Iowa State Fair Honors Abraham Lincoln

(image courtesy Des Moines Register)

The Iowa State Fair is held annually in that state's capital of Des Moines to showcase its industrial and agricultural heritage.  It began in 1854 and is one of the largest annual events in the United States, and has been named as one of the best summer events by such publications as USA Weekend.

One of the highlights of the fair is the "butter cow," a near life-size sculpture of a cow, made from butter.  This is a tradition of the fair, honoring the dairy industry of Iowa.  In addition to the annual butter cow, every year another sculpture made from butter is created to honor something significant to the state or nation.  

This year the fair had a butter sculpture featuring none other than President Abraham Lincoln.  The organizers of the fair decided on Lincoln for a couple of reasons.  This year marks the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile road to span the entire continental United States.  The Highway crosses Iowa and is the longest continuous such route in that state. Also the sculpture honors Lincoln himself.  This year marks the sesquicentennial of both the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. The sculpture shows Lincoln standing with his hat on a small table, speech in his hand, as he is addressing the crowd in Gettysburg on November 19, 1863.  The image above courtesy of Des Moines Register, shows the sculpture. 

The Lincoln sculpture and accompanying butter cow are the creations of artist Sarah Pratt of West Des Moines, Iowa, who is the official sculptor of the fair.  Each sculpture is first created out of a combination of wire, steel, and wood, then covered in butter.  She works in 40 degree temperatures inside the cooler.  According to the fair's website, the butter is often recycled into the following year's sculptures.  

The below is a closeup of the Lincoln sculpture.  

The Iowa State Fair began on August 8 in Des Moines and closes on Sunday, August 18.  There's still plenty of time to visit it and see this wonderful sculpture of Lincoln along with all the other great attractions.  

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PBS To Premiere "Rebel" On Series Voces

On Friday May 24, 2013 the PBS Latino series "Voces" (Voices) will premiere its latest installment, titled Rebel, a documentary about an almost entirely unknown figure from the American Civil War. Rebel is the remarkable story of Loreta Janeta Velasquez, who disguised as Harry Buford, became one of the estimated nearly 1,000 women who fought in combat in the war.

Velasquez was especially unlikely to fight in the Civil War and not only due to her gender. She was born to a wealthy family in Cuba, who expected her to become a refined, elegant woman fitting of her place in society. Her parents sent her to New Orleans, Louisiana by her early teens where she lived with an aunt who attempted to teach her the classic lessons expected of a woman of the time: dance, knitting, sewing, and so on.  But as the name of this episode implies, Velasquez would have none of it.  Her personal hero was Joan of Arc, the French heroine who led armies to victory against the British in the 1400's.  Velasquez not only rebelled against society expectations for a lady, she went against the wishes of her family and married for love to a U.S. Army soldier from Texas.  After the onset of the Civil War, her husband resigned his commission to join the Confederacy. Personal tragedy caused the ultimate rebellious behavior to her gender; she disguised herself as Harry Buford and joined the Confederate army.  

Velasquez/Buford fought at the first major battle of the war, First Bull Run (or First Manassas as she would have called it), and also fought in the Battle of Shiloh. She then turned to spying for the Confederacy in various guises such as "Mrs. Alice Williams."  Finally, it seems that she became at least a double-agent and spied for the Union, if not outright defecting to that side.

In 1876, Velasquez published "A Woman In Battle," her personal memoir of her life experiences, especially her service in the war. Her criticism of war profiteering and of the Confederacy itself caused a massive outcry among powerful former leaders of the rebellion, who actively worked to suppress her book and discredit her. In fact, the suppression and efforts to discredit Velasquez were so successful that she was erased almost completely from history. Many historians considered her to be little more than a myth.  Recent scholarship and research have revealed her to be a real woman who was far ahead of her time.

A publicist for PBS asked me to view an advance copy of Rebel for review here on The Abraham Lincoln Blog.  I'm pleased to report that the documentary is worthy of such a fascinating story.  The narration, re-creations, and acting are, as with most PBS programming, outstanding.  The re-creations are moving, especially given the almost total lack of dialog from the actors. As one would expect, several experts offer insight in the film, although in my opinion there are too many of them.  The quality  is exceptional as one would expect from PBS, which towers over the "history" programming shown on History or NatGeo.

Rebel is the project of director and writer Maria Agui Carter, who worked on the film for a decade with historians and archivists.  She herself is a Latina immigrant to the United States just like the subject of the film. The story she tells in this film is important and deserves to be known. After all, Latino and Latina history in the United States helps to make up our nation's history.

Please try to watch or record Rebel on PBS on Friday May 24, 2013. It's worthy of your attention.

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New Lincoln Project Deserves Our Attention

Interest in Abraham Lincoln is soaring these days thanks to Steven Spielberg's brilliant Lincoln film, the so-so Abraham Lincoln : Vampire Hunter movie, and of course the Lincoln birth bicentennial along with the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.  New books seemingly appear every week discussing some aspect of Lincoln's life or legacy.  Documentaries, some excellent, some dreadful pop up on cable television. One could say that Lincoln is "hot" right now.

In recent months, a new Lincoln website or blog has appeared that I wish to bring to the attention of my own readers.  A young woman named Cassandra who lives in the American west has begun an ambitious project about Lincoln, in which she wants to post an article a day about Lincoln to her blog, which may be found at www.abeaday.com.   It's a delightful mix of information, quirkiness, and fun.  I've enjoyed reading her various posts, which range from her own insights about Lincoln to comical pop-culture "Abe Lincolns" that she's found while surfing on the Internet.  In fact, I like her Lincoln project so much, I contacted her to ask if she'd submit to an interview, which she readily agreed to do.  What follows is the interview we had via email.


1. What led to your adoration of Lincoln?

 It all started as a kid, when I was visiting Disneyland for the first time.  Right when you walk in the park, there used to be a "ride" (or so my dad called it) called The Hall of Presidents.  Inside was an animatronic Lincoln that said a few things including the Gettysburg Address.  I'm not sure why it affected me so strongly, but since that day my family started on quite the Lincoln kick.  I barely remember anything else about that day with so much detail.  

2.  How long have you been a fan of Lincoln's?

 Let's see, I was about 7 during the Disneyland event, so I guess that's going on 20 years! Yikes!

3. What led you to begin writing a blog about Lincoln, especially a post a day?

Since the blog revolution, I've loved how readily available people's passions, interests, hobbies, and countless other things can be shared.  I had seen the post a day type of blog many times, when I started looking around my house at all the Lincoln crafts I had made it seemed totally plausible that I could and should try my hand at it.  Lincoln has always been my favorite interest and I knew this blog would lend me the opportunity to learn more and engage others into the life of Lincoln along the way.

4. What about Lincoln most attracts you to him?

That is a heavy question.  When I was 7, I think it was something about the Gettysburg Address that attracted me to him.  As I've grown older, read more books, done more research the thing that I love about Lincoln tends to change as to where I'm at in life.  If I'm sad, I love to read about his bouts of depression and how he overcame them.  When I'm worried about seeing signs of bipolar behavior in my family and friends, I read about Mary.  And I love him for loving her throughout her disease. What I love most is that he was a man, a real man, that changed history and only truly fascinating people hold that capability. 

 5. Do family members/friends ever tell you that you're talking too much about him or are obsessed with him?

I am very lucky to have supportive friends and family that encourage my love of Lincoln.  If anything, it has made us all closer because as soon as anyone finds a new Lincoln fact, we get in touch.  Now we have an excuse to socialize, and I think everyone benefits.  Friends and family have been active members in blog helping in many ways from creating crafts, forwarding me information, to the endless amount of creative ideas they send my way.   For people that aren't aware of the Lincoln thing, I think the first time they come into my house can be a bit disconcerting.  As soon as I explain the blog and the interest, they begin to look at it as a hobby instead of some crazy person who may have a shrine to Abraham Lincoln in her house.  Hahaha, it's made for a lot of interesting conversation. 

6. What's your favorite aspect of Lincoln's life or legacy?

My favorite thing that Lincoln left behind were his letters.  I could read endlessly his eloquent thoughts.  We are so lucky that so much of his personal writing still exists. Also, whenever I read them, the voice of Abe (like Daniel Day) echos them in my head.  In a way, Lincoln is my favorite author.  

(end of interview)

Thank you, Cassandra, for agreeing to the interview about your really wonderful Abe-A-Day blog.  Readers, please check it out at www.abeaday.com.  I know you'll enjoy it as much as I do.  

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Getting Abraham Lincoln Right

My previous post discussed the 150th anniversary of the Territory of Idaho, when on March 4, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Congressional Act which established the territory.  Last week, the Gem State of Idaho held ceremonies at the state house in the city of Boise to mark the anniversary.

Part of the ceremonies included a renaming of the auditorium inside the state house after President Lincoln, complete with the installation of a handsome plaque which I've shown in the photo above.  The relief on the plaque is based on a famous photo of Lincoln taken in 1860.  On this plaque is a quote purported to come from Lincoln: "There is both a power and a magic in public opinion. To that let us now appeal."  Powerful words, but are they Lincoln's?  

That question was asked by Ms. Melissa Davlin, a reporter from the Times-News newspaper from Twin Falls, Idaho, when she contacted me last week via email.  She had seen my post about Idaho Territory, and told me about the plaque with this quote. Ms. Davlin apparently understood that many "quotes" of Abraham Lincoln are spurious, either attributable to someone else or simply made up.  She inquired of my opinion about the quote on this plaque, because she wanted to be sure it's accurate. Davlin had searched for the quote online, but had found only one reference to it from the early 1900's.  

The best source for researching anything which Lincoln said or wrote is The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, published by the Abraham Lincoln Association in 1953.  It contains dates and locations of every known speech, letter, telegram, and quote from Lincoln which can be proven to be authentic.  Thanks to the Association, this indispensable resource is now available here with a searchable database.  I searched for the quote in The Collected Works using a variety of word combinations, but it was not found anywhere in the text, which comprises 9 thick volumes when published.  I then did an online search of this "quote" and like Ms. Davlin, I found only one reference, the one which she had earlier located.

I replied in an email to Ms. Davlin that I don't believe the quote to be factual.  If it's not in The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, that's a very strong indication that it's not legitimate.  She replied that the quote was provided by the leading Lincoln expert in Idaho, Mr. David Leroy, who is the former Lt. Governor and attorney general of that state.  He said that the quote is from the famous "Lost Speech" of Lincoln, which was given in Bloomington, Illinois in 1856.  The speech was apparently so dazzling that all newspaper reporters present gave up taking notes in order to listen.  No text of the speech in Lincoln's handwriting is known to exist.  The only "text" of that speech was printed in the early 1900's by a man who was present for it, attorney Henry Whitney.  This text is disputed by many Lincoln scholars because it's based on memories of a speech given nearly four decades previous to its publication.  Additionally, some of the words and cadences of the "Lost Speech" text don't seem to mesh with speeches given by Lincoln in the middle 1850's.  

The Times-News published an article about the quote in question on Monday March 11, 2013.  In that article, Mr. Leroy defends his use of this Lincoln quote by stating that "most Lincoln transcripts are suspect, even from his most famous speeches" because newspaper accounts of them differ, or that Lincoln sometimes  deviated from his own notes while speaking.  That statement is correct.  For example, we simply don't know the exact text of the Gettysburg Address as spoken by Lincoln on November 19, 1863.  Newspaper accounts from reporters present to hear Lincoln that day run the gamut from summaries which miss the entire point of the speech to what may be Lincoln's words verbatim.  He wrote five copies (that we know of) of the Gettysburg Address and each has slightly different variations. But even if contemporary news articles of Lincoln's time gave conflicting accounts of the same speech, those articles were published within days or weeks of the speech.  Those are far more reliable than a "text" of a speech published almost forty years after the fact.  

The article also mentions two Lincoln historians who disagree with Mr. Leroy about the authenticity of the quote.  The first is none other than the greatest living Lincoln scholar, Mr. Harold Holzer, author of more than 40 books and countless articles about Lincoln.  He also served as the chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.  The second Lincoln historian mentioned is yours truly.  Neither of us accept the authenticity of the "quote" on the Idaho plaque.

Lincoln, in fact, spoke often about public opinion in his speeches prior to becoming President.  On December 10, 1856 in Chicago, he stated at a Republican dinner that "Our government rests in public opinion. Whoever can change public opinion, can change the government, practically just so much."  In other words, shifts in public opinion can and do change the direction of government.  That factual quote could have been used on this plaque without changing the intent of what Mr. Leroy meant to convey. 

To his credit, Mr. Leroy understands the minor controversy over the "quote" he selected for this plaque in the state house in Boise.  He says that debate is healthy and he's of course correct.  I'm quoted in the article as stating that I hope the plaque remains in place and I mean it.  It's actually quite beautiful.  I only wish the quote on the plaque was absolutely authentic. 

Our job as historians is to present undeniable facts about the past so we can educate others.  It's important that we get history "right" so we don't perpetuate misunderstanding of events and the people who were involved in them.  Especially critical is getting the history of Abraham Lincoln right, for he is, perhaps, surrounded by more legends than any other figure from American history.  If we fail in that effort, we can never learn about the real Abraham Lincoln, the man behind the myths.

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Abraham Lincoln Recalls The Troops

On March 10, 1863, 150 years ago today, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation which ordered soldiers who were absent without leave (AWOL) back to their units.  The "Proclamation Recalling Soldiers To Their Regiments" offered a mixture of amnesty and a threat of punishment to such troops.

The Civil War was not going well for the Union at this point in 1863.  Lincoln still had not found even a competent general for the Army Of The Potomac, having recently relieved the hapless Ambrose Burnside of command and replacing him with Joseph Hooker, who had openly schemed against Burnside.  Thanks to the demoralizing defeat for the North at Fredericksburg and in other battles, numerous soldiers had begun deserting from the armies.  The number of volunteers had also been on a downward trend, so on March 3, 1863 Lincoln signed into law the Enrollment Act, which required the conscription (or draft) of all male U.S. citizens from the age of 20 through age 45.  This "Recalling Soldiers To Their Regiments" was the follow up.

The proclamation stated that if any troops then AWOL from their regiments would report back to designated points on or before April 1, 1863, they would be readmitted without threat of punishment.  They would only forfeit pay missed while AWOL.  However, it stated that anyone not reporting on or prior to the deadline would be arrested as deserters and fully punished as the law provided at that time.  Such punishment could (and sometimes did) include execution.

Finally, this proclamation also called on civilians to avoid tempting troops to desert and to stop aiding them in the effort as well.  It didn't specifically threaten civilians with arrest and punishment if found guilty, but military authorities could do so.

Much has been written about Lincoln's compassion toward soldiers and it's true that he often pardoned those he felt deserved a second chance.  But as this proclamation reveals, there were limits to his patience as the war dragged on.

You may read the entire text of the Proclamation Recalling Soldiers To Their Regiments here.

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Abraham Lincoln and Idaho Territory

Today is a huge day for celebration in the state of Idaho! 150 years ago today on March 4, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Congressional Act which created the Territory of Idaho. There are celebrations going on throughout that state today and throughout this year as it celebrates its sesquicentennial.

"Territories" were formed by the United States government beginning as early as 1787 with the Northwest Territory (now Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, parts of Wisconsin) in order to organize, settle, and govern huge sections of land controlled by the government.  Territories had a governor and other officials, including legislatures, judiciary, marshals and so on.  Once a territory had enough population, it could petition the U.S. government to officially become a state and enter the Union.  Idaho was admitted as an official state on July 3, 1890.

The original Idaho Territory consisted of remnants from the old Oregon Territory and comprised most of the present day states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.  Over the decades of its existence, parts of the Idaho Territory were taken by the Wyoming Territory.  By the time of its admittance to the Union in 1890, the modern day boundaries of the state of Idaho had been determined.

As I mentioned earlier, today is a big day in Idaho.  To help honor the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his signing of the Act which formed Idaho Territory, the state legislature there has named an auditorium in the state house for him.  A handsome plaque dedicates the auditorium in his memory.  Here's a photo of the plaque unveiled just today:

I owe special thanks for this information to my friend Tara who happens to live in the Idaho capital of Boise. I would have completely missed this anniversary were it not for her letting me know of this special day for all Idahoans.

Idaho. One of the many parts of the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, which continues to resonate throughout our nation nearly 150 years after his death.

Happy Birthday, Idaho!   If you'd like to read more about the events going on in that beautiful state this year, please click here.

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Book Review: A New Birth Of Freedom: The Translator

Two years ago this month in February 2011, I reviewed the first in a trilogy of science-fiction books featuring Abraham Lincoln and other icons from that era in history.  The trilogy titled A New Birth Of Freedom is the story of a time traveler who has come from the very distant future to seek the help of Lincoln, the Union, and even the Confederacy against alien invaders who threaten to annihilate our planet.  The first book, "The Visitor," is the story of Mr. Edwin Blair, who returns to introduce himself to Abraham Lincoln in the year 1849, hands Lincoln a letter, and asks him to keep it until 1863 at which time the visitor (Mr. Blair) will return to tell Lincoln in detail what he is asking of him.  That book was hard for me to put down and I eagerly waited for the second in the trilogy.  

After a two year wait, the second book has arrived.  "The Translator" picks up where the first left off.  The Battle of Gettysburg has ended prematurely as the Union and rebel forces had combined to help combat the invaders.  Some of the invaders had been captured, which raised huge ethical concerns about the treatment of prisoners of war, especially if those prisoners are bent on destroying your planet.  By the end of that first volume, a rudimentary way of communicating with the aliens had been discovered, that communication revealing the creatures to be intelligent.  In turn, that raised even more ethical and humanitarian concerns.

In "The Translator," the focus shifts from the reasons why Mr. Blair has come from the far future to the young man (and others) who can communicate with the alien prisoners.  The aliens tell him they need to communicate with "White Hat" and "Big Mouth," a soldier and a Native American, respectively.  No one knows where these two men are, let alone why the creatures need them to be found.  Even the aliens themselves aren't entirely sure why.

As in the first book, "The Translator" skillfully blends history, alternate history, and science-fiction into an interesting and fun book, while also raising important questions about how compassionate people must (or should) be toward their enemies.  That the author, Robert G. Pielke, holds degrees in ethics, theology, and history, it's understandable why this trilogy asks important questions of the reader.

Overall I enjoyed "The Visitor" more than I did "The Translator."  But it's understandable as the first features a battle, the mystery of why Mr. Blair is in Lincoln's time, and the shock of finding out why.  "The Translator"  just doesn't have the same swift pace and gripping narrative, but it's obviously setting the stage for the concluding volume.  It's still well-written, entertaining, and hard to put down.

Yes, the entire premise of A New Birth Of Freedom is ridiculous.  But if you like science-fiction in addition to history (you must, or you wouldn't be reading this post), then I'd highly recommend this trilogy.

Both books are published by Tribute Books and may be purchased on Amazon or at Whiskey Creek Press in paperback format.  eBook versions are available for Kindle and Nook, as well as through Whiskey Creek Press.

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