Abraham Lincoln was more than just a president, peacemaker, and emancipator. He was a human being, aware of his surroundings, compassionate toward others, nostalgic over the past, and ambitious for the future. Much focus is given to his dealings with the Civil War, his love for the Union and America, and his quest for freedom for all people. But what about the personal Lincoln? What about his interests beyond what he dealt with as the president?
Website focus: This website will focus on exposing students to Lincoln’s love for the aesthetic – the literary writings that Lincoln loved to read, recite, and compose himself. It will also aid students in developing the skills of learning how to work with primary and secondary sources. This website was developed by Julie Haueisen, a high school English teacher at Westland High School in South-Western City Schools in Galloway, Ohio. It was developed for the Gilder Lehrman course "Understanding Lincoln" taught by Matthew Pinsker of Dickinson College during the summer of 2016. |
Below are two "close readings" by Julie Haueisen concerning two documents written by Abraham Lincoln. Both documents contextually involve poetry and Lincoln's love for it. A good close reading requires an in-depth analysis of a primary source document. It requires not just understanding the text, but also the context and subtext of the document. For additional information on how to do a close reading, look at Matthew Pinsker's "What Makes a Good Close Reading?"
The Poetic Influence on Lincoln: Lincoln's letter to Andrew Johnston
Below: A "Close Read" of Lincoln's letter to Andrew Johnston, dated April 18, 1846.
Although we know the man for so much more in terms of what he contributed to the narrative of American history, it is reasonable to think that Abraham Lincoln’s interest in poetry and literature was much more than just a passing fancy or interest. The reverse is certainly the case as there have been myriads of poems and tributes written in memory of Abraham Lincoln. However, in his April 18, 1846 letter to Andrew Johnston, Lincoln demonstrated more than a keen interest in poetry when expressing the opinion, “I would give all I am worth, and go in debt, to be able to write so fine a piece as I think that is.” This letter illuminates another facet of Lincoln’s personality that is not typically surfacing in his other correspondence. It demonstrated that poetry had a great deal of influence on Abraham Lincoln’s life in terms of his correspondence and his reading and writing.
The content of the April 18 letter to Johnston addressed subjects that were entirely literary in nature and can be divided into three parts. The first part dealt with Lincoln’s comments concerning a parody of an Edgar Allen Poe poem that Johnston had sent him. The second part focused on a question Johnston had in regards to a poem Lincoln had sent to him earlier. The last part included Lincoln’s own verse and the background anecdote that led to the writing of the poem (Lincoln, To Andrew Johnston, September 6, 1846). In order to understand why Lincoln and Johnston exchanged correspondence that dealt with literature, it is important to know the context behind the actual document. Lincoln had known Johnston through the Illinois Whig party and had voted for him in his campaign to become the Clerk of the House of Representatives. He and Johnston exchanged several letters, particularly in 1846. A precursor to the aforementioned April 18 letter was a February 24 letter in which Lincoln enclosed a copy of his “favorite poem” for Johnston to read. The poem Lincoln referenced was William Knox’s poem “Mortality.” He followed this by asking Johnston if he would be interested in reading some of Lincoln’s own-penned verses. In the interim, Johnston replied in a March 10, 1846 letter, in which he thanked Lincoln and then queried as to whether he [Lincoln] had written the poem. These two letters set the stage for the April 18 letter between the two in which Lincoln provided a follow-up to Johnston's query. Lincoln was unable at that time to supply the name of the author, explaining, "I met it in a straggling form in a newspaper last summer, and I remember to have seen it once before, about fifteen years ago, and this is all I know about it.” Lincoln also referred to a parody of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” that Johnston had sent him, where the word “polecat” was substituted for the word “raven.” The inclusion of the parody led Lincoln to look up Poe’s poem, which he carried around with him and “repeated it over and over.” It was evident that Lincoln and Johnston enjoyed sharing poetry and the meaning behind it. The April 18 Lincoln-Johnston letter concluded with a sentimental anecdote explaining the background for a poem that Lincoln had written and included with the letter entitled “My Childhood-Home I See Again.” Lincoln was involved in campaigning for Henry Clay who was running for president and found himself returning to the town of his roots where his mother and sister were buried. He described to Johnston how the trip evoked poetic feelings that were, no doubt, nostalgic as well. The portion of the poem that Lincoln sent was the first part, or canto, of a two-part poem. Lincoln sent Johnston the second part in a September 6, 1846 letter. Why would Lincoln be known to quote poetry as often as he did and to share it with the people to whom he wrote correspondence? There is ample evidence that Lincoln got his start in developing his reading skills through poetry. Historian Peter Armenti states that Lincoln's own writing demonstrates his high regard for literature, particularly poetry. Writing verse was something that began for Lincoln in his childhood. Lincoln recorded the following jingle in his youth no fewer than five times:
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Over the years, Lincoln cultivated an interest in many different poets, but especially focused on the works of Robert Burns. Both men had similar backgrounds, but the themes and driving patterns and rhyme schemes of Burns’ poetry were engrained in Lincoln’s mind, memorized by him as a youth, and brought back to mind as an adult. Much of Burns’ poetry dealt with the themes of poverty, enlightenment, independence, honesty, and having the ability to reason. All of these themes come together in Burns’ poem “A Man’s a Man for A’ That,” a poem generally thought to be one of Lincoln’s favorites.
The poem “Mortality,” mentioned in Lincoln’s letter to Johnston, dealt with how fleeting life is and how one’s position in life, whether rich or poor, cannot affect the outcome of eventual death. Since the nature of poetry is very philosophical, all of the poems Lincoln read and committed to memory became a part of his mental synthesizing. When connecting Lincoln’s childhood jingle to the poem “Mortality,” it is clear that Lincoln wanted to be someone, but knew all too well, that his life, like those before him, would soon be over. Poetry intensified Lincoln’s quest to find his own portion of immortality. The philosophy of the theme used in “Mortality,” which was mentioned in the April 18 letter to Johnston, certainly came into play in Lincoln’s planned speeches and eulogies. Ultimately, the influence of poetry would present itself in Lincoln’s best-known writing. The structure of Lincoln’s greatest speech, “The Gettysburg Address,” makes strong usage of many poetic devices, including imagery, assonance, alliteration, and repetition. The effect of reading poetry begun so early in Lincoln’s childhood certainly carried its influence into Lincoln’s adult, political and personal life, and left its imprint in the words he wrote and left behind. |
Lincoln and the Power of Literature, Both Pro and Con
Below: A "Close Read" of Lincoln's "Memorandum Concerning Ward H. Lamon and the Antietam Episode," September 12, 1864
The Poem - "Twenty Years Ago"Excerpted stanzas from "Twenty Years Ago" by Edgar McLean, n.d.
I’ve wandered to the village, Tom, I’ve sat beneath the tree, Upon the schoolhouse play-ground, that sheltered you and me: But none were left to greet me, Tom, and few were left to know Who played with us upon the Green, some twenty years ago. Near by the spring, upon the elm you know I cut your name,-- Your sweetheart’s just beneath it Tom; and you did mine the same. Some heartless wretch has peeled the bark, -- t’was dying sure but slow, Just as she died whose name you cut, some twenty years ago. My lids have long been dry, Tom, but tears came to my eyes; I thought of her I loved so well, those early broken ties: I visited the old churchyard, and took some flowers to strew Upon the graves of those we loved, some twenty years ago. Source: Michael Burlingame: Abraham Lincoln: A Life (245) The song: "Picayune Butler""Picayune Butler's Come To Town" or simply "Picayune Butler" was a very popular song during the 1840s and 50s. This 2011 performance was created by Tim Twiss.
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The Antietam Episode
In the above letter to his friend Andrew Johnston, Lincoln described taking a trip back to the town of his childhood and how this trip elicited many sentimental memories of his youth, and particularly his sister and mother. What resulted was a very contemplative poem that Lincoln wrote about his childhood home. The same type of contemplation came into play in regards to a memorandum Lincoln wrote on September 12, 1864. The “Memorandum Concerning Ward H. Lamon and the Antietam Episode” described an event that happened nearly two years before. According to historian Michael Burlingame, various newspapers, one of which was the New York Daily News, were outwardly hoping that "Heaven would 'direct its vengeance openly against the man who has drenched this fair land of ours with blood." In keeping with this, the newspapers picked up any story that could be twisted to darken Lincoln's reputation and thereby ruin his re-election. A bizarre aspect about the memorandum was that it was never sent or delivered to anyone, it was written in Abraham Lincoln’s handwriting, but not signed by him, and it dealt with a subject that was under intense scrutiny by the press throughout the country. Ultimately, this memo demonstrated how Lincoln’s love for poetry and music caused a major dilemma for himself that eventually resulted in Lamon becoming hugely concerned for Lincoln’s reputation and re-election campaign. The memorandum documented what occurred approximately two weeks after the Battle of Antietam when Lincoln went to visit General McClellan and various troops who were in the vicinity of McClellan’s headquarters. It stated that on October 3, 1862, Abraham Lincoln reviewed three corps that were in the vicinity of the Antietam battlefield and then continued by “ambulance” to review Gen. Fitz John Porter's Corps two to three miles away. During this travel time, the memorandum stated that Lincoln asked Lamon to sing the “little sad song” which Lamon did. Afterwards, Lamon sang “two or three little comic things of which ‘Picayune Butler’ was one, in hopes of lifting Lincoln’s spirits.” The review was completed, the battleground passed over, and all parties returned to McClellan’s headquarters. The memo finished with a statement that unequivocally detailed that the singing did not occur on a battleground, that no one objected to the singing, and that no dead bodies or fresh graves were seen. As it stands, this memorandum would seem odd without an explanation for the undefined “event” that it apparently addressed. However, what precipitated the memorandum was a series of derogatory newspaper articles in which Lincoln was depicted at having committed an atrocity at Antietam by wanting to “crack jokes” and sing while being near dead bodies. These claims were often written in poetic verse such as the following:
Lamon shared the letter that included this verse, sent to him from A. J. Perkins, who wanted to know whether the accusations had any truth in them. Lamon wanted to refute the contents and explain what really happened. Unfortunately, the accusations Perkins sent to Lamon reflected many such newspaper accounts. The following appeared in The Star of the North, published in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania on July 27, 1864:
The same issue of the paper had stated multiple times that “Mr. Lincoln is a buffoon,” which was the real focus of the paper, using the oft-told story of “Picayune Butler” as a foundation on which to build their opinion. It was very evident that all the articles being published deeply upset Lamon. Lamon included an entire chapter in his book, Recollections of Abraham Lincoln, in which he addressed “The Antietam Episode.” In his lengthy remarks, Lamon stated that Lincoln did request a song, but it was a sentimental ballad that included these lyrics:
Lincoln was well known for enjoying this type of music and poetry, which he found helpful in dealing with the sentimentality he experienced over some events. He would contemplate the actions that led to the event, and when finding himself in a somber mood, he sometimes liked to have a "little sad song" or poem recited for him. In the vicinity of such a monumental battlefield such as Gettysburg, Lincoln slowly slipped into a bit of depression, wanting to hear poetry that would be of a similar nature to his mood.
Lamon stated in his book that he did sing a snatch of the song "Picayune Butler" to break the spell of "the little sad song" since Lincoln's melancholy had deepened. He said he often tried to bring Lincoln out of his melancholy with a jest or comic song. However, he declared that the incident as reported in the newspaper was "wholly destitute of truth." He went on to explain that Lincoln did not want him to reply with a "large infusion of 'vinegar and gall'" and that he "would try [his] hand at it," which prompted the memorandum Lincoln wrote as if he were Lamon. Lamon could then recopy it and forward it to Mr. Perkins as "refutation of the slander." Other than that, the memorandum was not made public at the time. Lamon stated that Lincoln said, "I dislike to appear as an apologist for an act of my own which I know was right. Keep this paper, and we will see about it." When analyzing the events surrounding the "Antietam incident," it seems ironic that Lincoln took the time to write a memorandum, setting straight the facts of a story that was highly antagonistic toward him, but never allowed it to be published and made public. It is likely that Lincoln either did not care about what was being published in the press, or did not want to address it, thinking that it would eventually die down. The press continued to rage on with the story of "Picayune Butler" throughout Lincoln's campaign, and even beyond his assassination. (Manchester Journal). However, what was clear from the subtext of the event was that Lincoln cared about what he had witnessed at Gettysburg and was drawn into a depressed mood as a result of what he had seen. It also reflected the fact that Lincoln turned to poetry and song in the quiet moments of his life as he contemplated the significance of a tragic event. It was personal, and not something he really wanted to make public or apologize for, even if it meant letting false assumptions continue. |