The life and public services of Abraham Lincoln. Together with his state papers, including his speeches, addresses, messages, letters, and proclamations; also, a history of the gragical and mournful scenes connected with the close of his noble and eventful life. To which are added anecdotes and personal reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln

Front matter

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LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES

OF

ABRAHAM LINCOLK

PBBUC UBhA --^ "

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LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES

^ OF

ABEAHAM LINCOLN,

SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES;

TOCIJVI'UJCB WITH mS STATE PAPERS,

nfOLUDorci

mS SPEECHES, ADDRESSES, MESSAGES, LETTERS,

AND PROCLAMATIONS,

THE CLOSING SCENES CONNECTED WITH HIS LIFE AND DEATH.

HENRY j/ RAYMOND.

r l_ v..

V •

Bt FBANE B. CARPENTER.

NEW TORE:

DERBY AND MILLER, PUBLISHERS,

No. 6 Spbuo^ SguiHUT.

A itiL'.C LIBRARY

AllfCm. UnVin AND

% Entered Meordlng to Act of Ooanreiii, ia the year 1880^

By DERBT M MILLBB,

In the Oflrk^e OfBee of the District Coort of the United Statee for the Sonthem District

of New Toric

. . • • • • • m ■

• k

Preface

BiJBiNG fhe Preaid^itial oanyaas of 1864, the author of this work prepared for its publisher^a yolxune upon the Adnunistration of President Lincoln. Its mam object was to afford the American x>eople the materials for forming an intelligent judgment as to the wisdom of continuing Mr. Lincoln, for four years more, in the Presidential office.

That canvass resulted in his re-election. But he had scarcely entered upon the duties and responsibilities of his second term, when his career was closed by assassination. He had lived long enough, however, to finish the great work which had devolved upon him. Before his eyes were closed, they beheld the overthrow of the rebellion, the extirpation of slavery, and the restoration, over all the land, of the authority of the Constitution of the United States.

Not the j)eople of his own country alone, but all the world, will study with interest the life and public acts of one whose work was at once so great and so successful. The principles which guided his conduct, and the -poUcy by which he sought to carry them out — the temper and character which were the secret sotirces of his strength — will be sought and found in the acts and words of his public life. For more truly, perhaps,

6 Preface.

than any other man of his own or of any other time, Mr. Lincoln had but one character and one mode of action, in public and private affairs.

It is the purpose of this work, so feur as jyossible, to fiEiCLlitate this inquiry. Every public speech, message, letter, or document of any sort from his pen, so fior as accessible, wiU be found included in its pages. ' These documents, with the narrative by which they are accompanied, may, it is hoped, aid the public in understanding aright the character and conduct of the most illustrious actor, in the most important era, of American history.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. POBTRATT OF ABRAHAM LmOOLN, «iignred bj A. H. Bitobik

& ABRAHAM LDTOOLirS EABLT HOME IN KENTUOKT.

& RAIBINe THB OLD TLhB AT INDXFBNDSNCB HALL

tL FBESmXHT UNOOLN ENTERINO RICHMOND, la ABBASBIHATION AT FORD*S THEATRE.

VL THB DBATH OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 11. FUHXRAL CORTEGE THROUGH NEW YORK.

UL FUNERAL ARCH OYER HUDSON RIVER RAILROAD. lA RECEPTION OF REMAINS AT CHICAGO. 1& THE LAST RITES AT SPBINGFXELD.

Contents

OHiPTEB L

Baxly laft of AbnAam IiinooliL — ^Hii Own Baoord — Wb Anoestiy. — GhflngM of Beridgnop. — DeaXb. and Funeral of hit Mother.^-Entraaoe upon Political Life. — ^A Member of the Legialatuie and of Ckmgreaa.*— The Mexican War PageH

CHAPTER n.

Chapter I

GhAHQBS of RbSIDBXOB. — DSATH AKD FUNKRAX OF IHS MoTHBB. — Eh- TRAHOS UPON POLITIOAL LiFK. — ^A MsMBXB OF THS LbOISLATTIBS AND

OF C0NOBS8S. — ^Thb Mexican Was.

The compiler of the "Dictionary of Coi^^fress" states, that while preparing that work for publication, in 1868, he sent to Mr. Lincoln the nsual request for a sketch of his life, and received the following reply :

^^ Education defbctite.

^ Peofesmon, a Lawteb.

''Hate been a Captain of Yolunteebs nr Black Hawk Wab.

• ''PoenCASTEB AT A TEST SHALL OFFICE.

TOUB TDCBS A MeHBEB OF THE IlUNOU LeOISLATCTBB, AND WAS A

MbMBEB of THE LoWEB HoUSE of CONOBE88.

"A. LiNOOLN.**

Around the facts stated with such characteristic modesty and brevity clusters the history of the early life of our late President The ancestors of Abraham Lincoln were of English descent ; and although they are believed to have originally emigrated to this country with the followers of William Penn, it is difBcult to trace them 1

18 The Life, Public Seryices, and

fiariher back than to their place of residence in Berks County, Pennsylvania, whence a part of the family removed, in 1750, to that section of Virginia now known as Bockingham County. Thirty years later, Abraham Lincobi, the grandfather of our late President, finding civilization crowding him too closely, and possibly enticed by the stories which came back to the frontier settlements from that . famous pioneer, Daniel Boone, but undeterred by the dangers which he knew he must inevitably encounter, determined to make another bold push westward, and settled on Floyd's Creek, in Kentucky, in what is now known as Bullitt County. Hardly had he secured a home for his little family, when he was fatally shot by an Indian, who came upon him stealthily while he was at work, some distance from his 1(^ cabin. Thus deprived of her protector, his widow at once removed, with her three sons and two daughters, to that part of Kentucky now known as Washington County. Thomas, the eldest of the sons, the father of Abraham Lincoln, was t)ut six years old when his mother was so suddenly made a widow. The necessity of assisting to provide for her probably delayed his own settlement in life, for it was not until he was twenty-eight years old, in 1806, that he married Nancy Hanks. His wife was a Virginian by birth ; but no fiEtcts regarding either her ancestry or early life have been preserved, although it is a tradition, possibly originating in the reputation achieved by her son, that she was a woman of rare mental endow-, ment Immediately after their marriage the couple removed to Hardin County, Kentucky, and there, on February 12th, 1809, as has already been stated, Abraham Lincoln was bom.

His early life was spent in poverty and toU ; but his father, feeling keenly his own deficiencies, determined to give his son every possible advantage in the way of gaining an education, and, when but seven years old, he was equipped with an old copy of Dilworth's Spelling Book, which constituted one-third of the family library, and was sent to school to a Mr. Hazel. It is also said that one Zachariah Biney, a Roman Catholic, having some connection with the Trappists, who had founded an institution on Pottinger's Creek, with Urban Guillet as superior, had the honor of instructing the future President in the rudiments. Whether Mr. Lincohi favored his other children, one a girl two years older than Abraham, and the other a boy two years his junior, to the same extent, is doubtful, for the routine of school life was not only broken in upon by his frequent demands upon his son's time, but finally it was interrupted altogether by his determination to abandon Kentucky and try his fortunes where his energies were not checked and repressed by the obstacles which slavery constantly thrust in his way. In 1817 Mr. Lincoln carried this plan into execution. The old home was sold, their small stock of valuables placed upon a raft, and the little family took their way to a new home in the wilds of Indiana, where free labor would have no competition with slave labor, and the poor white man might hope that in time his children could take an honorable position, won by industry and careful economy. The place of their destination was Spencer County, Indiana. For the last few milerf they were obliged to cut their road as they went on. ** With the resolution of veteran pioneers they toiled, sometimes being able to pick their way for a long distance without chopping, and then coming to a standstill in consequence of dense forests. Suffice it to say, that they were obliged to cut a road so much of the way that several days were employed in going eighteen miles. It was a difficult, wearisome, trying journey, and Mr. Lincoln often said, that he never passed through a harder experience than he did in going from Thompson's Perry to Spenser County, Indiana."

Thus, before he was eight years old, Abraham Lincoln l>egan the serious business of life. The cabin in which the family lived was built of logs, and even the aid of such a mere child was of account in the wilderness where they now found themselves, after seven days of weary travel. Their neighbors, none of whom lived nearer than two or three miles, welcomed the strangers, and

20 The Life, Public Sbrvices, and

lent a hand towards building the rude dwelling in which the future President lay down, after fatiguing but healthful toil, to dream the dreams of childhood, undisturbed by thoughts of the future.

But just as Abraham was becoming accustomed to his new residence, his home was made desolate by the death of his mother, which occurred when he was ten years old. She died long before she could have imagined, in her wildest dreams, the eminence and distinction which her son was to attain ; but she was happy in the knowledge that, chiefly under her own tuition, for she had not intrusted his education entirely to the schoolmaster who chanced to settle within reach, her favorite son had learned to read the Bible — ^the book which^ as a Christian woman, she prized above all others. It is impossible to estimate the influence which this faithful mother exerted in moulding the character of her child ; but it is » easy to believe that the earnestness with which she impressed upon his mind and heart the holy precepts, did much to develop those characteristics which in after years caused him to be known as pre-eminently the "Honest" man. There is touching evidence that Abraham held the memory of his mother in sacred remembrance. She had instructed him in the rudiments of writing, and Mr. Lincoln, in spite of the disparaging remarks of his neighbors, who regarded the accomplishment as entirely unnecessary, encouraged his son to persevere, untU he was able to put his thoughts upon paper in a style which, although rude, caused him to be regarded as quite a prodigy among the illiterate neighbors. One of the very first efforts of his faltering pen was writing a letter to an old friend of his mother's, a travelling preacher, urging him to come and deliver a sermon over her grave. The invitation must have been couched in impressive, if not affecting language ; for, although the letter was not written until nine months after his mother' a remains had been deposited in their last resting-place. Parson Elkins, the preacher to whom it was extended, responded to the request, and three months subsequentr

State Papees of Abraham Linooln. 21

fyy just a year after her decease, preached a sermon commemorative of the virtues of one whom her neighbors still held in affectionate and. respectful remembrance. In his discourse it is said that the Parson alluded to the manner in which he had received the invitation, and Abraham's pen thereafter found frequent employment, in writing letters for the same neighbors who had before pretended to esteem lightly the accomplishment of which they at last recognized the value.

About two years after the- death of Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. lincoln married Mrs. Sally Johnston, a widow with three children. She proved an excellent mother to her step-son and daughter, and a faithful wife. During the twelve years that the family remained in Indiana, Abraham's &ther encouraged him to improve all the opportunities offered for mental development How scanty these privileges were, may be inferred from the fact that the entire number of days that he was able to attend school hardly « exceeded one year. While in Indiana, one of his teachers was a Mr. Dorsey, who, a few months ago, was living in Schuyler County, Illinois, where he was looked up to with much respect by his neighbors, as one of those who had assisted in the early instruction of the then President of the United States. He tells with great satisfaction how his pupil, who was then remarked for the diligence and eagerness with which he pursued his studies, came to the log-cabin school-house arrayed in buckskin clothes, a rac^ coon-skin cap, and provided with an old arithmetic which had somewhere been found for him to begin his investiga* tions into the ^' higher branches." In connection with his attendance upon Mr. Crawford's school, an incident is told which is sure to find a place in every biography of our late President. Books were, of course, very hard to find in the sparsely settled district of Indiana where the lincoln family had their home, and every printed volume upon which Abraham could lay his hands was carefully guarded and eagerly devoured. Among the volumes in Mr. Crawford's scanty library was a copy of Ramsay's life of Washington, which Abraham secured permission

22 The Life, Public Svbyicbb^ aio)

upon one occasion, to take home with him. Dnring * severe storm he impioyed his leisoie by reading his book* One night he hud it down carefolly, as he thonghti and the next morning he found it soaked through I The wind had changed, the storm had beaten in through a crack in the logs, and the appearance of the book was rained. How could he face the owner under such cironmstancea t He had no money to offer as a return, but he took the book, went directly to Mr. Crawford, showed him the irreparable injury, and frankly and honestly offered to work for him until he should be satisfied, iii. Crawford accepted the offer, and ga^e Abraham the book for his own, in return for three days' steady labor in ^^ pulling fodder." This, and Weems's Life of Washington, were among the boy' s favorite books, and the story that we have just told is so nearly parallel to the fieunous ^^ hatchet" incident in the early days of the Father of his Country, that . it is easy to believe that the frequent perusal of it impressed upon his mind, more effectually than any solemn exhortation could have done, the precept that ^^ honesty is the best policy," and thus assisted to develop that character of which integrity was so prominent a trait in after years. Among the other volumes whkh Mr. Lincoln was accustomed to refer to, as having been eagerly read in his youthful days, were a Life of Henry Clay, Esop's Fables, and Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. It is quite probable that the quaint phraseology of these last two volumes, and their direct and forcible illustrations, may have unpressed upon the productions of Mr. Lincoln's pen that style which is one of their most ])eculiar and favorite characteristics.

When nineteen years old, Abraham Lincoln, moved, perhaps, equally by the desire to earn an honest livelihood in the shape of ^'ten dollars a month and found," and by curiosity to see more of the world, ihade a trip down the Mississippi to New Orleans, upon a flat-boat. He went in company with the son of the owner of the boat, who intrusted a valuable cargo to their care. The trip was quite an eventful and exciting one, for on the

State Pafeks of Abbaham Lincoln. 23

way down the great rirer they were attacked by seyeu negroes, who hoped to capture the boat and the cargo. They fonnd, however, that they had undertaken a task to the execution of which they were unequal. After a spirited contest the negroes were driven back, and cornpdled to abandon their attempt, leaving our boatmen liie undisputed mast^s of the field. Upon this trip young lincoln's literary acquirements were called into useful action, and besides the stipulated ten dollars per month, he gained a substantial reputation as a youth of promising business talent

During the twelve years that the family had been living in Indiana, the advancing tide of civilization had again encroached upon them ahnost imperceptibly, and in 1830 Thomas Lincoln, impatient of the restrictions which he found the gradually increasing population drawing around him, agaia determined to seek a new home fiuiher west, and after fifteen days' journey came upon a site near Decatur, Macon County, Illinois, which seemed to him a desirable one. He immediately erected a 1<^ cabin, and, with the aid of his son, who was now twenty-one, proceeded to fence in his new taxm. 5 Abraham had little idea, while engaged in the unromantic occupation of mauling the rails which were to bound his others possessions, that he was writing a page in his life which would be read by the whole nation years afterward. Yet BO it proved to be. A writer, describing one of the incidents in the earlier political career of the late President, says: —

Daring the sitting of the Bepnblioan State Oonyention, at Decatnr, a banner, attached to two of these rails, and bearing an appropriate inscription, was brought into the assemblage, and formallj presented to that body, amid a scene of nnparalleled enthusiasm. After that, they were in demand in every Stat^ of the Union in which free labor is honored, where they were home in processions of the people, and hailed by hundreds of thousands of freemen as a symbol of trinmph, and as a glorious vindication of freedom and of the rights and dignity of free labor. These, however, were far from being the first and only rails made by Lincoln. He was a practised hand at the bnsiness. Mr. Lincoln has now a oane mada from one of the rails split by his own hands in boyhood.

24 The Life, Public Serviceb, and

Eyery one remembers how, during the preeddential campaign of 1860, Mr. Lincolii was characterized as a ^^rail-splitter ;" first, sneeringly, by his opponents ; afterwards by his own supporters, as the best possible proof that he was of and from the people.

Notwithstanding the increasing age of Thomas Lincoln, his disposition was so restless, and his desire for change so ineradicable, that, after a single year's residence in his new home, he determined to abandon it, and in the spring of 1831 started for Coles Connt}(^, sixty or seventy miles to the eastward. Abraham determined not to follow his father in his jonmeyings, and possibly the want of his son' s efficient help compelled him to forego farther change, and to settle down for the rest of his days on the upper waters of the ELaskaskia and Embarras, where he died on January 17, 1851, in the sevenfy-third year of his age. In the spring of 1831, Abraham made his second trip to New (Means, in the capacity of a flat-boatman, returning in the summer of the same year. The man who had employed him for this voyage was so well pleased with the enei^y and business capacity displayed by young Lincoln, that upon establishing a store at New Salem, some twenly miles from Springfield, soon afterward, he engaged him to assist him in the capacity of clerk, and also to superintend a flooring-mill in the immediate vicinity. In one of the celebrated debates during the Senatorial campaign, Mr. Douglas ventured to refer, in rather disparaging terms, to this year of Mr. Lincoln's life, taunting him with having been a grocery-keeper. To this Mr. Lincoln replied as follows : —

The Judge is wofally at fault about his early friend Dncoln being a "grocery-keeper." I don't know as it would be a great sin, if I had boen; but he is mistaken. Lincoln never kept a grocery anywhere in the world. It is true that Lincoln did work the latter part of one winter in a little still-house, up at the head of a hollow.

This frank statement drew the sting completely from the taunt of Senator Douglas. Some, at least, of those who were listening to the debate, knew that, at the time to wMch Mr. Lincoln referred, a winter of xmnsnal seyerity had caused extreme suffering throngh that section of Illinois, and that he was not only anxious, but compelled, to take up with any occupation by which he might turn an honest penny in order to keep his father^ s £Gimily, who were even then partially dependent upon him, from positive want.

In 1832 the Black Hawk war broke out, and Mr. Lincoln, prompt as ever to answer the call of duty, joined a volunteer company and took the field against the Indians. That he had already gained a recognized position in the jMirt of the State where he then lived, is clearly indicated by the fact that he was elected captain of his company. After a few weeks' ineffectual service, the force which had responded to the call of Governor Reynolds was disbanded. The troubles broke out anew, however, within a short time, and again Mr. Lincoln enlisted, this time also as a private. What rank was conferred upon him, if any, during this campaign is not recorded ; but in spite of the pressure brought to bear upon him by older members of his company, to induce him to return home, he discharged his duties faithfully through the three months' campaign.

Many years after, during his congressional career, Mr. Lincoln referred thus humorously to his military services in this "war:" —

By the way, Mr. Speaker, did yon know I was a military hero! Tea, sir, in the days of the Black Hawk war I fought, bled, and came away. Speaking of General Cassis career, reminds me of my own. I was not at Snllivan^s defeat, but I was about as near to it as Cass was to HnlPs surrender; and, like him, I saw the place soon after. It is quite eertain that I did not break my sword, for I had none to break; but I bent ny musket pretty badly on one occasion. If Cass broke his sword, the idea is, he broke it in desperation. I bent the musket by accident. If General Cass went in advance of me in picking whortleberries, I guess I surpassed him in charges upon the wild onions. If he saw any live fighting Indians, it was more than I did, but I had a great many bloody ■traggles with the mosquitoes; and although I never fainted from loss of hlood, I certainly can say I was often very hungry.

TTift military career closed, Mr. Lincoln turned his atten*

26 The Life^ Public Sseyices, aisid

tibn to politioB. He espoused the cause of Henry Clay — ia opposition to that of General Jackson, who was very popular in that section of Illinois — ^and ran as a candidate for the State legislature. Although this contest took place three months before the presidential election, the same elements entered into it, and Mr. Lincoln was defeated, as he undoubtedly expected to be, although his failure must have been amply compensated for by the highly complimentary vote that he received in his own precinct, which gave him two hundred and seventy-seven votes out of two hundred and eighty-four cast ; and this, be it remembered, was the first and last time that he was ever beaten before the peopla The contest ended, Mr. Lincoln settled down to business again. He purchased a store and stock of goods on credit, and secured the postmastership of the town; but the venture was unsuccessful, and he sold out Meanwhile, he was still employing every opportunity offered him to improve his mind. He had mastered grammar, and occupied his leisure time in general reading, taking care to write out a synopsis of every book he perused, so as to fix the contents in his memory.

About this time he met John Calhoun, afterwards president of the Lecompton Constitutional Convention. Calhoun proposed to Lincoln to take up surveying, and himself aided in his studies. He had plenty of employment as a surveyor, and won a good reputation in this new line of business ; but the financial crash of 1837 destroyed his business, and his instruments were finally sold under a sheriff' s execution. This reverse again threw him back into political life, and as the best preparation for it he vigorously pursued his l^al studies.

In 1834, Mr. Lincoln again ran for the legislature, and this tune was elected. Then that political life commenced, which his countrymen' s votes have since shown they fully appreciated. Li 1830, Mr. Lincoln was again elected to the legislature as one of the seven representatives from Sangamon County, and during this term he was assigned a place on the Finance Committee, his member-

State Pafebs of Abbaham Lincoln. 27

ship of the Committee oa Public Accounts and Expenditures during his first term having qualified him for this duty.

The following letter, which was written during this canvass, besides being an interesting reminiscence of Mr. Lincoln^ s early political life, is valuable as exhibiting, in a striking manner, his determination to be frank and honest in all his dealings with the public and with his opx>onents : —

Bbab Golohxi.: — ^I am told that, during mj absence last week, 70a passed through this place, and stated pnblioly that jon were in possession of a fact or facts, which, if known to the public, wonld entirely destroy the prospects of N. W. Edwards and myself at the ensaing election ; bat that, throogh favor io us, yon would forbear to divulge them.

No one has needed favors more than I, and, generally, few have been leas unwilling to accept them ; but in this case favor to me would be in- Juatioe to the public, and, therefore, I must beg your pardon for declining It. That I once had the confidence of the people of Sangamon county is ■nffieiently evident, and if I have ennoe done any thing, either by design or misadventure, which, if known, would subject me to a forfeiture of that confidence, he that knows of that thing and conceals it, is a traitor to his country's interest.

I find myself wholly unable to form any conjecture of what fact or fitelB^ real or supposed, you spoke. But my opinion of your veracity will not pennit me, for a moment, to doubt that you, at least, believed what yon said. I am flattered with the personal regard you manifested for me; but I do hope that, on more mature reflection, you will view the puUio int^nest as a paramount consideration, and therefore determine to let the worst come.

I here assure you that the candid statement of facts on your part, however low it may sink me, shall never break the ties of personal friendship between us.

I wish an answer to this, and you are at liberty to publish both, if you choose. Yery respectfhlly,

A. LorooLV.

Ool. ROBBBT A£UV.

It was in this year (1886) that Mr, Lincoln first became acquainted with Mr. Douglas^ whom he was destined to meet in so many hotly contested campaigns, but whom he did not then anticipate that he should, twenty-four years afterwards, defeat in a presidential election. The Democrats of course held the ascendency in the Illinois

28 The Life, Publio Seevices, and

legislature at this time, and they took advantage of their strength to pass some extreme pro-slavery resolutions, branding as '* abolitionists" those who refused to indorse them. That his position might not be misunderstood, Mr. Lincoln took advantage of his parliamentary privilege to enter upon the Journal of the House, in connection with a colleague, his reasons for voting in opposition to the resolutions. This document, which now possesses historical interest, reads as follows : —

Kaboh 8t 18ST.

The following protest was presented to the House, whioh was read and ordered to be spread on the journals, to wit:

" Resolutions upon the subject of domestic slavery having passed botli branches of the General Assembly at its present session, the undersigned hereby protest against tlie passage of the same.

'* They believe that the institution of slavery is founded on both iigustioe and bad policy ; but that the promulgation of abolition doctrines tends rather to increase than abate its evils.

**They believe that the Congress of the United States has no power, under the Constitution, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the different States.

'''They believe that the Congress of the United States has the power, under the Constitution, to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia; but that the power ought not to be exercised, unless at the request of the people of said District.

** The difference between these opinions and those contained in the said resolutions, is their reason for entering this protest. " (Signed)

"Dan STomB, " A. Lincoln, £eprei&ntaUoe8j¥om the County <^ SangamonJ^^

In 1838, Mr. Lincoln was for the third time elected to the State legislature ; and among his six colleagues, as representatives from Sangamon County, was John Calhoun, since notorious for his connection with the Lecompton Constitution. His position as leader of the Whigs in the House was so well recognized, that he received the party vote for the Speakership, and was defeated by only one vote. In 1840, for the fourth successive term, Mr. Lincoln was returned to the legislature, and again received the vote of his party as the candidate for Speaker. Meanwhile, he had been vigorously engaged in canvassing the State, in anticipation of the presidential election, and had greatly enhanced his reputation by his repeated earnest and eloquent efforts.