ABSTRACT
Congress met in gloomy strife on December 3, 1860. It was to have the distinction of being the one Congress to adjourn for a civil war. The change from Boston to the lively apprehension of Washington suited Henry Adams. He was out of New England and the law office which he had tried uncertainly and without enthusiasm during the fall; he was living in the center of things; he was at work. From the public scenes in the Capitol building young Adams could return each evening to private scenes in his father’s house: scenes taking place nightly, played by the leading men of their own side, men who enjoyed the good port wine and cigars and talk in Representative Adams’s dining room. What Henry grasped was the necessity of the time for the practical manager and maneuverer.
