would result In European recognition recog-nition of tho confederacy; tho spirit of tho North would bo broken, despair would follow, discouragement, defeat So ho bent his first efforts to defending de-fending tho Beat ot government from -those who would set up thcro a now nation not conceived In liberty. Ills deep anxiety In thoBo days before be-fore tho troop arrived and when "Beauregard's array was said to bo np-proachlng, np-proachlng, will bo recalled by nil who havo read tho story of tjjo war. Af-tor Af-tor tho arrival of tho Seventh Now York regiment of "dnndles," who dined nt Delmonlco's before depnrllng and tho Massachusetts and Ithodo Island regiments of farmors, mechanics mechan-ics and tradespeople, tho capital was In no danger until tho nttack of Gen. Early, when tho Incident of Col. Itoomo's story occurred. But this did not entirely rellovo tho anxiety In tho heart of tho man who, from tho window win-dow of his executlvo ofllce, could sco n traitor flag floating over tho homo ncross tho river where Washington hnd lived and died. When tho fortlflcntloiiB wero thrown up around tho capital Lincoln know of overy dotall ot tho work, consulted with tho men In charge, Informed nnd advised them. It was, thorcforc, no occasion of comment when ho left tho Whlto Houso on this July 12 and walked among tho Eoldlers. They stood, ready for action, behind tho walls whllo from tho plain below enmo tho sound ot conflict. Gc.i. Early's own story of his movo-mont movo-mont upon Washington shows tho situation In tho confederate ranks on that day. Ho had npproached Wash-'Ington Wash-'Ington from tho north. Having heard that tho outor works wero feobly manned, ho meant to tako them by surprise, hut boforo IiIb first division divis-ion couhKbo brought up, ho sayB. ho saw n cloud of dust In tho rear of tho works nnd booh n column of men In bluo fllcd Into them on tho right and left. Thon sklrmlBhors wero thrown out In front, whllo an artillery artil-lery flro wns opened on tho confederates confeder-ates from n number of battorlos "Our sklrnilshors woro all thrown (o tho front." wroto Gen. Early, "driving "driv-ing thoso of tho onumy to tho covor of tholr works, nnd wo proceeded to examlno tho fortifications In ordor to ascertain If It was practicable (o carry car-ry them by assault. Thoy wero found to be exceedingly strong and consisted of what npprarod to bo Inclosed forts for heavy artillery, with a tlor of lower low-er works In front of each, plorced for un Immense number of guns, tho whol being connected !" .rtalns with fltchcn In front aim strengthened strength-ened by palisades and abattls. Tho timber had been felled within cannon rango all around and loft on tho ground, making a formidable obstacle, and overy posslblo approach was raked with artillery." Thus It would seom that President Lincoln Itiuurrod llttlo dangor on tho day when ho went about within tho fortification walls. But that ha wns In some danger Is Bhown by Col Iloomo's story. Lincoln's 8arcatm. Probably tho most cutting thing Lincoln ever said wus tho remark ho made about a very loquacious man: "This person can compress tho most words Into the smallest Ideas of any man I ever me):" |