Sons and parents

[Gene C]

Here is a quote from an earlier post regarding the book "Mrs. Abraham Lincoln", by W A Evans.
A quote from William Stoddard, one of President Lincoln's private secretary's
"At first it was not easy to understand why a lady could one day be so kindly, considerate, so generous, so thoughtful, and so hopeful could upon another day appear so unreasonable, so irritable, so despondent, even so niggardly, and so prone to see the wrong side of men, women and events. It is easier to understand it all and to deal with it after a few words with an eminent medical practitioner."

'This can only mean that some time prior to 1864, a physician recognized Mrs. Lincoln's trouble and told Stoddard what it was, and that thereafter he was able to recognize the limits of her responsibility. Could others have known as much as Stoddard did, history would have been kinder to Mary Lincoln.'

--- If Stoddard knew this, Lincoln knew it too! ---
What a terrible burden President Lincoln had to bear, with all of the other difficulties he had to deal with.

It is my understanding, from the little I have read, the place Mrs. Lincoln went to following her insanity trial was more like a rest home.
I thought the treatment she received was more like what someone would get from having a nervous breakdown than the treatment given to someone who might injure themselves or others. I think Robert acted in a responsible manner. It might have been handled in a more compassionate way, but that's the advantage of hindsight.