Skip to main content
The largest online newspaper archiveArchive Home
The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 51
A Publisher Extra® Newspaper

The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 51

Publication:
The Pantagraphi
Location:
Bloomington, Illinois
Issue Date:
Page:
51
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

Books E5 Sunday, March 8, 1998 Two superb books about a superb man From the Bookshelf By WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD Special to The Pantagraph Readers of this newspaper undoubtedly include many people who are very interested in Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. Their bookshelves most likely are already groaning under the weight of many well written and researched books on that era and the 16th president. It is time to add two more books to that collection. Honor's Voice: The Transformation of Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln never really liked to talk about himself.

When running for president in the 1860 election, Lincoln described his early life to a newspaper reporter as "the short and simple annals of the poor that is my life and that is all you or anyone can make of it." Poor most certainly. Short and simple not quite. The life of Abraham Lincoln continues to fascinate Americans today, as well as people throughout the world. The basic elements of his life are well known: born in a log cabin, fought in the Blackhawk War, was a lawyer in Springfield, and was President of the United States during the Civil War. But there is so much more to Lincoln than is generally known, particularly during his pre-presidential years.

"Honor's Voice: The Transformation of just fine, it makes more difficult the task of trying to understand why and how Lincoln transformed himself from a common man to an extraordinary man. The task undertaken by Douglas Wilson clearly was difficult. The historical record on Lincoln's early life was largely based on a series of interviews collected by Billy Herndon shortly after Lincoln's death. Herndon was Lincoln's law partner in Springfield and Herndon preserved for history numerous recollections of Lincoln's pre-presidential years. Without this body of evidence, it would be impossible to piece together Lincoln's early, formative years.

While Billy Herndon was thorough and honest, his work was largely overshadowed by the bombastic conclusions he drew in his biography of Lincoln. Hern-don's intense dislike for Mary Todd Lincoln probably caused him to make the statement shortly after Lincoln's assassination that Lincoln's only true love was Ann Rutledge, not Mary Todd. Bad taste for sure on Herndon's part, but Wilson deciphers the evidence Herndon and others collected years ago and concludes that Lincoln was probably engaged to Ann Rutledge and was horribly despondent after her death from a fever. While Herndon has been in "the dog house of Lincoln scholarship" because of his conclusions, Wilson reexamines the evidence with a dispassionate per The Abraham Lincoln Bookshop For those interested in Lincoln and the Civil War, The Abraham Lincoln Bookshop in Chicago provides a unique opportunity to fulfill just about any desire one has when it comes to collecting books, documents or other memorabilia. The Lincoln Bookshop has existed in Chicago since 1938 and now is under the very capable ownership of Dan Weinberg.

A visit to the bookshop, located at 357 West Chicago Avenue, is a combination of visiting a thriving bookstore, a museum, and generally a good place to stay for a few hours soaking it all in. The walls are filled with historical documents, including the autographs of virtually every American president. Everything is for sale, whether it be a Ben Franklin signature or letter from Sen. John F. Kennedy.

While most Abraham Lincoln signatures or documents have escalated out of the price range of most people, there are, nonetheless, many collectible rare books, signatures or documents that Dan Weinberg would be happy to show any visitor. His friendliness and obvious expertise in Lincoln make one feel welcome. The sense of history one gets when they are there is obvious. Many Lincoln scholars have visited there for book signings and used the bookshops for their research on the Civil War. One should be aware that this bookstore does not serve coffee, but if you don't need Lincoln accompanied by a cafe au lait, this is the place to go.

John C. Waugh's new book, "Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency," clearly establishes that the most critical presidential election in American history could have easily turned out differently. Lincoln's opponent could have won and perhaps the Civil War would have ended on a negotiated basis, which would have permanently divided the Union and preserved slavery. Fortunately for our country, Lincoln did win, the Union was preserved and slavery was eradicated. "Reelecting Lincoln" describes the events leading up to the re-election of Lincoln from the perspective of a "historical reporter." This book reminded me of a series of books written by Theodore White beginning with his book, "The Making of the President 1960." Those series of best selling books provide the insider view of presidential campaigns.

Similarly, Waugh describes the series of events, all of which influenced the ultimate outcome of the 1864 campaign. The author, John C. Waugh, previously has written the award-winning "The Class of 1846," which described the West Point class that contained such Civil War icons as Stonewall Jackson, George C. McClellan and George Pickett. In this book, Waugh outlines the series of political and military events that shaped the 1864 election.

There was some discussion, all be it brief, that there should be no presidential election in 1864 during the middle of the Civil War. But Lincoln resisted such talk and made it clear that the election had to proceed ahead, as required by the Constitution. One test of a book's value is whether it mentally transports the reader back to the time described. Waugh's book does do that. The reader does get a sense of the war weariness experienced by people in the North during the summer of 1864.

Even with General Grant in charge, the war was not particularly going well in terms of coming to a conclusion. The horrible casualties during the battles at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor all contributed to the overall sense that the war would never end. General Grant, a man who was described as "silent in several languages" pressed ahead in his campaign against Robert E. Lee, but it was frustrating not to draw it a victorious conclusion. The summer of 1864 also saw General Jubal Early invading Maryland and generally causing havoc in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Lincoln also had to worry about his political flanks being attacked. A group of radical Republicans gathered in Cleveland, Ohio early in the summer to nominate John C. Fremont as their candidate for president. While that candidacy never really wejit anywhere, desertion of Lincoln by the radical Republicans obviously was a problem for him. Fortunately for Lincoln, the war took a turn for the better when General Sherman successfully took and burned Atlanta, at the same time, General Phil Sheridan successfully defeated the Confederates in the Shenandoah Valley, while Admiral Adult Fiction Normal Public Library: Numbered Account, by Christopher Reich; Guilty Pleasures, by Lawrence Sanders; The Young Savages, by Fred Mustard Stewart; Bed of Roses, by Katherine Stone Lincoln Public Library District, Lincoln: Loving Chloe, by Jo Ann Mapson; Apology for Big Rod, by Charles Holdefer; No Ordinary Princess, by Pamela Mosi (large print) Bloomington Public Library: The Sky, the Stars, the Wilderness, by Rick Bass; Still Waters, by John Harvey; Booth, by David Robertson; Illegal Alien, by Robert Sawyer Pontiac Public Library: Bad Chemistry, by Gary Krist; Reckless Homicide, by Alice McDermott; Codes of Betrayal, by Dorothy Uhnak Vespasian Warner Public Library: Loving Chloe, by Jo-Ann Mapson; Sharp Edges, by Jane Ann Krentz; Good Cop, Bad Cop, by Barbara D'Am-ato; Suspicion of Deceit, by Barbara Parker Adult Non-Fiction Normal Public Library: The American Billboard: 100 Years, by James Fraser; The Other Side of the River, by Alex Kotlowitz; Anatomy of the Spirit, by Caroline Myss; Insects: A Portrait of the Animal World, by Paul Sterry Lincoln Public Library District, Lincoln: Essential Math, by Edward Williams; Riddle of the Ice: A Scientif-iAdventure into the Arctic, by Myron Arms; The Diabetic's Books: All Your Answered, by June Biermann Bloomington Public train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman, by Charles Dryden; Life Support: Three Nurses on the Front Lines, by Suzanne Gordon; North Country: A Personal Journey, by Howard Mosher; No Mercy: A Journey to the Heart of the Congo, by Redmond O'Hanlon Pontiac Public Library: The World Book Rush-Presbyterian-St.

Luke's Medical Center Medical Encyclopedia; An Intelligent Person's Guide to Philosophy, by Roger Scruton; Winning Your Kids Back From the Media, by Quentin J. Schultze; A Dublin Girl, by Elaine Cowley Vespasian Warner Public Library: Walk This Way, by Aerosmith; Killer Us, by Joseph C. Fisher; Glimbing the Mountain, by Kirk Douglas; Guns, Germs and Steel, by Jared Diamond Juvenile Non-Fiction Vespasian Warner Public Library: Tracking Dinosaurs in the Gobi, by Margery Facklam; by Stuart J. Murphy; God's Story: How God Made Mankind, by Jan Marks; Big Bang: The Story of the Universe, by Heather Conner Juvenile Fiction Normal Public Library: Art Dog, by Thacher Hurd; Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression, by Kate Lied; I Love Animals, by Flora McDonnell; Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter, by Diane Stanley Lincoln Public Library District, Lincoln: Not-So-Perfect Rosie, by Patricia Giff; The Tulip Touch, by Anne Fine; Murdered, My Sweet, by Joan Nixon Bloomington Public Library: The Red Fox Monster, by Alan Baron; Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears, by Cynthia Rylant; Nell Nuggett and the Cow Caper, by Judith Ross-Inderle; Tommy's Mommy's Fish, by Nancy Dingman Watson Pontiac Public Library: Night Tree, by Eve Bunting; An Octopus Followed Me Home, by Dan Yaccarino; The Gardener, by Sara Stewart; Snowball, by Nina Crews spective.

Wilson's historiographi-cal method in "Honor's Voice" is admirable. He examines the record, considers the source (or informant) and the reliability and reputation of the informant and chooses the logical inference. Wilson, to his great credit, does not ask the reader to disregard his common sense or life experiences when looking at Lincoln's early years. Lincoln was an ambitious young man. Herndon describes his ambition as "an engine that knew no end." Lincoln's political ambitions became clear early on.

He lost his first election for the state legislature, but tried two years later and won, making his way up the political ladder as a Whig. Perhaps one of the more intriguing aspects of Lincoln's political development as described by Wilson was Lincoln's role in the presidential campaign of 1840. This was known as the "Log Cabin and Hard Cider" campaign and is portrayed in a folk art painting at the McLean County Historical Society. Wilson engagingly de Farragut captured Mobile Bay declaring "damn the torpedoes full speed ahead." All of these events seemed to turn pub- lie opinion toward the re-election of Lin- coin since the end of the war just might be in sight. One must recall that there was no public opinion polling during this time and the only poll that mattered was the one taken on election day.

It is perhaps during this time period that the au- thor provides the most interesting vignettes. He describes how one voter in Stur-bridge, who was 105 years old, ar-' rived at the polls and announced that he had voted for George Washington and then stated, "I vote for Abraham Lin- coin." Waugh also described how the Union soldiers overwhelmingly voted for Lincoln and against their former military leader, McClellan, by a 4-to-l mar- gin. One commentator summarized the voting intention of Union soldiers quite well: "they'll vote as they shoot." The research that the author did to write this book was substantial. He wrote the story as a journalist would, collecting as many original sources as possi scribes the campaign with the rich color that it deserves. Lincoln was no political push-over.

He played political hardball and while he became more refined and subtle with age and experience, his iron will to win never changed. Surrogate debates during the 1840 campaign were fairly common. Wilson tells the story, based on contemporaneous evidence, how Lincoln orally attacked his debate opponent and then mocked his opponent's physical oddities to the point that the opponent fled from the debate platform, crying uncontrollably. While Lincoln wasn't particularly proud of the incident, his expressions of regret afterward were minimal. Wilson's writing style is first rate.

The narrative flows effortlessly and shows great skill and research while not becoming arcane. Billy Herndon described his friend and law partner Abraham Lincoln as "good a man as God generally creates." No one can disagree with that. "Honor's Voice" will shed new light on how young Abe Lincoln transformed himself and as it turned out, prepared himself, for the most daunting challenge ever faced by any American president. Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency The presidential election didn't have to turn out the way it did in November 1864. While it should be obvious, it is nonetheless important to remind oneself when studying history that the people involved in historical events didn't know how it was going to turn out.

Up until a few weeks before the election, Lincoln thought that he was a one-term president, and a failed one at that. Abraham Lincoln" is one of the more important books on Lincoln published in recent years. This book covers the early years of Lincoln from 1831-1842, when Lincoln, became the quintessential "self-made man." Lincoln transformed himself from the rough-hewn country boy to an up-and-coming lawyer and politician from Springfield. He was, as succinctly put by the author, "a man to be reckoned with." The author, Douglas Wilson, is the Director of the International Center for Jefferson Studies in Charlottesville, Va. Prior to that, Wilson taught American literature for many years at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.

Wilson's contribution here to Lincoln scholarship is substantial. "Honor's Voice" will influence the study of Abraham Lincoln for decades to come. Wilson has done a superb job in this book providing the proper context to study young Abe Lincoln. That part of his life that has been shrouded in myth more than fact. As suggested by Wilson, "Lincoln's ascension from poverty and obscurity to the highest office in the land was seen as miraculous, or something very near it, and his entire career became invested with symbolic meaning." The film on Lincoln's early life at the Visitor Center at New Salem confirms this when it suggests that divine intervention created New Salem so that young Abe Lincoln would have somewhere to grow spiritually and intellectually.

When Lincoln left New Salem for Springfield, the prairie village of New Salem died out, fading into memory forever. While a little mythology about Lincoln is ble such as newspaper reports, di- aries, letters, journals and other contemporaneous evidence. Waugh's previous profession was journalist and he tells the story in the same manner, noting that since all of his sources are now dead, he spends a lot of his time in research 1 libraries, rather than on the phone. "Reelecting Lincoln" also is a tes- tament to the strength of Lincoln's I belief in the democratic institu- tionsofthe still young nation. Even during a time of national in- surrection, Lincoln believed that the people had the right to choose their president in a free election.

When the peace Democrats (or Cop-; perheads) chose McClellan as their candidate, they were certain of vie- tory. "Reelecting Lincoln" reaffirms that the American voter, when it really counts, usually makes the right choice. Hardcover best-sellers compiled from data from large-city bookstores, bookstore chains and local best-seller lists across the United States. Fiction 1. The Street Lawyer, John Grisham.

Doubleday, 2. Paradise, Toni Morrison. Knopf, $25 (2. 8) 3. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier.

Atlantic Monthly, $24 (3, 36) 4. Black and Blue, Anna Quindlen. Random House, $23 (4, 5) 5. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden. Knopf, $25 (5, 16) 6.

The Cat Who Sang for the Birds, Lilian Jackson Braun. Putnam $22.95 (6, 4) 7. A Certain Justice, P.D. James. Knopf, $25 (8, 13) 8.

Fear Nothing, Dean Koontz. Bantam, 7) Thrill, Jackie Collins. Simon Schuster, $25(10, 2) 10. The Winner, David Baldacci. Warner Vision, $25 (9, 12) i it V- William G.

Shepherd, a Bloomington-Z Normal attorney and member of the Abraham Lincoln Association, is a fre- quent contributor to The Pantagraph Books page. In your time of need DIVORCE we care PANCAKES SAUSAGE Ay General Practice Of Law Including: Personal Injury Bankruptcy Criminal Defense Family Law Gary Jewett Funeral Director and Manager 115 W. Jefferson, Ste. 100 Bloomington 829-4045 East Lawn Rmeral Home (309) 663-8842 "All the Pancakes You Can Eat" Saturday, March 14, 1998 8:00 AM To 7:00 PM This is a Community Service Event Sponsored by Bloomington Moose Lodge 745 Women of the Moose Chapter 173 614 IAA Drive, Bloomington, IL 61701 $3.50 Advance $4.00 at Door per Person 1 102 Airport Rd. Bloomington.

IL A subsidiary of I tllinoi Services. Inc Sales Leader of the month Tom Purcell To all of my customers, "Thank you." Tm looking forward to being of service to you. Lane iVr HAMSUN ra "Experienced Community Leadership" (SMS To get the FACTS before you vote-call (309)663-8683 Paid tor by Citizens for Lane Hansen. Aaron Vaughn. Treasurer All Net Pnxeeds go to the Community Cancer Center Building Fund Open To The Public Tickets Available at the Community Cancer Center 202 N.

Center. Bloomington Mxse Lodge and Cub Foods PONTIAC USED CAR BUICK STORE 309-452-5661 309-452-8847 Vtian'B Parkway North Normal Tom Purcell.

Get access to Newspapers.com

  • The largest online newspaper archive
  • 300+ newspapers from the 1700's - 2000's
  • Millions of additional pages added every month

Publisher Extra® Newspapers

  • Exclusive licensed content from premium publishers like the The Pantagraph
  • Archives through last month
  • Continually updated

About The Pantagraph Archive

Pages Available:
1,648,610
Years Available:
1857-2024