Book Review: "My Name Is Mary Sutter"

One of my greatest joys in life is reading. My personal tastes in books lean more toward works of non-fiction, primarily history, and especially anything to do with Abraham Lincoln. Of course, that's probably obvious to those of you who have previously visited this blog. I rarely read novels because for me, historical or current events are far more fascinating than anything most authors can dream up. So when I was contacted by the publisher Viking Press and asked to review a new historical novel, I was a bit reluctant to do so. I will forever be grateful that I agreed.

My Name Is Mary Sutter is the debut novel of writer Robin Oliveira. It is the sweeping story of a midwife living in Albany, NY at the cusp of the Civil War. Mary Sutter is a strong-willed and brilliant woman who wants more out of life than midwifery; she wants to become a surgeon. Because of her gender and the era in which she lives, medical schools and physicians refuse to accept her as a student.

Heartbreak and the onset of the war lead Mary to Washington City (as Washington, D.C. was then called) where she volunteers her services as a nurse. After the First Battle of Bull Run, she is thrown into the horrors of the primitive care and medical treatment the wounded, sick, and dying soldiers receive in that time. The reader follows Mary through the war as she is confronted with having to choose between soldiers who can be saved and those who cannot in the aftermath of The Wilderness Campaign, and after Antietam. Along the way, Mary learns more about nursing and, eventually, about medicine as the shortage of doctors during the war necessitate her being trained "on the job."

The fictional Mary Sutter has interactions with real figures from history in this novel. She meets Dorothea Dix, who became the Union's Superintendent of Nurses during the Civil War, who at first refuses Mary's request to become a nurse. A chance encounter with John Hay, one of Abraham Lincoln's two secretaries leads to a meeting with the president, who is mourning the loss of his dear son Willie.

My Name Is Mary Sutter is, in a word, magnificent. It is sweeping in scope, impeccably researched, and beautifully written. Ms. Oliveira's character development is outstanding and makes the reader care deeply about what will happen to Mary, her family, and the men who vie for her love.

It's not a book for the faint of heart. The author's description of childbirth and battlefield amputations are quite graphic, but only to further develop the characters and story. (The author's husband is a physician, and she credits him for helping her when she wrote about the various medical events in the novel.) Her descriptions of the conditions the soldiers live and fight in are so vivid and detailed that one can almost experience the stench of the camps and the terror of the soldiers who are grievously wounded. Rather than turn the reader's stomach, these scenes make the book gripping. I had a difficult time putting the book down. Above all, it's made me want to learn more about the "Angels Of The Battlefield" as the real Civil War nurses were called.

My Name Is Mary Sutter deserves to make a "splash" for Robin Oliveira like Cold Mountain did for Charles Frazier. I cannot begin to recommend this debut novel enough to my readers and fellow lovers of history.

My rating:

5.0 out of 5.0 Clara Bartons, a Civil War nurse and founder of The American Red Cross

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Lincoln Never Said These Life Lessons

There is no doubt that Abraham Lincoln wrote or said some of the greatest quotes in American history. His entire Second Inaugural Address, for example, is one of the finest speeches ever given. The Gettysburg Address is of course immortal. And his "House Divided" speech stands as a brilliant summary of the slavery struggles facing our nation in the years leading up to the Civil War.

Unfortunately, there are also numerous "quotes" which have been attributed to Lincoln for many years, "quotes" which he surely did not say. Currently there is a popular web page called "7 Must Read Life Lessons From Abraham Lincoln." It's being "tweeted" on Twitter, linked to by many other sites, and even mentioned on a museum's Facebook page.

The trouble is, that Abraham Lincoln said only two of the seven "quotes" given on the website. Some of these "quotes" attributed to Lincoln didn't quite "ring true" with me, so I checked the most indispensable source available for things which Lincoln said or wrote.

The Collected Works Of Abraham Lincoln consists of all the known writings, speeches, and quotes of Lincoln. The Abraham Lincoln Association published this 8-volume collection in 1953. Mr. Roy P. Basler and his staff spent five years transcribing Lincoln's letters, notes, and other writings to produce this work. I own a set of the Collected Works but the website I linked to at the beginning of this paragraph provides excellent search capability on single words or phrases Lincoln wrote or spoke.

For example, one so-called "quote" presented on the "7 Must Read" site which Lincoln supposedly said is: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend four hours sharpening the axe." Great advice, right? Preparation is key to success. Problem is, Abraham Lincoln never said any such thing. A simple search for "sharpening the axe" on the website of the Collected Works comes up empty.

I don't mean this post to be an attack on the site which provides great life lessons, because they are indeed wonderful lessons for success in life. It's just that Abraham Lincoln never said most of the quotes. (For the record, quotes #5 and #7 on the "7 Must Read" site are accurate)

Those of us who love history, be we professional scholars or amateur ones, need to guard against inaccuracies presented as "facts." I feel it's my job as an amateur Lincoln historian to alert the readers of this blog when bad Lincoln history shows up.

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America The Story Of Us On History

If you've been watching the American history series called America The Story of Us on History in recent weeks, you'll understand why so many people consider it to be excellent. A combination of CGI and live action has told the story of the past 400 years of our history, warts and all. While twelve hours of television can't possibly tell the story in great depth, the ambitious reach of the effort is impressive.

Some of you may not realize that you can download previous episodes of the series onto your iPod from iTunes, Apple's proprietary source for music and videos. You'll need iTunes installed on your computer to be able to do this. You can also get a sneak peek of the upcoming episodes as well on iTunes.

The episode which covered the Civil War and Lincoln was well done, as were the other episodes. I'll be adding the DVD set to my collection once it's available. In the meantime, be sure to catch the remaining episodes on History.

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Talking About Lincoln's Assassination

Two nights ago, I gave a lecture about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. I hesitate to include anything in this blog about myself, because after all, it's The Abraham Lincoln Blog and not the "Lincoln and Geoff Elliott Blog."

I was surprised this past February when a church group asked me to give a presentation about Lincoln at their monthly gathering. The group didn't give me any specific guidelines so I was stumped about what to present. I couldn't decide whether to talk about his life in general, his religious beliefs (or lack thereof), his presidency, his actions in war time, or about the man behind the myths. Then a series of snowstorms here on the Ohio tundra hit right around the presentation date and my talk was postponed until May.

I suppose it was fate, somehow, which led to my Lincoln lecture being held May 18, 2010. That day just happened to be the 150th anniversary of Lincoln receiving the Republican nomination for President Of The United States, May 18, 1860. Pretty remarkable, at least to me.

As regular readers of this blog know, I recently completed an ambitious series of posts commemorating the 145th anniversary of Lincoln's assassination and long funeral train journey back to Springfield. So I thought those two topics would be perfect for my talk.

I covered all the highlights in the lecture: the assassination; Booth; the conspirators and their fates; and then information about each of the thirteen funerals held for Lincoln. I spoke for around an hour and then opened the floor to questions.

I was amazed at how many questions I received, and not just about the assassination or funerals. People asked questions such as: why Lincoln grew his beard; if Mary and Abraham were Christians; what Lincoln might think of today's political situation in the U.S.; how old he was when he died; and so on. By the time the questions were asked (and answered), nearly another hour had gone by.

It was heartening to me to see the avid interest in Mr. Lincoln. He still matters to us today.

Thank you to the Dover Alliance church in Dover, Ohio for the warm welcome the folks there gave me. It was a thrill to be asked to speak about Lincoln, especially considering that I am only an "amateur historian." I hope this wasn't the last opportunity to share my passion with others about our country's greatest president. Only time will tell.

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Springfield Welcomes Mr. Lincoln Back Home

(Author's Note: On May 3, 1865, the Funeral Train of Abraham Lincoln was nearing its final destination of Springfield, Illinois. It had covered almost 1,700 miles on its journey from Washington, D.C. to bring the remains of the president home. Washington City (as it was called in those days) and ten other cities had held funerals for Mr. Lincoln. All that remained was the final one, the thirteenth, as Springfield prepared to say a final farewell to its most famous citizen. Today marks the 145th anniversary of the arrival of Lincoln's remains in the town he had called home.)

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln 145 years ago on April 14, 1865 caused an outpouring of grief the likes of which had never before been seen in the United States of America. From the time of Lincoln's State Funeral in Washington, D.C. on April 19 to Chicago on May 2, 1865 it was estimated that approximately one million mourners had already filed past Lincoln's remains in those cities, plus the nine others which had held official funerals for the martyred president. The Funeral Train had passed through countless crossroads, villages, towns, and cities along the way, with an estimated 25 million more Americans lining the tracks to pay homage to Lincoln.

Nowhere in the country were hearts heavier on the morning of May 3 than those in Springfield, Illinois. The nation had lost a leader, but Springfield had lost even more: a lawyer, a partner, a neighbor, a friend. As dawn broke that day, crowds had already formed at the Chicago and Alton depot on Jefferson Street, waiting for the Funeral Train to bring Mr. Lincoln back home.

As the train approached Springfield, the official mourners (numbering around 300) accompanying Lincoln's remains were surprised to find themselves moved to tears once more, for they thought their emotions were exhausted from the previous funerals over the past two weeks. Now as they saw signs and banners which read "Bring Him Back Home" or "Home At Last" or "Home Is The Martyr" in those final few miles, the grief surfaced again.

Springfield had been home to Abraham Lincoln for a quarter of a century from 1837 until he departed for Washington as president-elect in February, 1861. That day he had given his famous "Farewell Speech" to the people of Springfield, telling them that "To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything." He closed by telling them "I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return...."

As in the other cities holding funerals, Springfield had been draped in a sea of black ribbons, streamers, and crape. Lincoln's own home (seen in the image at the beginning of this post) was so decorated for mourning, inside as well as out. The home had remained in the possession of the Lincolns when they left for Washington, having been rented to a family for the previous four years. Now the Lincoln home (which of course still stands) became a place of pilgrimage for mourners and souvenir seekers alike, with people denuding the trees of leaves, stripping paint off the house, and even daring to remove bricks from the walk and foundation. It got so bad, with about 200 people visiting the home every few minutes that the renter asked soldiers for protection so something might be left.

The other major building in Springfield associated with Abraham Lincoln was the State Capitol, and it, too, was appropriately covered in mourning as the below picture shows. Lincoln served his last term as an Illinois State Representative in this building from 1840-1842. More importantly, it was in the Capitol where Lincoln gave his famous "House Divided" speech on June 16, 1858 in which he declared that the country could not continue to exist half-slave and half-free. Additionally, Lincoln used offices in the Capitol in Springfield after he was elected to the presidency. Now it would serve Abraham Lincoln one last time, for it was here where his final laying-in-state was to be held.


People began lining up hours ahead of time at the State Capitol that day, wanting to be assured of getting their chance to say goodbye to their former neighbor. They had heard the stories of mourners in the other cities losing their opportunities to see the remains when doors had closed. No one in Springfield wanted that to happen to them.

The Funeral Train pulled into the depot at 9:00 a.m. that day. As it did, many people in the waiting crowd burst into tears, some weeping uncontrollably. Within only a few minutes, Lincoln's casket was removed from the Funeral Car and transported directly to the Hall of Representatives at the State Capitol for the laying-in-state, with the crowd streaming behind.

I hate to be morbid, but some of my readers have been asking how Lincoln's remains could have been preserved for viewings in thirteen cities. The answer is with very great difficulty. The bullet wound had, of course, done damage to the president's head, which resulted in a general discoloration of the skin. Now the undertakers in Springfield were horrified to find that the face was completely black. It took thirty long minutes, much rouge, and makeup to restore Lincoln to a presentable manner.

The doors were open to the public at 10:00 a.m., which was standing six abreast as the line filed in to the Capitol. There, the single line was split in two, so that people could approach the casket on either side. The photo below is of a print which depicts how the laying-in-state appeared that day.

The Capitol remained open to mourners, some of whom had come from St. Louis, Chicago, and from points even further away, all day and through the night of May 3. The doors didn't close until around noon the next day, the day of the last funeral.

Mourners looked for things to do after viewing the remains. So pilgrimages of sorts were made to landmarks associated with Lincoln throughout Springfield. His law offices were visited, and even the homes of his physician, or friends, and other associates. As I briefly described earlier, many made their way to the Lincoln home.

Now a special guest awaited the visitors at the home. The Lincoln's former pet, a mixed-breed dog named "Fido," had been brought by in an attempt to help the mourners cheer up. Fido had been left behind with a kind family four years earlier when Lincoln decided that the dog would never be able to tolerate the loud noises and lurching of the trains. Fido was easily startled by such noises, and Lincoln thought it better if he could be given to another family. Such a family had been found, who had promised to let the dog have his favorite treats, not to be scolded too much, and be permitted to have his favorite sofa taken from the Lincoln home and left with his new owners. Fido was in good spirits that day, no doubt happy to be back in his former home, but quite probably seeking out his former master. The dog was taken later that very day to a photographer, who took the photo below. (By the way, original photos of Fido often sell for higher prices than do some photos of Lincoln himself!)

So went the day of May 3, 1865 when Abraham Lincoln at long last came home to Springfield, 145 years ago today. The next day would be his final funeral, the subject of my next post.

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An Unscheduled Funeral For Lincoln

(Author's Note: For the past sixteen days, I've been running a series of posts in commemoration of the 145th anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, April 14, 1865. The journey which his Funeral Train took over nearly 1700 miles from Washington to Springfield was remarkable as thirteen cities held funerals for the murdered president in displays of grief and mourning which have never been duplicated in our nation. Today marks the 145th anniversary of an unplanned funeral held for Mr. Lincoln in a small Indiana town.)

The capital city of Indianapolis, Indiana had only hours before bade a final goodbye to Abraham Lincoln when his Funeral Train left late in the evening on April 30, 1865. The next scheduled funeral for him was a massive one planned in Chicago, as his home state was preparing to welcome him home at last. But an unplanned stop in the small town of Michigan City, Indiana resulted in an impromptu tenth funeral for Abraham Lincoln, complete with a viewing of his remains.

The schedule for the Funeral Train called for a non-stop run from Indianapolis to Chicago, with a planned arrival in the Windy City of 11:00 a.m. on May 1, 1865. Even in those days, though, "important" people felt the need to be in the presence of greatness. So the Lincoln Funeral Train pulled in for a stop at the station in Michigan City at 8:00 a.m. while it waited for 100 men from Chicago to board where they would escort it into their city.

Like so many of the small towns along the funeral route, Michigan City had constructed a temporary arch at its depot, featuring pictures of the president, mourning displays, and words of grief. Now it became the scene of a brief, but moving funeral as town residents made the most of their unexpected opportunity. The scene at the depot that day maybe viewed in the photo at the beginning of this post.

Officials in charge of the Funeral Train decided on the spot to open the coffin to display the remains, breaking the rule which had stated that the coffin would be opened only in the cities holding official funerals. Then townspeople were permitted to board the Funeral Car to file past the coffin while the people who had been riding the train were breakfasting inside the depot.

Quick prayers were said and hymns were sung as the smallest funeral for Abraham Lincoln began inside the Funeral Car. It was later said that the grief shown by the Michigan City townspeople was as palpable that day inside the car as it was in the other cities where the official funerals had been held.

The entire ceremony that day was also the shortest as the unexpected stop lasted barely an hour. The service was over in just thirty-five minutes.

The image below also depicts the funeral arch which stood that day in Michigan City. Look at the attention to detail which had gone into constructing it! Keep in mind, if you will, that it was built simply to straddle the tracks as the Lincoln Funeral Train passed under it.


By 9:00 a.m. the day of May 1, 1865, it was over as the Funeral Train chugged out of Michigan City, heading to Chicago. In just an hour, the citizens of that small town on the shores of Lake Michigan seized their opportunity to become part of history. They would remember it as the thrill of a lifetime.

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Lincoln's Indianapolis Farewell

(Author's Note: This post continues the series I've been writing since April 14, 2010, marking the 145th anniversary of the Lincoln assassination and Funeral Train journey from Washington to Springfield. In all, thirteen cities held funerals for President Lincoln, including the capital of Indiana, Indianapolis. Indianapolis got its chance to pay former Indiana farm-boy Lincoln a final farewell 145 years ago today, April 30, 1865.)

The journey from Columbus, Ohio to Indianapolis, Indiana took the Lincoln Funeral Train almost eleven hours to complete, from 8:00 p.m. April 29, 1865 until 7:00 a.m. the following day. As Abraham Lincoln's remains drew closer to home, the train slowed to just 5 m.p.h. as it passed stations, thus giving mourners a better opportunity to see the train for a longer period of time. Even in the middle of the night, thousands of people crowded into the small towns in western Ohio. Three thousand waited in Urbana, Ohio. Five thousand welcomed Lincoln back to Indiana in Richmond, at 2:00 a.m. on April 30. Temporary arches were built over the tracks on the way to Indianapolis, bearing portraits of Lincoln, Grant, and other great Union generals.

It had been raining all night and it was no different when the Funeral Train arrived in Indianapolis. Indeed, it was raining so heavily that the majestic funeral procession which had been planned by the city had to be canceled. Instead the coffin was placed on a magnificent hearse, trimmed in the now-typical silver and black ornate decorations, and pulled by eight white horses directly to the State Capitol. Six of these same horses, and the hearse driver, had transported Lincoln four years earlier to the capitol building on his inaugural trip to Washington.

The photo at the beginning of this post shows the capitol in the background, wrapped in black mourning cloth and ribbons. A strange structure at the entrance to the ground is visible in the photo, and no one really knows why it was constructed. It was neither arch, nor tunnel. Inside it had numerous displays of Lincoln's life, yet it struck mourners as unnecessary and even distracting from the majesty of the capitol.

The president's casket was placed on yet another catafalque and the lid opened once again to display the remains. By now, people in the Southern states criticized the northern cities heavily for the "morbid and morose" display of a dead body. which they interpreted as punishment for the Civil War. Northerners, on the other hand, simply couldn't get enough as had been seen in the previous eight cities to hold funerals for Lincoln.

Indianapolis was no different. The first group of mourners to file past Lincoln that day were 5,000 children, all members of various Sunday schools. Bringing up the rear were hundreds of African-Americans, clutching copies of the Emancipation Proclamation. By the time those final mourners had paid their respects, an estimated 100,000 people had visited Lincoln's repose in the state capitol. As in Columbus, Ohio most of the mourning displays were left inside for an additional few days or weeks so people who had missed the laying-in-state could still view the general appearance of what it had been like.

It was in Indiana, of course, where Abraham Lincoln spent his formative years. He and his family moved to Spencer County in 1816, when he was only seven years old. He grew into a man while living there until 1830, when his family moved further west to Illinois. Lincoln himself fondly remembered his years in Indiana, stating in his autobiographical sketch that "there I grew up."

The first photo below shows a close-up of the hearse used to transport Lincoln's remains in Indianapolis. The second photo might be a "re-creation" of the funeral procession which never happened. Photographers who had been disappointed on April 30, 1865 arranged for the same hearse and horses for this photo, but the coffin on the hearse is a replica. The photo was apparently taken on May 1, 1865 in downtown Indianapolis.




Now close to midnight of April 30, 1865, the Indiana capital bid former Hoosier Abraham Lincoln a final farewell, as the Funeral Train sounded its whistle, slowly pulling away from the station. It's next scheduled destination was Chicago, as Illinois prepared to welcome its most famous citizen back home. But first, an unexpected delay occurred in a small Indiana city, which then held an unscheduled funeral. That will be the subject of my next post.

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