Madness of Mary Lincoln

[L Verge]

I am one of those who prefer to cut Mary Lincoln some slack. I think she has been unfairly judged by many historians -- mainly the men.

That said, I have to agree with Eva regarding Jason's tendency to be overly judgmental about the lady. W have had him as a speaker at the Surratt House conference on several occasions, the last being several years ago when Giant in the Shadows came out. He certainly is not as vehement in his judgments as Dr. Burlingame, but there seems to be a tendency to downgrade Mary when given a chance.

I would like to see an author give fair and equal assessments of Mary. We had Dr. Baker speak about thirty years ago, and she certainly gave a more positive approach to understanding the First Lady; but there was still something missing imo. I must admit that I have neither read nor heard Catherine Clinton's opinions, so I better get busy catching up on her work.

As I have mentioned before, one of my favorite books on Mrs. Lincoln is Crown of Thorns and Glory, which compares her and the treatment she received with Varina Davis, who was a strong personality in her own right. That book is not an extensive biography of either woman, but I felt it was a good evaluation of their treatment by society, etc. during the time period that affected them the most.