Abraham Lincoln His Youth and Early Manhood
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ii niFi lilwaww iiiiiiiiiii ii iWiiiilw ftiiiMliM^lWMWMiaaiiii ii iidtwwijwiwwwnTOiin^^ ^:^'Z'^' J THE KNICKERBOC]:::i:.R LITERATURE SE.. • (.'- (I ,.'v. • j - LINGO . .*'<«,. ^^, ^-a.iJ»«rVT*^H!M-'»*.(.-tMi<t«*rr/ji, - *.-.i* .V ^5? &v F!s®P!?c«rT5^*'m'r^^i;^;i«*v]?«»~Mi LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY MEMORIAL the Class of 1901 founded by HARLAN HOYT HORNER and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER Ube 1knickerl)oc??er Xtterature Series Edited by Frank Lincoln Olmsted THE FIRST ISSUES ARE : I. —Episodes from the Winning of the West. By Theodore Roosevelt. II. —Abraham Lincoln. By Noah Brooks, III. — Astoria, and Adventures of Captain Bonneville. By Washington Irving. IV. —The Last of the Mohicans. By James Fenimore Cooper. G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON Ubc Ikntcherbocfter literature Series EDITED BY rranK Lir\colr\ Olmsted ABRAHAM LINCOLN ABRAHAM LINCOLN. From a drawing from life by F. B. Carpenter. Copyright by G. P. Putnam's Sons 1888 Copyright, 1894 BY G. P. Putnam's Sons Copyright, 1901 BY G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS Ube "Rnlcftcrbochet Pveee, flew ^ot^ •t-C-tf-C-vi-Wi^ r^-. O CAPTAIN ! MY CAPTAIN ! O Captain ! my Captain ! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is well, The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring. But O heart ! heart ! heart ! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. ! ! rise hear the bells O Captain my Captain up and ; Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills, For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding, the their faces For you they call, swaying mass, eager turning ; Here Captain ! dear father ! This arm beneath your head ! It is some dream that on the deck You've fallen cold and dead. My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse, no will, The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done. From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won. Bxult O shores, and ring O bells ! But I with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. —Whitman. iii EDITOR'S PREFACE R. BROOKS'S story of the life of Abraham Lin- M^ coln is a distinct addition to our knowledge of the man and of the scenes through which he passed in becoming an uplifter of the human race. Mr. Brooks knew Lincoln well in Illinois, as well as later in Wash- ington. He was himself a pioneer during some of the most stirring times on the border, and, in consequence, he has written in unusual sympathy with the difl&culties and triumphs of border life. In the crude surroundings that then were the lot of all, the story of Lincoln's youth and early manhood possesses a peculiar interest. In such a tale we catch gleams of a true nature tucked away in the lank form and homespun, and we watch a character grow clear- outlined through the power of a strong moral nature. The wilderness afforded splendid tests of manly quali- ties, and kept the weak at bay. The axe, the maul, and the grubbing-hoe answered only to the quick eye and the sinewy frame. Abraham Lincoln, strong- *' hearted and true, swung, split, and dug in the land of ' ' and he thence a full-grown men ; emerged leader among men. His experiences were singularly varied and dramatic; yet, in the main, they were typical of unnamed thou- sands of our fellows who wrote on the broad West the strongest characteristics of our race. F. L. O. Pine Lodge, December i, 1900. PREFACE writing this brief biography, I have been moved by IN a desire to give to the present generation, who will never know aught of Abraham I^incoln but what is traditional, a lifelike picture of the man as many men knew him. To do this, it has been necessary to paint in a background of the history of the times in which he lived, and to place the illustrious subject in his true relation to the events in which he was so large a participant. It was my good fortune to know Lincoln with some degree of intimacy, our acquaintance beginning with the Fremont campaign of 1856, when I was a resident of Illinois, and continuing through the Lincoln-Douglas canvass, two years later. That relation became more intimate and confidential when, in 1862, I met Lincoln in Washington and saw him almost daily until his tragical death. Many things relating to his early life, herein set down, were derived from his own lips, often during hours of secluded companionship. truth is best and the The simplest always ; simpler and more direct the biographical sketch of Abraham Lincoln, the more deeply will his image be impressed * ' ' ' upon the heart of that common people whom he loved so well and of whom he was the noblest repre- sentative. In this book it has been the author's aim to present a definite and authoritative likeness of the man whose name is now enrolled highest among the types of our National ideals. Noah Brooks. vn CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. —ThK lylNCOI^N ANCKSTRY I II.—The Boyhood of Lincoi,n .... 9 III. —Young Manhood 18 IV.—The L1NC01.NS IN Ii,i;iNois .... 30 V.—A Pl,UNGE INTO POI^ITICS 37 VI.—The Young Poi^itician ..... 46 VII.—Winning his Way 60 VIII.—The Rising PouTician 68 IX.—IviNcoi,N THE Lawyer 84 — X. The Great Awablening . .90 XI.—The Kansas Struggi^e 98 XII.—Lincoln and Dougi^as 103 XIII.—After a Great Struggi^e . .117 XIV.—Bisected to the Presidency . .125 XV.—From SPRiNGFiEiyD To Washington . 135 XVI.—IvIncoi<n's Inauguration 144 XVII.—President Abraham Lincoln. 148 XVEII.—The Slavery Question 156 XIX.—A Difficult Military Situation . .165 XX.—Political Complications 179 XXI.—End of a Strange and Eventful History. 188 ix II.I.USTRATIONS PAGE Abraham Lincoi^n Frontispiece From a drawing from life by F. B. Carpenter. LiNCOi<N's KARI.Y Home in Hardin County, Ken- tucky 4 His father built this cabin and moved into it when Abraham was an infant, and resided there until the boy was seven years of age, when he removed to Indiana. The Hai,f-Faced Camp lo Ivincoln's home in Indiana during the winter of 1816-17. Study by the Fireside . ... .20 A Page from I^incoi^n's "Book of Exampi^es" . 24 A Mississippi River Fi<atboat 28 IvIncoi^n's Encounter with Jack Armstrong and " " THE Ci,ary's Grove Boys 34 A Log-Cabin Parade (Campaign of 1840) in Favor of Wii<wam Henry Harrison for President . 58 Lincoi^n's Home in Springfiei*d, Ii,i,inois ... 80 A Wide-Awake Procession in i860 during IvIncoi,n's First Presidentiai, Campaign . .132 XI IMPORTANT EVENTS 1619—Slavery introduced into Virginia. 1638—Lincolri's ancestors come from England and settle in Hingham, Massachusetts. 1778—Birth oi Lincoln's father, Thomas Lincoln^ in Virginia. 1782—Lincoln's grandfather moves with his family to Ken- tucky. Thej Ordinance of 1787 forbids forever slavery within the Northwest Territory (afterwards the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin). 1777-1804—New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey free their slaves, or provide for the gradual abolition of slavery within their borders. 1793—The Fugitive Slave Law provides for the capture and re- turn of fugitive slaves. 1806— Thomas Lincoln is married to Nancy Hanks. 1808—Foreign slave-trade forbidden, and is later (1820) declared to be piracy. Abraham Lincoi^n is born in Larue County, Kentucky, Feb- ruary 12, 1809. 1816—The Lincoln family removes to Spencer County, Indiana. 1818—The death oi Lincoln''s mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. 1819—His father, Thomas, marries Mrs. Sally Johnston. — 1820 The; Missouri Compromise ; Missouri admitted as a slave State ; Slavery prohibited north of 36" 30', west of Missouri. xiii xiv Important Events 1826—Abraham Lincoln builds a boat and takes farm produce to a neighboring post, and in 1827 makes his first voy- age down the Mississippi to New Orleans. 1830—Lincoln goes with his father and family to Illinois, near Decatur, where he aids in clearing and fencing a new farm. Then, being of age, he starts out for himself, making a second trip down the Mississippi (1831), and managing a country store on his return. 1832—He studies law, and runs for the Legislature, meantime enlisting for the Black Hawk War. Defeated for of- fice, he buys out a local store, forming the firm of Berry & Lincoln. But he fails, tries surveying, and more law, and is appointed postmaster of New Salem (May, 1833). 1834—He is elected to the Legislature, serving several terms. Stone-Lincoln protest. The Long Nine and the re- moval of the capitol from Vandalia to Springfield. 1837—He removes to Springfield and sets up in the practice of the law in partnership with John T. Stuart. 1840—Shields-Lhicoln "duel." Lincoln becomes engaged to Mary Todd, whom he marries, Nov. 4. He is a presi- dential elector on the Whig ticket, aiding in the elec- tion of William Henr}' Harrison. 1841—Lincoln forms a partnership with Stephen T. Logan, and in 1843 with William H. Herndon. 1842 —The United States and England unite to suppress the slave-trade, each country maintaining vessels off the coast of Africa.