Month: May 2021

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Lincoln and the Black Hawk War

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Lincoln Black Hawk War Kent ILOn May 27, 1832, Captain Abraham Lincoln’s company is mustered out of U.S. service by Nathaniel Buckmaster, Brigade major. Lincoln writes the muster roll of his company, certifying that remarks on activities of several members are accurate and just. He then enrolls in company of Capt. Elijah Iles for service in 20-day regiment.

Black Hawk was a chief of the Sauks, a Native American tribe that had crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois from the Iowa Indian Territory. Black Hawk was planning to resettle land that the U.S. government had taken as part of an 1804 treaty. Black Hawk felt the treaty was unjust. With him were about 450 warriors and 1,500 women and children. The government called on Illinois to form a militia to repel what they considered a hostile act.

Lincoln volunteered with sixty-seven other men from the New Salem area to join the battle. Once he arrived at the muster site, Lincoln’s friends pushed him to run for the position of captain. Soldiers voted by forming a line behind one of two candidates, Lincoln or the prosperous sawmill owner William Kilpatrick. To Lincoln’s great surprise, more men lined up behind him, and he became Captain of the Volunteers. In his presidential campaign autobiography, he characterized this event as “a success which gave me more pleasure than any I have had since.”

Lincoln saw no action during the brief war, which was fortunate given how little he knew about military strategy or terminology. At one point he needed to get his men through a gate in a fence but “could not for the life of me remember the proper word of command for getting my company endwise so that it could get through the gate, so as we came near the gate I shouted ‘The company is dismissed for two minutes, when it will fall in again on the other side of the gate.’”

After one month of largely uneventful service, the 1,400-member volunteer army disbanded. Given that he had no job to return to, Lincoln re-enlisted along with about 300 others, this time as a private. A young Lieutenant Robert Anderson mustered Lincoln back into service. Three decades later Anderson was in command of Fort Sumter, whose shelling by the Confederate army started the Civil War. In June, Lincoln re-enlisted again, this time as a private in Dr. Jacob Early’s Independent Spy Company. These few months were the extent of Lincoln’s military experience, and while he saw no action, he did witness some of the brutality of war during several incidents in which his company came across dead and scalped soldiers. After his service, Lincoln headed back to New Salem to find gainful employment.

[Adapted from Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America]

[Photo by author, Kent, IL]

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America. His newest Lincoln book is scheduled for release in February 2022. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Follow me for updates on my Facebook author page and Goodreads.

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Becoming President…and Other Goings-On

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David at Lincoln MemorialThis week I officially became President! So much has been going on that I figured a quick professional update was in order.

I am now President of the Lincoln Group of DC. The previous president, John O’ Brien, shepherded us through a pandemic-induced upheaval of our usual routine, shifting us to a Zoom-based virtual format for our monthly formerly-dinner lectures in a DC restaurant. The virtual meetings actually let us reach members now spread across the country who had been missing out. Our challenge now is to resurrect our in-person dinners while maintaining a more far-reaching virtual program. John also took charge of moving us from our old website platform to a new Wix-based one, a process that is still ongoing. One of the best features of our new site, Lincolnian.org, is a news blog where we can update people on upcoming events of the group, plus Lincoln news from around the country. In addition to my own author website (this one) and my experimental/opinion webite (Hot White Snow), I’ve been writing much of the content for the Lincolnian.org blog, writing book reviews for the Lincolnian newsletter, writing occasional articles for the newsletter, and maintaining and posting on the Lincoln Group’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

As President I’ll have the privilege of working with a great group of Vice Presidents and other Board members to provide service to our members and the community. There are big plans already in the works, including the aforementioned in-person dinners, our ongoing Study Group, next year’s Lincoln Memorial Centennial commemoration, a four-part short-course on Lincoln for ENCORE in the fall, battlefield tours, possible silent auctions, and an expanded national presence. We’ll be looking for additional opportunities to collaborate with other groups, like the “Teaching Lincoln” panel in January for a private club’s Civil War Roundtable and the “Case for Honoring Lincoln” panel for the Illinois State Society, the latter of which included discussions of Lincoln’s Native American and African American policies.

That isn’t the only Lincoln organization I’ve taken on new responsibilities for. In March I joined the Executive Committee and took over as Treasurer for the Abraham Lincoln Institute, another non-profit whose mission is to promote the scholarship of Abraham Lincoln. I’ve been on the Board for the last four years and now will be managing the finances. I’m also on the Book Award review committee, which means reading a dozen or more new Lincoln books a year and winnowing them down to a single award winner. I’ll also be more involved with a third organization, the Lincoln Forum, whose annual three day symposium I’ve attended for the last seven years. As we come back from a virtual year to a planned in-person event in November, I’ve been asked to join their Board of Advisors.

And then there is the book. Midway through May I have completed the draft of my new book examining Lincoln’s commitment to science. I’m in the editing process now and will be submitting the manuscript to the publisher next month. The planned release is February 2022, give or take. Once the manuscript is accepted I’ll start to talk more about its content, reveal the cover, reveal the prominent public figure who wrote the Foreword, and other news specifically about the book. Stay tuned.

This year should also see a return to travel. With the pandemic (hopefully) receding (fingers crossed), I’m looking forward to resuming my “Chasing Abraham Lincoln” travel. This summer I have plans to visit my family in New England for the first time in over a year. I’m already booked to join my brother on a catamaran sailing excursion in the British Virgin Islands this November (returning just in time to head to Gettysburg for the Lincoln Forum).

And of course there will be book marketing in preparation for the new book’s release. Plus I’ll be finishing up a second work in progress, working on two others in progress, and starting the research for yet another book I hope to get a proposal out on before the end of the year.

Onward!

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America. His newest Lincoln book is scheduled for release in February 2022. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Follow me for updates on my Facebook author page and Goodreads.

 

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Introducing the New Lincoln Group of DC Website

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The Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia, aka the Lincoln Group of DC, aka the Lincoln Group, aka LGDC, has a new website! Here’s a preview (see below the photo for more):

Lincolnian.org website

Our new URL is https://www.lincolnian.org/

The old Lincoln Group of DC website served us well for many years, but advancements in website technology led to a much needed change. Many thanks to former LGDC president and long-time website guru Karen Needles for building and maintaining the old website. Outgoing LGDC president John O’Brien took responsibility for finding an outside website developer, making the sometimes-painstaking transition from our old to the new provider, and maintaining the superstructure of the new Wix-based site. The result is a beautiful visual upgrade. We’re still transitioning the “members only” functions to the new site, so please have a bit more patience until the site is fully functional, but do take advantage of some of the new features.

Our biggest change – besides the obvious visual interface – is the addition of a Lincoln News Blog (“News” on the menu bar). We’ll have news about what the Lincoln Group is doing, about what is happening with Lincoln in the DC area, and important Lincoln news from around the country. It’s well worth checking out daily to keep up on new events.

Another feature is our Study Forum page (“Study Forum” on the menu bar). For many years we’ve had a book discussion group that meets on Saturday morning once a month at the Ford’s Theatre Center for Education and Leadership directly across the street from the historic Ford’s Theatre (where Lincoln was shot) and next door to the Petersen House (where Lincoln died). That book discussion group has evolved into a study group for all things Lincoln, although we still focus on a book as our vehicle for that study. We’ve moved online via Zoom during the past pandemic year, which has allowed Lincoln Group members who live outside the DC area to join us.

Study Forum page

 

Another important section of the new website is the Events page (“Events” on the menu bar). You’ll find brief highlights and bios of upcoming speakers and other events organized by the Lincoln Group. We’ve continued our monthly “dinner” meetings (previously held at Maggiano’s restaurant in the Friendship Heights area of DC) via a series of monthly Zoom meetings. Lincoln Group members have also been featured in events sponsored by the Cosmos Club, the Illinois State Society, the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, and other venues. We’ll continue to work with other Lincoln organizations like ALI, Ford’s Theatre, President Lincoln’s Cottage, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives on future events. We’ve done so much and have plans to do much more, including participating in the Lincoln Memorial Centennial commemorations scheduled for May 2022.

Events page

 

There is much more to see on the new Lincolnian.org website, so click on over and take a look around. And check back regularly for News and other important updates.

One more thing. In a few days I will be taking over as the new president of the Lincoln Group of DC. Our outgoing president, John O’Brien, has done a superhuman job “herding cats” (as one Lincoln Group Board member put it) for the last three years. His guidance and fortitude was especially needed during this past “Year of the COVID.” I’ll have big shoes to fill, but luckily for me and the Lincoln Group, John will be keeping touch with us from “the other DC” (aka, Denver, Colorado). So take a moment to thank John for his leadership. I am personally indebted to him and hope to carry on in his image.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America. His newest Lincoln book is scheduled for release in February 2022. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Follow me for updates on my Facebook author page and Goodreads.

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A Busy Day in Abraham Lincoln’s Life

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Lincoln MemorialPeriodically I check a website called The Lincoln Log to see what was going on in Lincoln’s life on this day throughout his life. Today was an especially busy day.

The Lincoln Log arose out of a long-term project beginning with Lincoln Day-by-Day: A Chronology, a series of three volumes published in 1960 cataloging the life of Lincoln. The third volume was made possible in part by volunteer work of the Lincoln Group of DC, of which I am a current officer. The Lincoln Log was later augmented by information from the Papers of Abraham Lincoln project, with a special emphasis on Lincoln’s legal work. More information is added periodically. It’s a fun and useful resource.

Which gets to today, May 7th. This date seems to hold several important events in Lincoln’s life over the years.

1832: Lincoln is en route to Rock River in Illinois serving in the Black Hawk War.

1833: Lincoln is appointed postmaster at New Salem by President Andrew Jackson. Lincoln is already identifying himself as a Whig and Jackson is a Democrat more likely to give patronage to party members, Lincoln believes the post office position is “too insignificant to make his politics an objection.”

1837: Lincoln the romantic? Probably not. On this date in 1837 he writes to Mary Owens, whom he has committed to marry despite reservations by both parties. He writes: “I … wish you would think seriously before you decide. . . . My opinion is that you had better not do it. You have not been accustomed to hardship, and it may be more severe than you now immagine.” Lincoln adds, “Whatever woman may cast her lot with mine, should any ever do so, it is my intention to do all in my power to make her happy and contented; and there is nothing I can immagine, that would make me more unhappy than to fail in the effort.”  [At least now he is still free to meet Mary Todd…and Joshua Speed]

1852: Jury begins deliberation in Johnston v Jones and Marsh, a case in which Lincoln later serves an attorney. More familiarly known as the “Sand Bar” case, Lincoln deftly handles the environmental and technical aspects of sand accumulating after a rock wall is built, thus affecting the property owned by two Lake Michigan lakeside owners.

1858: Lincoln defends Duff Armstrong, the son of an old friend from his New Salem days, in a murder trial that becomes known as the “Almanac Trial” due to Lincoln’s use of an almanac to dispute the testimony of a key witness. I visited the site of the trial in Beardstown, Illinois.

1861: Lincoln acknowledges a letter from the Republic of San Marino conferring citizenship upon him. He now has dual citizenship.

1862: The presidential party arrives at Fort Monroe, Virginia and boards the USS Monitor. The Monitor was undergoing repairs after its battle with the Confederate ironclad Virginia (formerly the Merrimack). Lincoln confers with General Wool and visits the yacht Vanderbilt, donated by its namesake millionaire to the Union cause.

1863: Lincoln and General Halleck spend the day with General Joseph Hooker and the Army of the Potomac. After returning to Washington he frantically telegraphs Secretary of War Stanton: “Have you any news?” He then writes Hooker to ask him what he plans to do next. Hooker has spent the last several days failing miserably during the Battle of Chancellorsville, one of Robert E. Lee’s best military wins. Stonewall Jackson is wounded by his own men in a “friendly fire” incident and dies soon after.

1864: Lincoln receives first-hand report on the Wilderness campaign from H.E. Wing, who arrives about 2 a.m. on a special locomotive. Lincoln also transmits to the Senate the opinion of his attorney general on the “rights of colored persons in the army or volunteer service.” Lincoln is working to get more equal treatment of black troops.

All of this on May 7th.

I discuss many of these points in my forthcoming book. More on that shortly.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America. His newest Lincoln book is scheduled for release in February 2022. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Follow me for updates on my Facebook author page and Goodreads.