The Greatest

During the Civil War, despite his busy schedule, Abraham Lincoln would occasionally take the time to visit hospitals and cheer up some of the wounded soldiers. One time he came to the bed of a young soldier who was near death, and Lincoln asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?" The soldier, not realizing to whom he was speaking, said, "Yes, there is. Would you please write a letter to my mother?"

So Lincoln sat down and wrote as the young man dictated. The letter read, "Dearest Mom, I was badly hurt while doing my duty, and I will not recover. Don't sorrow too much for me. May God bless you and Father. Please kiss Mary and John for me." At that point the soldier grew so weak that he couldn't continue or even sign his name, so Lincoln finished the letter with this: "Written for your son at his request by Abraham Lincoln." As he was about to put it into an envelope, the young man recovered enough to say, "May I see the letter? I'd like to read it once before you send it." When he got to the bottom and saw Lincoln's name, he was shocked. "Are you really the President? he asked.

Lincoln smiled and said simply, "Yes I am. Is there anything more I can do for you?" The soldier answered feebly, "Yes, Mr. President, would you mind holding my hand and seeing me through to the end?"

So Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States, and certainly one of the greatest, took the soldier's hand and held it all through the night until finally, as the dawn began to break, the young man's grip began to weaken and he died.

Source:
Christian Devotional and Educational Literature
http://www.janita.info/sectio30.htm