LIFE OF LINCOLN
Abraham Lincoln
His Life, Public Services, Death and Great Funeral Cortege,
with a History and Description of the National Lincoln Monument by John Carroll
Power
H.W. Rokker, Publisher, Chicago and Springfield, Illinois
1889
QUOTES FOR DISCUSSION
To the Young men and women in the United States of America,
of all stations in life, this volume is most respectfully dedicated; with the
earnest hope that they will adopt Abraham Lincoln as their model, and strive to
conform their lives to his standard of truthfulness, honesty and exalted
patriotism. The Author.
- Dedication Page
Young men and women who have enjoyed the advantages of
schools as they are not systematized in all the northern and some of the
southern States, cannot realize the almost entire destitution of the means for
developing and improving the mind. Such establishment as the large publishing
houses, with their classified series of text books, in almost every branch of
learning, were then unknown. The schools were usually kept in houses that would
be thought unfit for the protection of horses or cattle at the present time.
The Studies were confined to spelling, reading, writing and
arithmetic. Grammar and geography were unknown. Such a thing as a dictionary
was seldom or never seen by any person connected with the schools. The books in
use were Dilworth’s spelling book, and for reading, any book, on any subject,
that happened to fall into the hands of the different families. A country
school is remembered by the writer about fifteen years later than the time
Abraham Lincoln commences his studies and in a better part of Kentucky, when
Dilworth’s spelling book had given place to Webster’s. The following is a
partial list of the books used, as the best that could be obtained by a large
number of boys and girls about equally advanced in their knowledge of reading.
Almost any Kentuckian, unless his lot was cast in some of the larger towns or
cities of the State, as seen its counter part. There being no possibility of
classification, they would be called up to recite in something like the
following order: The Bible, Aesop’s Fables, Life of Washington, Robinson
Crusoe, New Testament, Revised Statutes of Kentucky, Life of Marion by Horry, a
book of Western Adventures, English Reading, Charlotte Temple, Columbian
Orator, Thaddeus of Warsaw, Debates on Baptism, between Campbell and McCalla,
and others about as well selected.
Pg. 20
Kentucky was exceedingly unfortunate in its early
settlement on account of the insecurity of its land titles.
Pg. 22
The memory of his mother was always held sacred by Abraham
Lincoln. After he had acquired great fame, while in conversation with a friend
he said, with tears in his eyes, “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my
angel mother.” It has been said that the
foregoing remark was made concerning his step-mother, but that is not very
probably, as she was living at the time the remark was made.
Pg. 23
After his return from the war, Lincoln became a candidate
for the legislature, but failed to be elected, not for want of personal
popularity, but because he espoused the weakest side in politics, being a Whig.
The official poll-books of New Salem precinct, where he lived, show that
Lincoln received 277 votes, when at the same time the combine vote of the Whig
and Democratic candidates for congress was only 276.
Being out of business, Lincoln was about to commence learning the trade of
blacksmith, but soon abandoned the idea, and took an interest in a store. That
proved to be unprofitable, and he abandoned it in about one year, because he
was unable to pay his debts. He was a postmaster at New Salem during the time
he kept that store, which gave him access to all the newspapers he could read.
The post office at New Salem was abolished while he was postmaster, and the
business removed to Petersburg. The village of New Salem in a short time ceased
to exist. Soon after his failure in business, John Calhoun, surveyor of
Sangamon County, was anxious to have an assistant whom he could trust. Having
observed Lincoln’s studious habits and knowing him to be honest, he told him
that if he would study surveying, he could have all the work he desired, and be
well paid for it. Calhoun offered the use of the necessary books. Lincoln
accepted them and in a few weeks was ready for the business, and followed it
more or less for two or three years.
Pg. 29
Map of the Great Funeral Cortege
Pg. 30
Major John T. Stuart was one of Lincoln’s colleagues from
Sangamon County, and they roomed together at Vandalia. As they were taking a
walk one morning after breakfast, Lincoln asked Stuarts advice in reference to
the study of law, and Stuart advised him to begin at once. Lincoln said he was
poor and unable to buy books. Mr. Stuart was already in a successful practice a
Springfield, and offered to loan him all the books he would require. The offer
was gratefully accepted, and when the session closed, Lincoln returned home as
he went on foot. When he was ready to begin his studies, he walked to
Springfield, a distance of about twenty-five miles, borrowed enough books to
make a commencement, and returned with them to New Salem. He would study as
long as his money lasted, and as the opportunity to do more surveying presented
itself, he would earn all the money he could and return to his studies.
Pg. 30
Some of them were a little less and some a little more than
six feet, but their combined height was exactly fifty-four feet. None were
taller than Abraham Lincoln. The statement written by himself in December,
1859: “If any personal description of me is thought desirable, it may be said I
am in height six feet, four inches nearly; lean in flesh; weigh, on an average,
one hundred and sixty pounds; dark complexion, with coarse, black hair, and
gray eyes – no other marks or brands recollected.”
Pg. 31
The principles of each party were thoroughly discussed, and
the weak points of both fully exposed. The discussion was fair, open and manly,
the warmest friendship being sustained between the disputants throughout the
campaign.
Pg. 35
Invitations to speak were received by Mr. Lincoln from many
places in New England.
Pg. 37
On the day Mr. Lincoln left Springfield, obstructions were
placed on the railroad track at a point in the road near the line between the
States of Illinois and Indiana, but it was discovered in time to avert the
danger. At Cincinnati a deadly missile was found concealed in one of the cars
of the train on while he traveled, but was removed before any damage was done.
From these circumstances he knew that his life was in danger at every step, but
the first allusion to it was in replay to the Mayor of Philadelphia, and that
was hinted at so obscurely that it would not have been noticed were it not for
subsequent events. He found out beyond a doubt that a plot was formed for a
party of conspirators to crowd around him in the guise of friends, and at a
given signal Mr. Lincoln was to be shot or stabbed.
Pg. 51
He knew himself to be surrounded by at least five enemies
to one friend, but the went forward quietly and calmly, preparing for the duties
before him, supported by the firm conviction that he was a chosen agent in the
hands of God, and that He would give him all the support necessary to the
accomplishment of His purposes.
Pg. 54
In the middle of 1862, the events of the war having gone from
bad to worse, Mr. Lincoln began to think that he must “change his tactics, or
lose his game.” Under these circumstances, he prepared his original
proclamation of emancipation, without consulting his cabinet or giving them any
intimation of what he was doing. In the latter part of July, or early in August
he called a cabinet meeting, - none knew the object of the meeting. …he
announced to his cabinet the object of the meeting. He had written a
Proclamation of Emancipation, and he had determined to issue it; therefore, he
had not called them together to ask their advice upon the main question, as he
had determined that for himself. He wished to inform them of his purpose, and
receive such suggestions upon minor points as they might be moved to make.
Pg. 60
There was not the slightest attention given to the
proclamation, neither was it expected that there would be. The one hundred days
expired on the first day of January 1863, and on that day President Lincoln
issued the proclamation of which he had given previous notice.
Pg. 63
The State of Pennsylvania purchase a piece of land
adjoining the cemetery of the town, where much of the fighting had been done,
among broken monuments and tombs, and over the graves of those had had died and
been buried in peaceful times, and set I apart as a buying ground for the loyal
soldiers had had there yielded up their lives a willing sacrifice on the altar
of freedom. After the oration by Mr. Everett, the President delivered a brief
address from which I take an extract: “fourscore and seven years ago our
fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty,
and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal …”
Pg. 64
On the third of October he issued another proclamation of
thanksgiving, setting apart the last Thursday of November as the day to be
observed. This latter was more in the nature of an annual thanksgiving. But
having heard of the retreat of the rebel forces from East Tennessee, he issued
a dispatch on the seventh of December recommending all loyal people, on the
receipt of the information, to assemble at their places of worship and render
special homage and gratitude to Almighty God for this great advancement of the
national cause.
Pg. 66
14 April 1865 – the rising of the flag over Fort Sumter
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher then delivered a most thrilling and
eloquent oration of about two hours duration. A synopsis of that oration can
not be given here, but I must satisfy myself with one or two quotations: “When
God would prepare Moses for emancipation, He overthrew his first steps, and
drove him for forty years to brood in the wilderness. When our flag came down,
four years it lay in brooding darkness. It cried to the Lord, “Wherefore am I
deposed?” Then arose before it a vision of sin. It had strengthened the strong
and forgotten the weak. It proclaimed liberty, but trod upon slaves. In that
seclusion it dedicated itself to liberty. Behold today it fulfills its vows!
When it went down four million people had no flag. Today it rise and the four million
people cry out, “Behold our Flag!”
Pg. 87
Mr. Lincoln saw the storm coming long before it burst upon the
nation, and from the time he became satisfied that he was about to be the
choice of the people for President of the United States, he never doubted that
he was chosen by the Almighty to do some special work. This feeling clung to
him all through his presidential career. Running parallel with this was another
feeling that when his work was done he would pass away. On these two points he
often conversed, and to his friends he sometimes expressed himself quite
freely. Among the earliest of his utterances on record with reference to these
matters, is a series of conversations in the autumn of 1860 with the Hon.
Newton Bateman of Springfield, Superintendent of Public Instruction for
Illinois, now President elect of Knox College.
Pg. 89
"I am not a Christian - God knows I would be one, but I
have carefully read the Bible, and I do not so understand the book," and
he drew from his bosom a copy of the New Testament, and continued: "These
men well know that I am for freedom in the territories, freedom everywhere, as
far as the constitution and the laws will permit, and that my opponents are for
slavery. They know this, and yet with this Book in their hands, in the light of
which human bondage can live a moment, they are going to vote against me, I do
not understand it at all."
Pg. 90
"I know there is a God and that he hates injustice and
slavery. I see the storm coming and I know that His hand is in it. If he has a
place and work for me - and I think He has - I believe that I am ready. I know
I am right, because I know that liberty is right, for Christ teaches it, and
Christ is God. I have told them that a house divided against itself cannot
stand, and Christ and reason say the same; and they will find it so."
Pg. 90
"God cares and humanity cares, and I care; and with
God's help I shall not fail. I may not see the end but it will come, and I
shall be vindicated; and these men will find that they have not read their
Bibles right."
Pg. 90
Does it not appear strange that men can ignore the moral
aspects of this contest? A revelation could not make it plainer to me, that
slavery or the government must be destroyed.
Pg. 91
It was just after my election in 1860 when the news had
been coming in thick and fast all day, and there had been a great 'hurrah,
boys!' so that I was well tired out, and went home to rest, throwing myself
upon a lounge in my chamber. Opposite where I lay was a bureau with a swinging
glass upon it, and looking at that glass I saw myself reflected nearly at full
length; but my face, I noticed, had two separate and distinct images, the tip
of the nose being about three inches from the tip of the other. I was a little bothered, perhaps startled,
and got up and looked in the glass, but the illusion vanished. On laying down
again, I saw it a second time, plainer, if possible then before; and then I
noticed that one of the faces was a little paler - say five shades - than the
other. I got up and the thing melted away, and I went off, and in the
excitement of the hour forgot all about it – nearly, but not quite, for the
thing would once in a while come up and give me a little pang, as though
something uncomfortable had happened. When I went home I told my wife about it,
and a few days after I tried the experiment again, when, sure enough the thing
came back again; but I never succeeded in bringing it back after that, though I
once tried very industriously to show it to my wife, who was worried about it
somewhat. She thought it was ‘a sign’ that I was to elected to a second term of
office, and that the paleness of one of the faces was an omen that I should not
see life through the last term.”
Pg. 92
As soon as the horrid deed was accomplished, the assassin
was recognized, while on the stage, as John Wilkes Book, an actor who was familiar
with the Theater. It was soon ascertained that an attempt had been made, and
came very near being successful, to assassinate the Hon. W. H. Seward, the
Secretary of State, and his son Frederick Seward. The whole detective force of
the Government, and the police force of the City of Washington, were at once
called into requisition to arrest the assassins and unravel the intricacies of
the plot.
The greatest efforts were made to arrest Book, large
rewards being offered for himself and accomplices. After many false moves, the
detectives, under Col. L. C. Baker, got on the true scent. It was found that
Booth had penetrated about thirty miles into Maryland, followed by Harold, who
had held the horse for him on the night of the assassination. They learned that
Booth’s broken leg had been dressed by Dr. Mudd, who had furnished him with a
crutch. Crippled as he was, he for ten days eluded his pursuers, hiding in the
swamps by day, and at night working his way further South.
About thirty miles south of Washington he crossed over the
Potomac river into Virginia, and in a few hours more would have been under the
protection of Moseby’s revel guerrillas. By means of information volunteered by
the colored people, and in some instances extorted from the whites, they traced
him to the point where he was ferried across the river. They then found the
ferryman, and by threats compelled him to reveal the hiding place of Booth,
which was in a barn belonging to a man by the name of Garratt. It was near the
town of Bowling Green, between that place and Port Royal. Bowling Green is the
county seat of Caroline county. The pursuing party, twenty-eight in number,
were in a portion of the Sixteenth New York Cavalry, under Colonel Conger.
Pg. 97
The excitement caused by the intelligence of the death of
President Lincoln, not only in our own nation but throughout the civilized world,
has never been equaled in human history. Cities, towns, and villages, were
draped in mourning; all classes and conditions of people lamented him as a
father, and everywhere the insignia of sorrow was visible.
Pg. 99
Stone from the wall of Servius Tullius.
Figure 11 is a fac simile of the stone, with its
inscription. It was engraved from a photograph, taken for the purpose after its
arrival in Springfield. The following is a translation of the inscription:
“To Abraham Lincoln, President for the second time, of the
American Republic, citizens of Rome present this stone, from the wall of
Servius Tullius, by which the memory of each of those brave assertors of
liberty may be associated. Anno, 1865.”
Pg. 253
THE NATIONAL LINCOLN MONUMENT
The reader will doubtless be interested in knowing how the
money was raised to accomplish so much. By the courtesy of the treasurer, the
Honr. James H. Veberidge, it has been my privilege to examine his books and a
little explanation will be of some advantage. As the money came in, an entry
was made in a journal, prepared expressly for that purpose, of each
contribution, giving the date of hits reception, number of the journal, name of
the person or society contributing, place of residence of location, and amount.
For everything, except Sunday schools, this is all the record. The whole number
of entries in the journal is 5145, and of these 1697 are Sunday schools. Besides
entering the Sunday schools on the journal, there is another book prepared for
them alone. The names of more than sixty thousand children are enrolled in this
book. The total amount of their contributions is about twenty thousand dollars.
Every superintendent was requested to send a roll of the names of the children,
with the amount contributed by each. The record begins with the name of the school,
where located, and the name of the superintendent, followed by the names of the
children and amounts of their contributions. After the design was adopted,
those who contributed not less than fifty cents, received in return a fine steel
engraving of the monument, as it will appear when the statuary is place on it.
Pg. 262
