McDowell; shows apparent vacillation; explains situation in letter to McClellan; urges him to strike; annoyed by politicians; tries to forward troops; orders McDowell to join McClellan without uncovering capital; criticised by McClellan; refuses to let McDowell move in time; sends McDowell to rescue Banks; loses his head; insists on McDowell’s movement; his blunder a fatal one; not a quick thinker; ruins McClellan’s campaign; begins to lose patience with McClellan’s inaction; appoints Halleck commander-in-chief; his constancy in support of McClellan; does not sacrifice McClellan as scapegoat; visits Harrison’s Landing; avoids any partisanship in whole affair; appears better than McClellan in campaign; yet makes bad blunders; stands alone in failure; remains silent; allows Halleck a free hand; his reasons for appointing Halleck and Pope; decides to reappoint McClellan; shows sound judgment; places everything in McClellan’s hands; indignant at slight results from Antietam; urges McClellan to pursue; his order ignored by McClellan; writes McClellan a blunt letter insinuating sluggishness or cowardice; replaces McClellan by Burnside; his extreme reticence as to his motives; attacked by Copperheads; criticised by defenders of the Constitution; harassed by extreme Abolitionists; denounced for not issuing a proclamation of emancipation; his reasons for refusing; explains his attitude as President toward slavery; struggles to hold Border States; general dissatisfaction with, in 1862; held inefficient by Chase; and by Congressmen; but believed in by people; addressed by Greeley with “Prayer of 20,000,000”; his reply to Greeley; his reply to Abolitionist clergymen; points out folly of a mere proclamation; thinks silently for himself under floods of advice; writes draft of Emancipation Proclamation; questions expediency of issuing; reads proclamation to cabinet; adopts Seward’s suggestion to postpone until a victory; issues preliminary proclamation after Antietam; takes entire responsibility; not influenced by meeting of governors; fails to appease extremists; supported by party; thinks an earlier proclamation would not have been sustained; warned that he will cause loss of fall elections; always willing to trust people on a moral question; supported by Border States in election; renews proposals for compensated emancipation; favors it as a peaceful measure; his argument; fails to persuade Missouri to accept plan; issues definite proclamation; his remark on signing; tries to stimulate enlistment of blacks; threatens retaliation for Southern excesses; shows signs of care and fatigue; never asks for sympathy; slow to displace McClellan until sure of a better man; doubtful as to Burnside’s plan of attack; refuses to accept Burnside’s resignation after Fredericksburg; declines to ratify Burnside’s dismissals; his letter to Hooker; suggestions to Hooker after Chancellorsville; opposes plan to dash at Richmond; directs Hooker to obey Halleck; appoints Meade to succeed Hooker; urges Meade