Men See Things Late, And It May

Yet There Is A Dignity In The Human Spirit Which Can Become Most Clearly Visible In The Moment Of Defeat And Disaster.

There Is A Rowdy Strain In American Life, Living Close To The Surface But Running Very Deep. Like An Ape Behind A Mask, It Can Display Itself Suddenly With Terrifying Effect.

Soldiers Who Had Been In The Army Long Enough To Know What A Bloody Swindle War Really Is Would Begin To Feel That Army Life Was Really Kind Of Fun, As Long As [general Philip] Sheridan Was Up Front.

Beneath Everything Else, North And West, There Ran A Profound, Unvoiced, Almost Subconscious Conviction That The [american] Nation Was Going To Go On Growing-in Size, In Power, In Everything A Man Could Think Of-and In That Belief There Was A Might And A Fury That Would Take Form Instantly At The Moment Of Shock.

The 1860 Election Became A Referendum On The Southern Way Of Life.