Showing posts with label Abraham Lincoln. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abraham Lincoln. Show all posts

Friday, March 8, 2024

President Abraham Lincoln's Personal Valet, William Henry Johnson, a free Negro.

William Henry Johnson (c1835-1864), a free Negro, played a multifaceted role in the life of President Abraham Lincoln. While most remembered as Lincoln's valet, Johnson's service encompassed much more.

Details about Johnson's early life are scarce, but historical estimates place his birth around 1835. We know that Johnson's path first crossed Lincoln's in Springfield, Illinois, where he began working as Lincoln's barber and valet around 1860. Johnson proved to be a trusted and valuable household member, attending to Lincoln's grooming needs and likely running errands.

This trust became even more crucial when Abraham Lincoln secured the presidency. In 1861, as Lincoln prepared for his inauguration in Washington D.C., the nation was embroiled in the Civil War. An assassination plot loomed, prompting a secret journey to the capital. Johnson, demonstrating his loyalty, accompanied Lincoln on this perilous trip.

Once in Washington, Johnson's duties expanded beyond barbering and valeting. The White House staff, particularly other servants, held prejudiced views and often ostracized Johnson due to his darker complexion. Lincoln valued Johnson's dedication and entrusted him with various tasks despite this. Johnson became a butler and firekeeper and even helped Lincoln with errands and messages. He was, in essence, Lincoln's right-hand man, a constant presence attending to the President's needs.

Johnson's role extended beyond the White House. When Lincoln delivered the famed Gettysburg Address, Johnson was by his side on November 19, 1863. Their bond remained strong throughout the war, and Lincoln even intervened to secure Johnson a position in the Treasury Department, likely because Johnson faced prejudice from some White House staff.

This loyalty proved to be a two-way street. In November 1863, Lincoln fell ill with smallpox. Johnson, ever devoted, tirelessly nursed the President back to health. Tragically, Johnson himself contracted smallpox and succumbed to it on January 28, 1864. 

Lincoln had William Henry Johnson buried on the Arlington Mansion grounds, now Arlington National Cemetery, and personally paid all the expenses for his funeral services.
William Henry Johnson's life story transcends the simple title of "valet."  He was a trusted confidante, a bodyguard, and a friend to Abraham Lincoln during a period of immense national upheaval. Despite facing prejudice, Johnson's dedication and service left a lasting mark on the President and offered a glimpse into the complex dynamics of the White House during the Civil War.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The Story of Captain Abraham Lincoln.

The life of American Revolution Captain Abraham Lincoln (1744-1786), the paternal grandfather of the esteemed 16th President, is a tale woven with the threads of both the expansion and the dangers of the American frontier.

Abraham Lincoln was born May 13, 1744, in what today is Berks County, Pennsylvania. Young Abraham was John Lincoln's son, a tanner and farmer. The Lincoln family had made its way to the New World from England a century before, establishing themselves among the industrious settlers shaping the colonies. Though his formal education was limited, Abraham would inherit a strong spirit and a thirst for a better life.

Abraham was the first child born to John and Rebekah Lincoln, who had nine children in all: Abraham, born 1744; twins Hannah and Lydia, born 1748; Isaac, born 1750; Jacob, born 1751; John born 1755; Sarah, born 1757; Thomas born 1761; and Rebekah born 1767.

Abraham married Bathsheba Herring (c1742–1836), a daughter of Alexander Herring (c1708-c1778) and his wife Abigail Harrison (c1710–c1780) of Linville Creek. Bathsheba was reputed to be practical and resilient, and together, they built a family. The assertion that Abraham was first married to Mary Shipley has been refuted.

Abraham's father, John Lincoln, purchased land in the Shenandoah Valley in the colony of Virginia in 1768. He settled his family on a 600-acre tract on Linville Creek in Augusta County (now Rockingham County). John and Rebekah Lincoln divided their tract with their two eldest sons, Abraham and Isaac. Abraham built a house on his land across Linville Creek from his parents' home in 1773.

In the mid-1700s, word spread like wildfire of the fertile lands of Virginia—the Shenandoah Valley beckoned with its promises. The Lincolns, ever seeking opportunity, uprooted their lives and headed south, settling in Rockingham County, Virginia.

But the frontier did not surrender its bounty easily. This new land demanded resourcefulness and a willingness to defend one's claim. Abraham became a captain in the Virginia militia, his life taking on the dual roles of farmer and protector. Amidst the labor of raising crops and children, the specter of conflict with Indian tribes was a constant undercurrent.

Abraham served as the Augusta County militia captain during the American Revolutionary War (1765-83). With the organization of Rockingham County in 1778, he served as a captain for that county. He was in command of sixty of his neighbors, ready to be called out by the governor of Virginia and marched where needed. Captain Lincoln's company served under General Lachlan McIntosh in the fall and winter of 1778, assisting in constructing Fort McIntosh in Pennsylvania and Fort Laurens in Ohio.

In 1780, Abraham Lincoln sold his land on Mill Creek, and in 1781, he moved his family to Kentucky, which was then a district of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The family settled in Jefferson County, about twenty miles east of the site of Louisville. The territory was still contested by Indians living across the Ohio River. For protection, the settlers lived near frontier forts, called stations, to which they retreated when the alarm was given. Abraham Lincoln settled near Hughes' Station (Central Kentucky) on Floyd's Fork and began clearing land, planting corn, and building a cabin. Lincoln owned at least 5,544 acres of land in the richest sections of Kentucky.

One day in May 1786, Abraham Lincoln was working in his field with his three sons when he was shot from the nearby forest and fell to the ground. 


The eldest boy, Mordecai, ran to the cabin where a loaded gun was kept, while the middle son, Josiah, ran to Hughes' Station for help. Thomas, the youngest, stood in shock by his father. From the cabin, Mordecai observed an Indian come out of the forest and stop by his father's body. The Indian reached for Thomas, either to kill him or to carry him off. Mordecai took aim and shot the Indian in the chest, killing him.

Tradition states that Captain Abraham Lincoln was buried next to his cabin, now the Long Run Baptist Church and Cemetery site near Eastwood, Kentucky. A stone memorializing Captain Abraham Lincoln was placed in the cemetery in 1937. A stone honoring Captain Abraham Lincoln was placed in a cemetery near Eastwood, Kentucky, in 1937.

Bathsheba Lincoln was left a widow with five underage children. She moved the family away from the Ohio River to Washington County, where the country was more thickly settled, and there was less danger of an Indian attack. Under the law then operating, Mordecai Lincoln, as the eldest son, inherited two-thirds of his father's estate when he reached the age of twenty-one, with Bathsheba receiving one-third. The other children inherited nothing. Life was hard, particularly for Thomas, the youngest, who got little schooling and was forced to work at a young age.

In later years, Thomas Lincoln recounted the day his father died to his son, Abraham Lincoln, the future sixteenth President of the United States of America. "The story of his death by the Indians," the President later wrote, "and of Uncle Mordecai, then fourteen years old, killing one of the Indians, is the legend more strongly than all others imprinted on my mind and memory."

The story of Captain Abraham Lincoln is one of grit and ambition. It speaks of the tumultuous era when a nation was being forged and the sacrifices made on the altar of expansion. While his life was cut tragically short, he left an indelible mark. His determination and spirit would be echoed in the following generations, shaping the character of one of America's most beloved Presidents.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Friday, December 29, 2023

Ford's Theatre vs. Ford’s Opera House, Washington, DC

Ford's Athenaeum was a theatre located at 511 10th Street NW, Washington, D.C., which opened in 1861. After a fire destroyed it in 1862, he rebuilt a new building on the same site and named it Ford's Theatre, which opened in 1865. 
Ticket Color Determines the Seating Section.
 
Ford's Theatre Ticket, Late 1860s.


The building is now named "Ford's Theatre National Historic Site."

The Two Theatres Owned By John Thompson Ford (1829-1894).
Ford's Opera House was a theatre at the southwest corner of 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC., which opened in 1871. Ford's Opera House closed in 1928 and was demolished in 1930.
Ford's Opera House, 1928


The brainchild of renowned theatre manager John T. Ford, the opera house opened its doors to the public on October 2, 1871. It was a magnificent structure, boasting a grand Italianate facade, a spacious auditorium with plush seating for 1,700, and a state-of-the-art stage equipped for elaborate productions. 
Ford's Opera House Stationary Header.


The opera house quickly became a popular destination for Washingtonians, offering diverse performances, from grand operas and operettas to Shakespearean plays, vaudeville acts, and even political rallies. Notably, the famous newspaper publisher Horace Greeley was nominated as the Liberal Republican presidential candidate in 1872.
As the years passed, the opera house faced increasing competition from other theatres and entertainment venues in the city. The rise of vaudeville and musical comedy further eroded its audience for traditional operas.

By the early 20th century, the opera house was struggling financially. Attempts were made to revive its fortunes by hosting silent films and other popular attractions, but the success was short-lived.

After a final performance on April 29, 1928, the curtain fell on Ford's Opera House for the last time. The building was eventually demolished in 1930 to make way for a parking garage, sadly erasing a piece of Washington's cultural history.

While the physical structure is no more, the legacy of Ford's Opera House remains. It was a pioneering venue that brought world-class entertainment to Washington, D.C. and played a significant role in the city's cultural life. Its demise serves as a reminder of the ever-evolving nature of the arts and the importance of preserving our cultural heritage.

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John Thompson Ford worked as a bookseller in Richmond, Virginia. Ford wrote a comedy play poking fun at Richmond society. The farce was entitled "Richmond As It Is," and was produced by a minstrel company called the Nightingale Serenaders. It focused on humorous aspects of everyday life. This type of play is termed "observational comedy," which is exactly the type of humor that Jerry Seinfeld has used to established one of the most successful comedy careers of our era. He worked in management with the Nightingale Serenaders, traveling around the country. During his career, Ford managed theatres in Alexandria, Virginia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Charleston, South Carolina; and Richmond, Virginia.

Ford was the manager of this highly successful theatre at the time of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. He was a good friend of Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor. Ford drew further suspicion upon himself by being in Richmond, Virginia, at the time of the assassination on April 14, 1865. Until April 2, 1865, Richmond had been the capital of the Confederate States of America and a center of anti-Lincoln conspiracies.

An order was issued for Ford's arrest, and on April 18, he was arrested at his Baltimore home. His brothers, James and Harry Clay Ford, were thrown into prison along with him. John Ford complained of the effect that his incarceration would have on his business and family, and he offered to help with the investigation. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton made no reply to his two letters. After 39 days, the brothers were finally fully exonerated and set free since there was no evidence of their complicity in the crime. The government seized the theatre, and Ford was paid $88,000 ($1.7 Million  today) for it by Congress.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

President Abraham Lincoln's New Year's Events.

Abraham Lincoln's New Year's events varied depending on the year and the circumstances surrounding the country. From quiet family dinners during the Civil War's early years to more formal receptions with rising optimism as the war progressed, each celebration was shaped by the unique circumstances surrounding the nation.

Here's a glimpse into Lincoln's notable New Year's:
The Presidency Sure Took Its Toll On Abraham Lincoln.


New Year's Day 1863: This New Year's marked a turning point in the Civil War. In the early hours of the morning of January 1, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring freedom for enslaved people in Confederate states. While not a public celebration, it was a momentous occasion for the nation and a significant step towards ending slavery.

New Year's Eve 1864: This New Year's Eve brought good news. General William T. Sherman captured Savannah, Georgia, as a Christmas present to the President. Washington erupted in celebration, and Lincoln attended a reception for his cabinet, where there was much jubilation over the Union's progress.

New Year's Day 1864: The war continued, but there were glimmers of hope. Lincoln held a traditional New Year's Day reception at the White House, welcoming well-wishers and diplomats. Though the mood was somber, there was a sense of determination to see the Union through to victory.

New Year's Eve 1865: Tragically, this would be Lincoln's last New Year's. Just five days later, he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.

New Year's Day 1865: Lincoln's New Year's Day reception was particularly joyous, with the war nearing its end. He delivered a hopeful speech expressing his confidence in the Union's victory and the nation's future.

The Civil War overshadowed Abraham Lincoln's New Year's celebrations throughout his presidency. However, he also used these occasions to express hope for the future and to rally the nation behind the Union cause. His dedication to the country and his unwavering spirit are what we remember most about Abraham Lincoln, even in the midst of difficult times. 

It's rumored that Mary Lincoln may have baked Abraham's favorite dessert: Gingerbread with an Apple and Brown Sugar Topping.

Copyright © 2023 Dr. Neil Gale. All rights reserved.

Friday, November 3, 2023

Jesse W. Fell was a successful businessman, advocate for education, and close friend of Abraham Lincoln.

Jesse W. Fell played a significant role in the development of Illinois in the early 1800s. He was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, on November 10, 1808, and moved to Illinois in 1831. He initially settled in Bloomington, where he opened the first law office in the city.
Jesse W. Fell
In the early 1830s, Fell was appointed Commissioner of Schools in McLean County. This position introduced him to buying and selling land, which he enjoyed much more than being a teacher or a lawyer. He also developed a love of plants and trees, and he became known as "The Tree Planter" for his efforts to beautify the area.

Jesse Fell and Abraham Lincoln first met in 1834 while attending a session of the Illinois state legislature at Vandalia. Fell was a lobbyist for his newly adopted McLean County, while Lincoln was a legislature member. The two men quickly became friends, and their paths would cross frequently over the years, as they were both involved in politics and the law.

John T. Stuart was a prominent lawyer and politician in Springfield, Illinois, in the 1830s. He was also active in politics. In 1837, Stuart formed a law partnership with Abraham Lincoln. The two men became close friends and worked together for several years. Stuart was a mentor to Lincoln and helped him to develop his legal skills. Stuart and Lincoln were both at that time members of the legislature from Sangamon County. The two men roomed together in the winter of 1834-35, and Jesse Fell lived in the same house. Lincoln and Stuart fascinated Fell, who noted the sharp contrast between Stuart's attractive person and polished manners and Lincoln's big-boned, angular, wrinkled face and direct ways. Stuart introduced Fell to Lincoln, and the two became almost at once great friends. Their friendship transcended all differences of creed, education or destiny. 

In the late 1830s, Fell was especially active during the Illinois land boom. He co-founded the town of Clinton, Illinois, with James Allin and worked to create DeWitt County. He also established Livingston County.

Fell and Lincoln worked together on several projects. Fell was involved in the founding of several towns in Central Illinois, including Clinton, Pontiac, and Normal.

He was active in the Whig Party in the 1840s. Fell became very involved in politics during the mid to late 1850s and helped to organize the Illinois Republican Party in 1856.

Fell played an essential role in Lincoln's political career, and he urged Lincoln to challenge Stephen A. Douglas to the famous series of debates in 1858. He also played a crucial role in managing Lincoln's presidential campaign.

In addition to his business interests, Fell was a strong advocate for education. He was instrumental in the founding of Illinois State Normal University, which opened in 1857. Its name was changed to Illinois State University in 1967. He donated land for the campus and served on the board of trustees for many years.
Illinois State Normal University


After the Civil War, Fell continued to be involved in business and civic affairs. He died on February 25, 1887, at the age of 78. He is buried in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, located at 302 East Miller Street, Bloomington, Illinois, 61701.


Copyright © 2023 Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Abraham Lincoln, "Judge."

While most people know Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer before becoming President, few may realize he also had experience as a judge. As an attorney, Lincoln worked in the Eighth Judicial Circuit in Illinois, and twice a year, usually in the fall and spring, he'd spend nearly three months traveling by horseback and stopping at each county seat for a brief court term (most often two days to a week in duration). Lincoln often argued cases in front of Judge David Davis, who traveled the circuit with him. When Davis was ill or had personal business, he usually asked Lincoln to act as judge for a few days. This procedure was irregular and was altogether without statutory sanction; thus, Lincoln would only preside at a trial if all parties consented. At least two of "Judge" Lincoln's cases were reversed by the Illinois Supreme Court because of this irregular assignment of judicial duties. Still, Lincoln's integrity and character were usually so outstanding as to inspire confidence in his findings and weight to his judgments. 

A few examples of cases Lincoln dealt with as a judge were of little consequence. Once, he heard a case involving a merchant and a father of a minor son. The merchant had sold the boy a $28 suit on credit without the father's knowledge or approval. The businessman held the father responsible for the son's debt. To hold the parent liable for the son's debt, the merchant had to prove that the clothes were necessary and suitable for the boy's lifestyle. The father was prosperous, and the merchant contended he ought to pay the boy's bill. However, "Judge" Lincoln ruled against the merchant. Mr. Lincoln said, "I have rarely in my life worn a suit of clothes costing twenty-eight dollars."

In another case presided over by "Judge" Lincoln, a farmer named Hartsfeller sued his neighbor named Trowbridge for damages resulting when Trowbridge's cattle ate up the corn stored in Hartsfeller's crib (crib = a small building or rack for storing corn). Trowbridge had leased a portion of his land to Hartsfeller, who had raised some corn on the land. Contrary to Trowbridge's instructions, Hartsfeller had stored the corn on the same land. Trowbridge had enclosed his farm with a fence and had turned his cattle out to graze. The cattle entered the area where Hartsfeller was storing the corn and devoured the crop.

"And you say you went over and fenced the corn after you asked him not to crib it on your land?" "Judge," Lincoln inquired of Trowbridge.

Trowbridge replied, "Yes, sir."

"Trowbridge, you have won your case," was the terse reply from Mr. Lincoln.

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The fact that Abraham Lincoln served briefly as a judge ("judge pro tem") should not be too surprising. Even as a young man in New Salem, he was constantly being called upon to reconcile or referee cockfights, horse races, and fistfights. He was a "natural" peacemaker and arbitrator. This characteristic helped lead to his rise to being one of the most well-known and respected lawyers in the entire state of Illinois.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Abraham Lincoln's Brother, Thomas "Tommy" Lincoln Jr.

Very little is known about Tommy Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's younger brother. Thomas Lincoln Jr. was named after his father and was born while the Lincolns lived at the Knob Creek Farm in Hodgenville, Kentucky. The family lived there from 1811 to 1816, and many sources list 1812 as the year of Tommy Lincoln's birth. The birthdate is lost to history.

Tommy lived only for a short period. Dennis Hanks said that the baby "did not live 3 days." Augustus H. Chapman, a Lincoln family relative by marriage, said Tommy "died when only 3 days old." No cause of death is known.

Dr. Daniel B. Potter of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, rode 13 miles on horseback to the Lincoln cabin to treat infant Tommy, but he was unable to save the baby's life.

Dr. Potter arrived in the area in 1811. He passed away in 1814. When his estate was settled, it was discovered that Thomas Lincoln had once paid him $1.46 for services rendered. It is possible that there was a connection between this account and the death of Tommy. As Dr. Potter was only active in the area for three years, it makes 1812 a logical guess as the year of Tommy's birth and death.

Thomas Lincoln made a coffin for his child. He also carved the letters T.L. into a stone that would be Tommy's grave marker. Tommy was buried in the Redmon family cemetery on a knoll overlooking the Lincolns' farm.
Tommy Lincoln's gravestone was discovered in 1933
by Work Progress Administration workers. 
Workers from the Works Progress Administration found a small stone buried just below the sur while clearing the cemetery. The stone had the initials T.L. carved into it, and the initials matched the T.L. that Thomas Lincoln carved into pieces of cabinetry he made for neighbors. It was felt that this was indeed Tommy's grave marker.
The Knob Creek cabin where the Thomas Lincoln Jr. was born.


Boy Scout Post 15 of Des Moines, Iowa, donated a new tombstone for Tommy in 1959. For years, the original grave marker for Tommy was on display at the Nancy Lincoln Inn next to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, but it's now under the care of its owner. Tommy's grave is located on private land.
Photograph of the new tombstone for Tommy that was
donated by Boy Scout Post 15 of Des Moines, Iowa.
Abraham Lincoln only made mention of Tommy on one occasion. When Lincoln ran for President in 1860, John L. Scripps of the Chicago Tribune asked him to write an autobiography. In it, Lincoln wrote that he had "a brother, younger than himself, who died in infancy."

Little Tommy was the third and last child born to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. The first child, Sarah, was born February 10, 1807. The second child, Abraham, was born February 12, 1809.
Otis Wayne Miller, 4, pictured with Tommy's original grave marker in 1958.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Monday, September 18, 2023

President Abraham Lincoln's Accomplishments.

Abraham Lincoln is remembered for his vital role as the leader in preserving the Union during the Civil War and beginning the process (Emancipation Proclamation) that led to the end of slavery in the United States. He is also remembered for his character and leadership, his speeches and letters, and as a man of humble origins whose determination and perseverance led him to the nation's highest office.
Oil painting of Abraham Lincoln by artist and sculptor Richard R. Miller
President Lincoln endured extraordinary pressures during the long Civil War. He carried on despite generals who weren't ready to fight, assassination threats, bickering among his Cabinet members, huge loss of life on the battlefields, and opposition from groups such as the Copperheads. However, Lincoln remained brave and persevered. He didn't give in to the pressures and ended the war early. He kept fighting until the Confederacy was defeated. A lesser man would have given in and stopped the war before the goals had been achieved. Lincoln did not do this.

The Emancipation Proclamation didn't immediately free any slaves because it only applied to territories not under Lincoln's control. The actual fact is that legal freedom for all slaves in the United States did not come until the final passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in December of 1865. Lincoln was a strong supporter of the amendment but was assassinated before its final enactment.

President Lincoln's domestic policies included support for the Homestead Act. This act allowed poor people in the East to obtain land in the West. He signed the Morrill Act, which was designed to aid in the establishment of agricultural and mechanical colleges in each state. Also, Lincoln signed legislation entitled the National Banking Act, which established a national currency and provided for the creation of a network of national banks. In addition, he signed tariff legislation that offered protection to American industry and signed a bill that chartered the first transcontinental railroad. Lincoln's foreign policy was geared toward preventing foreign intervention in the Civil War.

Lincoln's most famous speech was the Gettysburg Address. In the address, Lincoln explained that our nation was fighting the Civil War to see if we would survive as a country. He stated it was proper to dedicate a portion of the Gettysburg battlefield as a remembrance of the men who had fought and died there. Lincoln said that the people who were still alive must dedicate themselves to finishing the task that the dead soldiers had begun, which was to save the nation so it would not perish from the earth.

One important way Lincoln affects contemporary society is that we look back on his presidency as a role model for future generations. Lincoln's high character affects us because we compare present-day politicians to the example Lincoln set. Another effect is in the area of quotations. Politicians love to quote Abraham Lincoln because Lincoln is considered America's wisest president. A major effect Lincoln has on the U.S. today is simply through the good example he set when it came to leadership and integrity. Many American politicians in our time try to emulate his thinking by using Lincoln's quotes in their speeches.

Lincoln had a benevolent leadership style in contrast to oppressive (authoritarian), participatory (democratic), or laissez-faire (hands-off). When there was disagreement among advisors and himself, his leadership style often involved telling a story that demonstrated his point. Lots of times, this method worked, and people admired and respected him for it. He could virtually disarm his enemies with his highly moralistic, skillful leadership. Lincoln possessed qualities of kindness and compassion combined with wisdom. In fact, one of his nicknames was "Father Abraham." Like George Washington, Lincoln demonstrated an extraordinary strength of character, but Lincoln's unique style of leadership involved telling stories that explained his actions and influenced others to follow his lead.

More than fifteen years ago, a book entitled Rating the Presidents by William J. Ridings, Jr. and Stuart B. McIver (Secaucus, New Jersey, Citadel Press, 1997) was published. Seven hundred nineteen professors, elected officials, historians, attorneys, authors, etc., participated in the poll and rated the presidents. Abraham Lincoln finished first, Franklin Roosevelt was second, and George Washington finished third. The categories in which the various presidents were rated included leadership qualities, accomplishments and crisis management, political skill, appointments, and character and integrity. Lincoln was ranked no lower than first, second, or third in any of the categories, and his overall ranking was first among all American presidents.

Another poll was released in February 2009. This poll was sponsored by C-SPAN and consisted of a survey of 65 historians. The participants were asked to rank the presidents in ten categories ranging from public persuasion and economic management to international relations and moral authority. Abraham Lincoln finished first, George Washington was second, and Franklin Roosevelt was third.

Lincoln rose to the top through sheer ambition and hard work. He had nearly no education at all. He spent less than 12 months attending schools as a youth growing up on the frontier. Each one was very small, and the lessons were most often taught orally. Schools thus got the nickname "blab" schools (aka ABC schools). Later when he moved to New Salem, Illinois, he began to study law books in his spare time. In New Salem, he earned the nickname "Honest Abe." He was almost totally self-educated and became a lawyer in 1836, although he never attended college. Lincoln was a very successful attorney with a large practice prior to his election as president in 1860. Additionally, Lincoln served four terms in the Illinois State House of Representatives and one term in Congress.

Perhaps the most important action Lincoln took was his decision to fight to preserve the Union. In the end, this decision to fight the Civil War resulted in the USA remaining one nation rather than splitting into two separate countries. Although Lincoln was criticized for stepping over the traditional bounds of executive power, he was faced with the greatest threat to federal authority in the history of the country. He felt his job was to protect the Union from disintegrating. Also, Lincoln's contribution in the area of freedom for the slaves is extremely important. He got the ball rolling with the Emancipation Proclamation. We honor Abraham Lincoln for his actions in preserving the Union and beginning the process of freedom for slaves.

By R.J. Norton
Edited by Dr. Neil Gale

Friday, August 25, 2023

The Laughing and Literary Lincoln.



Abraham Lincoln was the only President who was both a humorist and a literary artist. Lincoln's funny stories not only entertained people; they also helped him make important points. Lincoln was utterly without malice, but he was the most vilified of all our presidents. His sense of humor, however, as well as his deep devotion to democratic ideals, led him to respond to personal attacks with tolerance and magnanimity. And he enshrined his democratic faith in some of the most beautiful English prose ever written. 

Abraham Lincoln was the first humorist to occupy the White House. "He could make a cat laugh!" exclaimed Bill Green. "It was as a humorist that he towered above all other men it was ever my Jot to meet,'" said another friend from Lincoln's youth. H. C. Whitney, a lawyer who rode the circuit with Lincoln in Illinois, was struck by Lincoln's keen sense of the absurd: "He saw the ludicrous in an assemblage of fowls, in a man spading his garden, in a clothesline full of clothes, in a group of boys, in a lot of pigs rooting at a mill door, in a mother duck teaching her brood to swim-in everything and anything." During the Civil War, London's Saturday Review told its readers: "One advantage the Americans have is the possession of a President who is not only the First Magistrate, but the Chief Joker of the Land." By the middle of 1863, several joke books with titles like Old Abe's Jokes, Abe's Jokes, Fresh from Abraham's Bosom, and Old Abe's Jokes. or, Wit at the White House were circulating in the North and spreading Lincoln stories, many of them spurious, far and wide; and there have been collections of Lincoln anecdotes in print ever since.

Humor was unquestionably a psychological necessity for Lincoln, though, being a serious, not a solemn, man, he wouldn't have put it quite that way. He once called laughter "the joyous, beautiful, universal evergreen of life," and he enjoyed droll stories the way some people enjoy detective stories. But both as a lawyer and as a politician, he also found amusing stories enormously helpful in putting across important points he wanted to make. And as president he used his gift as a storyteller to put people at ease, to win them over to his point of view, or simply to get them off the point and out of his office without having to deny their requests in so many words. Humor, he once said, was "an emollient" that "saves me much friction and distress." A group of people who had gone to the White House seeking government jobs reported resignedly afterward that "the President treated us to four anecdotes." But humor was also important for Lincoln during the Civil War as a means of relaxing, getting away from his troubles for a moment, and refreshing his spirit. Once, when a congressman came to see him to complain about something, Lincoln said, "Well, that reminds me of a story." Outraged, the congressman told him he had not come to the White House to hear a joke. "Now, you sit down!" exclaimed Lincoln. "If I couldn't tell these stories, I would die." On another occasion, Ohio's Senator Benjamin Wade called to demand that General Grant, who was not doing very well before Vicksburg at the time, be fired at once. "Senator," said Lincoln, "that reminds me of a story." "Yes, yes," said Wade impatiently, "that is the way it is with you, Sir. all story, story! You are the father of every military blunder that has been made during the war. You are on the road to hell. Sir, with this government, by your obstinacy, and you are not a mile off this minute!" "Senator," said Lincoln gently, "that is just about the distance from here to the Capitol, is it not?"

Lincoln's taste in jokes ran all the way from the lowly pun to the satirical anecdote. Like all lovers of the English language, he took keen pleasure in plays upon words. Once he was looking out of the window of his law office in Springfield, Illinois. and saw a stately matron, wearing a many-plumed hat, picking her way gingerly across the muddy street. Suddenly she slipped and fell. "Reminds me of a duck," said Lincoln. "Why is that?" asked a friend. "Feathers on her head and down on her behind," said Lincoln. On another occasion, he was taking a walk in Washington with his secretary of state, William H. Seward, and they passed a store with the name of the proprietor, T. R. Strong, in bold letters on a sign in front of the store. "T. R. Strong." said Lincoln. "but coffee is stronger." Seward smiled but made no reply. "We don't see how he could reply after so atrocious a thing as that," commented the newspaper which reported the story.

But Lincoln's humor ordinarily rose above the level of puns. He particularly enjoyed teasing solemn people. When a temperance committee called to tell him that Union defeats were "the curse of the Lord" on a drunken army, Lincoln (who was a teetotaler) could not resist saying that it was "rather unfair on the part of the curse, as the other side drank more and worse whiskey than ours did." He treated some Chicago ministers who came to give him advice the same way. When they told him, they had come to deliver "a message to you from our Divine Master" about his slavery policy. Lincoln said it was "odd that the only channel he could send it by was the roundabout route of that awful wicked city of Chicago!" He had some fun, too, with a pompous Austrian count who wanted to obtain a position in the Union army. In making his request, the Austrian harped on the fact that his family was ancient and honorable and that he bore the title of count. With a twinkle in his eye, Lincoln finally patted him on the shoulder and said, "Never mind, you shall be treated with just as much consideration for all that. I will see to it that your bearing a title shan't hurt you." 

Lincoln's humor was not always gentle. Sometimes he used it to point up a blunt truth. Asked once how large the Confederate army was, he said, "About 1,200,000 men," and when his questioner expressed amazement, Lincoln explained: "Well, whenever one of our generals is licked, he says he was outnumbered three or four to one, and we have 400,000 men." He also could not help making wry remarks about General George B. McClellan, whose extreme caution in pushing military campaigns drove Lincoln almost crazy. Once, when a man from a Northern city asked him for a pass to Richmond, Lincoln exclaimed: "My dear sir, if I should give you one, it would do you no good. You may think it very strange, but there are a lot of fellows who either can't read or are prejudiced against every man who takes a pass from me. I have given McClellan and more than 200,000 others. passes to Richmond. and not one of them has gotten there!" A little later, greatly irked by McClellan's inactivity, he wrote: "Dear General, if you do not want to use the army, I would like to borrow it for a few days." Lincoln gave as good as he got, too. when he felt like it. When McClellan. irritated by one of Lincoln's orders requiring detailed reports to the White House, sent him a telegram saying, "We have just captured six cows. What shall we do with them?" Lincoln answered: "Milk them." 

Sometimes Lincoln's humor had satirical and ironic overtones. When he was in Congress. 1847-1849. he opposed the Mexican War, and in one speech, he said that people who denied that it was a war of aggression reminded him of the Illinois farmer who said, "I ain't greedy 'bout land. I only want what  belongs to me." "Young America," he said in another speech, "is very anxious to fight for the liberation of enslaved nations and colonies, provided, always, they have land. As to those who have no land and would be glad of help, he considers they can wait a few hundred years longer." He once told of a congressman who had opposed the War of 1g12 and come under heavy attack and who, when asked to oppose the Mexican War. exclaimed: "I opposed one war; that was enough for me. I am now perpetually in favor of war, pestilence, and famine." And he liked to tell people about the old loafer who said to him, "I feel patriotic," and when asked what he meant, cried, "Why, I feel like I want to kill somebody or steal something!" A Toledo reporter who interviewed Lincoln at the time of the Lincoln-Douglas debates decided he was "a master of satire, which was at times as blunt as a meat-ax, and at others as keen as a razor." Once, a senator came to the White House, furious about what he regarded as an unfair distribution of patronage, and he let loose a flood of profanity on Lincoln. When he had finished, Lincoln said calmly, "You are an Episcopalian, aren't you, Senator?" "Yes. sir, I belong to that church." "I thought so," said Lincoln. "You Episcopalians all swear alike. But Stanton [secretary of war] is a Presbyterian. You ought to hear him swear!" Lincoln. who rarely used intemperate language, was frequently criticized for not being a church member, and he was doubtless amused at hearing profanity from the Orthodox. 

Lincoln laughed at himself as well as at other people. When Senator Stephen A. Douglas called him a "two-faced man," Lincoln said: "I leave it to my audience. If I had another face, do you think I would wear this one?" He joked about his homely looks again when he spoke to a convention of newspaper editors in Bloomington, Illinois. Pointing out that he was not an editor and therefore felt out of place at the meeting, he said: "I feel like I once did when I met a woman riding on horseback in the woods. As I stopped to let her pass, she also stopped and looked at me intently and said. 'I do believe you are the ugliest man I ever saw.' Said I, 'Madam. you are probably right. but I can't help it."No,' said she, 'you can't help it, but you might stay at home.' "Lincoln also enjoyed telling about the grouchy old Democrat who walked up to him and said. "They say you're a self-made man," and when Lincoln nodded, he snapped, "Well, all I've got to say is that it was a damned bad job." 

Lincoln came to be known as "the National Joker." but he was far more than the Chief Joker of the land. As president he showed himself to be shrewd. serious. selfless. dedicated, strong-willed, resourceful, compassionate, and extraordinarily magnanimous. The burdens he bore during the Civil War were far heavier than those of most American presidents, and he undertook his responsibilities with remarkable patience and determination. Though his critics could not always see it. he remained steadfastly true throughout the war to his basic objectives: restoration of the Union (which he regarded as a magnificent experiment in government of. by. and for the people) and the abolition of slavery (which he regarded as utterly incompatible with democracy). He was anxious to get the very best men. civilian and military. he could find to help him in realizing these objectives, and he did not mind if they personally held him in contempt. When someone told him that his secretary of war. Edwin Stanton. had called him a damned fool. he said lightly. "If Stanton said I was a damned fool. then I must be one. for he is nearly always right and generally says what he means." Stanton came to hold Lincoln in high esteem. But others never did. They found it hard to understand that in pursuing his objectives of preserving the Union and emancipating the slaves- Lincoln had to proceed cautiously to avoid alienating the border slave states (and driving them to secession) and keep from offending Northern public opinion (which was by no means sympathetic to abolitionism at first). He also thought it important to synchronize his policies with progress on the battlefield (which came slowly at first) if he was to avoid making futile and perhaps even counterproductive gestures. 

No president of the United States has been vilified the way Lincoln was during the Civil War. He was attacked on all sides: by abolitionists, Negrophobes, state righters, strict constitutionalists, radicals, conservatives, armchair strategists, and by people who just did not like his looks or who resented his storytelling. From the day of his inauguration to the day of his assassination, the litany of invective was unrelenting. Among other things, Lincoln was called: an ape; a baboon; a buffoon; a low-level obscene clown; a usurper; a traitor; a tyrant; an old monster; the Great Apotheosis of the Great Hog; Fox Populi; a cross between a sand-hill crane and an Andalusian jackass; Abraham Africanus the First; a smutty joker; a third-rate country lawyer; an African gorilla; an abortion; an idiot; Simple Susan; the Abolition orangutan; the incompetent, ignorant, and desperate "Honest Abe"; a border-state eunuch; a narrow-minded bigot; an unprincipled demagogue; a driveling, idiotic, imbecilic creature; a third-rate district politician; a lunatic; a despot; a dangerous character; the ineffable despot; a blunderer; a charlatan; a temporizer; a man who jokes when the nation mourns; a crude, illiterate, bar-room willing; an unblushingly corrupt bully; and a half-witted usurper. One New York newspaper regularly referred to him as "that hideous baboon at the other end of the avenue". It said that "Barnum should buy and exhibit him as a zoological curiosity." The Illinois State Register called him "the craftiest and most dishonest politician that ever disgraced an office in America." "Honest Abe, forsooth!" sneered one editor. "Honest Iago! Benignant Nero! Faithful Iscariot!" Even his hometown newspaper joined the chorus: "How the greatest butchers of antiquity sink into insignificance when their crimes are contrasted with those of Abraham Lincoln!" No wonder Lincoln said, when asked how it felt to be president, "You have heard about the man tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a rail? A man in the crowd asked how he liked it, and his reply was that if it wasn't for the honor of the thing, he would much rather walk." But Lincoln was not thinking of the abuse heaped on him when he said this. He was thinking of the terrible loss of life on the battlefield and the heartbreakingly slow progress being made toward the achievement of his objectives. He had enjoyed politics immensely before he became president and he had been eager, too, to hold the highest office in the land. But in the White House. he said, instead of glory, he found only "ashes and blood."

Humor lightened the cares of office for Lincoln. So did the theater. He had a special fondness for Shakespeare, and he experienced exquisite pleasure one evening at seeing the veteran actor, James Hackett, perform the role of Falstaff in a Washington theater. He was so delighted with the performance that he wrote a letter of congratulation afterward, and Hackett, flattered by the attention paid him by the president of the United States, turned the letter over to the New York Herald. For the Herald, Lincoln's letter provided another opportunity for ridicule, and the editor reprinted the letter and accompanied it with savage comments. Greatly embarrassed, Hackett wrote Lincoln to apologize. "Give yourself no uneasiness on the subject," Lincoln told him. "I certainly did not expect to see my note in print, yet I have not been much shocked by the comments upon it. They are a fair specimen of what has occurred to me throughout my life. I have endured a great deal of ridicule without much malice and have received a great deal of kindness. not quite free from ridicule. I am used to it." For Lincoln, the pleasure of seeing Hackett do Falstaff far outweighed the pain of abuse from the Herald. But even this pleasure was short-lived. A little later, Hackett sought a government job, and when Lincoln was unable to give him one, he turned against the president and joined the ranks of the Lincoln haters. 

Lincoln's Jove of Shakespeare grew out of his Jove of fine writing. As a young man, he read and reread the King James Bible, Ӕsop's Fables, Shakespeare, John Bunyan, Daniel Defoe, and Robert Burns, and he worked hard to improve his own vocabulary. grammar, and lucidity of expression. By the time he became president. he had developed a distinguished prose style of his own: simple, clear. precise. forceful. rhythmical. poetic, and at times majestic. When Vicksburg surrendered in July 1863, and the Mississippi River was open again, he told the country: "The'Father of Waters' again goes unvexed to the sea." It is hard to imagine any other president writing such a stunning sentence or penning such masterpieces of prose as the Gettysburg Address (which even H. L. Mencken called "genuinely stupendous") and the First and Second Inaugural Addresses. Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson (and, to a lesser degree, John Adams and Theodore Roosevelt) possessed unusual literary skills, but at his best, Lincoln towered above them. He had a deep feeling for the right use of words, and he employed them lovingly both in his story-telling and in his letters and speeches. He was the only president ever to be called a "literary artist." Jacques Barzun, in fact, called him a "literary genius." Jl "Nothing," wrote John Nicolay and John Hay, in their multi-volumed biography of Lincoln (whom they knew. personally) appearing in 1894, "would have more amazed him while he lived than to hear himself called a man of letters; but this age has produced few greater writers." Ralph Waldo Emerson ranked Lincoln with Ӕsop in his lighter moods. Still, when it came to serious moments, he said this of the Civil War President: "The weight and penetration of many passages in his letters, messages, and speeches, hidden now by the very closeness of their application to the moment, are destined to a wide fame. What pregnant definitions, what unerring common sense, what foresight, and on great occasions, what lofty, and more than national, what human tone! His brief speech at Gettysburg will not easily be surpassed by words on any recorded occasion."

At Gettysburg on November 19. 1864. Edward Everett, famed for his oratory, spoke for close to two hours, and Lincoln took up only a few minutes. Afterwards. Everett took Lincoln's hand and said: "My speech will soon be forgotten; yours never will be. How gladly would I exchange my hundred pages for your twenty lines!" 

By Paul F. Boller, Jr.
Edited by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Untenable Theories About Lincoln's Childhood Environment.



The following excerpts present Abraham Lincoln's parents and his early home life in an unfavorable light. The stigma which has rested on the President's pioneer father and the exaggerated conditions existing in the early Lincoln home is not in harmony with documentary evidence:
  • "The old gentleman [Thomas Lincoln] was not only void of energy but dull." Herndon. Lincoln, pg 6.
  • "No more ignorant boy than Thomas could be found in the back woods." Beveridge. Abraham Lincoln, pg 12.
  • "The whole house squalid, cheerless, and utterly void of elevating inspiration." Schurz. Abraham Lincoln, pg 12.
  • "Here was the home, and here were its occupants, all humble, all miserably poor." Holland. Life of Abraham Lincoln, pg 23.
  • "He  [Thomas Lincoln] was no toiler but from all accounts an ignorant, shiftless vagabond." Coleman. The Sad Story of Nancy Hanks, pg 8.
  • ''It was here that Abraham Lincoln was born. The manger at Bethlehem was not a more unlikely birthplace." Sheppard. Abraham Lincoln, pg 8.
  • "He [Thomas Lincoln] was a shiftless fellow, never succeeding in anything, who could neither read nor write." Stephenson. Lincoln, pg 8.
  • "Reared in gripping, grinding, pinching penury, and pallid poverty, and the most squalid destitution possible to conceive." Peters. Abraham Lincoln's Religion, pg 3
  • "Lincoln was born in a degradation very far below respectable poverty in the State of Kentucky and lived in that poverty all his life." Chafin. Lincoln. Man of Sorrows, pg 10.
  • "In the midst of the most unpromising circumstances that ever witnessed the advent of a boy into the world," Nicolay & Hay. Abraham Lincoln, A History, Vol 1, pg 25.
  • "Nobody ever accused him [Thomas Lincoln] of building a house or to pretend to do more than a few little odd jobs connected with such an undertaking." Lamon. Life of Lincoln, pg 9.
  • "The father was called a carpenter but not good at his trade, a shiftless, migratory squatter by invincible tendencies and a very ignorant man." Morse, Abraham Lincoln, Vol 1, pg 10.
  • "Thomas seems to have been the only member of the family whose character was not respectable. He was an idler, trifling, poor, a hunter, and a rover." Lamon. Life of Lincoln, pg 8.
  • "In childhood and youth, his [Abraham Lincoln's] intimate associates and putative relatives a gross, illiterate, and superstitious rabble." Cathey. True Genesis of a Wonderful Man, pg 193.
  • "Thomas Lincoln never prospered like Josiah and Mordecai (biblical) and never seemed to have left the impression of his goodness or of anything else on any man." Charnwood. Abraham Lincoln, pg 4.
  • "Thomas Lincoln, a poverty-stricken man whom misfortune had seemingly chosen for her own, and whose ambitions were blighted and hope almost dead." Peters. Abraham Lincoln's Religion, pg 3.
  • "There could hardly be a poorer family than that which now undertook to support its narrow, hopeless life in that dull corner of the earth's teeming surface." Stoddard. Abraham Lincoln, pg 11.
  • "He [Thomas Lincoln] reached the age of 27 the year of his marriage, a brawny, wandering laborer, a poor white, unlettered and untaught except for the trade of carpenter." Strunsky. Abraham Lincoln, pg 5.
  • "At the time of his [Thomas Lincoln] birth, twenty-eight years before, his parents—drifting, roaming, people, struggling with poverty—were dwellers in the Virginia mountains." Stephenson. Lincoln, pg 4.
  • "His [Abraham Lincoln's] father was an ignorant man, amiable enough, but colorlessly negative, without the strength of character and without ambitions worthy of the name." Hill. Lincoln the Lawyer, pg 6.
  • "Thomas Lincoln and Enlow had a regular set-to fight about the matter in which encounter Lincoln bit off the end of Enlow's nose. Finally, Lincoln, to clear himself, moved to Indiana." Weik. The Real Lincoln, pg 31.
  • "I never could understand how so great and good a man as old Abe could have descended from such a low breed and entirely worthless vagabond as Thomas Lincoln." Cathey. True Genesis of a Wonderful Man, pg 239.
  • "Thomas Lincoln was an ignorant, shiftless, worthless, illiterate man . . . he thought it a waste of time for young Abraham to learn to read and write as he could do neither." Chafin. Lincoln, Man of Sorrows, pg 11.
  • "So pained have some persons been by the necessity of recognizing Thomas Lincoln as the father of the President that they have welcomed a happy escape from this so miserable paternity." Morse. Abraham Lincoln, Vol 1, pg 7.
  • "But Lincoln rose from a lower depth than any of them. From a stagnant, putrid pool; like the gas which set fire by its own energy and self-combustible nature rises in jets blazing, clear, and bright." Herndon. Herndon's Lincoln, Vol 1, pg 9.
  • "Born not only in poverty, but surrounded by want and suffering; favored in nothing; wanting in everything which makes up the joys of life . . . it was literal truth that 'he had nowhere to lay a head.' " Cathey. True Genesis of a Wonderful Man, pg 255.
  • "The domestic surroundings under which the babe [Abraham Lincoln] came into life were wretched in the extreme. . . . Rough, course, low, ignorant, and poverty-stricken surroundings were about the child." Morse. Abraham Lincoln, Vol 1, pg 9.
  • "In childhood and youth, his [Abraham Lincoln's] place of abode a squalid cabin in a howling wilderness, his meal as an ashen crust, his bed a pile of leaves, his nominal guardian a shiftless and worthless vagabond." Cathey. True Genesis of a Wonderful Man, pg. 193
  • "His [Abraham Lincoln's] father was a typical 'poor Southern white,' shiftless and improvident, without ambition for himself or his children, constantly looking for a new piece of ground where he might make a living without much work." Schurz. Abraham Lincoln, pg 12.
  • "Abraham Lincoln came of the most unpromising stock on the continent, 'the poor white trash' of the south. His shiftless father moved from place to place in the western country, failing where everybody else was successful in making a living, and the boy spent the most susceptible years of his life under no discipline but that of degrading poverty." Woodrow Wilson. Division and Reunion, pg 216.
Elucidation
I'm well aware that historical accounts are written by people and can be slanted, so I try my hardest to present fact-based and well-researched articles. In this time period, rumors and innuendos have tainted the truth in "Lincoln" books, thus besmirching future writings.

Read my article debunking Thomas Lincoln being a boorish, poor idiot.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Saturday, August 5, 2023

Religious Expressions In Lincoln's Letters.

Lincoln's religious views have been the subject of much discussion. The following excerpts from letters signed by Lincoln himself are presented chronologically so that any evolution in his religious thinking can be more easily observed.


In his early years, Lincoln was skeptical of religion. He once wrote, "I am not a member of any Christian Church, but I have never denied the truth of the Scriptures." However, his views appear to have evolved over time. In later years, he spoke more often about God and his faith in Providence. He also attended church services with his family.



September 27, 1841
Miss Mary Speed:
Tell your mother that I have not got her present, an Oxford Bible, with me but I intend to read it regularly when I return home. I doubt not that it is really, as she says, the best cure for the blues, could one but take it according to the truth.



July 4, 1842
Mr. Joshua Speed:
I was always superstitious; I believe God made me one of the instruments of bringing your Fanny and you together, which union I have no doubt he had fore-ordained. Whatever he designs, he will do for me yet. "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" is my text just now.



January 12, 1851
John E. Johnston:
If it be his (Thomas Lincoln's) lot to go now, he will soon have a joyous meeting with many loved ones gone before and where the rest of us, through the help of God, hope to join them.



August 15, 1855
Hon. George Robertson:
Our political problem now is "Can we as a nation continue together permanently—forever—half slave and half free?" The problem is too mighty for me—may God, in His mercy, superintend the solution.



May 25, 1861
To the Father and Mother of Col. Elmer E. Elsworth: 
May God give you that consolation which is beyond all earthly power.



February 4, 1862
Nathaniel Gordon:
In granting this respite, it becomes my painful duty to admonish the prisoner that, relinquishing all expectation of pardon by human authority, he refers himself alone to the mercy of the common God and Father of all men.



May 15, 1862
Revs. T. A. Gere, A. A. Reese, G. E. Chenoweth:
By the help of an all-wise Providence, I shall endeavor to do my duty, and I shall expect the continuance of your prayers for a right solution of our national difficulty.



July 26, 1862
Hon. Reverdy Johnson:
I am a patient man—always willing to forgive on the Christian's terms of repentance and also to give ample time for repentance.



January 6, 1863
Caleb Russell and Sallie A. Finton:
I am upheld and sustained by the good wishes and prayers of God's people. No one is more deeply than myself aware that without His favor, our highest wisdom is but as foolishness and that our most strenuous efforts would avail nothing in the shadow of His displeasure.

I am conscious of no desire for my country's welfare that is not in consonance with His will and of no plan upon which we may not ask His blessing. It seems to me that if there be one subject on which all good men may unitedly agree, it is imploring the gracious favor of the God of nations upon the struggles our people are making for the preservation of their precious birthright of civil and religious liberty.



February 22, 1863
Rev. Alexander Reeve:
The birthday of Washington and a Christian Sabbath coinciding this year and suggesting together the highest interest of this life and of that to come is most propitious for the meeting proposed. 



April 4, 1864
A. E. Hodges, Esq.:
If God now wills the removal of a great wrong and wills also that we of the North, as well as you of the South, shall pay sorely for our complicity in that wrong, impartial history will find therein new cause to attest and revere the judgment and goodness of God.



April 5, 1864
Mrs. Horace Mann:
While I have not the power to grant all they ask, I trust they will remember that God has and that, as it seems, He wills to do it.



May 30, 1864
Rev. Dr. Ide, Hon. J.R. Doolittle, Hon A. Hubbell, Committee:
I can only thank you for thus adding to the effective and almost unanimous support which the Christian communities are so zealously giving to the country and to liberty. Indeed, it is difficult to conceive how it could be otherwise, with anyone professing Christianity or even having an ordinary conception of right and wrong. We read the Bible, as the word of God, Himself, that "In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread," and to preach therefrom that "In the sweat of other men's faces shalt thou eat bread" to my mind can scarcely be reconciled with honest sincerity.



September 4, 1864
Eliza P. Gurney: 
I have not forgotten and probably never shall forget the very impressive occasion when yourself and friends visited me on a Sabbath forenoon two years ago, nor has your kind letter, written nearly a year later, ever been forgotten. In all, it has been your purpose to strengthen my reliance on God. I am much indebted to the good Christian people of the country for their constant prayers and consolations and to no one of them more than to yourself. The purposes of the Almighty are perfect and must prevail, though we erring mortals many fail to accurately perceive them in advance. We hoped for a happy termination of this terrible war long before this, but God knows best and has ruled otherwise.



March 15, 1865
Hon. Thurlow Weed:
Everyone likes a compliment. Thank you for yours on my little notification speech and on the recent inaugural address. I expect the latter to wear as well as—perhaps better than—anything I have produced, but I believe it is not immediately popular. Men are not flattered by being shown that there has been a difference of purpose between the Almighty and them. To deny it, however, in this case, is to deny that there is a God governing the world.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.