Tag: Abraham Lincoln

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C-SPAN Posts Recording of Lincoln Memorial Centennial Program

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Lincoln Memorial Centennial May 22 2022As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of being the master of ceremonies of the Lincoln Memorial Centennial program held on the Memorial steps May 22, 2022. C-SPAN (as well as other media) was there to record it, and they have now posted the full 2-hour video on their website. You can watch the program here:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?520493-1/lincoln-memorial-centennial-ceremony

C-SPAN did a wonderful job of onsite production (three cameras, excellent direction) and worked their fantastic post-production magic to create an eminently professional broadcast video. Lincoln Group of DC member Ed Epstein had this to say on Lincolnian.org:

The two-hour event, which a C-SPAN crew recorded live on Sunday, May 22, was hosted by Lincoln Group president David Kent and featured some thought-provoking speakers and great entertainers. In the photo at left by Bruce Guthrie, singer Felicia Curry sang the Star-Spangled Banner to open the proceedings, which were co-sponsored by the National Park Service and the Lincoln Forum.

The recorded program premiered on C-SPAN 2 on June 18.

The production’s quality is great and catches the atmosphere of the day’s events. It also shows the steady stream of visitors heading to and from the memorial, which draws some eight million visitors a year. It is the most visited memorial in the nation’s capital.

The program was the culmination of a year’s effort led by the Lincoln Group of DC in coordination with the National Park Service and co-sponsored by The Lincoln Forum. As president of the Lincoln Group, I played the primary role of organizing the event (along with the amazing work of many Lincoln Group board members). We had a stellar group of speakers, including Chuck Sams, the director of the National Park Service, Lincoln scholars Harold Holzer and Edna Greene Medford, African American Civil War Museum director Frank Smith, and our keynote speaker, Charlotte Morris, president of Tuskegee University. Also part of the program were representatives from MOLLUS, the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Musical performances were by the United States Marine Band “The President’s Own” Brass Quintet and by the incredible Felicia Curry, who sang the national anthem and two selections from Marian Anderson’s groundbreaking 1939 concert on the Memorial’s steps. The words of Lincoln and a poem read at the dedication were powerfully performed by Avatar actor, Stephen Lang. If you weren’t able to be there in person (and even if you were), now is the time to watch it in its entirety on C-SPAN.

Even though today begins summer, both the Lincoln Group and I have many upcoming events. Check out the Events tab on the Lincolnian.org for events and check out the News tab for all sorts of other interesting Lincoln (and Juneteenth) related tidbits. Check out my Media tab above for all of my upcoming programs related both to LGDC and to the release of Lincoln: The Fire of Genius.

Fire of GeniusRelease date for Lincoln: The Fire of Genius is September 1, 2022.

While you’re here, check out the various posts on Lincolnian.org related to our recent Lincoln Memorial Centennial program. For those who missed it, C-SPAN will be replaying the event at 3 pm on June 18th on CSPAN2.

The book is available for pre-order on the Rowman & Littlefield website (Lyons Press is a trade imprint of Rowman). You can also pre-order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (click on the respective links to pre-order). Release date is scheduled for September 1, 2022.

The book is 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. That will also ensure you get informed of the release date AND will let you try for one of ten free hardcover copies of the book that I’ll be giving away this summer. I’ll also be giving away as many as a hundred e-books. [The book will also be put out on audio]

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

I’ll have much more about the book over the next few months, so join my mailing list here to keep informed.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of 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.

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

 

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Upcoming Programs for Lincoln: The Fire of Genius

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Fire of GeniusLincoln: The Fire of Genius is arriving to bookstores soon, and with it will be a raft of upcoming programs. I hope you’ll join me at one or more of them.

I wrote recently about my busy week surrounding the Lincoln Memorial Centennial events. May 22nd was the main event on the Memorial steps, but there were many other events I helped organize that were related to the 100th anniversary. Last week I traveled to New England to view some Lincoln statues and my family. Tonight (aka, June 14th, which is also Flag Day), I preside over the Lincoln Group of DC’s first in-person dinner meeting after a pandemic-induced two-year hiatus. This Saturday is our monthly study forum meeting; next Saturday we’ll have a Board meeting to induct two new members and get started on a slew of post-Memorial activities. Then (fingers crossed) I’ll make my first flight and first real vacation in three years. So, while life certainly remains busy, it will get even busier as we get closer to the Lincoln: The Fire of Genius book launch.

I’m still setting up events, but here’s a quick list of what I have scheduled so far:

 

September 1, 2022: Release Day Interview by Daniel Weinberg of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop on A House Divided broadcast! [Watch for details on the ALBS site]

 

September 13, 2022: The Fire of Genius Book Launch Party with the Lincoln Group of DC, Maggiano’s Restaurant, Washington, DC [Details coming soon]

 

September 16, 2022: The Fire of Genius lecture at the Cosmos Club, Washington, DC [Details coming soon]

 

September 17, 2022: Dedication event at Congressional Cemetery, Washington, DC [Details coming soon]

 

November 17, 2022: Book signing and discussion at the Lincoln Forum, Gettysburg, PA [See the schedule]

 

November 17, 2022: Presentation on the Lincoln Memorial Centennial with Harold Holzer, Lincoln Forum, Gettysburg, PA [See the schedule]

 

I’m also working on scheduling a talk at the Arts Club of Washington, probably in October, as well as some Civil War Round Table talks. I’ll also be presenting two of the four sessions of a Lincoln – The Savior of the Nation class for Encore Learning, in a follow up to last year’s successful event.

Check out my Media page for more events as they are added (plus some recaps of past events).

 

Fire of GeniusRelease date for Lincoln: The Fire of Genius is September 1, 2022.

While you’re here, check out the various posts on Lincolnian.org related to our recent Lincoln Memorial Centennial program. For those who missed it, C-SPAN will be replaying the event at 3 pm on June 18th on CSPAN2.

The book is available for pre-order on the Rowman & Littlefield website (Lyons Press is a trade imprint of Rowman). You can also pre-order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (click on the respective links to pre-order). Release date is scheduled for September 1, 2022.

The book is 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. That will also ensure you get informed of the release date AND will let you try for one of ten free hardcover copies of the book that I’ll be giving away this summer. I’ll also be giving away as many as a hundred e-books. [The book will also be put out on audio]

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

I’ll have much more about the book over the next few months, so join my mailing list here to keep informed.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of 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.

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

 

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Editor of Smithsonian’s Joseph Henry Papers Praises Lincoln: The Fire of Genius

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One chapter of my new book, Lincoln: The Fire of Genius, is called Institutionalizing Science. Much of the focus is on the Smithsonian Institution’s first Secretary, Joseph Henry, and his relationship with Abraham Lincoln. I am very happy that Marc Rothenberg, the former Editor of The Papers of Joseph Henry, as well as past Historian at the National Academy of Sciences, has provided the following praise for the book:

This is the first in-depth study of Abraham Lincoln’s interest in technology and science and how that interest impacted his life and his Presidency. This is not simply a biography. Drawing on his extensive research in both primary and secondary sources, Kent adds new nuance and context to our understanding of the place of technology and science in American culture in the antebellum period and during the Civil War. He presents Lincoln as a man of his times, aware of, and sensitive to, the technological innovations and scientific discoveries which were helping to shape modern America. Indeed, as Kent demonstrates, Lincoln was a catalyst for some of that transformation wrought by science and technology.

Rothenberg was Editor of the Joseph Henry Project for over 20 years and was on the Smithsonian staff for thirty. The project conducted a worldwide search for documents to supplement those already held by the Smithsonian, eventually obtaining documents from over 300 repositories in 17 nations. Overall, there were nearly 136,000 documents, all of which were computer indexed for searchability. Eleven printed volumes were issued. They became a valuable resource for my research of this book. Rothenberg clearly is an expert on Joseph Henry. After getting a bachelor’s degree in astronomy from Villanova, he received his PhD in History of Science from Bryn Mawr.

Once the Joseph Henry Project was complete, Rothenberg moved on to be historian at the National Academy of Sciences, another institution signed into existence by Abraham Lincoln, and which plays an important role in my Institutionalize Science chapter. I first met Rothenberg at a private club in Washington, DC, where he graciously treated me to lunch and gave me the benefit of his experience for over three hours. He read an early version of this chapter and provided valuable feedback, so it was a given that I would ask him to read the galley of the full book, after which he provided the above praise. A shorter version of his remarks will appear as a blurb on the back cover of the book when it is released on September 1st.

I’ve been honored to have received advanced praise not only from Rothenberg but from prominent Lincoln experts Harold Holzer and Michael Burlingame. Lincoln biographer and journalist Sidney Blumenthal wrote a wonderful foreword to the book. Click on the links to see what they said. And that isn’t all. Several other well-known Lincoln experts provided blurbs. I’ll talk about those in future posts.

Fire of GeniusRelease date for Lincoln: The Fire of Genius is September 1, 2022.

While you’re here, check out the various posts on Lincolnian.org related to our recent Lincoln Memorial Centennial program. For those who missed it, C-SPAN will be replaying the event at 3 pm on June 18th on CSPAN2.

The book is available for pre-order on the Rowman & Littlefield website (Lyons Press is a trade imprint of Rowman). You can also pre-order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (click on the respective links to pre-order). Release date is scheduled for September 1, 2022.

The book is 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. That will also ensure you get informed of the release date AND will let you try for one of ten free hardcover copies of the book that I’ll be giving away this summer. I’ll also be giving away as many as a hundred e-books. [The book will also be put out on audio]

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

I’ll have much more about the book over the next few months, so join my mailing list here to keep informed.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of 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.

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

 

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My Busy Week at the Lincoln Memorial Centennial

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David J Kent Lincoln Memorial centennialThe Lincoln Memorial reaches its centennial this month and this past week was the culmination of a year’s worth of work to celebrate the iconic structure’s 100th birthday. Around this time last year, the Lincoln Group of DC, of which I am the current president, decided that we must have a magnificent event on the Memorial steps. We had done something similar in 2015 for the sesquicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural speech so we followed the basic format. There were differences of course. We couldn’t really have a Lincoln reenactor for a memorial to his life and death, especially since it wasn’t dedicated until 57 years after his assassination. We also couldn’t just recapture the Civil War theme, nor did we want to exactly recapture the segregationist Jim Crow-era time of 1922. Plus, we would be working with the National Park Service, which would prefer not to be overly controversial. Still, there were issues from that 1922 dedication we wanted to address and there has been 100 years of history we wanted to show.

You can read background on the dedication ceremony on the Lincoln Group of DC website here, and here, and here. Click on the events tab on that website for more information about the speakers and the follow ups. In short, Chief Justice (and former president) William Howard Taft gave a speech and officially handed over the Memorial to then-current President Warren G. Harding. Lincoln’s son Robert was also there but did not speak. The only other speaker was Dr. Robert R. Moton, director of the Tuskegee Institute, a predominantly Black university in Alabama. Dr. Moton was not allowed to sit with the other dignitaries. He was forced to walk to the speaker stand, give his speech – which was censored to remove suggestions that Jim Crow laws were counter to the nation’s unfinished business – and then returned to the segregated section of the audience.

We also understood that much has changed over the 100-year history of the Memorial. While the original focus was on unity – the reconciliation between (whites in) the North and South – the meaning has grown and broadened into a symbol of civil rights and hope for all Americans. Famed contralto singer Marian Anderson sang on its steps in 1939 after having been refused a concert at the “whites only” Constitution Hall. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps in 1963, the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Most modern presidents incorporate the Memorial in their inauguration programs, including that of Barack Obama, our nation’s first African American president. We wanted to capture this evolution as well as the design and art of the building and its iconic seated Lincoln statue. To cover the art and architecture we brought in Lincoln and Daniel Chester French expert Harold Holzer. Edna Greene Medford traced the evolution in meaning over the last century. Frank Smith discussed the U.S. Colored Troops role in the fight for freedom. Our keynote speaker was Charlotte Morris, the current president of Tuskegee University, the institution run by Robert Moton 100 years ago when he spoke at the dedication. Morris contrasted that time, and unlike Moton’s censored speech, was forthright in both the greatness of Lincoln and the dangers to his vision expressed by today’s society. She received a standing ovation. We had representatives from the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. to cover their involvement in the memory of Lincoln. The first Native American director of the National Park Service, Chuck Sams, offered some history of the Memorial. Sarah Johnson of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church (“Lincoln’s Church”) gave a Lincoln-inspired invocation. We also had music. The national anthem and two songs from Marian Anderson’s 1939 concert were sung by the amazing Felicia Curry while the United States Marine Band “The President’s Own” Brass Quintet provided pre-, inter-, and postludes. The words of poet Edwin Markham and Lincoln’s own words etched in the walls of the Memorial were powerfully performed by stage and screen actor Stephen Lang. We were also able to bring in four descendants of Robert Moton to be present at the event.

The program was broadcast on C-SPAN, CBS, and ABC. Not only was I the main organizer of the event, I was also the Master of Ceremonies. 

That was Sunday morning on May 22nd. But that was only one of the series of events the Lincoln Group organized to celebrate the centennial of the Lincoln Memorial.

On Tuesday (5/10), we sponsored and I moderated a virtual presentation by the authors of a book on the Lincoln Memorial, a sort of prelude to the festivities.

On Thursday (5/19), I attended a special Library of Congress one-night-only exhibit of Lincoln’s reading copy of the Gettysburg Address and many other documents related to the Memorial.

Also, on Thursday (5/19), I attended a program at the Arts Club of Washington that the Lincoln Group supported featuring Harold Holzer.

On Saturday morning (5/21), I joined the Lincoln in Washington walking tour led by the Lincoln Group’s immediate past president John O’Brien.

Saturday afternoon (5/21), I attended a special showing of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” at the AFI Silver Theatre, which the Lincoln Group co-sponsored and Ed Epstein of our group introduced.

Sunday morning (5/22), the program described above, which I emceed.

Sunday afternoon (5/22), we hosted the speakers and members of the Board for a luncheon at Clyde’s in downtown Washington, DC

Monday evening (5/23), I spoke a few words to open a special dramatic reading of a new play called “Freedom’s Temple” by Bryce Stenzel. The Lincoln Group co-sponsored this event with the DC Civil War Roundtable. The event was produced by the Lincoln Group’s Debbie Jackson.

Tuesday (5/24), I attended virtually a program developed by the U.S. Capitol Historical Society and which the Lincoln Group supported.

In between, there were plenty of emails flying back and forth on other issues.

So, if you’ve noticed I hadn’t written much in the last week, that was why. Things won’t necessarily be getting less busy in the weeks to come, although the emphasis will shift. Most immediately is paying the bills for all of the above. One of the flying emails was to add an event in September that I’ll write more about later. We also have an in-person dinner event scheduled for June 14th that will require some significant organization. There’s a Lincoln Group board meeting scheduled for June 25th that I will chair. I have two travel trips coming up soon. Two other Lincoln Group members and I will be repeating a four-session course (two of which are mine) in October for Encore Learning. The Lincoln Forum is in November, which should have events both for me personally and the Lincoln Group. I’m hoping for another big trip in December.

And, of course, my new book, Lincoln: The Fire of Genius, will be released on September 1st. I have a book launch and several presentations scheduled for September (with likely several more to come), and at some point soon I need to prepare them for delivery.

I’ll have more photos from the Lincoln Memorial Centennial up on this website and on Facebook soon, as well as on the Lincoln Group of DC website: Lincolnian.org. The photo of me at the Lincoln Memorial above is courtesy of Bruce Guthrie.

Fire of GeniusThe book is available for pre-order on the Rowman & Littlefield website (Lyons Press is a trade imprint of Rowman). You can also pre-order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (click on the respective links to pre-order). Release date is scheduled for September 1, 2022.

The book is 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. That will also ensure you get informed of the release date AND will let you try for one of ten free hardcover copies of the book that I’ll be giving away this summer. I’ll also be giving away as many as a hundred e-books. [The book will also be put out on audio]

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

I’ll have much more about the book over the next few months, so join my mailing list here to keep informed.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of 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.

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

 

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Michael Burlingame Offers Advanced Praise for Lincoln: The Fire of Genius

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Michael BurlingamePart of the process of putting together a book is asking prominent experts to read an advance copy and provide back cover “blurbs.” A few weeks ago, I reported that Harold Holzer, one of the most highly respected and prolific writers on Abraham Lincoln, had offered praise for Lincoln: The Fire of Genius. Today I can report that yet another icon of Lincoln scholarship, Michael Burlingame, has also offered his applause for the book. He writes:

The man known as the Great Emancipator and Savior of the Union was also, as David Kent’s illuminating study shows, a science geek, amateur astronomy buff, patent holder, science lecturer, and Modernizer in Chief. Brimful of information about Abraham Lincoln’s interest in (and enthusiasm for) science, mathematics, and technology, this book offers fresh insights into his law practice as well as his science-friendly presidency. Kent’s book ably supplements such important classic works as Robert V. Bruce’s Lincoln and the Tools of War and Allen Guelzo’s Abraham Lincoln as a Man of Ideas.

Burlingame won the 2010 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize for his book, Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Johns Hopkins University Press). This two-volume treatise published in 2008 (affectionately referred to as “The Green Monster” for the green covers on the hardcover boxed edition, as well as an homage to the famed left field wall at Fenway Park) quickly became the Bible of Abraham Lincoln studies. He is also the author or editor of at least a dozen of the most-reference books in Lincoln scholarship. His most recent book, The Black Man’s President: Abraham Lincoln, African Americans, and the Pursuit of Racial Equality (Pegasus Books) won the Abraham Lincoln Institute’s prestigious book award in 2022.

In addition to his books, Burlingame is the current president of the Abraham Lincoln Association and a board member of the Abraham Lincoln Institute. He was a professor of history for over three decades at Connecticut College before becoming the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield in 2009. He was inducted as a Bicentennial Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the state’s highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois.

Needless to say, I am delighted to have such a prominent Lincoln scholar compliment my book. Indeed, I had spoken to Burlingame early in the development process and he encouraged me to write it, noting that my combined scientific background and Lincoln studies uniquely positioned me to write this book.

That isn’t the end of the endorsements. I have also received several other items of praise for Lincoln: The Fire of Genius from other prominent Lincoln scholars, which I’ll continue to highlight over the next few weeks. I was fortunate to have journalist Sidney Blumenthal – himself the author of three award-winning volumes on the political life of Abraham Lincoln – write the foreword for the book. Read more about that here.

The book is available for pre-order on the Rowman & Littlefield website (Lyons Press is a trade imprint of Rowman). You can also pre-order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (click on the respective links to pre-order). Release date is scheduled for September 1, 2022.

The book is 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. That will also ensure you get informed of the release date AND will let you try for one of ten free hardcover copies of the book that I’ll be giving away this summer. I’ll also be giving away as many as a hundred e-books. [The book will also be put out on audio]

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

I’ll have much more about the book over the next few months, so join my mailing list here to keep informed.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of 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.

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

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Lincoln Oversees the Capture of Norfolk

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Navy Yard at NorfolkMay 10, 1862 was a busy day for President Abraham Lincoln. He had arrived at Fortress Monroe days before and today, along with Secretaries Chase and Stanton, accompanied General Wool to a landing place where troops were preparing to march on Norfolk. Lincoln served as his own commanding general in Hampton Roads, directing and pushing for the taking of Norfolk and the Gosport Navy Yard in nearby Portsmouth. He even guided a landing party on Confederate-held soil in search of a spot for the Union Army to make their trek into the city as it was being abandoned by the Confederates. Following this excursion, Lincoln returned to Fortress Monroe and remained there the rest of the day.

But he was also engaged with the progress of the campaign. Learning that troops commanded by Colonel Carr and General Mansfield were not taking part in the attack on Norfolk, Lincoln became enraged. Bouncing his hat off the floor, he dictated a series or orders involving those troops. When there was some pushback by field commanders, Lincoln wrote Flag Officer Goldsborough to provide cover: “You are quite right in supposing the movement made by you and therein reported was made in accordance with my wishes verbally expressed to you in advance.” By 11 pm, General Wool informed Lincoln that Norfolk was now under Union control. As I wrote previously:

Meanwhile, all this activity being directed by Lincoln created problems for the CSS Virginia. Unwilling to take on the Monitor and its supporting ships, the Virginia‘s commander began preparations to run the ship up into the James River. Unfortunately, removing ballast to reduce how low the ship sat in the water made the Virginia neither capable of moving into shallower water nor in a position to fight its way out to the sea. Facing an unfathomable situation, commander Josiah Tattnall opted to save his crew for the future and destroy the Virginia to keep it out of Union hands. Lincoln and others could see the burning hulk from the Monitor and Fort Monroe. The Confederacy’s first ironclad was no more.

As they made their way back to Washington on the USS Baltimore, Secretary Chase wrote his daughter:

“So ended a brilliant week’s campaign of the President,” Chase wrote. He was “quite certain that if he [Lincoln] had not come down, Norfolk would still have been in the possession of the enemy & the Merrimac as grim & defiant & as much a terror as ever.”

This was the only case of a sitting president taking active command of troops in the field during a time of war.

As busy as he was trying to keep the country together during its greatest trial, Lincoln spent much of his time encouraging a more active, strategic warfare. He recognized that the North’s strength was that it had the greater numbers while the South had the greater ability to concentrate forces due to its defensive nature. Just as he did in Norfolk, he pushed his generals to “make our advantage an over-match of his; and this can only be done by menacing him with superior forces at different points, at the same time.” Often, that meant serving as his own General-in-Chief and making things happen.

More on this topic in Lincoln: The Fire of Genius.

Fire of GeniusThe book is available for pre-order on the Rowman & Littlefield website (Lyons Press is a trade imprint of Rowman). You can also pre-order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (click on the respective links to pre-order). Release date is scheduled for September 1, 2022.

The book is 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. That will also ensure you get informed of the release date AND will let you try for one of ten free hardcover copies of the book that I’ll be giving away this summer. I’ll also be giving away as many as a hundred e-books. [The book will also be put out on audio]

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

I’ll have much more about the book over the next few months, so join my mailing list here to keep informed.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of 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.

[Photo of The Navy Yard at Norfolk. Harper’s Weekly, 1861. Courtesy Library of Congress.]

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Lincoln and the Patent Office

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US Patent OfficeAt noon on Thursday, May 2, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln raised the flag over the Patent Office at 7th and F streets, NW, Washington, DC. The patent office was a familiar place for Lincoln. Today it is the National Portrait Gallery (including a portrait of Lincoln and the other presidents) and the Smithsonian American Art Museum (featuring many Civil War paintings). It was also where Lincoln’s own patent for “an improved method of getting vessels over shoals” was located (now in Smithsonian’s vault).

Lincoln would use the patent office four years later for an inaugural ball. Cleared of its displays of patent models, the great hall had become a military barracks, army hospital, and morgue during the Civil War. The hope was that it would once again become a place of the future. Lincoln himself had regaled the benefits of the patent system in his “Discoveries and Inventions” lecture, in which he described how the patent system “added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius, in the discovery and production of new and useful things.” And indeed, it did. During the Civil War, more than 30,000 patents were issued by the United States government; the Confederacy issued only 266. Lincoln’s foresight – and that of the northern states – helped position the United States for victory over the Confederate insurrection. It also helped modernize the United States, which I discuss more in my book, Lincoln: The Fire of Genius.

From that book:

“Be it known that I, Abraham Lincoln, of Springfield, in the county of Sangamon, in the state of Illinois, have invented a new and improved manner of combining adjustable buoyant air chambers with a steam boat or other vessel for the purpose of enabling their draught of water to be readily lessened to enable them to pass over bars, or through shallow water, without discharging their cargoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings making a part of this specification.”

His astounding grasp of both the necessary physics and the intricacy of the design is demonstrated in three accompanying figures – a side elevation, a transverse section, and a longitudinal vertical section – that show the placement of the buoyant chambers on the sides of the vessel.

On April 13th, Robbins wrote excitedly to Lincoln: “It affords me great pleasure to inform you that I have obtained a favorable decision on your application…The patent will be issued in about a month.” On May 22nd, Abraham Lincoln received Patent Number 6469 from the U.S. Patent Office, the only president ever to receive a patent. A few weeks later, Lincoln recommended his model creator Walter Davis be appointed Receiver of the Land Office in Springfield.

 

There is much more in the book, of course, including Smithsonian Secretary Joseph Henry’s family connection to the patent office, as well as its connection to the new Department of Agriculture created by, you guessed it, Abraham Lincoln.

More on The Fire of Genius.

Fire of GeniusThe book is available for pre-order on the Rowman & Littlefield website (Lyons Press is a trade imprint of Rowman). You can also pre-order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (click on the respective links to pre-order). Release date is scheduled for September 1, 2022.

The book is 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. That will also ensure you get informed of the release date AND will let you try for one of ten free hardcover copies of the book that I’ll be giving away this summer. I’ll also be giving away as many as a hundred e-books. [The book will also be put out on audio]

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

I’ll have much more about the book over the next few months, so join my mailing list here to keep informed.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of 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.

[Photo source: https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/newsletter/inventors-eye/putting-down-roots-patent-office]

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Harold Holzer Offers Advanced Praise for Lincoln: The Fire of Genius

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Harold HolzerOne part of the process of putting together a book is asking prominent experts in the field to read an advance copy and provide back cover “blurbs.” I am very happy to report that one of the most highly respected and prolific leaders on Abraham Lincoln – Harold Holzer – has offered the following praise for Lincoln: The Fire of Genius:

Abraham Lincoln has seldom been known as a “technology president,” but as David J. Kent so ably demonstrates in this eye-opening volume, he should be. At first an inventor, geometry aficionado, fan of meteorology, and ultimately as a student of advanced weaponry, Lincoln grew into an ardent, indeed society-altering, advocate for both science and science education. David Kent has melded deep research, genuine expertise, and a fine way with an anecdote to produce a study that fills a long-missing niche in the Lincoln literature. 

Holzer is the 2015 winner of the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize for his book, Lincoln and the Power of the Press: The War for Public Opinion (Simon & Schuster). The Lincoln Prize is the most prestigious award given to writings on Abraham Lincoln. He is the author, co-author, or editor of over 50 books on Abraham Lincoln, plus more than 600 articles and chapters in another 60 books. To say he is the leading Lincoln scholar in the nation is an understatement.

In addition to his writing, Harold Holzer is the current chairman of the Lincoln Forum, past chair of the Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, and a prolific speaker. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2008 by President George W. Bush, as well as so many other awards that it’s impossible to even begin to list them (check out his website for a selected list).

I’m happy to say that Holzer will also be one of the primary speakers at the Lincoln Memorial Centennial celebration on May 22, 2022 sponsored by the Lincoln Group of DC, of which I currently serve as president. More information on that event can be found on the Lincoln Group website.

I have also received several other items of praise for Lincoln: The Fire of Genius from other prominent Lincoln scholars, which I’ll highlight here over the next few weeks. I was fortunate to have journalist Sidney Blumenthal – himself the author of three award-winning volumes on the political life of Abraham Lincoln – write the foreword for the book. Read more about that here.

The book is available for pre-order on the Rowman & Littlefield website (Lyons Press is a trade imprint of Rowman). You can also pre-order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (click on the respective links to pre-order). Release date is scheduled for September 1, 2022.

The book is 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. That will also ensure you get informed of the release date AND will let you try for one of ten free hardcover copies of the book that I’ll be giving away this summer. I’ll also be giving away as many as a hundred e-books. [The book will also be put out on audio]

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

I’ll have much more about the book over the next few months, so join my mailing list here to keep informed.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of 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.

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 Assassination Science

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Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 am on the morning of April 15, 1865. The final chapter in Lincoln: The Fire of Genius is called “Assassination Science.” It starts this way:

Dr. Charles Leale examined the fallen president and knew immediately the wound was mortal. Twenty-three years old and only six weeks after receiving his medical degree from Bellevue Hospital Medical College, Leale found himself in charge of the shocking murder scene. He had been sitting in the dress circle at Ford’s Theatre when “about half past ten…the report of a pistol was distinctly heard and about a minute after a man of low stature with black hair and eyes was seen leaping to the stage beneath, holding in his hand a drawn dagger.” Rushing to the Presidential Box, Leale observed Lincoln “in a state of general paralysis.” Lincoln’s labored breath was intermittent, no pulse could be detected, and he was “profoundly comatose.”

 

But where was the wound? Initially Leale searched for a knife wound because Major Henry Rathbone, who had been accompanying the president and Mrs. Lincoln with his fiancé Clara Harris, was bleeding profusely from a slash along his left arm. Finding none and noticing Lincoln had stopped breathing and his pupils were dilated, Leale probed for a head wound and “found clotted blood on the head about an inch and a half behind the left ear.” After clearing the clot, there was “a sudden spasmodic gasp of breath,” after which Lincoln again breathed intermittently and noisily. Lincoln’s autonomic nervous system was keeping him alive for the time being, but the clock was already ticking.

From here, I delve into his autopsy, but also his history of disease (including bouts with malaria and a mild case of smallpox following the Gettysburg Address), his visits with chiropodist Issachar Zacharie to shave his corns, the autopsy of John Wilkes Booth, the growth of embalming science, and some really cool glowing bodies on the battlefield. The chapter ends with the continuing inquisition in which modern day doctors and Lincoln geeks can’t seem to let his body rest, metaphorically probing him for clues on genetic diseases and cancer diagnoses.

What is undeniable is that Lincoln continues to be a source of scientific fascination all these years after his death.

There is much more in the book, of course, now available for pre-order.

Pre-order Lincoln: The Fire of Genius now on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (click on the respective links to pre-order). The price is likely to drop before the final shipment, and any pre-orders will automatically get charged the lower price at fulfillment. Pre-ordering now helps the publisher get a sense of the interest, which could mean a bigger print run. So please go ahead and pre-order without worries. While you’re there, check out my other books.

The book is 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. That will also ensure you get informed of the release date AND will let you try for one of ten free hardcover copies of the book that I’ll be giving away this summer. I’ll also be giving away as many as a hundred e-books. [The book will also be put out on audio]

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

I’ll have much more about the book over the next few months, so join my mailing list here to keep informed.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of 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.

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

[Photo from Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL. For the history behind the discovery of the photo, read here: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/news/rietveld.htm]

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Lincoln’s Role in the DC Emancipation Act of 1862 – April 13th Presentation

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David J Kent 2019I will be giving a presentation on April 13, 2022, titled “Lincoln’s Role in the DC Emancipation Act of 1862.” The presentation is part of a series of events in commemoration of the 160th Anniversary of DC Emancipation, an Act signed into law on April 16, 1862, by President Abraham Lincoln. The events are sponsored by the District of Columbia and Mayor Muriel Bowser’s DC Emancipation Day Commemoration Commission. The presentation week will culminate in the annual Emancipation Day parade.

The event is FREE and anyone can register to receive the virtual link at this website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-role-of-president-abraham-lincoln-in-the-dc-emancipation-act-of-1862-tickets-310030588837

The program begins at 6:30 pm ET and will be followed by a Q&A session.

I want to thank the Executive Office of the Mayor in the District, along with Mayor Bowser’s DC Emancipation Commission and the DC Archivist, for inviting me to participate in this important anniversary.

Background on Lincoln’s long road to emancipation can be read in this summary article previously published in the Lincolnian newsletter.

Pre-order Lincoln: The Fire of Genius now on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (click on the respective links to pre-order). The price is likely to drop before the final shipment, and any pre-orders will automatically get charged the lower price at fulfillment. Pre-ordering now helps the publisher get a sense of the interest, which could mean a bigger print run. So please go ahead and pre-order without worries. While you’re there, check out my other books.

The book is 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. That will also ensure you get informed of the release date AND will let you try for one of ten free hardcover copies of the book that I’ll be giving away this summer. I’ll also be giving away as many as a hundred e-books. [The book will also be put out on audio]

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

I’ll have much more about the book over the next few months, so join my mailing list here to keep informed.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of 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.

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