F O R T H E P E O P L E

A NEWSLETTER OF THE ABRAHAM ASSOCIATION http://www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org

VOLUME 19 NUMBER 2 SUMMER 2017 SPRINGFIELD,

Abraham Lincoln’s First Visit to Hampton Roads

By Anna Gibson Holloway and Jonathan W. White

In April 2016, several members of the board of directors of the Abraham Lin- coln Association joined the mayor of Hampton Roads image courtesy of The Mariners’ Museum, Newport News, Virginia Springfield, Illinois, for a visit to U.S.S. confer with Commodore Louis M. appearance about him which indicates , which was undergoing great firmness, and strength of character; repairs in Newport News, Virginia. The Goldsborough about “military & naval movements, in connexion with the take him as I saw him, and he is just the presence of a vessel named after the na- dreaded Merrimac.”¹ The following day picture of a Western hoosier, tall, lank, tion’s 16th president in Hampton Roads the president and his entourage toured and gaunt.” is fitting. Lincoln’s most famous visit to the famous ironclad Monitor. Paymaster the area occurred on February 3, 1865, The next few days were spent preparing William F. Keeler observed that Lincoln ⁴ when he and Secretary of State William for an invasion of Norfolk. At one point H. Seward met with several Confederate “had a sad, care worn & anxious look” as the president personally boarded a boat he toured the vessel.² leaders for the Hampton Roads Peace to search the Confederate shoreline for Conference. But, in fact, the president In the afternoon General Wool proposed an ideal landing spot. Spurred on by had visited the region twice before, in the that the president’s party ride out to Lincoln’s presence, General Wool fi- spring and summer of 1862. Camp Hamilton “and see what was to be nally ordered his men to attack and cap- seen.” They saw the charred remains of ture Norfolk. When they got there on On March 9, 1862, the ironclad vessels the city of Hampton, which had been May 10, they found that the rebel sol- U.S.S. Monitor and C.S.S. Virginia bat- burned by the Confederates in 1861. “I diers had abandoned the place, and they tled to a draw in the waters of Hampton never saw such a ruin -- bare, blackened, took the city without any loss of life. Roads. Over the ensuing months, the crumbling walls on every hand,” wrote presence of the rebel steamer caused When news reached Fort Monroe, Chase after the ride. Stanton jumped out of bed exclaiming, great trepidation for Union leaders. Gen- eral George B. McClellan was stalled on The president and his companions re- “My God!” The secretary ran to the the Virginia peninsula, while army and turned from their tour “saddened,” but president’s room and in his nightshirt naval forces were making no headway soon the mood changed. General Wool gave the unsuspecting General Wool a toward capturing Norfolk. Finally, in had ordered a grand review, and the huge hug. The next morning the Con- May, President Lincoln decided to visit “troops were gratified by the President federates destroyed C.S.S. Virginia as it Fort Monroe to assess the situation and who rode along their line alone, uncov- no longer had⁵ a safe harbor. On his way spur action forward. ered, inspiring great enthusiasm,” wrote back to Washington, D.C., the president Chase. “It is delightful, by the way, to and his party steamed past the spot of Lincoln travelled down the Potomac observe every where the warm affection the “suicide” to see what remained on River with Secretary of War Edwin M. felt and expressed for the President.”³ the once terrifying rebel monster. Stanton, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, and a Union general. For many among the troops, this was An artist on the scene named George Upon reaching Fort Monroe on the eve- their first visual of the president. One Kaiser -- possibly a soldier -- captured ning of May 6, they went aboard U.S.S. New Yorker remarked, “The ex rail the scene at Fort Monroe on May 10 as Minnesota with General John E. Wool to splitter is as homely as a stone fence and Union soldiers were preparing to embark dresses shockingly, but their [sic] is an continued on page 3 2 A NEWSLETTER OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN ASSOCIATION FOR THE PEOPLE

The Summer Greetings From President Harris Abraham Lincoln Association I hope that everyone enjoyed a happy, safe, and fun Fourth of July holiday with Kathryn M. Harris family, food, and friends. Since the last newsletter, the veggie garden is growing President and lots of flowers are blooming in my front and back yards … summer is here in Robert S. Willard Vice President Central Illinois, and so are the hot temperatures.

James M. Cornelius Secretary I’m sending a special “Thank You” to Nancy Chapin and Ann Kramer for their work in organizing and coordinating a successful bus tour of Lincoln’s 8th Circuit Douglas M. Barringer in June. My sincere appreciation is extended to Guy Fraker for his commentary and Treasurer to all of the ALA members and friends who participated. To our friends who are Robert A. Stuart, Jr. not Association members, I hope that this experience will entice and encourage you Immediate Past-President to become members. Mary F. Shepherd Executive Manager I also thank Richard ‘Dick’ Hart for his coordination of the program “ Reconsidered.” I Board of Directors learned that the program was well attended and the speakers were excellent. Kenneth L. Anderson William E. Bartelt J. Steven Beckett I had the opportunity to be on a bus tour in June as well. It was a 6-day tour that traveled to Washington, Roger D. Billings, Jr. D.C., the ultimate destination being the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Our Justin A. Blandford Roger D. Bridges group spent half a day at the Museum. I’m sure I only saw about 20% of the exhibits, and as a result it is on Michael Burlingame my list for a re-visit at a later date. I was overwhelmed, inspired, informed, and mesmerized by the depth Julie Cellini Nancy L. Chapin and breadth of the exhibits. When in D.C., this is a MUST SEE stop. Our tour also enjoyed other sites in- Robert J. Davis cluding the , Arlington National Cemetery, the MLK Memorial, the Vietnam Wall and Jim Edgar Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. On the way, a side stop at the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania Guy C. Fraker Donald D. Funk was somber, moving, and sobering. I don’t regret the “backside fatigue” and would do it all over again. Sara Vaughn Gabbard Seeing the monuments and memorials in D.C. is a living history lesson and well worth it. Joseph E. Garrera Donald R. Graham Allen C. Guelzo As the seasons move along, please support the Lincoln-related events in your area and help us keep the life Richard E. Hart th Amy Hathaway and legacy of our 16 President alive and well. I look forward to seeing many of you in Gettysburg in No- Matthew Holden, Jr. vember. Erika Holst Kathryn M. Harris Barbara Hughett David Joens Ron J. Keller Robert J. Lenz Russell Lewis ALA Vice President Bob Willard Visits Richard W. Maroc Edna Greene Medford Lucas E. Morel New Korea Abraham Lincoln Society Karen L. Nekrasz James W. Patton III Mark A. Plummer Seoul, Korea is the site of the lat- William Read est formation of a group devoted William G. Shepherd Ronald D. Spears to Abraham Lincoln. The Korea James L. Swanson Abraham Lincoln Society (KALS) Louise Taper Donald R. Tracy was established in April 2017 by a Andy Van Meter group of public servants, lawyers, Daniel R. Weinberg Jonathan W. White academics, and other folks who Stewart L. Winger believe the life of Abraham Lin- coln can provide inspiration for Honorary Directors President Donald Trump dealing with internal political dys- Governor Bruce Rauner function there and addressing the Senator Richard Durbin Senator Tammy Duckworth 65-years-and-counting civil war Congressman Darin LaHood between the north and south. lead speaker at the first formal lyn, met Donggill Kim, Korea’s Congressman John Shimkus Congressman Rodney Davis Among KALS founders were the meeting of KALS on April 24, foremost expert on Lincoln. Pro- Chief Justice Lloyd Karmeier retired chief justice of the consti- 2017. He sketched out a brief fessor Kim received his Ph.D. Mayor James Langfelder tutional court, two former prime biography of Lincoln and dis- from Boston University; his 1971

Emeritus Directors ministers, the former chief prose- cussed how Lincoln’s commit- dissertation, Abraham Lincoln – Cullom Davis cutor, and numerous university ment to and democracy An Oriental Interpretation, was Judge Richard Mills and bar leaders. Attorney Chulho can provide guidance for dealing published in 1983. Professor Kim Distinguished Directors Kim is the president of the new with today’s political unrest. He presented the Willards an in- Doris Kearns Goodwin Lewis E. Lehrman group. looked forward to ongoing coop- scribed copy of the 2015 print of Thomas F. Schwartz eration between the newly formed his one-volume Korean language Wayne C. Temple Abraham Lincoln Association vice KALS and the ALA. While in biography of Lincoln.

president Bob Willard was the Korea, Willard and his wife, Caro-

FOR THE PEOPLE A NEWSLETTE R OF THE ABRAHA M LINCOLN ASSOCIATIO N 3

Judge Frank Williams Donates Lincoln The Elijah Iles House Collection to Mississippi State University Fall of 2017 Fireside Chats 5:30 p.m Wednesdays, In June 2017, Mississippi State University at Starkville an- September 6, 13 and 20. nounced that Judge Frank J. and Mrs. Virginia Williams of Iles House, Seventh and Cook, Springfield, Illinois Rhode Island had given the University their 17,000 items of Free and open to the public. Lincolniana, including 100 original Lincoln manuscripts, documents, artifacts, photographs, statues, paintings, prints, broadsides, philately, numismatics, collectibles, and minia- The Women in Lincoln’s Springfield Life

tures as well as some 12,000 published volumes from 1860 to September 6 the present (many of them rare). They are separated into two collections: the Lincoln Book and Pamphlet Collection, and Bonnie Paull, The Women in Lincoln’s Neighborhood

the Civil War / Collateral Book and Pamphlet Collection, September 13 including the Claude Simmons collection, and a dozen banker’s boxes of Lincoln-related materials and scrapbooks. Erika Holst, The Women in Lincoln’s Family The Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library is also at MSU. September 20 Judge Williams was president of the ALA from 1986-1995. Richard Hart, Cousin Lizzie: Elizabeth Todd Grimsley Brown He retired as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 2009. — compiled from AbrahamLincolnOnline.org, Co-sponsored by The Abraham Lincoln Association and news reports.

FORWARDED MAIL continued from page 1 Endnotes for Norfolk. In the watercolor Lincoln PROBLEM AND ¹Salmon P. Chase to Janet “Nettie” Chase, May 7, stands in the foreground, towering over 1862, in John Niven, et al., eds., The Salmon P. RESOLUTION those around him. Kaiser’s placement of Chase Papers, 5 vols. (Kent, Ohio: Kent State Lincoln at the center of the scene captures Univ. Press, 1993-1998), 3:186-87.

the actions Lincoln took to ensure that ²William F. Keeler to Anna, May 7, 1862, in Do you spend time at two separate resi- Robert W. Daly, ed., Aboard the USS Monitor: dences? Is your ALA mail not being Norfolk would be taken. Indeed, some 1862: The Letters of Acting Paymaster William forwarded even though you leave a for- witnesses recounted how Lincoln ran back Frederick Keeler, U.S. Navy, to His Wife, Anna warding address with the PO? A number and forth giving orders for troops to move, (Annapolis: Naval Institute, 1964), taking charge of the situation. The Moni- 106. of members are having this problem and ³Chase to Nettie, May 8, 1862, in ibid., 189-90. we have asked the PO why? They tell us tor sits offshore in the upper right, while William Lee Monegan to Joseph Monegan, May that only first class mail is forwarded and the menace of the Virginia can be seen in 7, 1862, William Monegan Papers (MS0014), our mailings of the newsletter and Jour- the distance. ⁴ The Mariners’ Museum Library, Newport News, Virginia. nal are not first class. The ALA mail Reflecting on this expedition, Secretary Cannon, Personal Reminiscences, 161-68. sent to you when you are not at the ad- Chase wrote, “So has ended a brilliant Chase to Nettie, May 11, 1862, in Niven, Chase dress we use is being returned to the ⁵ Papers, 3:197. week’s campaign of the President; for I ⁶Keeler to Anna, May 9, 1862, in Daly, Aboard the ALA. We have talked with the PO and think it quite certain that, if he had not USS Monitor, 115. there is nothing we can do in order to come down, Norfolk would still have been ⁷Keeler to Anna, May 12, 1862, in Daly, Aboard avoid the return and have it sent on to in possession of the enemy, and the the USS Monitor, 121. your other residence. ‘Merrimac’ as grim and defiant and as ⁸

We would greatly appreciate it if you much a terror as ever.” Others agreed. could contact Mary Shepherd and let her “It is extremely fortunate that the Presi- Anna Gibson Holloway is the National Park know when you will not be at the mailing dent came down as he did⁶ -- he seems to Service’s maritime historian with the Park History Program in Washington, D.C. and address on file with the ALA. Mary can have infused new life into everything, even the superannuated old fogies begin to is a leading expert on the Civil War iron- then arrange to forward all mail returned clad USS Monitor. to the ALA to your second address. shew signs of life & animation,” wrote the Monitor’s paymaster William F. Keeler. Jonathan W. White is associate professor of Telephone: (866) 865-8500 American Studies at Christopher Newport Email: [email protected] By the end of this visit, Lincoln’s de- ⁷ University and a senior fellow with CNU’s meanor and appearance had changed no- ticeably. As his vessel steamed by the Center for American Studies. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Abraham Lin- Monitor on May 11, Keeler observed the coln Association. president “had his hat off bowing, appear- ing highly pleased at the successful result Holloway and White are authors of “Our of his plans.” Little Monitor”: The Greatest Invention of the Civil War. (Kent State University Press The views expressed in this work do not necessarily represent the views of the National Park Service,⁸ the Department of the Interior, or the United in Fall 2017). States Government, of which Dr. Holloway is an employee.

For The People (ISSN 1527-2710) is published four times a year and is a benefit of membership of The Abraham Lincoln Association. James Cornelius, Editor. Richard Hart, Mary Shepherd, and Robert S. Willard, Assistant Editors.

4 A NEWSLETTER OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN ASSOCIATION FOR THE PEOPLE

“Little Eddie” Poem Found in St. Louis Newspaper By Mark B. Pohlad larly appeared in nearly every American newspaper, large or small, including the IDJ. Much of this poetry was borrowed from other published sources and dealt with love, history, travel, virtue, patriotism, and especially death. The vast number of eulogistic poems that appeared in the newspapers of the period suggests that writing a poem -- or having one reprinted - Days after the death of the Lincolns’ sec- - after the death of a loved one was a con- ond son, (March 10, ventional way to mourn.

1846 - February 1, 1850), a poem appeared Many of Chamberlain’s poems were ad- in the Springfield Illinois Daily Journal The Daily Reveille, Tuesday, August 28, 1849 dressed to specific persons; their titles bear [IDJ]. “Little Eddie” was long assumed to Photo courtesy of The Newberry Library the first names of friends and rela- have been written by the Lincolns or some- tives. “Little Eddie” was most likely in- one close to them. But in “Solving a Lin- is worth remembering that the Lincolns spired by the death of her own younger coln Literary Mystery: ‘Little spelled their son’s name “Eddy.” Had they brother as implied in the introduction and Eddie,’” (Journal of the ALA, Summer wanted to link the poem specifically to in other poems in Sunset Gleams. Few 2012), Samuel P. Wheeler (now the Illinois their son, they might have insisted that it families during this time did not suffer state historian) demonstrated that it was be printed that way. It is possible, how- some losses, particularly of children. But actually written by a young St. Louis poet, ever, that no one besides themselves knew the Chamberlains were especially stricken Mary E. Chamberlain (1832-1887). He exactly how his name was spelled. and lost several family members, including observed that the same poem appeared two How and where could anyone in Spring- “little Eddie,” in St. Louis’s terrible years after Eddy’s death as “Eddie” in her field have seen Chamberlain’s poem? It “Cholera Summer” of 1849. poetry book Sunset Gleams from the City seems that neither the Lincolns nor anyone A fascinating but unknown Victorian au- of the Mounds (New York, 1852), pub- in their circle were in St. Louis at the time lished under the pseudonym “Ethel Grey.” thor, Chamberlain had been writing accom- “Little Eddie” appeared in the Reveille. plished and publishable poetry since she The poem was now definitively and exclu- Even so, newspapers were mailed and was 12 years old. Later, as “M. E. C. sively attributed to Chamberlain. regularly traveled outside their regions, and Wyeth,” she was a renowned writer of po- To explain how it had appeared two years distant newspaper offices naturally accu- etry, fiction, and religious and juvenile earlier in Springfield, Wheeler conjectured mulated them. Thus, the editor of the IDJ, literature. Her work was regularly pub- that it had been printed in a St. Louis news- Simeon Francis, is a likely candidate to lished alongside authors such as Louisa paper at some time preceding Eddy’s have seen and borrowed Chamberlain’s May Alcott, Sarah Orne Jewett, and Wil- death. The Lincolns or a friend must have poem, as Wheeler notes. But Lincoln him- liam Cullen Bryant. Indeed, Sunset seen the poem and reprinted it in the IDJ. self spent a great deal of time in Francis’s Gleams was the first book of poetry written The words “By Request-” above the title of newspaper office and may have come by a woman west of the Mississippi. the poem suggested as much. across it as well. In any case, at some Chamberlain never knew how much her This theory has now been proven correct. point during the boy’s long decline some- one saw the poem and, startled to see the poem meant to the Lincolns. But their A full five months before Eddy’s passing, same name, made a mental note. It is also shared experience of the loss of a young “Little Eddie” appeared on the front page family member linked them in grief. Her of a St. Louis newspaper, The Daily Rev- possible that the poem was reprinted in a different newspaper after its appearance in authorship of the poem, and its appropria- eille, on Tuesday morning, August 28, tion from The Daily Reveille to the Illinois 1849. the Reveille, on a date closer to Eddy’s death. In any case, having seen it, the Daily Journal, reminds us that in mid-19th There are textual differences between the Springfield reader was then able to produce -century America, public mourning, like so way the poem appeared in the Reveille and it once the boy passed. much else, was intimately bound up with how it was published in the IDJ. Some of newspaper publishing.

those differences involve minor punctua- If it were Lincoln himself who saw the Lincoln’s grief over the deaths of his chil- tion and spelling corrections. Other errors poem in the Reveille, it would not have been the first time he had become attached dren has become legendary. After Eddy’s are newly introduced. “Angel of death” in death, Abraham told a friend that if he the Reveille IDJ to verse he had seen in popular print. What becomes “angel death” in “had 20 children he could never cease to Sunset would become his favorite poem, William (and later “Angel of Death” in sorrow for that one.” The poem “Little Gleams -- a misspelling of the Knox’s “Immortality” (“Oh! why should ). “Meet” Eddie” gave voice to that sorrow for Lin- word “meek” -- appears in both newspaper the spirit of mortal be proud?”), he saw “in a straggling form in a newspaper.” Lin- coln, even though its words had been versions, and is only corrected two years penned by a heartbroken teenage girl from later in Sunset Gleams. Most disconcert- coln’s choice of words suggests he knew that newspapers were generally unreliable St. Louis. ingly, there are different spellings of in reprinting poems, as we saw above. Mark Pohlad is an associate professor of his- “Eddie/Eddy” even within the Reveille poem. In the IDJ version, this error was Still, poetry was highly valued by newspa- tory at DePaul University. His research inter- ests include art and photography associated Verse regu- corrected and “Eddie” made consistent. It per readers in Lincoln’s time. with Abraham Lincoln.

FOR THE PEOPLE A NEWSLETTE R OF THE ABRAHA M LINCOLN ASSOCIATIO N 5

Where is Mary Lincoln’s Memoir? By Kerry Ellard ants under the Alabama treaty.” The bio- graphical sketch noted that “While em- ployed on this work he was appointed by President Grant as United States Consul at Dundee, and held the office at that port until his removal to Oregon in 1874,” at which point he permanently relocated to Portland. On October 15, 1872, shortly after the But the most interesting sentence of the first anniversary of her son Tad’s death, sketch was the following: “In 1868 he Mary Lincoln wrote a letter to William was employed by Mrs. Mary Lincoln, Reid.¹ widow of the President, to assist in the About a year since, in the midst of my preparation of the Reminiscences of overwhelming bereavement, I received a Abraham Lincoln.” An 1886 biography note from you, notifying me that our kind reiterated the claim: “While at Dundee he Dr, James Smith old friend Dr. Smith of Dundee, had left met Mrs Lincoln … and performing for quite a number of papers relative to my her some literary service, was rewarded ... is shown by letters husband, in your charge for me. I have in the possession of William Reid, a Port- transferred these papers to the Hon Isaac by the appointment of U. S. vice-consul at Dundee ...” land attorney, to have been an ardent sup- N. Arnold of Chicago, Ill, and you will porter of the Union and as having abundant kindly oblige, by immediately forwarding faith in Mr. Lincoln’s ability and justice. them to him. Though Mary⁶ was overwhelmed with grief after the , there is evi- The letters, which the local attorney will not have published until after his death, were dence that she desired to tell her side of Mary’s pursuit of these papers continued written in a series covering several years, the story. In a letter written to a book while Mr. Reid was engaged in writing “The for some time, as she wrote to Arnold on publisher, she turned down the offer, yet January 18, 1873.² Arnold was working Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln,” mate- implied that if her circumstances im- rials for which Mrs. Lincoln furnished. on books about Lincoln at the time, and proved, she might give in to the More than 40 years ago, when Mrs. Lincoln these were presumably to help him with “temptation.” and her son were residing in Europe, Mr. his research.³ Reid and Rev. M. Smith, American Consul, I am quite anxious to learn whether you The temptation to me is sometimes very were asked by Mrs. Lincoln to write a book have received the papers from . great that many incidents that occurred in so on Mr. Lincoln’s life. She supplied the Unfortunately the letter Mr Reid wrote me momentous a time, under my immediate material . . . Later the work was turned over sixteen months since, when my mind was notice, connected with my beloved husband to Mr. Reid. so deeply agonized, that I was unable to & the country, should be truthfully placed cast a thought upon anything save my before the public… It will be impossible for Mrs. terrible bereavement -- that letter must me, under present circumstances, to subject The article quoted Reid as saying “ have been carelessly tossed aside … Yet I myself the annoyance of public clamor. Lincoln … while living herself in cannot realise that Mr. Reid left to himself -- Germany, frequently crossed to Dundee would act otherwise than in good faith -- ⁷ to examine Dr. Smith’s manuscripts so I should he have received our letters. One month later, the unexpected publica- frequently saw her ... Dr. Smith … she tion of Behind the Scenes by her friend said she had two sons who were rabid Dr. James Smith had been the Lincolns’ and seamstress Elizabeth Keckly may secessionists and had joined the pastor in Springfield, and President Lin- have intensified this desire. From the confederate army. She feared that, as Dr. coln had appointed him to the Dundee time of the Old Clothes scandal in 1867, Smith’s wife backed her sons, an attempt consulate. He spent time with Mary and through 1870, periodic newspaper reports might be made to stop the publication of Tad when they lived in Europe in 1870, appeared that Mary was working on a the reminiscences if Dr. Smith died. So and corresponded with her before and book. Their truth cannot be ascertained. she authorized me and so did the Doctor, after the visit. In letters sent in June Mary could have been introduced to Reid to finish the work there at Dundee, where 1870, Mary had provided commentary to via letter by Dr. Smith as early as late I was practising law. In the interval she Smith regarding his defense of Lincoln’s 1868, when she arrived in Europe. Reid’s promised me and faithfully did forward religion and marriage in response to as- “literary” training and close relationship from Germany new sources of material.” sertions made by . In with the trusted Dr. Smith may have 1871, Smith died eleven days before Tad made him attractive as a ghostwriter. What happened to the work “turned over” did. ⁴ to Mr. Reid? If he was telling the truth, Tad’s death in July 1871 may have ended in 1911 he still had the letters that had According to an 1890 book, Reid was a Mary’s interest in publishing the work. been the basis of the work, but the letters “capitalist and Banker” from Dundee, William Reid died in 1914, but he had have not come to light. Scotland. After taking a “literary given an interesting interview to the course,” he was admitted to the bar in Oregonian a few years earlier,⁸ on June Reid wrote a letter to The Oregon Daily 1867, and⁵ “acted as counsel for the 18, 1911. Journal in 1912, mentioning that he was United States for several American claim- continued on page 6

6 A NEWSLETTER OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN ASSOCIATION FOR THE PEOPLE

continued from page 5 Thus, Reid first spoke of his work in dents that occurred in so momentous a “one of the authors of the ‘Reminiscences 1874, and implied that letters written by time, under my immediate notice con- of Abraham Lincoln,’ through his Abraham Lincoln to his wife would be nected with my very beloved husband,” widow’s desire while a young man in included in the work. Interestingly, he will be discovered some day. minimized this work as “a few insignifi- Scotland.” While Reid did use this asso- Endnotes ciation in a self promotional way, he first cant services,” perhaps because Mary did ¹ https://www.rrauction.com/ mentioned it while Mary Lincoln was still not want the project known in the Spring- PastAuctionItem/3281901, sold in Jan. 2013. alive. A letter from “Hon. William Reid, field community. ² Justin G. Turner and Linda Levitt Turner, Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life and Letters (New York: U. S. Consul at Dundee, Scotland,” was Alfred A. Knopf, 1972), 602-603. Turner and copied from an article in the Oregonian, On March 7, 1915, The Oregon Daily Journal reported that Reid had been sur- Turner’s footnote mistakenly identified ‘Mr. Reid’ dated March 4, 1874, and published in the as Rev. James A. Reed of Springfield. Illinois State Journal on May 16, 1874. It vived by five children and his widow. ³ The Chicago Historical Museum did not know of is likely that someone connected to Reid’s two daughters gave the psalm any references to Reid. Turner and Turner, 564-569. Abraham Lincoln had asked Reid to write book Reid had received from Mary to a Lincoln collector, Rev. William Johns- Harvey Scott, History of Portland, Oregon with this letter, which mostly defended Lincoln ⁴ illustrations and biographical sketches of promi- against charges of being an infidel. tone of St. Paul. Johnstone learned that ⁵ nent citizens and pioneers (Syracuse, N.Y.: D. they had possession of Reid’s papers, but Mason & Co., 1890). ...knowing Mrs. Lincoln personally, having he seems to have been so excited about Hubert Howe Bancroft, History of Oregon, 2 v. been in correspondence with that Lady, and the psalm book that he did not inquire (San Francisco: History Co., 1886-88), 1: 788. having also been of some assistance in a ⁶ Mary Lincoln to A. D. Worthington, March 7, 1868. about them. Inquiries to Reid’s descen- https://www.gilderlehrman.org/collections work entitled ‘Reminiscences of Abraham 8 Lincoln’… I am proud to think I have in my dants are pending. It is interesting that ⁷ The Oregon Daily Journal, June 8, 1914. possession-- as a reward for a few insignifi- Reid repeatedly referred to the work as

cant services done by me on account of Mrs. though it was a finished and known draft. Lincoln -- the great and Martyred Presi- William Johnstone believed it became the Kerry Ellard, an attorney in Watertown, Massa- chusetts, is an independent historical researcher. dent’s psalm book. identically named compilation by Allen

A word before I close, as to Mrs. Lincoln. Thorndike Rice (NY, 1886), but the She is a lady of great merit, and in spite of works seem unrelated, and no essay by Herndon’s mad expression to the contrary, Reid appears in the Rice volume. Per- was dearly loved by the President, as letters haps Mary’s version of those “many inci- to her will show...

Nordic News Notes

Henrik Ibsen to Henry Horner, governor of Illinois, by Worthington Chauncey Ford, the great Norway’s greatest dramatist, Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), had no connection to Lin- Brooklyn / Boston editor and historian of coln ... or so we thought. Thanks to Americana. Ford had just bought it from Chuck Hand, collector and dealer in Paris, a Copenhagen dealer and sent it in hopes

Illinois, for spotting a reprint of Ibsen’s that “it will form a rare and even unique

1865 poem on Lincoln’s death, written item among Lincoln collectors.” Now at from Rome. Its first appearance in Eng- the ALPLM, it remains the only known copy. lish (translated by Theodore Jorgenson) came in 1957, for In the Mountain Wilder- Thanks to Springfield resident and native ness and Other Works, a book of Ib- Dane Henrik Rasmussen, we now learn

seniana edited at St. Olaf College in Min- that the pamphlet’s first owner, Eduard nesota. The 81 lines address European Melbye, was a fellow crusader in southern

reactions to the assassination more than Denmark with Dalhoff for women’s rights the man himself, yet here is one of Henrik Ibsen and kinder treatment of the mentally ill.

Europe’s greatest minds giving immediate Moreover, Dalhoff’s father had served as fall of American Slavery (1900), and in- expression to North America’s greatest goldsmith to Denmark’s Frederick VII, to troduced it under the title Her er ikke træl tragedy. “ ... came this shot in the silence whom Lincoln in 1861 sent a pair of en- og fri!: En Fortælling om Abraham Lin- and calm, / And a lonely man had to die,” graved Colt revolvers (now on view at the to bring about a judgment day for Europe, coln og Negerslavernes Frigørelse (“Here Royal Danish Treasury, Rosenborg Cas- is Neither Serf nor Free: A Narrative in Ibsen’s view. No Lincolnist seems ever tle). to have noticed this poem. about Abraham Lincoln and the Libera- tion of Negro Slaves”). Jay Monaghan’s Perhaps that gift was the first occasion on Nicolai Christian Dalhoff 1943 bibliography (No. 3852) identified which the teen Nicolai heard of the great

Perhaps relatedly, an activist Lutheran these 48 pages as Norwegian, published in American leader; and possibly Ibsen’s minister, Nicolai Christian Dalhoff (1843- 1890. In fact, Dalhoff wrote in Danish, poem, printed in a Danish newspaper in 1927), abridged a lengthy book by Noah publishing in 1901 or 1902. In 1934 the 1865, was the second. Brooks, Abraham Lincoln and the Down pamphlet was mailed from Paris, France, -- James M. Cornelius, Editor FOR THE PEOPLE A NEWSLETTE R OF THE ABRAHA M LINCOLN ASSOCIATIO N 7

Summer Tour of the Eighth Judicial Circuit

Thanks to the initiative and leadership of Nancy Chapin and the masterful narration of Guy Still standing where Lincoln crossed a county line in Fraker, members and friends of the ALA toured the western portion of Lincoln’s Eighth the 1840s is one of the Circuit Markers placed by the Judicial Circuit on June 24. The wonderful day of touring included a stop at the Logan Daughters of the American Revolution in 1922. County Court House in Mt. Pulaski where the happy tourists were photographed. Welcome New Members

Our membership continues to grow and we welcome our twelve new members from eight states. We thank them for joining and hope that they will enjoy their association with the Abraham Lincoln association. If you are not a member or have a friend who might enjoy being a member, we invite you to join by using the form below or online. It makes a great gift to a friend or family member.

James Blank Atlanta, Illinois Join Today Using the Form Below or Online! Pam and James Brown Naples, Florida Mail this form (or a photocopy) Benefits of Membership: David C. Bruce and a check to: Receive the Journal twice a year. South Yarmouth, Massachussets The Abraham Lincoln Association Ingamarie Northrip 1 Old State Capitol Plaza Receive the For The People newsletter Ballwin, Missouri Springfield, Illinois 62701 four times a year. Lois M. Jazo Receive periodic discounts on certain Pawnee, Illinois Name: ______books and Lincoln related items. Douglas Key Albuquerque, New Mexico Support the annual Lincoln Day Sympo- Address: ______sium (Benjamin P. Thomas Symposium) John M. McKee City: ______Shiloh, Illinois Support ALA projects such as the restora- Mark Pohlad Zip: ______tion of the original entrance to Oak Ridge Chicago, Illinois Cemetery where Lincoln is buried and the Rebecca L. Pruitt furnishing of the Old State Capitol. Springfield, Illinois Student………….…..…$25 Enjoy special tours and lectures sponsored Julie Richards Railsplitter……………..$50 by the ALA. Menlo Park, California Postmaster………..…..$100 Elizabeth Schuh Bismarck, North Dakota Lawyer………….…….$250 Congressman…….…...$500 Michael Woods join online at Huntington, President……….…...$1,000 www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org 8 A NEWSLETTER OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN ASSOCIATION FOR THE PEOPLE

FOR THE PEOPLE Non-Profit Organization The Abraham Lincoln Association U.S. Postage 1 Old State Capitol Plaza PAID Springfield, Illinois 62701-1512 Springfield, Illinois Permit No. 263 Return Service Requested

Thomas Lincoln Reconsidered

On Friday June 23, 2017, Dick Hart (center) moderated a panel of 6 to discuss the life of Thomas Lincoln, cabinet- maker, farmer, and father of the presi- dent. The 90-minute discussion was held before a standing-room-only crowd at the 1837 Elijah Iles House in Springfield.

Panelists were Steve Haaff, Bill Bartelt, Dale Ogden, Brian Dirck, and Matthew Mittelstaedt – all but the last of them traveling from Indiana for the event. Hart and Bartelt are directors of the ALA, which co-sponsored the event.

A video of the discussion may be seen at: http://bit.ly/tomlincoln

On the evening of June 23, about 100 people gathered in the Museum of Springfield History at the Elijah Iles House in Springfield for a panel discussion and reconsideration of the life of Thomas Lincoln.