Children's Books

[Gene C]

The Great Good Man (cont'd)

Frozen Feet & the Winter of the Deep Snow - "The winter of 1830-1t was long remembered in Illinois as "the winter of the deep snow." Lincoln's canoe upset as he was crossing the Sangamon River, and his feet froze. For two weeks he lived in the home of Major Warnick while his feet were healing-.

"The winter of the deep snow" was for a whole generation a dividing point in Illinois history. The snow fell, not, as it seemed, in flakes, but in shovelsful. The snow was followed by bitter cold weather — twelve or more degrees below zero — and the settlers were imprisoned for weeks. Livestock perished; and wild game has never been so plentiful in Illinois since. In later years when old settlers compared early experiences, no one was thought to have anything- really worth recounting unless he came to the prairies in time to participate in the experiences of that terrible winter."

New Salem - "New Salem might appear to us an unattractive pioneer town, but that was not the way it looked to Lincoln. Not one of its twenty houses cost more than fifty, or at most one hundred dollars, but very interesting people lived there. It was the largest town he had eve lived in, and he quickly made friends."

Duff (William) Armstrong Almanac Trial - "Jack Armstrong, William Armstrong's father, died, and was buried in Concord Cemetery, where Ann Rutledge was first buried. His interment occurred on the very day of his son's arrest. His widow, "Aunt Hannah," drove to Springfield and besought Lincoln to come to Beardstown and defend her son. Lincoln promised to do so, and on the night before the trial he arrived in Beardstown."

What happens next you are probably familiar with. For a good account of what happened, go to page 310 - https://archive.org/details/lifeofabraha...ew=theater

Pardon For Soldiers - Barton gives evidence of Lincoln's virtues in the 10 pages he devotes to this subject. He spends an entire chapter in Life of Abraham Lincoln titled 'Justice and Mercy' - https://archive.org/details/lifeofabraha...ew=theater
There's to much there to give the attention it deserves in the space allotted here.

This book was intended for young people. Young or old will appreciate the quality given to Lincoln's life story in these 300 pages.
It is one of the best biographies of 300 pages or less that I have read.