On the recordApril 4, 1864
By general law, life and limb must be protected, yet often a limb must be amputated to save a life; but a life is never wisely given to save a limb.
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gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Explaining his wartime decisions, Lincoln uses a medical analogy to illustrate the necessity of extreme measures to preserve the nation.
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He said, with a great deal of emphasis, and with an expression of countenance I shall never forget: "When a man is sincerely penitent for his misdeeds, and gives satisfactory evidence of the same, he can safely be pardoned, and there is no…
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I am considering, and shall not fail to act when satisfied that action will be proper.
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