I never was so
near the throne of God, except when my mother died, as I was then. I
said to the Governor, 'I am profoundly impressed; and I will start this
afternoon for Washington.' I soon found out that emancipation was in
everybody's mouth, and when I got to Washington and called upon Sumner,
he began to talk emancipation. He asked me to go and see the President,
and tell him how the people of Boston and New England regarded it. I
went to the White House that evening and met the President. We first
talked about everything but emancipation, and finally he asked me what I
thought about emancipation. I told him what I thought about it, and said
that Governor Andrew was so far interested in it that I had no doubt
he had sent me on there to post the President in regard to what the
class of people I met in Boston and New York thought of it, and then
I repeated to him, as I had previously to Sumner, this prayer of the
Governor's, as well as I could remember it. The President said, 'When we
have the Governor of Massachusetts to send us troops in the way he has,
and when we have him to utter such prayers for us, I have no doubt that
we shall succeed.' In September the Governor sent for me. He had a
despatch that emancipation would be proclaimed, and it was done the next
day. You remember the President made proclamation in September to take
effect in January.
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