The Death of Abraham Lincoln

Yesterday (14 April) and today mark the 150th anniversary of the assassination of President Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth. Here is an interesting illustration, showing Columbia (??) mourning over the President's casket, and in the upper corners, a soldier grieving, representing the sorrow of the Army (on the upper left), and a sailor sobbing into his hands next to his gun, representing the sorrow of the Navy (upper right) for their commander-in-chief.

Presidents' Day: Lincoln Remembered

Abraham Lincoln, The Martyr, Victorious by John Sartain

I had a hard time composing a blog post about Abraham Lincoln and Presidents' Day this morning.  Sipping my coffee, I looked through several books, hoping to find a few inspirational quotes or anecdotes about Lincoln and the role of the United States Navy.

I found them.  The quotes were great.  It was shaping up to be a great blog post.  When I got to the blogger document to compose, I froze.  Something wasn't sitting.  The problem was, most of the quotes I sifted through were all too familiar.  Either paired in small sections on the navies or wordy introductions, the stories seem to overlap over time.

His close relationship with his naval officers.  The setup of the Atlantic blockade.  Several award-winning books are published on Lincoln's relationship with the Navy.   How many times can we include his speech about "Uncle Sam's web-feet" without it becoming dry and overused?

Unsatisfied, I stared at a blank blog page for twenty minutes.  The writing cursor blinked on the screen, laughing at me.  Frustrated (and admittedly waking up), I resorted to scour the Internet to see anything newly  published.  After an unsuccessful search on some scholarly websites, I throttled back and searched the web to see what the general public had to say.  One of the top hits about Lincoln and the U.S. Navy (after sifting through Wikipedia and the usual .org's) was a simple question from an answer-based website:

I wasn't alarmed by this.  After all, it's a question often asked.   I thought of the first time I stared at a blank screen.  It was December 29, 2009 - the first blog post ever written for the Civil War Navy Sesquicentennial.

Staring at that screen over three years ago, I asked the same question:  Why did Lincoln use the Navy?  Why is this important to the narrative of sesquicentennial remembrance?  Today above all others, why does Lincoln's memory hold more permanence than ever?  They say the easiest questions asked are the hardest to answer.  Perhaps there is some truth in that.

Today, we honor the men who stood resolute to foreign powers abroad and political and social change at home.  It is too easy for us to look back and judge these men by their actions.  Lincoln is not around today to tell us his introspective thoughts on the U.S. Navy, or the trials and tribulations faced by so many who gave all so some could go free.  Unfortunately, some of these stock quotes are all we have.

Today is the perfect day to reflect not on what Lincoln said, but what he did instead.  His words would be meaningless today if there was not decisive action backed behind them.  Not everyone agrees which presidents did their job to their best ability.  What we all can agree on is the impact Lincoln had for the United States and the advancement of today's greatest Navy.  

As long as people keeping asking questions, we still have plenty of work to do.  As Uncle Sam's "web-feet" should not be forgotten, nor should Lincoln.  

Full speed ahead,

Matthew T. Eng

Gideon Welles' Thoughts on Emancipation

First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of Lincoln, by Francis Bicknell Carpenter (Welles is seated in the middle next to Abraham Lincoln)

As many people know, Steven Spielberg’s recently released Civil War biopic Lincoln tells the story of the pivotal moments faced by the 16^th president during the drafting and passing of the 13^th Amendment.  One of the necessary steps to its passing was the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.  Taken in tandem with the 13^th Amendment, the Emancipation Proclamation was arguably the most political/socially-fueled document in the United States since the Declaration of Independence.  The General Order announced the Emancipation Proclamation written by Lincoln, which was signed on 1 January 1863. 

Part of the film’s appeal was its close ties to the wildly popular book by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.  In large part, the film is an adaptation of her work.  In the film, actor Grainger Hines portrays Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles.  Although Welles played a small role in the film, in reality Welles had many interesting observations about the abolition of slavery from the Emancipation Proclamation through the passing of the 13^th Amendment.  The Emancipation Proclamation made the abolishment of slavery a joint political/military goal, one that Welles could no longer ignore. 

The following are excerpts from the Diary of Gideon Welles in the months and days before and after the issuance of General Order No. 4.  You can see through his diary entries a reactionary timeline of thought that matches perfectly with the social and political climate of wartime America.  “Father Neptune” was a concise and calculated thinker, able to weigh the implications of combat equally with that of political choice or necessity.  In many cases, especially in the last quote included here, Welles was absolutely right in his thoughts on Emancipation and the slavery question. 

You can see the documents association with General Order No. 4 at the Naval History and Heritage Command Facebook Page. 

(It is important to note that the Proclamation did not apply to the five states not in rebellion, as well as regions controlled by the United States Army.  Individual rights for emancipation would occur on a state-by-state basis with the passing of the 13^th Amendment.)

The President Broaches the Subject of Emancipation to his cabinet (Fall 1862):

“It was a new departure for the President, for until this time, in all our previous interviews, whenever the question of emancipation or the mitigation of slavery had been in any way alluded to, he had been prompt and emphatic in denouncing any interference by the General Government with the subject.  This was, I think the sentiment of every member of the Cabinet, all of whom, including the President, considered it a local, domestic question appertaining to the States respectively, who had never parted with the authority over it.”

Post-Antietam Public Sentiment (September 24, 1862):

“As I write, 9 P.M., a band of music strikes up on the opposite side of the square, a complimentary serenade to the President for the Emancipation Proclamation.  The document has been in the main well received, but there is some violent opposition…”

Emancipation Proclamation (1 January 1863):

“The Emancipation Proclamation is published in this evening’s Star.  This is a broad step, and will be a landmark in history.  The immediate effect will not be all its friends anticipate or its opponents apprehend.  Passing events are steadily accomplishing what is here proclaimed. 

Final Thoughts Prior to General Order No. 4 (10 January 1863):

“Some things have taken place which will undoubtedly for a time exasperate the Southern mind, for they will affect Southern society, habits, labor, and pursuits.  For a period emancipation will aggravate existing differences, and a full generation will be necessary to effect and complete the change which has been commenced.”