The Bixby Letter

[L Verge]

I'm sure that most of you are familiar with the supposed letter that President Lincoln sent to Mrs. Lydia Baxter in November of 1864, offering his sympathies on the terrible loss of her five sons on the battlefield. I say "supposed letter" because some historians have doubted that it ever existed.

Today, I was working on the November issue of the Surratt Courier, and members of the Surratt Society know that I have maintained a 150 Years Ago segment throughout these anniversary years relating what occurred day-by-day throughout the war. Today, I came upon something that I never remember reading before:

November 21 – President Lincoln wrote the famous letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby expressing his regrets and sorrow at the loss of her five sons on the field of battle. According to our source for these timelines (The Civil War Day By Day by E.G. Long – 1971), “The President’s eloquence was misplaced, for only two sons had been killed, two were said to have deserted, and the fifth was honorably discharged.”

Thoughts, opinions, or factual information on this subject? Did Lincoln actually write to Lydia Bixby? What happened to the letter if it once existed? Is this author correct that only two sons died during the Civil War?