I have heard, in such a way as to believe it, of your recently saying that both the Army and the Government needed a Dictator. Of course it was not for this, but spite of it, that I have given you the command. Only those generals who gain successes, can set up dictators. What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861-65)

Letter to Gen. Joseph Hooker (26 Jan 1863)