- Historic Sites Why They Impeached Andrew Johnson One of the
saddest tales in American history tells how a well-intentioned
President lost a dazzling opportunity December 1956 | Volume 8,
Issue 1 There was a temperamental coldness about this plain-
featured, grave man that kept him from easy, intimate relations
with even his political supporters. His massive head, dark,
luxuriant hair, deep-set and piercing eyes, and cleft square
chin seemed to Charles Dickens to indicate “courage,
watchfulness, and certainly strength of purpose,” but his was a
grim face, with “no genial sunlight in it.” The coldness and
reserve that marked Johnson’s public associations doubtless
stemmed from a deep-seated feeling of insecurity; this self-
educated tailor whose wife had taught him how to write could
never expose himself by letting down his guard and relaxing.
Johnson knew none of the arts of managing men, and he seemed
unaware that face-saving is important for a politician. When he
became President, Johnson was besieged by adv