Two months later, the president—along with Chase, Stanton, General John E. Wool, and others—visited the Monitor. This ship’s paymaster reported that “Mr. Lincoln had a sad, care worn & anxious look in strong contrast with the gay cortege by which he was surrounded. As the boat which brought the party came alongside every eye sought the Monitor but his own. He stood with his face averted as if to hide some disagreeable sight. When he turned to us, I could see his lip quiver & his frame tremble with strong emotion & imagined that the terrible drama in these waters of the ninth [eighth] & tenth [ninth] of March was passing in review before him.” He shook hands with the officers, examined the ship closely, and asked to be presented to the crew. The captain objected that they were busy with their chores and not presentable. “That is just as I want to see them, sir,” replied the president. Hat in hand, he bowed right and left as he slowly passed between two rows of enlisted sailors.
Source: Abraham Lincoln ∶ A Life ▫𓂃