suspected Lincoln quote

[Joel S. Berson]

At 11/19/2013 06:02 PM, David Barnhart wrote:
>Cable TV had a program on a History Channel about the careers of Grant and
>Lee.  In it Lincoln is purported to have written to Grant's superior (???)

"After the Battle of Chattanooga in late 1863, President Abraham
Lincoln promoted Grant to lieutenant general and commander of all of
the Union armies."  Wikipedia.

The Halleck of John Baker's message is Henry Halleck.  " Early in the
American Civil War, he was a senior Union Army commander in the
Western Theater and then served for almost two years as
general-in-chief of all U.S. armies. Halleck became chief of staff to
Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, when he assumed the position of
general-in-chief. ... President Abraham Lincoln once described him as
"little more than a first rate clerk."  " Wikipedia.

Apparently Grant and Halleck exchanged superiorities with each
other.  No wonder Halleck is little known (speaking for myself).

Joel

>upon the latter's complaints of Grant (drinking) that he (the superior)
>should "put up or shut up."  Interesting turn of phrase at the hand of a
>president.  I haven't found the letter on the Web yet.  The quote doesn't
>appear in my Bartlett.  The earliest quote I've found is in eOED (July
>1858).  I found one quote from the same year but a month later (August).
>
>
>
>Regards,
>
>David
>
>
>
>barnhart at highlands.com
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org