Land of the Brave and the Free (Journals of Corrie Belle Hollister Book 7) by Phillips Michael

Author:Phillips, Michael [Phillips, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers
Published: 2012-09-24T04:00:00+00:00

I did write for the next two weeks, though I still didn’t get caught up. I wrote individual letters to everyone at home, a letter to the sisters at the convent, a letter that I never finished and probably wouldn’t send anyway, and on top of it all I did start an article about some of the things that had happened. I called it “Bravery in the Quiet Places,” though it had nothing to do with me. And after all that, I had barely even begun to get caught up-to-date in my journal! I also renewed all my acquaintances at the Sanitary Commission, and tried to find where Clara Barton was. By the end of that time, some of the former busy schedule had begun to return because the Commission had grown steadily and was involved with more aspects of the war than ever.

Toward the end of February, I returned to Mrs. Richards’ to find a message from John Hay waiting for me. The President would like to see you was all it said. Tomorrow at 2 p.m.

I arrived at the White House, eager and nervous.

Mr. Lincoln was already waiting when Mr. Hay showed me into the reception room.

The poor man looked so old and tired! He looked three or four years older than the last time I had seen him. I must have made some comment because he replied, “Yes, I am tired, Miss Hollister. You can’t imagine how war tires a man, and how the presidency ages him. But the two together are bound to be the death of any but one with the constitution of a horse! Sometimes I think I am the tiredest man on earth.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” I said. It was such a lame reply, but I didn’t know what to say.

“Don’t worry about me, Miss Hollister. Any man who runs for the presidency deserves what it gives him. But my reason for wanting to see you was to thank you for your courage in attempting to warn General Grant about the plot against him.”

“It wasn’t anything that—”

“Come, come, Miss Hollister,” interrupted the President with a smile, “don’t try to tell me it was really nothing. I happen to know a little about bravery. War separates brave men and women from cowards. Ulysses Grant happens to be a brave man, and so when he tells me you are braver than half the men under his command and deserve a medal for it, and that you were shot besides, well then, I listen to what a man like that tells me.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said. I could feel that I was blushing dreadfully.

“I decided to take the good general’s advice,” Mr. Lincoln went on. “John—” He motioned to Mr. Hay, who picked something up off the table and brought it forward. He handed it to Mr. Lincoln.

“This, Miss Cornelia Hollister,” he said, “is a Medal of Valor. I want to present it to you on behalf of the United States of America, with the gratitude of her President.

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