Lincoln's Faith

At a recent banquet in the city of Washington, General Sickles related the following remarkable anecdote of Lincoln: "It was on the 5th day of July, 1863, that I was brought to Washington on a stretcher from the field of Gettysburg. Hearing of my arrival, President Lincoln came to my room and sat down by my bedside. He asked about the great battle, and when I told him of the terrible slaughter, the tears streamed from his eyes. I asked him if he had doubted the result. He said, 'No.' Then he continued: " 'This may seem strange to you, but a few days ago, when the opposing armies were converging, I feit as never before my utter helplessness in the great crisis that was to come upon the country. I went into my ora room and loeked the door. Then I knelt down and prayed as I had never prayed before. I told God that he had called me to this position, that I had done all that I could do, and that the result now was in his hands; that I feit my own weakness and lack of power, and that I knew that if the country was to be saved it was because he willed it. When I went down from my room I feit that there could be no doubt of the issue. The burden seemed to have rolletl off my shoulders, my intense anxiety was relieved, and in its place carne a great sense of trustfulness, and that was why I did not doubt the result at Gettysburg. And, what is more, Sickles,' he continued, 'I believe that we may hear at any moment of a great success by Grant, who has been pegging away at Vicksburg for so many months. By to-morrow you will hear that he has Won a victory as important to us in the west as Gettysburg is in the east.' . "Then, turning to me, he said, 'Sickles, I am in a prophetic nioo3't.oday, and I know that you will get'welU " 'The doctors do not give me that hope, Mr. President,' I said, but he answered cheerfully, 'I know you will get well, Sickles.'."