Eighty years ago, when Abraham Lincoln was President of the United States, there was a war between the North and South of the States. Once a young soldier named William Scott was found asleep at his post, and was likely to be shot. When President Lincoln heard of it he was troubled, and sent for the soldier, who was little more than a boy. He asked him many questions and learnt that Scott had been on a march of over twenty miles that day. A friend of his had fallen ill, so Scott offered to take his place as sentry at night. And as he was very tired, he had fallen asleep. He was not afraid to die, but he did not want his mother to know why he had died. As President Lincoln listened to the story tears came into his eyes and he said: ‘You have suffered for a friend; you are a good soldier, and may return to your regiment.’