Excerpt from Liberty's Ordeal You will understand that the fiction of a conclave, in Part I., was introduced for the sole reason that it enabled me to present, more briefly, and more clearly, than I could have done by any other expedient, my view of the motives and designs of the rebel leaders in attempt ing the destruction of the Union. No further merit is claimed for it. On the contrary, I perceive very plainly that, artistically viewed, it is open to unfavora ble criticism. It is unquestionable that many of our public servants, whom I have not named, have, during the contest, in the exhibition of high qualities, fully equalled many others of whom I have made commendatory mention. Dis tributive justice, in a work of this kind, would be eminently desirable, if it were possible. Of course it is out of the question. So far as I have gone, I have endeavored to act justly. I have bestowed neither praise, nor censure, where I did not believe it richly deserved. But enough. This, with all its faults is the best offering that I can make the Republic at present. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.