Mary's Reputation

[brtmchl]

(07-16-2012 11:34 AM)L Verge Wrote:  Thanks for the suggestion to read Dr. Evans's book, Roger. I had never heard of it. I know that the Mary-bashing seems to be quite prevalent among the Lincoln scholars today. One in particular was almost vicious.

It would be interesting to put some of them in petticoats and see how they dealt with losing a mother at an early age, not getting along with the stepmother, being married to someone they loved who had a totally different style, losing children at an early age, dealing with a husband pre-occupied with a Civil War and subject to depression, and finally having that husband shot while you are holding his arm. I could go on about the treatment that she received from Congress...

Gene, thanks for the kind words you posted about her trips to help the wounded soldiers. Most authors forget to mention that.

Not to mention serious charges of treason aimed against her, the press ruthlessly attacked her, continually citing that many of Mary’s siblings, were Confederates. Her half sister, Emilie, came to live with the Lincolns after her husband was killed at the Battle of Chickamauga, causing many negative rumors about “rebels in the White House.” These accusations continued when another half sister, Martha, who was the wife of a Confederate officer, arrived in Washington. Even though the Lincolns never saw her while in town, actually they refused to see her, rumors circulated that when Martha had left Washington she carried medicine and other items back to aid the Confederacy with the help of Mrs. Lincoln. Some even made the claim that Mary passed along military secrets as well.

During this time, the Lincolns lost their son, Willie, on February 20, 1862.