J. D. ANDREWS TO TILDEN
"Private.
"National Hotel,
"Wash'g., Aug. 18, 1861.
"My dear Sir,—The wheel of public events is rolling rapidly, and soon the good men of the country will have to combine outside of President and Cabinet to protect the national honor and save our institutions.
"Seward is premier and President, and under his weak, mischievous rule the ship of state is rapidly approaching the breakers. He nor the rest of the Cabinet have any administrative ability, nor any comprehension of the immensity of the crisis. They are all governed by a narrow policy, and are so intent upon personal objects that the higher duties of the citizens are made subordinate in this emergency of a nation's life to the success of the partisan.
"Seward is the great failure, but he is egotistical, false, flippant, grotesque as usual.
"Chase is equally vain and selfish, but more just, behind a rampart of dogmatic egotism. Of the rest it is unnecessary to speak, but of Blair, who is the weakest and most mischievous of the whole set.
"We are in the presence of mighty events, and under the rule of pigmies.
"Our foreign relations are in a critical condition, while Seward has not the grasp to comprehend nor direct them.
"The maladministration of the War and Navy depts. is in full force, while corrupt odors are continually exhaled.
"The army is in a disaffected, disorganized, discouraged condition, and not in good trim for service, chiefly through the utter incapacity of Cameron.