Lincoln Stories

[unionblue]

Friends,

A good story, I think.

In the spring of 1864, a delegation from the Union League of Philadelphia called on President Lincoln. The organization was established by influential Philadelphians to support the policies of Lincoln. They had commissioned an artist named Marchant to paint a portrait of the President. Marchant had been staying at the White House for months working on the portrait. Now that the painting was completed, three members of the Union League came to inspect the work.

The painting imparted a measure of nobility to Lincoln's homely features. Lincoln looked at it and said to the artist in the presence of the Union League visitors: "I presume in painting your beautiful portrait, you took your idea from my principles and not from my person."

Unionblue

(Message edited by unionblue on August 19, 2004)

[unionblue]

And one more,

In the summer of 1861, a large contingent of congressmen made the four-hour journey from Washington to Manassas, Virginia, to observe the first military engagement of troops with the Confederacy. Their carriages were packed with picnic lunches and bottles of wine. It was to be a gala spectacle, since everyone figured that the ensuing battle would be a rout of the Confederacy.

The first Battle of Bull Run, however, proved to be a debacle for the Union Army. One visitor who had been at Manassas recounted how a terrorized congressman had hightailed it up the dirt road in front of the advancing Confederates.

Said Lincoln, "I know what you mean. I once saw a man run like that. He was courting a young girl whose father took such a dislike of him that he threatened to shoot him if he ever caught him on the premises.

"One night just when the young suitor had an arm around the girl's waist about to kiss her, he suddenly spied her father coming around the house with a shotgun.

"Leaping through the window into the garden, he started down the path at the top of his speed like greased lightning. Just then a jackrabbit jumped into the path in front of him. In about two leaps, the young man overtook the rabbit. Giving it a kick that sent it high in the air he yelled, 'Git out of the road, gosh dern you and let somebody runs that knows how."

Unionblue

[thea_447]

Lincoln and the "Almost Duel":

In 1842, Lincoln wrote a series of anonymous letters published in the Sangamo Journal, mocking prominent Democrat James Shields, the Illinois State Auditor. After Mary Todd (to whom Lincoln had been engaged the year before) and Julia Payne wrote a similar letter, Shields demanded that the editor reveal the identity of the author. Upon learning that Lincoln had written the letters, Shields challenged him to a duel. Lincoln, who was always awkward with women, mustered a rare show of gallantry and made no mention of Mary’s involvement in writing one of the letters.

Since Shields was the challenger, Lincoln had the privilege of naming the conditions for the contest. He proposed the ludicrous spectacle of a fight with “Cavalry broad swords of the largest size” while standing in a square ten feet wide and about twelve feet deep, which would put the much shorter Shields at a serious disadvantage. Lincoln may have hoped that the silliness (as well as the danger) of the proposed contest would bring Shields to his senses, but both men went ahead with their preparations for the duel until their seconds managed to arrange a peaceable settlement. Lincoln afterwards was embarrassed by the incident and rarely spoke of it.

[thea_447]

At one of the famous debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, "so the tradition persists, in the opening of one of his first speeches Douglas tried to be somewhat humorous at Abe's expense: 'When I behold my honorable opponent, I am reminded of the Holy Writ where it says, "How long, O Lord, how long."' The people laughed rather heartily. When Douglas had finished his speech and Lincoln took the platform he said, 'When I behold my honorable opponent, I, too, am reminded of the Scripture where it says, " The wicked shall be cut short in his day."

[thea_447]

"Something led Mr. Lincoln one evening to mention the fact that David Tod, the war Governor of Ohio, who declined his invitation to succeed Chase as Secretary of the Treasury, had occasion to visit Washington in 1863, on government business. During an interview the President remarked: 'You are perhaps aware, Governor, that my wife is a member of the Todd family of Kentucky, and they all spell their name with two d's. How is it that you use but one?' 'Mr. President, God spells his name with one d, and one is enough for the Governor of Ohio.'"

[thea_447]

Abraham Lincoln directed this remark to George B. McClellan, who had excused his lack of action in the fall of 1862 due to tired horses.

"Will you pardon me for asking what the horses of your army have done since the battle of Antietam that fatigues anything?"

[bill_torrens]

Neil,

The "scaring the **** out of any Englishman" anecdote has a parallel life as a Zeb Vance story. Put Vance in an outhouse somewhere in the North, confronted with a picture of Lee, and - voila! - you have the same joke.

Bill

Neil,
Of course I gathered Georgiana's point. But I felt given the point itself, that the final example was one worth comment. Failing in it's own right. Not just failing but guilty. As an aside I would say the letters in their entirety do not absolve Mr Lincoln.

"Let he without sin cast the first stone" was the phrase popped into my head. Funny we both had a biblical thought balloons. As usual your thoughts were more eloquent and more apt.


YMOS
tommy

[unionblue]

Bill,

I KNEW I had seen Tommy post such a story before, but I just could not remember the Confederate general who was the teller of the tale. I guess a good story is worth repeating!

Tommy, more eloquent and more apt? But maybe my timing sucked. What is the phrase Jesus said to his disciples, the one where they came upon a man who was doing good works and casting out demons, but since he was not one of them, they admonished him to stop? Something like, "He that is not against us, is for us" or something like that?

Sincerely,
Unionblue

Neil,
I believe that was in Mark but I am unable to find it because every time I try my pc freezes up. After 5 tries and having to restart my pc I am starting to wish I had the fella working on this demon ridden machine.

YMOS
tommy