The Life of Abraham Lincoln Volume One
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Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant http://www.archive.org/details/lifeofabraha2461tarb The Life of Abraham Lincoln Volume One M)t Xiift of jlbrajam Eintoln ©raton ftom original sources anD containing many ^peec^e^ JLetter^ anD Celegtams ^tt^crto unpuMigljeD anD toft^ man? reproDucttong from original painting^ photographs, etc* Ilia ffh Kartell jftrst Volume tttnarin fltstorp §*>octetp /Qeto porfe jftcntfi Copyright, 1895, 1896, 1898, 1899 By The S. S. McClure Co. Copyright, 1900 By Doubleday & McClure Co. Copyright, 1900 By McClure, Phillips & Co. To my Fatke?* PREFACE The work here offered the public was begun in 1894 at the suggestion of Mr. S. S. McClure and Mr. J. S. Phillips, editors of " McClure's Magazine." Their desire was to add to our knowledge of Abraham Lincoln by collecting and pre- serving the reminiscences of such of his contemporaries as were then living. In undertaking the work it was deter- mined to spare neither labor nor money and in this deter- mination Mr. McClure and his associates have never wa- vered. Without the sympathy, confidence, suggestion and criticism which they have given the work it would have been impossible. They established in their editorial rooms what might be called a Lincoln Bureau and from there an or- ganized search was made for reminiscences, pictures and documents. To facilitate the work all persons possessing or knowing of Lincoln material were asked through the Magazine to communicate with the editor. The response was immediate and amazing. Hundreds of persons from all parts of the country replied. In every case the clews thus obtained were investigated and if the matter was found to be new and useful was secured. The author wrote thou- sands of letters and travelled thousands of miles in collecting the material which came to the editor simply as a result of this request in the magazine. The work thus became one in which the whole country co-operated. At the outset it was the intention of the editors to use the results of the research simply as a series of unpublished rem- vii viii PREFACE iniscences, but after a few months the new material gath- ered, while valuable seemed to them too fragmentary to be published as it stood, and the author was asked to prepare a series of articles on Lincoln covering his life up to 1858 and embodying as far as possible the unpublished material col- lected. These articles, which appeared in " McClure's Magazine " for 1895 and 1896, were received favorably, and it was decided to follow them by a series on the later life of Lincoln. This latter series was concluded in September, 1899, and both series, with considerable supplementary mat- ter, are published in the present volumes. It is impossible in this brief preface to mention all who have aided in the work, but there are a few whose names must not be omitted, so essential has their assistance been to the enterprise. From the beginning Mr. J. McCan Davis of Springfield, Illinois, has been of great service, particularly in examining the files of Illinois newspapers and in interviewing. It is to Mr. Davis's intelligent and patient research that we owe the report of Lincoln's first published speech, the curious letters on the Adams law case, most of the documents of Lincoln's early life in New Salem and Springfield, such as his first vote, his reports and maps of surveys, his marriage certifi- cate and many of the letters printed in the appendix. Mr. William H. Lambert of Philadelphia has also assisted us constantly by his sympathy and suggestions, and his large and valuable Lincoln collection has been freely at our dis- posal. Other collections that have been generously opened are those of O. H. Oldroyd of Washington, R. T. Durrett, Louisville, Ky., C. F. Gunther, Chicago, 111., and Louis Vanuxem, Philadelphia, Pa. The War Department of the United States Government has extended many cour- tesies, the War Records being freely opened and the mem- bers of the War Records Commission aiding us in every way PREFACE ix in their power. The librarians of the War Department, of the Congressional Library, of the Boston Public Library and of the Astor Library of New York, have also been most helpful. The chief obligation which any student of Abraham Lin- coln owes is to the great work of Messrs. Nicolay and Hay. In it are collected nearly all the documents essential to a study of Lincoln's life. Their History has been freely con- sulted in preparing this work and whenever letters and speeches of Lincoln appearing in their collection of his writings have been quoted, their version has been followed. Other lives of Lincoln that have been found useful are those of W. H. Herndon, W. O. Stoddard, John T. Morse, Isaac Arnold, Ward H. Lamon, H. C. Whitney, and J. G. Holland. The new material collected will, we believe, add con- siderably to our knowledge of Lincoln's life. Docu- ments are presented establishing clearly that his mother was not the nameless girl that she has been so generally believed. His father, Thomas Lincoln, is shown to have been something more than a shiftless " poor white," and Lincoln's early life, if hard and crude, to have been full of honest, cheerful effort at betterment. His struggles for a livelihood and his intellectual development from the time he started out for himself until he was admitted to the bar are traced with more detail than in any other biography, and considerable new light is thrown on this period of his life. The sensational account of his running away from his own wedding, accepted generally by historians, is shown to be false. To the period of Lincoln's life from 1849, when he gave up politics, until 1858, the period of the Lincoln and Douglas Debates, the most important contribution made is the report of what is known as the " Lost Speech." The second volume of the Life contains as an appendix X PREFACE 196 pages of letters, telegrams and speeches which do not appear in Lincoln's " Complete Works," published by his private secretaries Messrs. Nicolay and Hay. The great majority of these documents have never been published at all. The source from which they have been obtained is given in each case. No attempt has been made to cover the history of Lin- coln's times save as necessary in tracing the development of his mind and in illustrating his moral qualities. It is Lincoln the man, as seen by his fellows and revealed by his own acts and words, that the author has tried to picture. This has been the particular aim of the second series of articles, I. M. T. — CONTENTS IDoIume ©ne CHAPTER PAGE I. The Origin of the Lincoln Family—The Lincolns in Ken- tucky—Birth of Abraham Lincoln I II. The Lincolns Leave Kentucky for Southern Indiana—Con- ditions of Life in their New Home 18 III. Abraham Lincoln's Early Opportunities —The Books He Read—Trips to New Orleans—Impression He Made on His Friends ......... 29 IV. The Lincolns Leave Indiana—The Journey to Illinois Abraham Lincoln Starts Out for Himself ... 45 V. Lincoln Secures a Position—He Studies Grammar— First Appearance in Politics ....... 59 VI. The Black Hawk War—Lincoln Chosen Captain of a Com- pany—Re-enlists as an Independent Ranger—End of the War 73 VII. Lincoln Runs for State Assembly and is Defeated—Store- keeper—Student—Postmaster—Surveyor ... 89 VIII. Electioneering in Illinois in 1834—Lincoln Reads Law—First Term as Assemblyman—Lincoln's First Great Sorrow . 108 IX. Lincoln is Re-elected to the Illinois Assembly—His First Published Address—Protests against Pro-slavery Reso- lutions of the Assembly 124 X. Lincoln Begins to Study Law—Mary Owens—A News- paper Contest—Growth of Political Influence . 147 XI. Lincoln's Engagement to Mary Todd—Breaking of the Duel Engagement—Lincoln-Shields ... 170 XII. Lincoln Becomes a Candidate for Congress and is De- feated—On the Stump in 1844—Nominated and Elected to the 30th Congress ....... 192 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS tPolume ©ne PAGK Early Portrait of Lincoln Frontispiece. Land Warrant facing 2 of Lincoln's Grandfather Home Abraham . facing 4 Will of J. Hanks facing 6 Map, New Salem o Marriage Bond ! x Return of Marriage Bond I2 Appointment of Thomas Lincoln as Road Surveyor ... 13 House where Thomas Lincoln and Nancy were Married facing 14 Rock Spring Farm facing 16 Rock Spring facing 16 House in which Lincoln was Born .... facino- 20 Record in Family Bible by Lincoln 23 Lincoln's Indiana Farm facing 26 Thomas Lincoln's Bible facing 28 Lincoln's Exercise Book ?i Abraham Lincoln's Indiana Home .... facing 32 Lincoln Working by Firelight facing 32 Facsimile Lines from Copy-book 42 Swimming Hole facino- 42 Buckthorn Valley facing 42 Grave of Nancy Hanks facing 46 New Salem Mill facing 58 Mouth of Anderson Creek facino- 58 Lincoln's First Vote facing 60 Kirkham Grammar facino- 64 Black Hawk facing 74 Map of Illinois 85 Discharge from Service in Black Hawk War . facing 86 Facsimile of an Election Return facing 90 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Berry and Lincoln Store .... facing Facsimile of Letter by Postmaster Lincoln Court House at Petersburg Report of Road Survey . Map by Lincoln State House, Vandalia . Lincoln's Surveying Instruments Bowling Green's House . Grave of Ann Rutledge . Joshua Speed and Wife . Map of Albany, 111. Map of Illinois Lincoln's Cabinet . Lincoln's Saddle-Bags Page from Stuart and Lincoln Fee Book Stuart and Lincoln Law Office Harrison Badge of 1840 Stuart and Lincoln Adv.