It was published in the New York Times and attributed to F. B. Carpenter, who said Lincoln told him the story.
It's coming to Nashville in February. I'm looking forward to seeing it.
civilwartalk.com
Mr. F.B. CARPENTER, the well-known artist, contributes to the Independent this week a sketch of the history of the Emancipation Proclamation, as given to him by Mr. LINCOLN himself, while he was painting the picture illustrative of its consideration by the Cabinet. Mr. CARPENTER quotes a passage from Mr. LINCOLN's letter to Col. HODGES, of Kentucky, and says:
I now take up the history of the proclamation itself, as Mr. LINCOLN gave it to me, on the occasion of our first interview, as written down by myself soon afterward:
"It had got to be," said he, "Mid-summer, 1862. Things had gone on from bad to worse, until I felt that we had reached the end of our rope on the plan of operations we had been pursuing; that we had about played our last card, and must change our tactics, or lose the game! I now determined upon the adoption of the emancipation policy; and, without consultation with, or the knowledge of the Cabinet, I prepared the original draft of the Proclamation, and after much anxious thought, called a Cabinet meeting upon the subject.