Charlottesville

[RJNorton]

(08-21-2017 12:37 AM)David Lockmiller Wrote:  The second of these stories appears fully on page 268 and reads as follows in the words of Colonel Forney:

“To show the magnanimity of Mr. Lincoln, I may mention that on one occasion, when an editorial article appeared in my newspaper, the Washington ‘Chronicle,’ speaking well of the bravery and the mistaken sincerity of Stonewall Jackson, the news of whose death had been just received, the President wrote me a letter thanking me warmly for speaking kindly of a fallen foe. These were his words:--

’I honor you for your generosity to one who, though contending against us in a guilty cause, was nevertheless a gallant man. Let us forget his sins over his fresh-made grave.’”

David, I was curious to see if Abraham Lincoln made any other comments about Stonewall Jackson, and I found one. It's in Elizabeth Keckly's book. She wrote that Lincoln said:

"He is a brave, honest Presbyterian soldier; what a pity that we should have to fight such a gallant fellow! If we only had such a man to lead the armies of the North, the country would not be appalled with so many disasters."

(I checked the Fehrenbachers' book, and they give "C's" and "D's" to all the Keckly quotes they include. The one I quoted above is given a "D.")