Lincoln and Children /Child Labor : recollection of stories and questions.

[RJNorton]

Although the story I am about to mention does not regard a child, I think one needs to use caution with many such stories. There is the story of the "Sleeping Sentinel" which has endured all of these years. Lincoln's clemency in this case was the subject of a poem written in 1863 by Francis De Haes Janvier. The story is that Lincoln made a last minute carriage ride, pardon in hand, to stay the execution of a Vermont soldier named William Scott who had been given the death penalty for sleeping on guard duty. In the poem, Janvier depicts Lincoln frantically racing to the firing squad line-up to save the only son of Mrs. Scott, a widow. Although Lincoln was indeed known for acts of mercy and clemency, the story of the "Sleeping Sentinel" may be more legend than fact; no written evidence of Lincoln's pardon of Scott has ever been found. IMO, there is a high probability that the story is apocryphal; nonetheless, it does generally reflect Lincoln's benevolent attitude, particularly with young people and soldiers.