Lincoln did more than utter eloquent addresses, or emancipate three million slaves, or make himself something out of nothing. He navigated the turbulent waters of a democracy that was being ripped apart by civil war, brought that war to a successful conclusion, and cajoled friends and enemies alike into following his direction. "The Tycoon," as his secretary John Hay called him in the summer of 1863, "is managing this war, … foreign relations, and planning a reconstruction of the Union, all at once. I never knew with what tyrannous authority he rules the Cabinet, till now. The most important things he decides and there is no cavil."