Mary's Reputation

[Angela]

This is part of a very large dispatch, titled “How they live at the White House”, that Noah Brooks send on November 7 in 1863 and which is very interesting to read.

And I cannot detect anything that I would think “uncharacteristically” in adding it to this particular publication.
Quite the contrary since I find Prof. Burlingame to be a most thorough scholar and historian.

I am not questioning his ability, only his characteristic tendency to "dis" the First Lady whenever possible.

It's really interesting how differently this can be perceived. To me it never comes across as "dissing" but rather as providing a fully rounded picture. As you yourself mentioned - when it comes to mere fact, he does not leave out the things he might personally not agree with.
The different conclusions that are drawn from all these facts might lead to personal opinions not everybody agrees with but I am not sure I would call that "dissing".