Abraham Lincoln: The Enigmatic President

The following memorandum explains how Lincoln's lecture on "Discoveries and Inventions" was preserved for posterity. I found a couple of things interesting about this memo. I have read accounts claiming that Mary and Lincoln argued on the morning of his departure from Springfield and, needing to be on time, he left without her. This argument was cited as the reason she had to catch up with his train a couple of days later. This memo, however, says that Mary's late arrival on the train was planned well in advance. It is also interesting to read a first-hand confirmation that Lincoln had a premonition that he would never return home. Memorandum of Certain Facts for Those Who Follow After (Emphasis mine.)   In the month of February 1861, being at that time a resident of Springfield, Illinois, I called one evening at the residence of my friend, Dr. John Todd. The doctor was an uncle of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln. While there Mr. Lincoln came in, bringing with him a well-fille...

  On April 6, 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered his lecture on “Discoveries and Inventions” before the Young Men's Association of Bloomington, Illinois. Throughout the year, he gave the lecture four more times in Illinois towns. His law partner, William H. Herndon, explained, “He began preparation in the usual way by noting down ideas on stray pieces of paper, which found a lodgment inside his hat, and finally brought forth in connected form a lecture.” Lincoln was highly interested in inventions. Ten years earlier, he received a patent for an invention that lifted boats over shoals. Herdon claimed that Lincoln stopped giving the lecture because it was not well received. Five presentations in a fairly short time call that notion into question. Lincoln last presented “Discoveries and Inventions” just five days before his memorable Cooper Union address. It seems more likely that the celebrated New York City speech provided a robust launch for Lincoln’s presidential campaign, and that h...

Abraham Lincoln had a great interest in innovation and technology. He even presented a lecture entitled “Discoveries and Inventions.” In fact, he is the only president to be awarded a patent. The diagram above is part of his patent application.  His invention was a system of inflatable buoys designed to help boats to navigate shallow waters and cross sandbars. Lincoln's experiences with rivers and his interest in technology inspired his invention. Although Lincoln received a patent in May 1849, when he was a congressman, his device was never manufactured. The Smithsonian has a replica model of the device (below). While serving in Washington, Lincoln visited the patent office often to view “Discoveries and Inventions.” The next post will address his lecture on "Discoveries and Inventions." Read all about it!

"Best’s attention to how Lincoln was forced to navigate political posturing and public opinion demonstrates the genius of the president’s decision-making ... The novel also shines in highlighting how the American Civil War foreshadowed modern warfare and how challenging it was for both sides to adapt to the era’s increasingly devastating technological advances in weaponry. The tensions and promises of a time reshaped by modern technology are palpable on the page." Kirkus Reviews

  Every Drop of Blood: The Momentous Second Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln  by Edward Achorn “Every drop of blood” is a melancholy line from Lincoln’s second inaugural address. It is an appropriate title for Achorn's book. What should have been a glorious occasion was marred by the ongoing Civil War. As the subtitle states, the book focuses on Lincoln’s second inaugural and is filled with contemporary perspectives and quotations. Supposedly, Every Drop of Blood covers twenty-four hours around the inauguration, but Achorn cheats a bit, occasionally using flashbacks to put the narration in perspective. As I mentioned in previous book reviews, I like single-issue books on the Civil War era. So much happened that any attempt to cover the entire time period must be a summary, leaving much detail on the cutting room floor. Achorn fulfills the mission of single-issue history, providing trivia, facts, and insights for enthusiasts. This is a must-read for those who seek to unders...

  The story of the greatest rivalry in American History Read all about it! Read the full review here .

Characterization is a crucial element of fiction. Novelists must know the people they write about, or they may behave in ways contradictory to their personality. Historians don’t generally try to get inside a subject’s head, while a novelist thrives in invading others’ privacy. A novelist makes personality and motivations central to the story.  Before I write the first word of a historical novel, I read several biographies of the major characters to get a perspective on their distinctiveness. I read positive and negative perspectives to get a grasp of who these people were. Where do you find these personal descriptions of historical figures? First, I go to history books. Historians do not normally try to portray their subject’s thoughts and feelings, but they don’t ignore personality. Good ones dutifully quote contemporary descriptions of the subject to satisfy documentation requirements. The second place I go to is to the historical figures’ own writing. A person’s writing always ...

The Demon of Unrest  A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson I generally enjoy single-issue Civil War books but started this one prepared to dislike it. I feared the subtitle disguised a dry dissertation with hyperbolic “H” words. Then in the foreword, Larson equates January 6 to the Civil War. That was a bit overwrought. I settled into the book looking forward to writing an oh-so-clever, nasty review. Not to be. The book was a good example of single-issue books on the Civil War. The Demon of Unrest is about the start of the war. There are so many Civil War-era books that to write something fresh, it is almost necessary to focus on some isolated feature. There have been Civil War books on a particular speech, an issue, technology, a battle, or a single event. Biographies and general history books must omit much detail and interesting tidbits. It was a big war with lots of players. Going deep into a subject is the bailiwick of these sin...

While a work of deftly crafted fiction, Maelstrom is based on historical events and personalities and brings the reader into the center of the what would become the American Civil War. As a novelist, James Best has an extraordinary and genuine flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style that is ideal for an historical novel. A riveting read from start to finish, Maelstrom is unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of readers with an interest in the Civil War era and the roles played by Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, as well as community library Historical Fiction collections. Jim Cox Midwest Book Review

The South Was Right by James Ronald Kennedy and Walther Donald Kennedy I am not an advocate of Lost Cause, but in writing Maelstrom , I needed to understand it. One of the books I read was The South Was Right. The authors claim the Civil War was not about slavery, and the Southern states had a right to secede from the oppressive North. The three points in the preceding sentence encapsulate the Lost Cause and this book. Anyone who has read 1860 campaign platforms, pre-war congressional speeches, or the proceedings at the state secession conventions doubts that the conflict was about slavery. The Confederate Constitution also makes it clear. If more evidence is needed, read Confederate political and newspaper reactions to the Emancipation Proclamation. Jefferson Davis, before the Confederate Congress, protested the Emancipation Proclamation: “Our own detestation of those who have attempted the most execrable measure recorded in the history of guilty man.” Freeing slaves was the worst ac...

The Historical Novel Society judged Maelstrom as "polished, authoritative historical fiction with clear thematic ambition and solid craft." Complete Comments This is a confident and historically grounded opening that immediately signals seriousness of intent. Beginning with the photographic sitting at Abraham Lincoln’s appointment with Mathew Brady is a smart choice: it frames image-making, reputation, and political self-fashioning as thematic pillars before moving into the Cooper Union speech. The recreation of the address is strong, and the rhythm of the quoted passages carries authentic moral weight. The historical detail—gaslight counts, architectural layout, political context—feels well researched without becoming pedantic. Characterisation of Lincoln is respectful yet human. His physical awkwardness contrasted with intellectual command works well, and the moment where he anticipates shifting from legal to moral argument adds welcome internal tension. Where the chapter c...

  Nonfiction history books have a clear and disciplined structure. Historical fiction is a recognized genre with its own well-established norms. This book calls itself a biographical novel. I suppose it is a historical novel about one person’s life, but I found the book neither fish nor fowl. The narrative sometimes seemed like a history book without endnotes, and at other times like a novel absent the art of storytelling.  The dialogue is unnatural, the pacing is sometimes slow, and the narrative is emotionless. Skimin has the facts right, and the book gives a good perspective on Grant’s life. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book.  

In Lincoln's time, photography was a new science and so popular that in 1860, there were an estimated 3,000 photographers in the United States. Abraham Lincoln did not consider himself handsome, but he was not camera-shy. He had his photograph taken around 130 times, reputedly making him the most photographed American of the 19th century.  The following photograph had long been considered the last picture of the 16th president. It was not. This photo was taken by Alexander Gardner on February 5, 1865, before Lincoln's inauguration on March 4th and assassination on April 14th. It was mistakenly tagged as having been taken on April 10, 1865, but Matthew Wilson accompanied Lincoln to the Gardner shoot, and his diary says it was taken on February 5. Historian Harold Holzer has verified the February 5th date. So, what is the last photograph? John Hay and John Nicolay, in their Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln , wrote that the last photographs were taken a month later, on ...

Abraham Lincoln for Kids: His Life and Times with 21 Activities Janis Herbert This heavily illustrated book is aimed at middle schoolers and is an excellent summation of Abraham Lincoln. The book does not avoid slavery and presents the institution honestly. The writing is clear but requires a reasonable level of reading skill. More importantly, the book is interesting and fast-moving. In an earlier review I wrote, " When I write a historical novel, I find books aimed at younger readers invaluable. They provide three benefits. First, books for youths tell history as a story, just as a historical novel does. Second, they focus on highlights, which can provide an outline for a more extensive narrative. Third, they present the popular view and mythology of historic events. This is valuable because a historical novelist must know when he or she is diverting away from common perceptions. Without proper setup, running counter to the general belief can jar the reader out of the story, and...

  At the time of the Constitutional Convention, slaveholding states were far stronger than their northern counterparts. After sixty years, the free states’ explosive growth had left the South far behind. It was as if the South was in a footrace wearing concrete boots. Hinton Helper, a mid-19th-century southerner, identifies that concrete as slavery.  The political implications are interesting. During this massive economic transition and with slavery under moral attack, slaveholders managed to retain dominating political power. How did they accomplish this feat? Slaves were treasured assets in the antebellum South. Slaves defined social status. Slaves made plantation owners wealthy. Slaves made life easy. Slavery made everyone who was not a slave feel freer and privileged. Slavery wasn’t just property; it was a way of life and the linchpin of an aristocratic society. How do you protect an asset that can walk away? How do you counter altruists who want to banish that asset? Huma...

  Jefferson Davis, American William J. Cooper Jr.   Jefferson Davis, American (2000) was published four years after William C. Davis’s Jefferson Davis: The Man and His Hour (1996). In this reviewer’s opinion, American is a superior biography compared to The Man and His Hour . (More provocatively titled as well.) I judge biographies by if I feel I know the person afterward. After reading The Man and His Hour , I knew what Jefferson did, but after American , I felt I understood this complicated man. Cooper is sympathetic toward Davis and sometimes comes across as an apologist. However, it’s this very sympathy that lifts the book from a dry biography, offering a glimpse of the man in his time. Davis is a difficult subject for a biography. When the Confederacy fled Richmond, most of the records were burned. Consequently, there are far fewer primary sources available to a biographer of a Confederate figure than there are for a Unionist biographer. Thus, Confederate historians re...