Midway through his turbulent presidency, Franklin Pierce hosted an event for War of 1812 veterans. Four thousand old warriors crammed into the East Room of the White House, where Pierce extolled their service and thanked them for their sacrifice. Pierce shined on this occasion and others like it.

It was difficult for Pierce and his close associates to grasp in such a congenial setting just how unpopular he had become, especially in the northern states. But a New Hampshire man observed that things would "come out right in the end." Pierce, he said, was "honest and fearless and patriotic and ...

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