Harold had brought them to article number five, which according to the laminated sheet was a letter to Horace Greeley. Greeley was formerly the editor of the New York Tribune and had previously written an editorial addressed to Lincoln called The Prayer of Twenty Millions implying that his administration was weak and lacked any direction. Lincoln at this time had been in the White House for just over a year after winning the 1860 election against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas.
In response to Greeley’s editorial, Lincoln had penned the letter which now sat before them. Darnell and Vanessa read over the contents and suddenly became very aware as to why Rick’s attention had been drawn to this particular piece.
Executive Mansion,
Washington, August 22, 1862.
Hon. Horace Greeley:
Dear Sir.
I have just read yours of the 19th addressed to myself through the New-York Tribune. If there be in it any statements, or assumptions of fact, which I may know to be erroneous, I do not, now and here, controvert them. If there be in it any inferences which I may believe to be falsely drawn, I do not now and here, argue against them. If there be perceptible in it an impatient and dictatorial tone, I waive it in deference to an old friend, whose heart I have always supposed to be right.
As to the policy I "seem to be pursuing" as you say, I have not meant to leave any one in doubt.
I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was." If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views.
I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free.
Yours,
A. Lincoln.
A deep breath interrupted the silence which had been hovering over them for several minutes whilst they soaked in the contents of the letter. Darnell cleared his throat, unsure of what to say. His heart pounded as he read over the line again. ‘My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery.’
‘It was never about slavery,’ Darnell concluded. ‘It was all for nothing. The war. My ancestor’s death. It was for absolutely nothing.’
‘That’s not true,’ Vanessa assured him.
‘No, you’re right. He got his goddamn union,’ Darnell snapped.
Harold jumped back, surprised by the detective’s tantrum.
‘He never gave a shit about the slaves. I need to go. How do I get out of here?’
Jackson stormed out of the room in the direction of Harold’s index finger. Vanessa waited on behind to speak to the manager alone. She blushed, embarrassed by her colleague’s abrupt departure.
‘I’m sorry about that. This case has really taken it out of him. Please could I ask that this stays between us?’
Harold nodded. ‘Of course, my lips are sealed. By the way, I was checking the mailroom earlier and I believe this could be for your colleague. I was going to throw it away but then when you called to book in a meeting and gave me your names, I suddenly realised it would’ve been for Detective Jackson.’
Vanessa took the note and glanced over it. It had Darnell’s name on it and the familiar stamp they’d seen on the other letters. She thanked him and made her way to the exit. Before she reached the door, she noticed some cracks had appeared on the glass case.
‘What happened here?’
‘That happened a few months ago. We had a student in here looking up artefacts for some research piece she was studying. We left her alone for a few minutes but the strangest thing happened. She fell over and smacked her head into the side of the case. Well that was her excuse anyway, no one actually saw the incident. She must have had a solid skull as this is double-glazed and
