one
o'clock
The Commander-in-Chief bent his giant figure over a war map , spread on his desk , fixed the position of each army by colored pins , studied them a moment and quietly walked with his wife to the Presbyterian Church to hear Dr. Gurley preach . He sat in reverent silence through the service , his soul hovering over the distant hills . Before midnight the panic stricken Congressmen began to drop into the White House , each with his story of unparalleled disaster . At one o'clock the President stood in the midst of a group of excited , perspiring statesmen who had crowded into the executive office , the one cool , shrewd , patient , self-possessed courageous man among them . He reviewed their stories quietly and with no sign of excitement , to say nothing of panic . They marvelled at his dull intellect . He was listening in silence , shaping the big new policy of his administration .