Meeting President Lincoln

Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.

From The Narrative of a Japanese by Joseph Heco, 1895.

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[Joseph Heco, born Hikozō Hamada, was the first naturalized Japanese citizen of the United States. He came to the United States after a shipwreck deposited him and other survivors in San Francisco. From there, he began working as a diplomat and interpreter for the United States and Japan, traveling between both countries. Heco became a US citizen in the 1850s. His journal entries here recount his stay in and around Washington, D.C. during the American Civil War.]

February 6th[, 1862]. I had received several letters from Capt. Boothe, pressing me to visit him at Alexandria, and so on this day I went to see him. Three days later it was Sunday, and I went to Church with his family. On our way home from service we noticed a great tumult and commotion in the street. On asking what the matter was, we were told that at St. Paul's the clergyman had just been taken out of the Church by the soldiers. It seems that he prayed for the President of the Confederacy, but had omitted all reference to the President of the North, and upon this some of the soldiers at the service had jumped up and hotly demanded that he should pray for President Lincoln. But the clergyman had disregarded their noise, and gone on with the service, whereupon the soldiers had gone up to the pulpit and ‘lent him a hand to come down.' They had carried away the clergyman, surplice and all, with the prayer-book in his hands. Hence all the bustle and commotion on this the Lord's Day.

After dinner my host and I went out to call on some of his friends. We had called on a Mr. Bryant (a large dry goods merchant there) and I had been introduced and we were just entering into conversation about the occurrence of the fore-noon at the Episcopal Church, when to our great surprise a Lieutenant entered the room. And the manner of his coming could boast of but scant ceremony, for he presented himself without ringing the bell, or giving any warning whatsoever.

"Madam and gentlemen," he began right away, "excuse my intrusion, but I act by the orders of my superior officer. Are these all that are in the house?"

As he said this he swept his eye over all four of us.

Our host answered "Yes."

"Then," the officer went on politely enough but in tones of authority that sounded as if he would take no denial, "all the gentlemen are requested to accompany me to the Provost Marshal's office."

At this, our host and Captain Boothe looked wonderingly at each other, and then the former turned to me and said he was more than sorry that such a thing had happened in his house. He made a thousand apologies to me for the occurrence and protested that he could not in the least understand what the Provost Marshal meant or wanted.

However there was no help for it, so out we went after the officer and walked up the street. As we got into the street, I noticed about a score of armed men lounging there seemingly at random. They all followed us till we arrived at the office. I was told afterwards that in case we had resisted the officer, these men were there to lend the irresistible and conclusive argument of physical force to the Lieutenant's representations.

When we entered the office we saw two officers in uniform, one sitting by the fire reading a newspaper with his back to the door, and the other at a desk writing. They both looked at us keenly as we entered, and the Lieutenant saluted and said that he had brought us according to orders. The officer by the fire ran his eye over us again, and then pointing at me, said brusquely: "That is the gentleman that is wanted, Lieutenant. Please take him upstairs."

Upon this I went up to the Captain and took out my passport and showed it to him, remarking that he must have taken me for somebody else. Mr. Bryant and Capt. Boothe also endeavoured to explain. The Captain read the passport and then said that he received a telegram from Washington, ordering him to arrest me, "So please follow that officer upstairs," he said coolly in a tone that meant he did not wish me to argue the question with him.

So I had no alternative but to leave my friends and follow the officer. I was taken up to a dirty looking room of about 18 x 16 ft. with an uncarpeted wooden-floor which appeared to be virgin soil as far as any broom was concerned. In it were a few wooden benches and a litter of canvass duck sails in one corner. And here the Lieutenant left me. In the inner room I found an occupant who at once entered very eagerly into conversation with me. When I asked why he was there, he said that he would be very glad if some one could give him just that self-same identical piece of information, for it was more than he knew "by a lot."

He had been taken up at the line about two weeks before and had been kept in this unswept ice-chest ever since, with no fire, and only canvass duck-sail for a blanket, and food that a fairly decent Christian wouldn't think of offering to his pigs. As for a chance of communicating with his friends and relatives, or of letting them know where he was there was none. He talked very bitterly and at the same time very eloquently about his plight, and earnestly besought me to make his case known when I got out. Just at this point the Lieutenant came back and asked me to walk down-stairs with him. He told me that my friends had made arrangements with the Captain and the Provost-Marshal so that I might leave the place. So I went down-stairs with him, and met Messrs. Bryant and Boothe, and we all walked out of the office.

On our way home they informed me that they had to give bonds to the extent of $25,000 for my re-appearance when wanted. I told them that I had hitherto had no adequate idea of my own worth or importance.

February 10th. My host got ready the buggy to drive me over to Washington. Before starting he went to see the Provost-Marshal in order to find out about my case and at the same time to inform him that we were going over to the city. In half-an-hour's time my friend came back with the following story:

It seemed that a report had got about that the Confederate General, B— had suddenly disappeared from his own quarters and been seen near Washington reconnoitering preparatory to an attack on the Federal Capital. Just at this moment one of the detectives who all unknown to me had been shadowing me for several days appeared at his office with an old faded photograph of the General, and saying "That's the man," pointed at me. So the Provost-Marshal had me arrested at once, not knowing or even dreaming that any Japanese was wandering about in the town of Alexandria. After my arrest he had sent for the detective to come and identify me, but he had not come as yet. But as the Captain was now quite convinced that he had arrested the wrong man, he said he would not keep us any longer in suspense, but would release me and my friend's bond. At the same time he sent a message of apology for making the mistake.

We went to Washington and saw Mr. Seward. I asked him about my application, and told him what had befallen me on the previous day. He laughed and said that in times like those such mistakes had often taken place, and that it was very flattering to me to be taken for such a distinguished man.

February 11th. During the night there was a fire in the town. It was in the newspaper office, and it was burned to the ground. It was rumoured that some soldiers had set fire to the place, on account of an article in the paper on the arrest of the Clergyman on Sunday, which was not altogether to the liking of these men of war. Next day it was reported that some Volunteers from Illinois had prevented the fire-men from putting out the fire, and that the Commanding officer of the city had ordered these volunteers out of the place in consequence. They went away in the night, but returned next morning to defy the order.

On account of this the Commanding officer was said to have sent in his resignation to the Headquarters at Washington. This rumour seems to have been contradicted next day. But it was stated in the local paper that the Governor of the town was far too good to be there, as he was more of a Southerner than a Northerner, and that he ought to be removed. It was on account of this that the Governor had sent in his resignation. Along with it he sent a statement of what he had done. The authorities refused to accept his resignation, approved of his action, and increased his powers. Whereupon he effectually cleared the town of these disorderly soldiers on that very day.

February 13th. When we got up, we noticed the American flag flying from almost every housetop or roof in town. We were told that on the previous night the soldiers who were ordered out had placed these flags there. They did this to annoy the residents for many among them were said to be in full sympathy with the South.

Early in the forenoon it commenced to rain, and the rain soon turned into sleet and then into Snow. My host insisted that I should prolong my stay with him but I had made up my mind to leave. So at 11 a.m. I thanked him and his family for their hospitality, bade them sayonara and left for Baltimore. When I arrived there I found my Commission awaiting me.

March 10th. During the previous day we had heard the dull rumble of cannonading in the distance. And now to-day the place was wild with excitement at the news. A great naval battle had been fought at Hampton Roads between the North and the South. The Southern warship Merrimac had rammed the Federal men-of-war Cumberland and Congress and sent them to the bottom.

March 12th. My departure homeward was near at hand, so I thought I would call on friends and officials at Washington and bid them adieu and thank them for their kind attention to me. So I first called on Mr. Seward. I said I had come to thank him for the appointment and to bid him good-bye.

"Ah!" said he. "So you are ready to go back to your native country! But have you seen our Tycoon?"

I said that I had not yet had that pleasure.

Then he said that I must not go away without seeing "our great man." And he asked me to wait a little, as he would then take me and introduce me to the President.

In a quarter of an hour or so he said, "Now, Mr. Heco, we will go." So saying we walked out of his office, and into the rear garden, when he look hold of my arm and walked me across to the President's mansion. As we walked on he said: "To-day is Cabinet meeting-day, but I cannot let you go away without your seeing our great and good man."

We entered the President's office and found him seated in an arm chair tilted back on to its two hind legs, with his ankles crossed over each on the desk in front of him and his spectacles up on his forehead. He was listening patiently to an army officer who sat near by with lots of documents in his hands and lots more on the corner of the desk beside him. As we entered the President glanced at us, and Mr. Seward pointed me to a chair and told me to be seated. He himself went and picked up a newspaper off a table, sat down on the sofa near by and began to read.

I looked round the room and listened to the officer talking to the President. As far as I could gather from the drift of his flow of words, the man was a cavalry colonel who had been suddenly dismissed by his superior officer. He thought this was very unjust and wanted the President to intervene and reinstate him in his post.

Presently the President seemed to wax a trifle impatient at the man's long pleading. And he turned to that officer and said to him:

"Well, Sir, I have been listening quite long enough to your complaints. And, my dear colonel, I'll tell you what; I think you are the most long-winded talker I ever listened to!"

At this the officer jumped up from his seat, gathered up all his documents with trembling fingers, hastily crammed them into his coat-pocket, and said:

"Mr. President, I am much obliged to you for the compliment you have just paid me. Good-morning!"

"All right, Sir!" replied the President, and the colonel dashed out through the door as if he had been a shot.

After the man had disappeared the President got up and walked towards us, and we rose from our seats.

"How do you do, Seward?" he said, and he shook hands with that gentleman.

Mr. Seward then said:

"Allow me to introduce my young friend, Mr. Heco, a Japanese gentleman."

The President stretched out a huge hand, saying he was glad to meet one coming from such a far off place as Japan. He shook hands with me very cordially, and then he made a great many inquiries about the position of affairs in our country.

Whilst we were talking the Secretary of the Treasury (Mr. Chase) came in, and then the Secretary of the Navy. So I made a move to take my leave by thanking the President for the appointment. I bade all of them good-bye and received their good-wishes, and came away.

The President was tall, lean, with large hands, darkish hair streaked with grey, slight side-whiskers and clean shaved about the mouth. He was dressed in a black frock coat. It was said that he was a most sincere and kind person, greatly beloved by all those who came in contact with him, and more especially by his party and his friends.

Heco, Joseph. The Narrative of a Japanese. American-Japanese Publishing Association, 1895.

Joseph Heco

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