Author: David J. Kent

David J. Kent is an Abraham Lincoln historian, a former scientist, and an avid traveler. He is the author of books on Abraham Lincoln, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison. His website is www.davidjkent-writer.com.
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If Destruction Be Our Lot…We Must Ourselves be its Author and Finisher – Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Address

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At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.

If destruction is our lotAbraham Lincoln spoke these words in a speech generally referred to as  the Lyceum Address. Given on January 27, 1838 and more formally titled “The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions,” the speech shows a surprising level of insight for a 28-year-old man who had spent the first three-quarters of his lifetime to date as a frontier farmer and railsplitter. He had passed the bar to become a lawyer less than two years before but had been a Whig member of the Illinois state legislature for half of the four terms he would serve. He was young, with limited political experience, but he was also a deep thinker.

Ostensibly, Lincoln was talking about how the rule of law was critical to the continuation of democratic institutions. Recent violence had led to the murder of Presbyterian minister, journalist, and abolitionist newspaper editor Elijah Lovejoy in Alton, Illinois. Right wing mobs had destroyed Lovejoy’s warehouse, thrown his printing press in the river (for the third time), and killed him. In a second murder, a racist mob had attacked, lynched, and set fire to a free black man for no reason. Lincoln argued that mob rule cannot replace the rule of law in a legitimate society.

Lincoln’s speech goes further. He was concerned about the irreparable effects of division in the nation. Although our country is diverse in national origins, religions, and political ideologies, we needed a unified democracy to function properly as a nation. Our democratic institutions are fragile, and Lincoln warned that political concerns could only be properly addressed through the law. Mob action ultimately damages the rule of law, and with it the Constitution and democracy itself. He noted that as a nation we are strong enough to repel any foreign enemy. Our destruction will be because of our own divisions. If we are honest and hard-working, we will prosper. If we give ourselves to division, it is akin to dying by suicide.

If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.

Are we paying attention? Are we willingly allowing destruction of our democracy through violence and perpetual lies?

Will we live through all time, or die by suicide?

This has happened before. And even more recently on January 6, 2021.

Democracy is fragile. The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present.

Lincoln was confident we would survive the times and grow as a nation and a democracy.

Can we be so confident today?

 

Fire of Genius

 

Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America is available at booksellers nationwide.

Limited signed copies are available via this website. The book also listed on Goodreads, the database where I keep track of my reading. Click on the “Want to Read” button to put it on your reading list. Please leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon if you like the book.

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America and Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America.

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.

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Lincoln and McClellan’s Fatigued Horses

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Tired and Fatigued horsesI have just read your dispatch about sore tongued and fatigued horses. Will you pardon me for asking what the horses of your army have done since the battle of Antietam that fatigue anything? A. LINCOLN

General George B. McClellan was at it again. Or not at it, in a sense. McClellan had a habit of overestimating the enemy troop numbers and underestimating his own ability to attack. Lincoln was constantly frustrated.

In September 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee led his Army of Northern Virginia into western Maryland. Following their victory at a second battle of Bull Run, Lee moved his army north to a point near Sharpsburg, alongside Antietam Creek, where they took up defensive positions. With surprising aggressiveness, McClellan’s Army of the Potomac attacked Lee’s forces on September 17. The first assault came from Union General Joseph Hooker on Lee’s left flank, while General Ambrose Burnside later attacked the right. A surprise counterattack from Confederate General A.P. Hill helped push back Union forces. Eventually, Lee’s troops withdrew from the battlefield first. He moved his remaining army back across the Potomac into the safety of Virginia.

Always overly cautious, McClellan made no effort to follow. Lee had committed all of his 55,000 men, while McClellan only ordered a portion of his larger 87,000-man force into the fray. This numerical imbalance allowed Lee to create and exploit tactical advantages he should not have had. When questioned by Lincoln about his failure to pursue Lee, McClellan complained that his army and horses were sore-tongued and fatigued, and thus required rest. Lincoln responded tersely by telegram:

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

Antietam was destined to be the single bloodiest day of battle in American history. The casualties for both armies totaled a staggering 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.

Despite Lincoln’s frustration, Antietam stood out as an important battle in the fight for freedom. Although essentially a draw, the fact that Lee withdrew from the battlefield first allowed the North to record Antietam as a victory, something that Lincoln had been needing for some time. A few days later, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

[Adapted from Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. 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.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Lincoln at the Exhibition

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Lincoln at the moviesTechnically, Lincoln didn’t attend the exhibition, but on this date, October 14, 1861, a committee of commissioners for the industrial exhibition in England visits President Lincoln in the White House and asks use of a government vessel to transport American contributions to the fair. Lincoln had supported United States participation.

Eying an opportunity to showcase American science, Lincoln appointed Smithsonian Secretary Joseph Henry (an informal science adviser to the President) to yet another Commission, this one organizing American participation in the International Exhibition scheduled for London in 1862. Lincoln approved the Commission’s recommendations in December 1861 and the House Ways and Means Committee endorsed an appropriation of $35,000 for expenses.

Lincoln had always had an eye for scientific and technological advancement, which had been rapid leading up to his nomination. The canal system had opened up the Midwest and railroads were stringing themselves in all directions, creating towns and economies as they spread. Steamships were regular features on the Great Lakes and the great rivers like the Ohio and Mississippi. American reaping machines amazed visitors to the Paris World’s Fair in 1855 with their ability to cut an acre of grain in a third of the time of European models. By 1860, the United States had become the fourth largest manufacturing country in the world. George Perkins Marsh, perhaps America’s first environmentalist, approved of industrialization but also warned of the dangers of deforestation. Marsh began writing his now classic treatise, Man and Nature, as Lincoln accepted the nomination; once President, Lincoln appointed Marsh minister to Italy. Long-standing Whig principles would become part of Lincoln’s presidential platform.

Yet neither the full House nor Senate could pass a bill and the lack of political and financial support discouraged many companies from participating. The lost opportunity probably hackled Lincoln as the Exhibition showcased such industrial advances as the electrical telegraph, submarine cables, and a new thermoplastic called Parkesine, later renamed Celluloid, which became the basis of Thomas Edison’s motion picture film.

Lincoln quickly moved on to other more pressing matters as the Civil War settled into what would be four years of constant turmoil. But the only president with a patent never gave up on his vision of empowering science and technology in the federal government.

[The above is adapted from my forthcoming book due out in 2022]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. 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.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Lincoln and Me Tour Harpers Ferry

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Harpers FerryPresident Lincoln took a special train to Harpers Ferry on October 1, 1862. I drove my car to the National Park Service visitors center on October 1, 2021. Lincoln reviewed the troops on Bolivar Heights. I climbed to the overlook on Maryland Heights. One hundred and fifty-nine years separated us, but I still felt his presence.

Lincoln was anxious about his commanding general, George McClellan. McClellan had brought a military success, of sorts, near Antietam creek just a few weeks before. More of a draw than a clear-cut victory despite McClellan’s staff finding Confederate General Lee’s plans wrapped around three cigars, it had been enough for Lincoln to issue his Emancipation Proclamation on September 22nd. Lincoln was not pleased with McClellan’s overall performance. McClellan complained incessantly that the enemy had decisively more troops, even when it was McClellan with the distinct numerical advantage. So Lincoln was coming to talk to McClellan in person.

Around 6 a.m. on the first day of October, Lincoln and entourage left Washington on a special train. Joining him were General McClernand, Ward Hill Lamon, Ozias Hatch, John Garrett (president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad) and others. Arriving at Harpers Ferry at noon, Lincoln meets with General Sumners until General McClellan finally arrives in the early afternoon. McClellan and Lincoln visit the troops at Bolivar Heights. That night, Lincoln spends the night in Harpers Ferry. The next morning he visits more troops on the Maryland Heights and moves to McClellan’s headquarters for a strategic discussion and critical job review. While there, several iconic photos are taken by Alexander Gardner. A month later, Lincoln would finally relieve McClellan from command, permanently this time.

My visit began around 8 a.m. for a drive of just over an hour. The day was about as perfect as could be, with no clouds and a high temperature in the low 70s. A fog enveloped the valley as we approached, but quickly disappeared once I arrived in the lower town of Harpers Ferry. John Brown’s Fort was getting a paint job as I headed for the Maryland Heights trailhead. Not only is Harpers Ferry the intersection between Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, it’s also where three trails intersect – Maryland Heights,  the C & O Canal Towpath, and the Appalachian Trail. The railroad and foot bridges over the Potomac River (with the Shenandoah River sliding in from the right) lead into the gaping maw of the tunnel under the heights. A short walk up the towpath brought us to the trailhead. A constant uphill hike of about 1200 feet elevation gain brought us to the Heights overlook, where we snacked and replenished electrolytes before hiking back down to the town. A delightful lunch on the patio of the Coach House Grill capped a perfect visit.

A week earlier I had toured Williamsport and Falling Water, another area not far away that had hackled Lincoln. After the decisive Union victory in Gettysburg, Lincoln was displeased with General George Meade for his failure to attack and destroy Lee’s army, giving it time to cross the Potomac River upstream from Harpers Ferry. Lincoln wrote a blistering letter berating Meade, his failure prolonging the war another two years instead of ending it in late 1863. Lincoln never sent the letter. Having spewed his anger onto the page, he rethought the wisdom of chewing his arguably one of his better generals. Luckily for us, he saved it for posterity “never signed, never sent.”

Eventually Lincoln would find likeminded generals in Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and Philip Henry Sheridan, along with Meade, who would be key to closing out the rest of the war. But his trip to Harpers Ferry and Antietam was to reassess his commander. McClellan was found wanting, and Lincoln fired him.

Unlike Lincoln, my trip to Harpers Ferry was a total success, and despite the sore muscles afterward, a wonderful experience.

[David J. Kent has been “Chasing Abraham Lincoln” for the last several years, with the COVID pandemic putting much of it on hold. With most responsible people now vaccinated, David will be doing more road trips on the trail of Lincoln. Stay tuned.]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. 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.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Lincoln Draws on His Account at the Illinois Central Railroad

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Lincoln railroad comicOn June 23, 1854, Abraham Lincoln draws on his account at the Illinois Central Railroad. The ICRR had been a repeat source of work for the Lincoln, who had been focusing on his legal career after being relegated to the sidelines politically. He would not be in an elected position for eleven years. He did a variety of work for several railroads, but the ICRR by far was the most prolific and profitable. Still, he wasn’t making much money per case.

In this particular letter, Lincoln writes the ICRR attorney Mason Brayman in Chicago to indicate that he is collecting payment for a slew of small cases done for the railroad. He writes:

M. Brayman, Esq Bloomington
Dear Sir: Sept. 23, 1854

This is the last day of court here, and being about to leave, I have drawn on the I.C. R R Co or rather on you on their account, for $100, which the McLean County Bank have negociated for me. I have directed them to have the draft presented to you. Will you please see that it shall be honored?

The reason I have taken this liberty is, that since last fall, by your request I have declined all new business against the road, and out of which I suppose I could have realized several hundred dollars; have attended, both at DeWitt and here to a great variety of little business for the Co, most of which, however, remains unfinished, and have received nothing. I wish now to be charged with this sum, to be taken into account on settlement. Truly Yours &c A. LINCOLN

P.S. The draft is in favor of Mr. Pardee, who is Cashier of the Bank.

The other key element of the above letter is that he gave up opportunities to make money from individuals suing the ICRR. There were other cases in which Lincoln did work against the railroad, but these were outside of the retainer agreement.

And then there was the time that Lincoln sued the ICRR railroad directly for the sum of $5000. [Click on the link for that story]

Overall, railroad cases made up only four percent of Lincoln’s caseload overall, about 160 cases, but they were some of the most lucrative of his career. He tried cases for or against fourteen separate railroad companies, with some railroad names changing as lines merged or were replaced. Some of these cases set important precedents, both for railroad rights and worker rights. He would also be instrumental in the final determination of the transcontinental railroad route.

I look more at Lincoln’s work for, and against, the railroads in my forthcoming book, due out in 2022.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. 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.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Lincoln Group of DC – COVID News

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Lincoln Group of DCBack in mid-July, I was happy to report that the Lincoln Group of DC was going back to live, in-person, programming. What a difference a couple of months makes. As readers will already have seen, our October meeting with Ron White, originally planned as a big in-person luncheon shindig complete with special surprises, is not going to happen. Ron has rightfully reconsidered his travel to the east coast because of the pandemic. Instead, Ron will give us a virtual presentation on October 19th.

While we expected the COVID pandemic to have weakened as people received the free and easy to obtain vaccines, the reality is that too many people remain unvaccinated. Because of that, COVID cases have again increased.

This fact has led the Lincoln Group Board to reevaluate our plans. As of now, the Lincoln Group will continue with virtual, Zoom-based lecture meetings for the rest of this year [See details below]. We are scheduled for our annual joint, in-person, meeting with the Civil War Roundtable of the District of Columbia (CWRTDC) in February 2022. That is now expected to be our first in-person meeting. If pandemic conditions allow, we will continue with in-person meetings after that time.

The situation remains fluid, so we appreciate your patience. Please keep checking back to our Lincolnian.org website for updates.

The switch to Zoom-based virtual meetings does have its advantages. There are two huge benefits of going virtual:

  • We could reach our members now spread across the United States

  • We could attract stellar speakers previously unavailable to us because of the costs of distance or scheduling limitations

But we also miss our live social interactions. As we move forward, we plan to continue with a schedule of both virtual and in-person meetings. Both take time and finances to undertake, and donations and volunteers are always welcome. Your support is critical to the continuing, and expanding, role of the Lincoln Group of DC (including plans for a Lincoln Memorial Centennial event in May 2022). [There’s a “Donate” button on the top right of this page. Any amount is appreciated. Feel free to make it a continuing donation.]

So as of now, here is our expected schedule of events. Put them on your calendar!

September 21: James Oakes on The Crooked Path to Abolition [Zoom – RSVP here]

September 25: Our Annual Tour and Picnic Returns! See this post for details!

October 19: Ron White on Lincoln in Private [Zoom – RSVP here]

November 14-19: We’ll see you at the Lincoln Forum in Gettysburg!

December 7: Was Lincoln Audacious, or Cautious? A special Zoom event where the Lincoln Group will debate Lincoln’s modus operandi.

January 2022: To be determined [Zoom]

February 2022: Joint meeting with the CWRTDC featuring Allen Guelzo and Michael Burlingame! [Expected to be In-Person]

March 2022: Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium at Ford’s Theatre [In-Person]

April 2022: To be determined [In-Person, Maggiano’s]

May 2022: Lincoln Memorial Centennial commemoration with the National Park Service on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

September 2022: Book Launch Party!

We hope to add some additional special events, so keep checking back here!

David Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America (Fall River Press: New York, 2017) and is the president of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia (ed).

[Originally published on Lincolnian.org]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. 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.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Abraham Lincoln On Malpractice and Chicken Bones

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Lloyd Ostenforf drawingOn September 10, 1856, Abraham Lincoln wrote an affidavit in a medical malpractice case that involved chicken bones. It was the first medical malpractice case in McLean County.

A small number, less than one percent, of Lincoln’s cases required management of medical expert witnesses. He participated in at least thirty-nine medical-related cases, plus many of his forty-four murder cases needed such expertise. In this case, Lincoln creatively used chicken bones. Samuel Fleming suffered two broken legs when the chimney of a house fell on him during a raging fire in Bloomington, Illinois. Physicians Thomas Rogers and Eli Crothers set the severely damaged bones, saving both legs against the odds. Unfortunately, the right leg healed crooked and slightly shorter than the left. Rogers and Crothers agreed to reset the crooked right leg but Fleming stopped them midway complaining of unendurable pain. He then sued the doctors for malpractice. Defending the doctors, Lincoln demonstrated the difference in pliability between young and old bones using chicken bones. He argued that the doctors could have used the normal remedy for such damage by amputating both legs, but Fleming insisted on saving them.

As with so many cases, this one eventually resulted in a settlement, but Lincoln showed that he understood basic medical principles and could be creative in communicating them to a jury.

On this date in 1863, Lincoln was also involved in a medical case of a sort. He sent Dr. John Gray to Norfolk, Virginia to examine and collect evidence on the sanity or insanity of Dr. David Wright. Wright was a Unionist who stayed in Norfolk when the war started, but one day in June he encountered a column of U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) led by a white officer, Lt. Alanson Sanborn. Angry over the presence of black troops, Wright began yelling at them to leave. Sanborn ordered Wright to leave, but instead, Wright pulled his pistol and shot Sanborn, killing him. Wright pleaded temporary insanity (which had worked for Congressman Dan Sickles). Lincoln asked Gray to determine the case. Wright was found sane, convicted by a military commission, and hanged.

Without prejudice or malpractice.

[Adapted from my forthcoming Lincoln book, due out in 2022]

[Graphic is a Lloyd Ostendorf print]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. 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.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Lincoln and the Lost Townships Rebecca Letters…or Not

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Rebecca letter snippetI see you printed that long letter I sent you a spell ago—I’m quite encouraged by it, and can’t keep from writing again.

So begins the second letter of a series that has come to be known as the Lost Townships or the “Rebecca” letters since they were signed off on by that name. Lincoln wrote the second “Rebecca” letter, published in the Sangamo Journal on September 2, 1842. Eventually these letters would lead Lincoln into a duel with James Shields. But did he really write them?

He clearly wrote this second letter. He effectively admitted it as such during the ensuing imbroglio. But the first of the “Rebecca” letters was published in the Journal on August 19, 1842. Despite Lincoln’s letter taking credit for it, he almost certainly didn’t write the first letter. Most likely it was written by the same person who wrote an earlier series of letters from “Lost Townships,” which were printed in the Journal on February 10, May 5, May 26, and September 15, 1838, a full four years previously. There is no reliable evidence that Lincoln had anything to do with the earlier series of letters. Lincoln claims only to have written the second letter quoted above.

The letters didn’t stop there, however, and this is where it gets dicey. A week after Lincoln’s letter, on September 9, 1842, two more letters signed by “Rebecca” appeared in the Journal. The first, dated August 29, was fairly mild, but the second, dated September 8, was a more offensive personal attack on James Shields, the Illinois State Auditor, who was caught up in a controversy over acceptance of the State Bank bills for tax payments. This latter letter was written by Mary Todd and her friend Julia Jayne.

Keep in mind that Lincoln and Mary Todd had previously been engaged, only to have their engagement suddenly end in January 1841 when, presumably, Lincoln got cold feet. They had secretly begun courting again some time in 1842 and would suddenly be married on November 4th, shortly after the letters appeared in print.

This last letter, along with a piece of doggerel signed “Cathleen,” which was printed in the Journal on September 16th, likely was the catalyst for James Shields’ fury. He rushed to the Journal‘s editor, Simeon Francis, and demanded to know who wrote the letters. In an act of chivalry, or something, Lincoln allowed Francis to tell Shields it was Lincoln, even though Lincoln had only written one of them, and certainly not the most offensive one.

The letters had caused quite an uproar in Springfield, whose populace in the still-small town capital relied on any spicy news for entertainment. Feeling ridiculed, with his vanity assailed, Shields challenged Lincoln to a duel. Dueling was illegal in Illinois, so it eventually was scheduled to be held on Bloody Island, a sort of no-mans-land in the middle of the Mississippi River.

Needless to say, both Lincoln and Shields survived the incident. Shields went on to serve as Senator for three different states (the only person to do so), and Lincoln went on to save the Union and end slavery.

But that’s only half the story. For the rest, you’ll have to wait just a little longer.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. 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.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

 

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Mrs. Lincoln’s Corsets, and Other Abraham Lincoln News

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Mary LincolnOn this auspicious date in 1844, Mrs. Lincoln bought material to make corsets. Six yards of “gimp,” which was a strong twisted silk, wool, or cotton (not to be confused with the plastic form of gimp I used in Boy Scouts), along with ample amounts of lace. Presumably she already had whalebone or simply used over-starched fabric for stiffness. As critical as this was for containing the spreading remnants of Robert’s birth the previous year, this was only one of many important events happening on this day in Lincoln’s life.

August 26th seemed to be a good day for speeches. In 1844, a 35-year-old first term Congressman Abraham Lincoln spoke at the Rough and Ready Club in Rockville, Maryland. In 1852, Lincoln rebutted Stephen A. Douglas’s speech at the Scott Club in Springfield, Illinois. In 1854, Lincoln gives his first speech on the Kansas-Nebraska Act at the Whig Party Convention in Winchester, Illinois. The local paper reports “His . . . masterly effort . . . was replete with unanswerable arguments, which must and will effectually tell at the coming election.” In 1858, Lincoln gets an ambrotype photograph taken in Macomb, IL, before heading out to Amboy, where he makes a short speech that night.

President Lincoln turns to writing in 1863. He declines an invitation to speak in Springfield, IL, noting that such a trip was impossible in the midst of the Civil War. Writing was has become a famous letter to James C. Conkling, he lays out his rationales for his actions to save the Union:

There are those who are dissatisfied with me. To such I would say: You desire peace; and you blame me that we do not have it. But how can we attain it? There are but three conceivable ways. First, to suppress the rebellion by force of arms. This, I am trying to do. Are you for it? If you are, so far we are agreed. If you are not for it, a second way is, to give up the Union. I am against this.

He also called out those white men who disdain his emancipation measures, noting:

Peace does not appear so distant as it did. I hope it will come soon, and come to stay; and so come as to be worth the keeping in all future time. It will then have been proved that, among free men, there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet; and that they who take such appeal are sure to lose their case, and pay the cost. And then, there will be some black men who can remember that, with silent tongue, and clenched teeth, and steady eye, and well-poised bayonet, they have helped mankind on to this great consummation; while, I fear, there will be some white ones, unable to forget that, with malignant heart, and deceitful speech, they have strove to hinder it.

This day also brings some personal news related to my forthcoming book and my role as president of the Lincoln Group of DC.

Regarding my book, I’ve been waiting for the publisher to get back to me with edits, expecting that the book would be released around February of 2022. I’m now told that the release date has been scheduled for September 2022. This changes my planning considerably. In the interim, I’ve decided to move forward with another book I’ve been working on related to a dialogue I had last year on Confederate monuments. I’ll have more information on that one soon, but I hope to publish it on the Amazon framework by the end of this year.

The Lincoln Group of DC has also been active. In October, I’ll be joined by immediate past-president John O’Brien and distant past-president Ed Steers in teaching a course on Abraham Lincoln via Encore Learning. We’ll be tackling Lincoln’s Youth (Ed), Lincoln as Politician (Me), Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief (Me), and Emancipation and Legacy (John). Here is more detailed information about the course. More info about Encore Learning.

The Lincoln Group is also planning for the Centennial of the Lincoln Memorial. Dedicated in 1922, the 100th anniversary will be celebrated with an entire month of programs in May 2022. The Lincoln Group will have a ceremony with music, speakers, and much more on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We’ll also be sponsoring Lincoln-associated events with the American Film Institute in Silver Spring, MD, a possible discussion on the Memorial and the Civil Rights movement with the National Archives, and a possible luncheon with speakers at the Willard Hotel. Keep up on the plans via our new Lincolnian.org website.

[Photo from Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9702761]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. 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.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Lincoln Witnesses the Coffee Mill Gun in Action

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Coffee mill gunOn August 17, 1861, Abraham Lincoln witnessed an exhibition of what Lincoln dubbed the “coffee mill gun.” Lincoln was always pushing for modernized weaponry beyond the standard muskets, which were inaccurate and slow to reload. He pushed Ordinance Chief James Ripley to put into service various breechloaders, rifles, carbines, and repeaters.

Another type of advanced weapon that Lincoln promoted was the multi-shot guns we might refer to as “machine guns.” Technically called the “Union Repeating Gun” by its salesman J.D. Mills, Lincoln dubbed one the “coffee-mill” gun due to its resemblance to that faithful brewer of morning sustenance. A single barrel was fed by bullets dropped into a hopper, then fired using a hand crank mounted on the rear. In August of 1861, Lincoln wrote Ripley: “If ten of the repeating guns, of the pattern exhibited to me this morning, by Mr. Mills, near the Washington Monument in this City, shall be well made, and furnished to the government of the U.S. within, or about thirty days from this date, I advise that the government pay for them double the sum which good mechanics of that class shall say the material, and labor of making and delivering here are worth.” Getting further concurrence of General McClellan on the potential usefulness in battle, in December Lincoln told Ripley to “let the fifty guns be ordered.”

Lincoln never stopped looking for better versions of weapons he had pushed. In the middle of 1862 Lincoln showed he understood the mechanics of repeating weapons in a letter to Stanton: “I have examined and seen tried the “Raphael Repeater” and consider it a decided improvement upon what was called the ‘Coffee Mill Gun’ in…that it is better arranged to prevent the escape of gas.” Later in the war, another repeating weapon was introduced by Dr. Richard Gatling. He claimed that “it is regarded, by all who have seen it operate, as the most effective implement of warfare invented during the war, and it is just the thing needed to aid in crushing the present rebellion” (underlining in original). To ensure no confusion with what he saw an inferior product, “I assure you my invention is no ‘coffee mill gun.’” Rather than a single barrel, the Gatling had six barrels capable of firing up to 350 rounds a minute. Repeating weapons of varying types were employed occasionally during the war, for example at Middleburg in 1862, but typically these pieces were limited to guarding locations such as bridges, being too unwieldy for infantry movements.

But Lincoln’s push for new technology went far beyond individual guns. More on that soon.

[Adapted from my forthcoming book, due out in early 2022]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. 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.

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