Jeremy Strong credited as playing...
John Nicolay
- Abraham Lincoln: Now, here's a sixteen year old boy. They're going to hang him. He was with the 15th Indiana Calvary near Beaufort, seems he lamed his horse to avoid battle. I don't think even Stanton would complain if I pardoned him? You think Stanton would complain?
- John Hay: Ummm... I don't know, sir, I don't know who you're, uh... What time is it?
- Abraham Lincoln: It's three forty in the morning.
- John Nicolay: [not fully conscious] Don't... let him pardon any more deserters...
- John Hay: Mr. Stanton thinks you pardon too many. He's generally apoplectic...
- Abraham Lincoln: He oughtn't to have done that, crippled his horse. That was cruel, but you don't just hang a sixteen year old boy for that...
- John Hay: Ask the horse what he thinks.
- Abraham Lincoln: For cruelty. There'd be no sixteen year old boys left.
- [protracted pause while staring into oblivion]
- Abraham Lincoln: Grant wants me to bring the secesh delegates to Washington.
- John Nicolay: [fully awaken, sits upright in bed] So... there are secesh delegates?
- Abraham Lincoln: He was afraid, that's all it was. I don't care to hang a boy for being frightened, either. What good would it do him?
- [signs the pardon]
- Abraham Lincoln: War's nearly done. Ain't that so? What use one more corpse? Any more corpses?
- [rises to leaves]
- John Hay: Do you need company?
- Abraham Lincoln: Times like this, I'm best alone.
- [exits]
- John Nicolay: Making false representation to Congress, is - it's - it's...
- Abraham Lincoln: It's impeachable, but I've made no such false representation.