“Let ‘em Up Easy”

By Professor Earnest Veritas · Originally published October 2021 · pp. 28–29

Fun Fest, Kingsport, Tenn., (in partnership with the Tri-Cities Civil War Round Table), as part of its 10-day celebration, has a Civil War Night every year. For 2021, they presented a meeting between General Grant (Dr. Curt Fields) and President Abraham Lincoln (Dennis Boggs). They talked individually and together about their efforts in the Civil War and what to do when the war was won and over. “Let ‘em up Easy” is a presentation developed by Dr. Fields. It is about the March 1864 visit of President Abraham Lincoln to General Grant’s City Point, Va., headquarters. The President was invited by General Grant and came to see the situation around

Petersburg, Va., and meet with Grant and other ranking military leaders about the status of the war and what to do when the war was over. Grant and Lincoln met several times during that visit for extended periods to talk about the war. This presentation lifts up those conversations. It also illuminates the deepening trust and friendship between Lincoln and Grant and the humanity of each of them. The low murmur of conversation among the 250-plus people in the audience immediately silenced when the announcer said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant! General Grant, portrayed by Fields, walked out to center stage and stood at attention as applause rolled through the auditorium. Then the announcer said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln!” Yet more applause erupted as President Lincoln, portrayed by Boggs, came to center stage and stood next to General Grant. The two men stood side by side on the stage for a few moments. When the applause died out, they turned to face each other and firmly shook hands. The stage lights then drew down to spotlight only the President. General Grant silently, unobtrusively, turned and walked into the darkness leaving the President to his thoughts. For the next half-hour, President Lincoln talked about his efforts to find a general who would fight and win. He enumerated all those officers entrusted with command of the Army of the Potomac who, in grim succession, had failed, causing the nation to spiral into a dark and ever more somber mood. He agonized that he simply could not find the general who could win the war for the Union. The President also told of his struggles with getting the army’s leaders to engage the enemy; take the fight to them! He addressed several of his efforts at learning how to be a military leader, that he might understand why the commanders of the Army of the Potomac were doing, or not doing, what they could to win the war, or at least make a suggestion about what they might do. Yet, he had not found success with any of them. Then, his attention was riveted upon the war in the Western Theater and the consistently victorious General Grant. He had been following Grant but had not yet determined that Grant might be the general who would fight and win. The final part of the President’s soliloquy was his decision to appoint Grant to command all Union forces, the process of reviving the rank of Lieutenant General; and the process involved in that legislation and appointment. Grant was appointed Lieutenant General of the Army March 9, 1864, the first since George Washington; General Winfield Scott held the rank as a brevet but had never actually reached that rank. He immediately began structuring the army to his requirements and planning on taking the fight to Robert E. Lee as soon as he could. When President Lincoln finished his talk, he turned and walked out of the spotlight to his right. As the President disappeared into the darkness, General Grant walked out into the spotlight, taking center stage to begin his visit with the audience. Grant talked of his fear of not getting back in the army when the war started in 1861 and how he nearly did not get back in the army. His rapid promotions through the ranks were addressed, and how he was surprised at every one of them. He did not seek rank or favor, yet both seemed to court him, to follow him. The General enumerated the victories he had accomplished with the Army of the Tennessee and the staggering numbers of captured men and artillery that had been surrendered to him from February 1862 to July 1863. Then he talked of the victory at Chattanooga where he had led the rescue of the Army of the Cumberland from the siege and followed that by the destruction of Bragg’s Army of Tennessee at Missionary Ridge. After talking of Chattanooga and his subsequent promotion to

Lieutenant General, Grant turned to his left and walked into the darkness. Thus ended the first act of the presentation. The second act began with the President and General Grant sitting in the general’s camp, talking of the war, and how they viewed what had happened. Both men mused about the war’s progress and gave in-insightful observations about how the war had been fought and how they had come together to finish the fight. Their conversation was wide-ranging and gave introspective looks into what each thought had to be done and how to do it. They came to talk about the war’s end and what to do when peace returned to the torn country. General Grant advised the President that Lee had evacuated Petersburg and that he must be leaving soon to catch up with the army. He told President Lincoln that the war couldn’t last much longer, possibly only days, and asked the President his thoughts about how to address the surrender of Lee. He asked about how he should handle that matter, and the President replied just “Let ‘em up easy, General.” At that time, Colonel Horace Porter (portrayed by Mike Reetz) escorted to them a courier (portrayed by Tim Massey) with news that Lee was retreating faster than was expected and the army needed Grant. General Grant told President Lincoln this news and stood up, the President rising with the general. They walked to center stage and turned to face each other, the President towering over General Grant. Grant asked him if he had any parting thoughts or comments before he left? President Lincoln took Grant’s hand in both of his and said, again, with hearthfelt emotion, “Let ‘em up easy, General!” The stage then went to darkness. There was a standing ovation when the lights came back up. The presentation was well-received by the audience and the organizers of the event. Wayne Strong, the primary organizer for the presentation, had these comments about “Let ‘em up Easy:” “Thanks, once again, for the fine program you and Dennis did for us in Kingsport. It was truly remarkable how the audience and you connected and was greatly appreciated.” “Curt and Dennis, here is just one of the many positive inputs we received from the audience and team members. You guys really did knock it out of the park. I cannot remember a time when our guests were given a standing ovation. Well worth it. Thanks again for doing a masterful job with the program you guys presented.” Another organizer in the Fun Fest Kingsport said: “A HUGE thank you to you, Wayne!! You pulled off a great production! It was top quality and so informative!

Dennis Boggs, as President Lincoln, may be found on his website of: www.meetmrlincoln.com or [email protected]

Professor Veritas would like to express his appreciation to Mr. Wayne Strong of Kingsport, for his significant contributions to this article. Simply put, always endeavor to tell the simple truth; simply. – Professor E. Veritas