General Daniel E. Sickles has recorded for us this intimate revelation from the heart of the Great Emancipator. The General had been severely wounded on July 2, 1863, and after suffering the amputation of a leg, was removed to Washington where he was visited by the President. We quote from General Sickles:

“Mr. Lincoln, we heard at Gettysburg that here at the Capitol you were all so anxious about the results of the battle that the government officials packed up and got ready to leave at short notice with the official archives.”

“Yes,” he said, “Some precautions were prudently taken, but for my part I was sure of our success at Gettysburg.”

“Why,” I asked, “were you so confident? The Army of the Potomac had suffered many reverses.”

There was a pause. The President seemed in deep meditation. His pale face was lighted up by an expression I had not observed before. Turning to me he said:

“When Lee crossed the Potomac and entered Pennsylvania followed by our army, I felt that the crisis had come. I knew that defeat in a great battle on Northern soil involved the loss of Washington, to be followed, perhaps, by the intervention fo England and France in favor of the Southern Confederacy. I went to my room and got down on my knees in prayer. Never before had I prayed with so much earnestness. I wish I could repeat my prayer.”

Lincoln continued, “I felt that I must put all my trust in Almighty God. He gave our people the best country ever given to man. He alone could save it from destruction. I had tried my best to do my duty and found myself unequal to the task. The burden was more than I could bear. God had often been our Protector in other days. I prayed that He would not let the nation perish. I asked Him to help us and give us the victory now. I felt that my prayer was answered. I had no misgivings about the result of Gettysburg.”