Abraham Lincoln Papers

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Abraham Lincoln Papers Abraham Lincoln papers 1 From Abraham Lincoln to Lydia Bixby , November 21, 1864 1 There is no handwritten copy of this famous letter known, either in this collection or elsewhere. The only source for its text is a newspaper account in the Boston Transcript for November 25, 1864. The document at hand appears to be a photographic copy of the notice in the Transcript. At the request of Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew, a letter was sent over the president's signature to a Boston widow, Mrs. Lydia Bixby, who was reported to be the mother of five sons killed fighting for the Union. In spite of the fact that it has long been known that Mrs. Bixby was probably a Confederate sympathizer and that only two of her sons had actually been killed, the letter is among the most admired of all writings ascribed to Lincoln. Questions about its authenticity have centered on stories that this was one of the many letters that John Hay, Lincoln's secretary, had written for Lincoln's signature. Accounts began to surface in the early 20th century that Hay had privately admitted his authorship of the Bixby letter. It has recently been shown that Hay kept clippings of the letter in his literary scrapbooks, and that his writings betray a fondness for words that were not in Lincoln's vocabulary. Two of the words in the letter's most famous passages, for example — “beguile” and “assuage” — do not appear in any of Lincoln's other writings. For a full statement of the case for Hay's authorship, see Michael Burlingame, “The Authorship of the Bixby Letter,” in Michael Burlingame, ed., At Lincoln's Side: John Hay's Civil War Correspondence and Selected Writings, (Carbondale and Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press, 2000), 169-84. Executive Mansion,} Washington, Nov. 21, 1864. } Dear Madam, — I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. Abraham Lincoln papers http://www.loc.gov/resource/mal.4360200 I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom. Yours, very sincerely and respectfully, A. LINCOLN. Abraham Lincoln papers http://www.loc.gov/resource/mal.4360200.
Recommended publications
  • The Curious Paternity of Abraham Lincoln
    GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS Judge for yourself: does that famous jawline reveal Lincoln’s true paternity? Spring 2008 olloquyVolume 9 • Number 1 CT HE U NIVERSI T Y OF T ENNESSEE L IBRARIES The Curious Paternity of Abraham Lincoln Great Smoky Mountains Colloquy WAS HE A SMOKY MOUNTAIN BOY? is a newsletter published by umors have persisted since the late 19th century that Abraham Lincoln The University of Tennessee was not the son of Thomas Lincoln but was actually the illegitimate Libraries. Rson of a Smoky Mountain man, Abram Enloe. The story of Lincoln’s Co-editors: paternity was first related in 1893 article in theCharlotte Observer by a writer Anne Bridges who called himself a “Student of History.” The myth Ken Wise was later perpetuated by several other Western North Carolina writers, most notably James H. Cathey in a Correspondence and book entitled Truth Is Stranger than Fiction: True Genesis change of address: GSM Colloquy of a Wonderful Man published first in 1899. Here is the 152D John C. Hodges Library story as it was told by Cathey and “Student of History.” The University of Tennessee Around 1800, Abram Enloe, a resident of Rutherford Knoxville, TN 37996-1000 County, N. C., brought into his household an orphan, 865/974-2359 Nancy Hanks, to be a family servant. She was about ten 865/974-9242 (fax) or twelve years old at the time. When Nancy was about Email: [email protected] eighteen or twenty, the family moved to Swain County, Web: www.lib.utk.edu/smokies/ settling in Oconoluftee at the edge of the Smokies.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Studies Mini-Unit the Reconstruction Era
    Social Studies Mini-Unit The Reconstruction Era Goal: These lessons focus on both national and local personal narratives from the Reconstruction Period. Let these stories help you decide what characteristics a community, a leader or an individual would need during this time period. Materials: Computer with internet, writing materials Instruction: Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction Period began within our country an immense new chapter for social reform with the definition of freedom for debate. People began to rebuild the South and try to unite the states, but newly freed persons were seeking ways to build their own futures in a still hostile environment. Dive into these lessons to learn more about individuals of the time. Lesson 1: Lincoln Originals This online exhibition features digital scans of primary historical documents in Abraham Lincoln’s hand, or signed by him, drawn from the diverse manuscript holdings at Cincinnati Museum Center. 1. Explore the Lincoln Originals Online Exhibit 2. Read the Emancipation Proclamation Fact Sheet [linked here] a. Extension: Review the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments which are considered the Reconstruction Amendments. 3. Journal Entry: What characteristics defined President Lincoln? a. Write a persuasive argument in the form of a letter addressed to a past president (or the current administration) outlining an important issue and what you believe the correct course of action is and why. Cite evidence to support your case. 4. Extension Option: Research Lincoln’s Ten-Percent Plan, a plan for reconstruction, versus the Wade-Davis Bill, which was a Radical Republican plan for reconstruction. Explore the similarities and differences of these two documents.
    [Show full text]
  • Emancipation Proclamation
    Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation proclamation with an introduction by Allen C. Guelzo Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation proclamation A Selection of Documents for Teachers with an introduction by Allen C. Guelzo compiled by James G. Basker and Justine Ahlstrom New York 2012 copyright © 2008 19 W. 44th St., Ste. 500, New York, NY 10036 www.gilderlehrman.org isbn 978-1-932821-87-1 cover illustrations: photograph of Abraham Lincoln, by Andrew Gard- ner, printed by Philips and Solomons, 1865 (Gilder Lehrman Collection, GLC05111.01.466); the second page of Abraham Lincoln’s draft of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, September 22, 1862 (New York State Library, see pages 20–23); photograph of a free African American family in Calhoun, Alabama, by Rich- ard Riley, 19th century (GLC05140.02) Many of the documents in this booklet are unique manuscripts from the gilder leh- rman collection identified by the following accession numbers: p8, GLC00590; p10, GLC05302; p12, GLC01264; p14, GLC08588; p27, GLC00742; p28 (bottom), GLC00493.03; p30, GLC05981.09; p32, GLC03790; p34, GLC03229.01; p40, GLC00317.02; p42, GLC08094; p43, GLC00263; p44, GLC06198; p45, GLC06044. Contents Introduction by Allen C. Guelzo ...................................................................... 5 Documents “The monstrous injustice of slavery itself”: Lincoln’s Speech against the Kansas-Nebraska Act in Peoria, Illinois, October 16, 1854. 8 “To contribute an humble mite to that glorious consummation”: Notes by Abraham Lincoln for a Campaign Speech in the Senate Race against Stephen A. Douglas, 1858 ...10 “I have no lawful right to do so”: Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861 .........12 “Adopt gradual abolishment of slavery”: Message from President Lincoln to Congress, March 6, 1862 ...........................................................................................14 “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude .
    [Show full text]
  • 150Th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
    Emancipation Proclamation Commemorative Coloring Book President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, announcing, "that all persons held as slaves. henceforward shall be free." This book belongs to I celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives, Washington, D.C. The Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation was an order issued by President Abraham Lincoln that began the process of freeing all the slaves in the United States. It was signed January 1, 1863. The order freed all slaves held by the Confederate States that were not in control of Union forces. The Eman- cipation Proclamation, followed by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, would eventually free four million enslaved Americans. The order also allowed freed slaves to join the U.S. mili- tary. By the end of the Civil War in 1865, 200,000 African American troops, most of whom were former slaves, served in the Union armed forces. These added troops, as well as the political effect of the Emancipation Proclamation, helped the Union win the Civil War. As a milestone along the road to end slavery, with the post–Civil War struggles, and the modern legacy of civil rights, the Emancipation Proclamation has assumed a place among the great documents of human freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation Story and Legacy (MariaAbraham is writing) Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, and his Cabinet members read over the Emancipation Proclamation, which proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the 10 states rebelling against the Union in the Civil War. Lincoln first presented the Emancipation Proclamation to his Cabinet on July 22, 1862, and issued the Preliminary Proclamation on September 22, 1862.
    [Show full text]
  • No. 14~ THEY ONLY INCREASE the STATURE of the MAN
    Prepared in the Interests of Book Collecting at the The University of Michigan No. 14~ THEY ONLY INCREASE THE STATURE OF THE MAN. 1Sept 1947 A Little Dinner reminded us that we had more than two hours to for Lincoln wai t before the Lincoln At 12:01 A.M. on July ­ Papers could be opened. 2G, 1947, the Robert Todd He proposed that we Lincoln Collection of pa­ might pass the time plea­ pers relating to his father, santly listening to some of Abraham Lincoln, was our company tell us what opened to the public. they hoped to find in the This was that moment for collection. ,..rh ich many men had Dr Evans called first on wai ted years. The faces of Carl Sandburg. With a those men grouped around gentle smile on his face, the safes which had held and in the Middle West­ the papers were bright ern voice familiar to all with hope or troubled Lincolnians, Mr Sandburg wi th fears and worries or announced that he would stilled to conceal emo­ accompany himself on his lions. Yet were they all ex­ guitar with songs of the pectanL This was the mo­ American past. First, there ment; starring 00'\'''' they was a Revolutionary War would have - or they song by Joseph Warren would not have-s-answers about his hopes for the 10 questions about Lin­ future of our America coln which puzzled them. and then there was a bal­ These Lincoln Papers Reprinted with permission of S. J. Ray and . lad of Lincoln's time- the Kansas City Star had been sealed at the in- about a boy and a girl.
    [Show full text]
  • GRANT | Education Guide 1 at the Time of His Death, Ulysses S
    GRANT | Education Guide 1 At the time of his death, Ulysses S. Grant was one of the most famous men in the world. He stood alongside leaders like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the pantheon of American heroes. But today, many of Grant’s contributions are largely forgotten. With a seamless blend of dramatic scenes, expert commentary and beautifully enhanced archival imagery, Grant is a three-part miniseries that uncovers the true legacy of the unlikely hero who led the nation during its greatest tests: the Civil War and Reconstruction. Executive produced by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and biographer Ron Chernow and Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Grant tells his story for a new generation of viewers. CURRICULUM LINKS: Grant would be useful for History, American History, Social Studies, Political Science and Government courses. This mini-series is rated TV-14V. Due to some violent scenes, we recommend that educators view the series before recommending it to students below 10th grade. Educators can use this guide as a resource and to develop their own lesson plans or activities best suited to their students and their specific educational benchmarks. GRANT | Education Guide 2 GENERAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Below are some general questions students can discuss after they watch one or more episodes of Grant. Students may also want to answer these questions in essay format. 1. What do you think were Grant’s most important contributions, during the Civil War and as president? 2. What were the primary issues that led to the American Civil War? 3. If you had to describe Ulysses S.
    [Show full text]
  • Liicoli Ooliection
    F The Oliver R. Barrett LIICOLI OOLIECTION "Public Auction ^ale FEBRUARY 1 9 AND 20 at 1:45 and 8 p. m. at the Parke-Bernet Galleries- Inc • • 980 MADISON AVENUE ^J\Qw Yovk 1952 LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY MEMORIAL the Class of 1901 founded by HARLAN HOYT HORNER and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER H A/Idly-^ nv/n* I Sale Number 1315 FREE PUBLIC EXHIBITION From Tuesday, February 12, to Date of Sale From 10 a. Tfj. to 5 p. m. y Tuesday 10 to 8 Closed Sunday and Monday PUBLIC AUCTION SALE Tuesday and Wednesday Afternoons and Evenings February 19 and 20, at 1 :45 and 8 p. m. EXHIBITION & SALE AT THE PARKE-BERNET GALLERIES • INC 980 Madison Avenue • 76th-77th Street New York 21 TRAFALGAR 9-8300 Sales Conducted by • • H. H. PARKE L. J. MARION A. N. BADE A. NISBET • W. A. SMYTH • C. RETZ 1952 THE LATE OLIVER R. BARRETT The Immortal AUTOGRAPH LETTERS ' DOCUMENTS MANUSCRIPTS ' PORTRAITS PERSONAL RELICS AND OTHER LINGOLNIANA Collected by the Late OLIVER R. BARRETT CHICAGO Sold by Order of The Executors of His Estate and of Roger W . Barrett i Chicago Public Auction Sale Tuesday and Wednesday February 19 and 20 at 1:45 and 8 p. m. PARKE-BERNET GALLERIES • INC New York • 1952 The Parke -Bernet Galleries Will Execute Your Bids Without Charge If You Are Unable to Attend the Sale in Person Items in this catalogue subject to the twenty per cent Federal Excise Tax are designated by an asterisk (*). Where all the items in a specific category are subject to the twenty per cent Federal Ex- cise Tax, a note to this effect ap- pears below the category heading.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Was Robert Todd Lincoln?
    WHO WAS ROBERT TODD LINCOLN? He was the only child of Abe and Mary Lincoln to survive into adulthood - with his three brothers having died from illness at young ages. Believe it or not, Robert lived until 1926, dying at age 83. But along the way, he sure lived a remarkable life. For starters, he begged his father for a commission to serve in the Civil War, with President Lincoln refusing, saying the loss of two sons (to that point) made risking the loss of a third out of the question. But Robert insisted, saying that if his father didn't help him, he would join on his own and fight with the front line troops; a threat that drove Abe to give in. But you know how clever Abe was. He gave Robert what he wanted, but wired General Grant to assign "Captain Lincoln" to his staff, and to keep him well away from danger. The assignment did, however, result in Robert's being present at Appomattox Court House, during the historic moment of Lee's surrender. Then - the following week, while Robert was at the White House, he was awakened at midnight to be told of his father's shooting, and was present at The Peterson House when his father died. Below are Robert's three brothers; Eddie, Willie, and Tad. Little Eddie died at age 4 in 1850 - probably from thyroid cancer. Willie (in the middle picture) was the most beloved of all the boys. He died in the White House at age 11 in 1862, from what was most likely Typhoid Fever.
    [Show full text]
  • Abraham Lincoln's Cooper Union Address
    FF oo rr TT hh ee PP ee oo pp ll ee A NEWSLETTER OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN ASSOCIATION VOLUME 16 NUMBER 1 SPRING 2014 SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS WWW.ABRAHAMLINCOLNASSOCIATION.ORG Abraham Lincoln’s Cooper Union Address By Richard Brookhiser gines, are greater than anything that was available to Lincoln. Yet two of Lincoln’s mistakes are little known today—which sug- gests a narrowness of modern scholarship. The first half of the Cooper Union Address was a response to a speech by Stephen Douglas. Campaigning for a fellow Democ- rat in Ohio in September 1859, Douglas had said, “our fathers, when they framed the government under which we live, under- stood this question just as well, and even Richard Brookhiser is a biographer of the Found- better, than we do now.” “This question” ing Fathers (most recently author of James Madi- was whether the federal government could son, from Basic Books). His next book, also from restrict the expansion of slavery into the Basic, is Founders’ Son: A Life of Abraham Lin- territories. Douglas argued that federal con- coln, due out in October. It tells Lincoln’s story trol would violate the principle of self- as a lifelong engagement with the founders— government; each territory’s inhabitants Washington, Paine, Jefferson and their great — should decide for themselves whether to documents—the Declaration of Independence, the allow slavery or not. Lincoln at Cooper Un- Photograph of Abraham Lincoln taken in New Northwest Ordinance, the Constitution—and York City by Mathew Brady on February 27, shows how America’s greatest generation made ion agreed with Douglas that “our fathers” 1860, the day of Lincoln’s Cooper Union Address its greatest man.
    [Show full text]
  • Attributing the Bixby Letter: a Case of Historical Disputed Authorship
    Attributing the Bixby Letter: A case of historical disputed authorship The Centre for Forensic Linguistics Authorship Group: Jack Grieve, Emily Carmody, Isobelle Clarke, Mária Csemezová, Hannah Gideon, Cristina Greco, Annina Heini, Andrea Nini, Maria Tagtalidou and Emily Waibel LSS Seminar Series Aston University, 13 April, 2016 Centre for Forensic Linguistic Authorship Group Staff and Students at the Centre for Forensic Linguistics have been conducting analyses of famous cases of disputed authorship for the past few years: CFLAG 2014: Jack Grieve and UG LE3031 Students: The Bitcoin White Paper CFLAG 2015: Andrea Nini and CFL MA students & staff: The Sony Hacker Case CFLAG 2016: Jack Grieve, CFL MA/PhD students & staff: The Bixby Letter The Bixby Letter In November 1864, in the midst of the Civil War and only 5 months before he would be assassinated, Abraham Lincoln sent a short letter of condolence to Lydia Bixby of Boston, who was believed to have lost five sons fighting for the Union. The Bixby Letter In fact, the Widow Bixby had only lost two sons and was also likely a brothel owner and a Confederate sympathiser, who had destroyed the letter in anger. Fortunately, the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, William Shouler, who had requested the letter from Lincoln, sent a copy to the Boston Evening Transcript. The Bixby Letter The Bixby Letter is considered to be one of the greatest pieces of correspondence in the history of the United States and one of Lincoln’s most celebrated texts, only surpassed by the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation. It has also become part of public culture, for example being featured in the movie Saving Private Ryan and being recited by President George W.
    [Show full text]
  • Anderson, James Douglas (1867-1948) Papers 1854-[1888-1948]-1951
    ANDERSON, JAMES DOUGLAS (1867-1948) PAPERS 1854-[1888-1948]-1951 (THS Collection) Processed by: John H. Thweatt & Sara Jane Harwell Archival Technical Services Date completed: December 15, 1976 Location: THS III-B-1-3 THS Accession Number: 379 Microfilm Accession Number: 610 MICROFILMED INTRODUCTION This collection is centered around James Douglas Anderson (1867-1948), journalist, lawyer, and writer of Madison, Davidson County, Tennessee. The papers were given to the Tennessee Historical Society by James Douglas Anderson and his heirs. They are the property of the Tennessee Historical Society and are held in the custody and under the administration of the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA). Single photocopies of the unpublished writings in the James Douglas Anderson Papers may be made for purposes of scholarly research and are obtainable from the TSLA upon payment of a standard copying fee. Possession of photocopy does not convey permission to publish. If you contemplate publication of any such writings, or any part or excerpt of such writings, please pay close attention to and be guided by the following conditions: 1. You, the user, are responsible for finding the owner of literary property right or copyright to any materials you wish to publish, and for securing the owner's permission to do so. Neither the Tennessee State Library nor the Tennessee Historical Society will act as agent or facilitator for this purpose. 2. When quoting from or when reproducing any of these materials for publication or in a research paper, please use the following form of citation, which will permit others to locate your sources easily: James Douglas Anderson Papers, collection of the Tennessee Historical Society, Tennessee State Library and Archives, box number_____, folder number____.
    [Show full text]
  • For the People
    ForFor thethe PeoplePeople A Ne w s l e t t e r of th e Ab r a h a m Li n c o l n As s o c i a t i o n Volume 1, Number 1 Spring, 1999 Springfield, Illinois Abraham Lincoln, John Hay, and the Bixby Letter by Michael Burlingame Moreover, this beloved Lin- Although no direct, firsthand coln letter was almost certainly testimony shows that Hay claimed ost moviegoers are aware composed by assistant presidential authorship of the Bixby letter, that Abraham Lincoln’s secretary John Hay. Several peo- Hay did in 1866 tell William H. M letter of condolence to ple, including the British diplomat Herndon that Lincoln “signed Lydia Bixby, a widow who pur- John Morley, literary editor without reading them the letters I portedly had lost five sons in the William Crary Brownell, United wrote in his name.” Civil War, looms large in Stephen States Ambassador to Great Brit- Most Lincoln specialists have Spielberg’s recent film, Saving Private Ryan. Dated November 21, 1864, the letter reads as fol- lows: “I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so over- whelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the conso- lation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.
    [Show full text]