From the Collection: Farewell to Springfield
by Jessie CortesiFrom the Collection: Farewell to Springfield by Jessie Cortesi Senior Lincoln Librarian, Allen County Public Library The interim period between Abraham Lincoln’s November 1860 election to presidency and his March 1861 inauguration in Washington, D.C., was one of profound change for the Lincoln family. An absolute flurry of activity descended upon the family’s Springfield […]
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The Collected Works of Willie Lincoln
by Samuel WheelerThe Collected Works of Willie Lincoln by Samuel Wheeler Four months after Willie Lincoln’s death on February 20, 1862, Senator Orville Browning encountered President Abraham Lincoln at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. When the service ended, the president invited him back to the White House. There, in the library, Lincoln […]
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The Robert Todd Lincoln Collection of Abraham Lincoln Papers: The Long and Winding Road to the Library of Congress
by Michelle A. KrowlThe Robert Todd Lincoln Collection of Abraham Lincoln Papers: The Long and Winding Road to the Library of Congress by Michelle A. Krowl The history of the Robert Todd Lincoln Collection of Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress is characterized by both physical movement of the collection and long periods of inertia […]
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On Holiday with the Lincolns: The Letters of Robert Lincoln’s College Friend, Richard J. Meconkey
by Jason EmersonOn Holiday with the Lincolns: The Letters of Robert Lincoln’s College Friend, Richard J. Meconkey by Jason Emerson Abraham Lincoln once wrote, “the better part of one’s life consists of his friends.” His son Robert had many friends, some of whom were lifelong—such as John Hay and John Nicolay—and some who came and went […]
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A New Letter from William H. Herndon to Abraham Lincoln
by Jonathan WhiteA New Letter from William H. Herndon to Abraham Lincoln by Jonathan W. White On September 6, 1883, the Illinois State Journal ran an article describing how Lincoln’s third and final law partner, William H. Herndon, had tried to procure a patronage position early in Lincoln’s presidency. “Herndon went on to Washington City and […]
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From the Collection: Selling Lincoln
by Jessie CortesiFrom the Collection SELLING LINCOLN by Jessie Cortesi Senior Lincoln Librarian, Allen County Public Library With his undeniable, unmistakable name recognition, Abraham Lincoln has in death become a national—if not worldwide—canvas for selling just about anything. His rags to riches story, exceptional character, and leadership of our nation through its most trying time have […]
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Book Review – Grant, Lincoln, and the Freedmen: Reminiscences of the Civil War
by Andrew F. LangBook Review – Grant, Lincoln, and the Freedmen: Reminiscences of the Civil War by John Eaton edited by Michael J. Larson and John David Smith Review by Andrew F. Lang Amid the welter of post-Civil War reminiscences, John Eaton’s Grant, Lincoln and the Freedmen is a monumental achievement. The memoir abjures trivial partisanship […]
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An Interview with Louis P. Masur
by Jonathan WhiteAn Interview with Louis P. Masur by Jonathan White Louis Masur is Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University. He is a cultural historian whose publications include books on Lincoln and the Civil War, capital punishment, the events of a single year, the first World Series, a transformative […]
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“Fixed Upon My Imagination”: Abraham Lincoln and Washington’s Crossing
by Jonathan White“Fixed Upon My Imagination”: Abraham Lincoln and Washington’s Crossing by Jonathan W. White As a young boy in Indiana, Abraham Lincoln read at least two biographies of George Washington. When he was about fourteen years old, he borrowed a copy of David Ramsay’s The Life of George Washington (1807) from his neighbor Josiah Crawford. […]
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An Interview with Lucas E. Morel
by Jonathan WhiteAn Interview with Lucas E. Morel by Johnathan W. White Lucas E. Morel is the John K. Boardman Jr. Professor of Politics and head of the Politics Department at Washington and Lee University. He is the author of Lincoln and the American Founding (2020) and Lincoln’s Sacred Effort: Defining Religion’s Role in American Self-Government (2000); and editor of Lincoln and Liberty: Wisdom for the […]
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An Interview with Callie Hawkins
by Jonathan WhiteCallie Hawkins is the CEO and Executive Director of President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, D.C., where she previously served as Director of Programming. She is responsible for innovative leadership of the national monument and for providing overall direction for all aspects of operations.
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LINCOLN AND HIS GENERALS: Leadership during the Greatest American Crisis
by Gary W. GallagherLINCOLN AND HIS GENERALS: Leadership during the Greatest American Crisis by Gary W. Gallagher Abraham Lincoln faced greater challenges than any other president in United States history. Managing an immensely complex war effort in a democratic republic posed special challenges. He understood that victory depended on maintaining morale among both Democrats, who composed about […]
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An Interview with Jon Grinspan
by Jonathan WhiteAn Interview with Jon Grinspan by Jonathan W. White Jon Grinspan is Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. His work explores the history of American democracy, with a focus on ways the formative, forgotten 1800s shaped our political present. His three books and many New York Times articles have […]
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From the Collection: CARTOONS OF THE CAPTURE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS
by Jane GastineauFrom the Collection: CARTOONS OF THE CAPTURE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS By Jane Gastineau Former Lincoln Librarian, Allen County Public Library On May 10, 1865, Confederate president Jefferson Davis and his wife Varina were captured by soldiers of the 4th Michigan Cavalry near Irwinville, Georgia. It was widely reported that Davis was wearing Varina’s coat or […]
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THE SON OF THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR: Robert Todd Lincoln and African Americans
by Jason EmersonTHE SON OF THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR: Robert Todd Lincoln and African Americans By Jason Emerson In recent years there has been a renewed output of scholarship analyzing Abraham Lincoln’s interactions with African Americans, but scholars have yet to adequately examine how this aspect of Lincoln’s life may have influenced Robert T. Lincoln, who was […]
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