Tarbell on Otto Eisenschiml

[Laurie Verge]

Bill, I avoid all thought of Reconstruction as best I can because I found early on that it was the most confusing and dismal part of the overall Civil War studies. However, your assessment of the game playing above makes good sense. The little bit that I have retained from studying the events leading up to The Tragic Era is that Lincoln and Stanton were the ultimate politicians, who played off of each other's strengths. I would have loved to have seen Reconstruction under those two.

As an aside, your knowledge of horses and mules can certainly apply to most politicians because they tend to act like runaway horses and stubborn mules a lot -- with a few jackasses thrown into the mix. Sorry, my years of disillusionment are showing...