A. LINCOLN BY RONALD C. WHITE, JR.
I have just finished reading a magnificent biography of Abraham Lincoln: probably the best that I’ve ever read. My head is swimming with impressions of lessons learned and statements to (with luck) be remembered forever.
The evolution of Lincoln ’s thinking about God and about religion, his increasing belief in God’s providence, that God is exerting a personal influence on events, to what end one does not know, but to which as Lincoln said, “human instrumentalities” play a role, has never been more clearly presented.
The evolution of his thinking on the purpose and outcome of the Civil War, not only calling for the preservation of the Union , which was the underlying goal, of course, from the beginning, but also the eradication of slavery, emerges clearly.
Lincoln’s constant examination of what was right, his intellectual humility, yet combined with firmness on what he believed to be the ultimate aims for which he must stand (the Union and that “all men are created equal”) emerge as the most powerful forces which should guide all of our efforts.
The incredible setbacks which Lincoln faced are brought to life: the death of his two sons, his defeats in multiple elections, and the horrible travail of the Civil War itself, picking one general after another, starting with McClellan, but then also Hooker and Burnside, all of whom despite having, in most cases, excellent records coming into the assignment, failed to take the initiative. There is no question that Lincoln both tolerated incompetence and sometimes over-managed (in one case having a subordinate general report directly to him, wreaking great havoc). But he stood strong.
The book reminded me of the tremendous ebb and flow of victory and defeat in the Civil War. Pretty much nothing but defeat in the early stages, with the battles of Bull Run, Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg ; then even after the triumph of Vicksburg and Gettysburg in 1863, further bloody setbacks under Lincoln ’s very best general, Grant, at Cold Harbor , etc.
The Civil War is filled with ironies. If, under better generalship, the war had been won, say in 1862, slavery might well not have been eliminated as a result of the war. If South Carolina and then the other states had not seceded and attacked Fort Sumter , the Civil War might have never started and slavery would have been perpetuated.
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Of this there can be no doubt, we were blessed to have Lincoln as our President. He was able to hold fast to the core truths that needed to be sustained. He allowed his thinking to evolve. He was ready to change his mind. I have to believe that his belief in God, in God’s providence, was a critical sustaining influence for him during 1864.
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One should not underestimate the depth of Lincoln ’s ambition. Without it, he never would have been President. One thing this biography does not do, nor can I recall one that does, is bring to life the precise turning point (if there was one) that sparked that ambition. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, and the tremendous controversy that then arose around “popular sovereignty,” was the trigger point for Lincoln’s passionate commitment to not see slavery spread and that, in turn, led to his taking a strong leadership role, including in the formation of the Republican Party. Perhaps it was in that context that his ambition and belief that he was the right person to lead the country grew.
It would be a great mistake to underestimate the political sensibility which Lincoln brought to his decisions. He delayed the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation for at least six months, awaiting success in a battle (it came at Antietam , even though that success was muted). Less well known was having reached the decision to replace General Rosecrans, he held off doing it until after the Ohio elections in 1863 because he knew that Rosecrans and his chief of staff, James Garfield, were both natives of Ohio and enjoyed immense popularity in their home state.
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Lincoln ’s family relationships emerge in a different way for me in this book. The depth of his sorrow at the death of his sons is, of course, manifested. But his deep affection for his younger son, Tad, as well as Robert emerged clearly. One does come away believing that his relationship with his wife, Mary, was a distant one, particularly as the marriage progressed.
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There are a number of events that occurred during Lincoln ’s life and administration that bear directly on our lives today.
-- For example, an editorial in the New York Times in April, 1861 describes the situation we face today and which has, in fact, been faced many times in the past:
“In every great crisis, the human heart demands a leader that incarnates its ideas, its emotions and its aims. Till such a leader appears, everything is disorder, disaster, and defeat. The moment he takes the helm, order, promptitude and confidence follow as the necessary result. When we see such results, we know that a hero leads.”
As Ronald White notes, something about this particular article compelled Lincoln to clip and save it, including its final charge: “No such hero at present directs affairs.” Note that this was shortly following Lincoln ’s inauguration. We have never needed heroes of this character more than at this moment of history.
-- It is vital that leaders keep their cool in the type of crisis we face today. A great example of Lincoln keeping his cool and holding the line came during the decimating Battle of Cold Harbor in June, 1864. Grant lost 7,000 men, while Lee suffered only 1,500 casualties. At the end of the day, Grant stopped the attack, admitting defeat. The public began to turn against Grant, but Lincoln did not. The President told a friend, “I wish when you write and speak to people you would do all you can to correct the impression that the war in Virginia will end right off victoriously.” Surely, this sounds like what a great leader would say in any circumstance involving a long drawn-out battle such as we face today in our economy.
Lincoln ’s strength in staying the course in what he believed was right, despite enormous adverse criticism, was clearly demonstrated when he nullified John Freemont’s Declaration of Emancipation in the West early in the war. He felt very strongly that this would risk Kentucky and, perhaps, some of the other South states leaving the Union at a critical moment.
One of the lessons that emerges from the book is that there were many occasions where Lincoln wrote a carefully and strongly worded letter but he never sent it. He concluded that it would be better to speak with the individual in person.
How often have we experienced this truth. Also telling is the fact that he always took responsibility for what happened even though, in many, many cases, it was a subordinate’s error that caused the negative outcome.
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It also is fascinating to hear Lincoln speak directly to the question of whether the power to make war belonged to Congress or the President. Here is what he told his partner Herndon: “Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to confront an invasion, and you allow him to do so, whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose –and you allow him to make war at pleasure.” That certainly leads one to think about Iraq .
In a comment that President Bush and Dick Cheney would probably welcome and identify with, Lincoln, in defending his suspension of habeas corpus, argued that, “the courts work well in peacetime for cases involving individuals but in ‘a clear flagrant and gigantic case of rebellion’ the ordinary courts were often ‘incompetent’ to deal with whole classes or groups of individuals.” He went on to say that: “I think the time not unlikely to come when I shall be blamed for having made too few arrests rather than too many.”
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Lincoln ’s melancholy soul was evidenced again and again, including this eulogy which he gave in honor of President Zachary Taylor:
“Yea! Hope and despondency, pleasure and pain
Are mingled together in sun-shine and rain;
And the smile and the tear, and the song and the dirge,
Still follow each other, like surge upon surge
‘Tis the wink of an eye, ‘tis the draught of a breath
From the blossoms of health, to the paleness of death.
From the gilded saloon, to the bier and the shroud
Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud!”
There is no mistaking how depressed Lincoln was at different times. As he said following some of the worst moments in 1862: “The bottom is out of the tub. What shall we do?”
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There are many examples in this story that remind us: “Don’t over-react to the press” and “Never count yourself out until you’re out.”
For example, after Lincoln lost the 1858 election to Douglass, the newspaper Chicago Press and Tribune wrote: “Mr. Lincoln is beaten. We know of no better time than the present to congratulate him on the memorable and brilliant canvas he has made. He has created for himself a national reputation that is both envied and deserved; and though he should hereafter fill no official station, he has done the cause of Truth and Justice what will always entitle him to the gratitude of his party and the keen admiration of all who respect the high moral qualities, and the keen, comprehensive and sound intellectual gifts he has displayed.”
Another example of how people got Lincoln wrong. Attorney General Edward Bates, commenting: “The President is an excellent man, and in the main wise; but he lacks will and purpose and I greatly fear he has not the power to command.” Talk about getting it wrong.
It was also stunning to read the negative comments from renowned newspapers to Lincoln ’s magnificent Gettysburg Address (others did spot its timeless quality right away). For example, the Times of London editorialized, “The ceremony was rendered ludicrous by some of the sallies of that poor President Lincoln.” The Harrisburg Patriot and Union spoke: “We pass over the silly remarks of the President; for the credit of the nation, we are willing that the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them and that they shall no more be repeated or thought of.” In contrast, the most famous orator in the country, Edward Everett, who had given the keynote talk at Gettysburg (over two hours) wrote to Lincoln , “I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes.” Amen.
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Lincoln expressed some of his most memorable thoughts in his annual message to Congress of December,, 1862. They certainly resonate today:
“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.”
Moving on: “Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.”
And, in its concluding sentences, “In giving freedom to the slave we assure freedom to the free. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.” It has never been said as well as this!
Another striking set of comments from Lincoln came in a letter that he had read at a major rally in Springfield , Illinois in September, 1863. Here, he defended the right and importance of the free Negro fighting on behalf of the Union . In this eloquent phrase, he brought this to life in the most stunning way:
“And then, there will be some black men who can remember that, with silent tongue and clenched teeth, and steady eye and well-poised bayonet, they have helped mankind on to this great consummation; while I fear there will be some white ones, unable to forget that, with malignant heart, and deceitful speech, they have strove to hinder it.”
Another letter of Lincoln , which he sent on April 4, following a talk with visitors from Kentucky , was one of the finest expressions of his beliefs. He began it forcefully, “I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I cannot remember when I did not so think and feel.”
He went on to talk about his thinking on defending the Union and his belief that, in the beginning, he did not have the right to outlaw slavery where it was constitutionally admitted in the South. He concluded this with one of the most human of reflections that I’ve ever read:
“In telling this tale, I attempt no compliment to my own sagacity. I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me. Now, at the end of three years’ struggle, the nation’s condition is not what either party, or any man, devised or expected. God alone can claim it. Whither it is pending seems plain. If God now wills the removal of a great wrong, and wills also that we of the North as well as you of the South shall pay fairly for our complicity in that wrong, impartial history will find therein new cause to attest and revere the justice and goodness of God.”
Of all the things that Lincoln said, none mean more to me than these:
“Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.” (He said this in his Cooper Union address, February 27, 1860.)…and this from his Second Inaugural: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”
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