Thinking of Abraham Lincoln on April 14

On this April 14, I decided to write a few lines about my thoughts on Abraham Lincoln. This is not a book review or anything I have researched or drafted - just a few random thoughts that I decided to share on this 154th anniversary of such a sad, tragic day.

I've always admired Lincoln's work ethic and focus. Even when he lost an election in Illinois, struggled to make a living in New Salem or faced difficulties dealing with women, he just "kept on keeping on." He did have a bout of depression and certainly had tough times, but none of them stopped him until the horrendous act at Ford's Theater on that awful Good Friday. He kept moving forward in life, from poor boy, to store clerk, to surveyor, attorney, state legislator, Congressman and President.
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Of course, it is impossible to write about Lincoln without noting his writing skills. His speeches and papers are so incredible. I especially like his Second Inaugural, even though every time I start to claim that as my favorite of his works, I keep coming back to the brevity of and phrasing in the Gettysburg Address. I simply cannot make a decision on which I prefer, though I think the Second Inaugural deserves more attention than it gets. "With malice towards none, with charity for all" is just a brilliant phrase, even if not as well-known as "Four score and seven years ago."

Part of this post, I admit, is because I have not written much lately, but on Facebook this morning I someone mention that he/she makes a Lincoln post on this date every year. I don't know that I will do that, but it is a good idea that I wish I had thought of and I am going to "borrow" that idea at least for today.

Lincoln was born in Kentucky and when I was in elementary school, I learned that fact. Since I also was born in the Bluegrass State, that fact caught my attention. I guess I have always enjoyed stuff with a local connection or else a love of Kentucky was always a part of me. I have admired him since my school days and when I read about Lincoln, the Civil War was a natural off-shoot of that reading and my love of the war developed from there.

A few years ago, I took a trip to Lincoln's birthplace and boyhood home in Hodgenville. The birthplace building was closed for renovation so I did not go through it and have not made a return trip. That would be a good idea for this summer, but I said the same thing last year. It is easy to say things or make plans than to do them.

Last year, I did read a biography on John Wilkes Booth. I had previously thought I would never do such a thing, as it felt weird to study the creator of such a horrible act, but I am glad I read it. It humanized Booth, yet still showed the awful, perhaps cowardly, side of him that led to the tragedy at the theater. His life was more than that one act and though April 14, 1865 properly does define his legacy, there was a lifetime that led up to it and he did have family and friends, just like other people. He was not born a monster who spent his entire life doing such deeds. I still have not read any of the books specifically about the assassination and the hunt for Booth and maybe I should. Like the travelling, though, that is easier said than done.

I know this is far from my best or most in-depth post, but it does feel good to type these words and express my thoughts on this date and I am glad I saw the Facebook post that gave me the idea.

Abraham Lincoln is, has been and will continue to be the historical figure I admire the most. There is no doubt about it. His strength, ambition, persistence, intelligence and many other traits made him a fascinating character and the situation in which he found himself as President gave him the opportunity to prove his greatness. He was the right man at the right place at the right time.

Book Review: Lincoln’s Forgotten Ally

Lincoln’s Forgotten Ally: Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt of Kentucky

Author: Elizabeth D. Leonard

Copyright 2011

The University of North Caroluna Press

(Civil War America, Gary Gallagher, Editor) 

Throughout most of his life, Joseph Holt was a well-known and well-respected lawyer and politician, known for his hard work and loyalty to the United States, but in the years after his public career ended and as national reconciliation became a popular theme, his fame slipped from public consciousness and knowledge of his work and effort to support the Union also disappeared. In 2011, however, Elizabeth Leonard wrote this book to tell the tale of Joseph Holt’s life and career, and help rescue him from historical oblivion. I wish I had read it sooner.

Lincoln’s Forgotten Ally  is a fine biography of an important, but often overlooked man. Leonard uses a smooth, easy-to-read writing style, combined with in-depth research, to tell the story of a man whose name is not often mentioned in modern Civil War books. Holt, however, had a long, fascinating career in politics and the law before, during, and after the war, and this book describes it in an enjoyable and informative fashion

The story starts with some basic family history and then progresses through a chronological telling of the story of Holt’s life and career.  It is sensible and effective arrangement and does a fine job of showing how Holt grew socially, intellectually and politically, including the support he received and challenges he faced from family, other people and his own natural personality traits. 

He was an intelligent man with a great work ethic, starting from his days as a student and lasting throughout his long political career. He had good family support, including financial support from his grandfather, but also faced the burdens of high family expectations, especially from two uncles who come across as unlikeable in this volume, an aunt, and his brothers, some more helpful than others.

Leonard’s work uses many sources, especially Holt’s own files, to analyze Holt’s personality and how it shaped his career and how people perceived him. He was a successful lawyer and an influential Democratic party speaker, but also chose to avoid seeking election to political office. Despite his reluctance to asking for support from voters, however, he willingly accepted appointment to high-profile public offices. He continued to be a private but proud man who cared deeply about his honor and reputation. He struck back against those he felt had wronged or insulted him. Again, this started during his time as a student, when he defended himself over criticism about a paper he had written, and lasted through the rest of his life, such as when he repeatedly defended his actions in the trial of the Lincoln assassins, even decades after the trial ended. This book strongly illustrates this part of his character. 

Holt’s life was one of apparent ironies and contradictions. One of these ironies, as explored often in this book, is how he remained so steadfastly loyal to the Union throughout the war, with a devotion beyond question, but was less faithful to both of his wives. In both marriages, he spent significant time living away from his bride before they moved in together, and during each marriage, he carried on correspondence, sometimes rather flirtatious, with other women, some of whom were themselves married. He apparently did love his wives, but also enjoyed corresponding with women, family or not, a habit he continued even after his second wife passed (he did not marry for a third time.) Calling him a “ladies’ man” may be an exaggeration, but his  corresponding with other women also brought him pleasure. 

Other contradictions helped define his life and career. He grew up a Democrat and was a solid party loyalist in the pre-war years, often speaking or writing on the party’s behalf. He then held multiple positions in the administration of Democrat James Buchanan, but became a strong supporter of Republican Abraham Lincoln, serving as judge advocate general in his administration. Holt was a slaveholder who supported the Union - not totally unusual, especially among Kentuckians - but he did eventually see the need to abolish slavery to win the war and keep the nation united, which was very rare for an owner of other humans. He was a Southern Unionist long before that term became familiar.

His ambition for higher position and authority and his willingness to accept appointed political offices contrasted with his basic shyness and his refusal to consider elective office. He was a private man in public office, but being an introvert did not stop him from using public writings to defend his reputation or actions. Like stereotypical southern men, he maintained  a strong sense of honor and was willing to overcome his preference for privacy in order to defend himself.

His personal characteristics, such as his sensitivity, sense of honor, privacy, work ethic, and pride combined to form a fascinating persona, and this book describes how such traits worked together in his personal and public lives.

The central theme of the book, however, is Holt’s absolute and unwavering support for the Union. He did not want to see it split before the war, favored a strong effort to win the war to preserve it, and then was one of the foremost advocates of punishing the people responsible for the coming of the war, almost to the point of obsession. Nobody questioned his loyalty, though at the end of his career some people did wonder if his senses of loyalty and Unionism had gone too far as he attempted to punish Confederate leaders and others he associated with Lincoln’s assassination. This questioning led Holt to defend his actions and his honor yet again.

Overall, this is an excellent example of biographical writing, a well-written history and analysis of an important figure whom history has largely forgotten, despite his important roles in the the decades around, and including, the Civil War. He was a Kentuckian who influenced the war and many of his challenges - including being a slaveowner who supported the Union and a man whose family was split by the war - were similar to what many people in his homestate experienced. Contrasts with many fellow Kentuckians, however, also manifested themselves, especially his support of Lincoln and emancipation, two unpopular topics in his home state. Holt did not cave in to peer or even family pressure (from his uncles or proud southern brother Robert especially.) He was his own man in a difficult era, and the contradictions in his life demonstrate his individuality. This book shows how his personal traits and beliefs led him to handle the challenges he faced, and it does so in a very readable manner.  The author clearly did a lot of research and her finished work is an easy and quick read. I gladly recommend this book to people interested in the Civil War, especially those interested in lesser-known people or subjects.

Booths in Cincinnati

As was I flipping through a recently-acquired copy of The Lincoln Assassination Encyclopedia by Edward Steers Jr, I found an interesting tidbit on pages 65 and 66.

In an entry about Junius (Jun) Brutus Booth Jr. older brother of John Wilkes Booth, Steers notes: "At the time of the assassination, Jun was appearing at the Pike Opera House in Cincinnati. Like his brother Edwin, he hid in his room from angry crowds that might have hanged him if they found him."

This interesting tidbit, which might be a good idea for further research for me to do to see if any local newspapers at the time realized he was in the area, reminded me of a note I had found in previous research about the Siege of Cincinnati, a Cincinnati Enquirer article of November 13, 1862 had an announcement in the Amusements section:

Booth at the National: - The great French drama of the Corsican Brothers will be presented this evening, Mr. J. Wilkes Booth appearing in the double of "Fabian" and "Louis," supported by the entire company. The announcement of this thrilling drama alone should crowd the "Old Drury." Mr. Booth's engagement is rapidly drawing to a close, and consequently but a few nights more are granted in which to see the splendid acting of the young tragedian.

Given that this was only a few weeks after the announcement of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln and Booth's disdain for emancipation, I do have to wonder what non-acting thoughts were going through his head at this time.

A similar announcement appeared in the November 19, 1862 Enquirer, and then on November 14, 1863, the paper reported:

National Theater - Mr. J. Wilkes Booth will appear to-night for the second and last time in his great impersonation of "Richard III."  This is Mr. Booth's masterpiece. No actor now upon the stage can render the character of the hump-backed tyrant with equal affect. In short, Booth out-Richards Richard. The piece will be produced in superb style, and none should fail to see it. Mr. Booth's engagement closes to-morrow night.

145 years ago today

 President Abraham Lincoln passed away after being shot by John Wilkes Booth the previous evening at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C., the first assassination of an American President, and one of the saddest days in our nation's history, leading to a long period of mourning among many Americans of the time.



Lincoln was not always popular during his Presidency, but the assassination turned him into a martyr and one of the most popular American legends ever.

Though some Confederates remained in the field for a few more weeks, the main fighting of the Civil War had  ended and a new period was about to begin, but Lincoln's murder certainly changed how Reconstruction unfolded. Maybe things would not have changed too much had he lived, but it's hard to imagine him not being more effective than Andrew Johnson was, particularly as the victorious President of such a major war.

The Civil War, through the eyes of Rod Serling

So I took a day off work today, and after a trip to the gym, I'm sitting around the house relaxing and watching some episodes of the Twilight Zone on DVD.  It's a really good show and I enjoy it very much, even though I've seen every episode, some of them many times. The writers on this series did an outstanding job of telling stories, creating drama, and adding their own special "twists" to the endings of these tales.

I've noticed that several episodes of this series use the Civil War and that era for material. I found it odd at first that a science fiction show would rely on such a time period for so much material, but as I thought about it more, it came to make more sense. This show was produced at the end of the 1950s and early 1960s, right when the centennial of the Civil War was taking place, so why wouldn't the show capitalize on that? Plus, this war has always been a popular topic of Americans, so, again, it does seem unreasonable for Mr. Serling and the show's other producers and writers to take advantage of such a rich resource of potential story material.

One of the episodes about the war, and probably my favorite, is called The Passerby, where a wounded Confederate is traveling along a dusty road and stops by a woman's house to get a drink of water and some rest,. He remains there for a while, talking with the lady, a war widow who is missing her husband, as  more soldiers pass along this country lane. I won't give away the ending, in case anybody reading this has not seen it, but it is a typical Twilight Zone episode. The final passerby on this road is especially poignant.

Another episode featuring the Civil War is Still Valley in which a Confederate picket heads into a nearby town searching for Union soldiers reputed to be nearby. He does find a company of Union men, but none of them are animated at all. Unnerved by this mystery, the Rebel soldier looks around until he finally spots another person who is moving, an old man, carrying a large book. After discussing the situation with the man, the soldier finds that this man does not have long to live, but  he also that this man and his book may hold a key to ensuring Confederate victory in the war. He takes this information and the book back to his unit's camp, where the soldiers and officers discuss the pros and cons of using this potential weapon. This is another very good episode, and brings to the forefront the question of "win at all costs" versus an attitude of accepting what might happen, but maintaining your own sense of morals and values, win or lose.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, based on the short story by Union veteran Ambrose Bierce, is probably the most famous and well-known of these episodes, telling the story of the last few minutes of a spy who was captured and is being executed. I remember seeing this one for the first time back in high school, and how the ending (again, pretty typical for the Twilight Zone) shocked me. It's absolutely fascinating how well they managed to tell this story through the medium of television.

Two other episodes I can recall both use the Civil War era as part of the story, though not the war itself as the main focus like the first three I mentioned do.

One of these is Long Live Walter Jameson, an episode in which people find out a local man is much older than they realize or can believe, with evidence from the Civil War era playing a key role in this discovery.

Another one is Back There in which a scientist (played by Russell Johnson, aka the "Professor" from Giligan's Island, another of my favorite old shows), travels back in time to April 14, 1865 to try to stop the assassination of President Lincoln. This brings up the age-old debate about even if time travel were possible, would it be wise to go back in time and change any event, either as large as Lincoln's assassination, or seemingly minute?

The Twilight Zone continues to fascinate me, and so when it's story-telling is combined with Civil War topics, it's just so much the better as far as I'm concerned. And if anybody reading this likes the show as much as I do, get the DVD collection of all the episodes. I received it for Christmas a couple of years ago and it's just awesome to be able to watch any of the episodes anytime I want. Here's a link to it on Amazon.com, though I'm sure there are other sources for it out there as well.