Need an Abraham Lincoln expert

[indiucky]

Another avenue for direction may be to contact the Spencer County Historical Society. They have dealt with a lot of Lincoln stuff.

Snorko is correct...I think they helped with this...

Next time we hook up remind me to show you my $240 S&W pound puppy.....Right up your alley...

 

[cordex]

I think I've seen this letter.

 

[halfmileharry]

I took it to the bank today and got a safe box for it.
I'm going to deal with this for my mother after the holidays.
As per the norm INGO points me in the right direction.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
We know it's been in the old chest since well before my great grand parents died.

 

[snorko]

Holy crap that gives me chills just to think about having something written by him. I hope that works out for you!

I worked as an archivist in college. Got to handle a page from a Guttenberg Bible, tons of General Lew Wallace stuff and other cool things. On lincoln, we had several newspapers including one that reported him shot and wounded but not dead.

Snorko is correct...I think they helped with this...

Next time we hook up remind me to show you my $240 S&W pound puppy.....Right up your alley...

I relish the chance.

 

[rob63]

I'm sorry I missed those discussions. He is the defining pivot point in the political history of this country and a number of his actions fall under the "We had to burn the village in order to save it." category.

Exactly. I have used that exact analogy in discussing him on a Civil War web site. I find it impossible to compare his Presidency to any other or even to make up my own mind what I think of him, they were such unique circumstances. One of his biographers began his book with a quote from one of Lincoln's letters in which he thanks someone for his kind words expressing his admiration for how Lincoln controlled events, but Lincoln replies that he always thought that events controlled him. The author of the biography thought it a good way to look at him and it has stuck with me. Unfortunately, people are so insistent on lumping historical figures into "good guy vs. bad guy" that it is difficult to have a discussion at all, which is what dealing with the former INGO members referenced was like. I run into the same thing on the Civil War sites, a few people try to have a discussion but it is always ruined by people that have to argue over who was good and bad. Attempting to discuss political history isn't much different than discussing modern politics.