Among those to have lost their horses were Mr. Lincoln and his chum, George Harrison, but during the march those who had horses cheerfuly gave up the use of them to the unfortunate, and on the whole a jolly time of it was had all the way down the river.
On that march up the river Mr. Lincoln’s mess was composed of five men–himself, his stepbrother, John D. Johnston, G.B. Fanchier, George Harrison, all privates, and First Corporal R.M. Wyatt, all of Captain Early’s company. During all of Mr. Lincoln’s service he was ever ready to march or move upon the phantom enemy. While scouting up in the swamps around Lake Koshkonong, he was the first to say, “Let’s go.” He was tireless on the march and overflowing with anecdote at all times.
The story has been told of him that while returning to Dixon’s Ferry after his discharge, his shoes were so worn that he preferred going without them. One morning was particularly chilly, which brought out the complaint that he was very cold. “No wonder,” replied his neighbor, “there is so much of you on the ground.” That story may be truthful, but nevertheless the skeptical listener is forced to wonder how anyone could suffer to any great extent during the last few days of July, the hottest of the year. It is also a noteworthy fact that the story has never been authenticated by the names of eye-witnesses.
From Dixon’s Ferry Mr. Lincoln, with his companion, George Harrison, crossed the country to the point on the Illinois River later called Peru; thence to Peoria, where they bought a canoe in which to paddle themselves down the Illinois River as far as Havana. While Harrison supplied the commissary, Mr. Lincoln made an oar or paddle to be used as motive power–one large enough to endure hard service. Just below Pekin they overtook two men on a log raft, upon which the two soldiers were invited. It was meal time, and, western fashion, the hungry men were invited to join the raftsmen. Cornbread, fish, eggs, butter, coffee and similar luxuries were lavishly supplied, and from Mr. Lincoln’s own statements he did justice to the meal.
Arrived at Havana, the canoe was sold without trouble and the two companions set out overland for New Salem, Lincoln’s long strides blazing the way and leading poor Harrison a pace he never forgot.
While no military achievement brought glory to Mr. Lincoln, he was ever after fond of recording his experiences in the Black Hawk War and relating stories of the ridiculous things which were done in his campaigns. Repetition by others caused their enlargement, until the number and variety became very great. Those stories attracted attention to him in Congress and brought him a considerable following, and finally a reputation, when he made his celebrated speech on “Military Coattails,” into which he injected portions of his Black Hawk War experiences in a way to ridicule the life out of the military pretensions of Lewis Cass.
Again quoting from Ben. Perley Poore, we find:[[292]]
“Soon after the presidential campaign of 1848 was opened, Alfred Iverson, a Democratic Representative from Georgia, made a political speech, in which he accused the Whigs of having deserted their financial and tariff principles and of having ‘taken shelter under the military coattails of General Taylor,’ then their presidential candidate. This gave Mr. Lincoln as a text for his reply, ‘Military Coat-tails.’ He had written the heads of what he had intended to say on a few pages of foolscap paper, which he placed on a friend’s desk, bordering on an alleyway, which he had obtained permission to speak from. At first he followed his notes, but as he warmed up, he left his desk and his notes to stride down the alley toward the Speaker’s chair, holding his left hand behind him so that he could now and then shake the tails of his own rusty black broadcloth dress coat, while he earnestly gesticulated with his long right arm, shaking the bony index finger at the Democrats on the other side of the chamber. Occasionally, as he would complete a sentence amid shouts of laughter, he would return up the alley to his desk, consult his notes, take a sip of water and start off again.
“Toward the close of his speech Mr. Lincoln poured a torrent of ridicule upon the military reputation of General Cass, and then alluded to his own exploits as a soldier in the Black Hawk War, ‘where,’ he continued, ‘I fought, bled and came away. If General Cass saw any live, fighting Indians at the battle of the Thames, where he served as aide-de-camp to General Harrison, it was more than I did, but I had a good many bloody struggles with the mosquitoes, and although I never fainted from the loss of blood, I can truly say I was often very hungry. Mr. Speaker,’ added Mr. Lincoln, ‘if I should ever conclude to doff whatever our Democratic friends may suppose there is of black-cockade Federalism about me, and thereupon they shall take me up as their candidate for the Presidency, I protest they shall not make fun of me as they have of General Cass, by attempting to write me into a military hero.’[[293]]
“Mr. Lincoln received hearty congratulations at the close, many Democrats joining the Whigs in their complimentary comments. The speech was pronounced by the older members of the House almost equal to the celebrated defense of General Harrison by Tom Corwin, in reply to an attack made on him by a Mr. Crary of Ohio.”