Lincoln's letter to General Grant after the battle of Vicksburg
Where he apologises to the general for being wrong
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“My dear General
I do not remember that you and I ever met personally. I write this now as a grateful acknowledgment for the almost inestimable service you have done the country. I wish to say a word further. When you first reached the vicinity of Vicksburg, I thought you should do, what you finally did – march the troops across the neck, run the batteries with the transports, and thus go below; and I never had any faith, except a general hope that you knew better than I, that the Yazoo Pass expedition, and the like, could succeed. When you got below, and took Port-Gibson, Grand Gulf, and vicinity, I thought you should go down the river and join Gen. Banks; and when you turned Northward East of the Big Black, I feared it was a mistake. I now wish to make the personal acknowledgment that you were right, and I was wrong.
Yours very truly
A. Lincoln”
Sources:
Book: Written in History - Letters that changed the world by Simon Sebag Montefiore
Context:Written in History - Letters that changed the world
Abraham Lincoln to Ulysses S. Grant, 13 July 1863 Here President Lincoln congratulates General Grant wholeheartedly for an important victory during the American Civil War – the capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi – and, remarkably, apologises for getting it completely wrong himself. This letter is significant strategically and because of what it reveals about Lincoln’s character. He promoted Grant to commanding general and Grant went on to be elected president. It also highlights Lincoln’s magnanimity and his confidence in his own gifts. Such humility is rare among bosses of all kinds but especially among politicians.
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