Lincoln's birthday

[Susan Higginbotham]

In his book, in addition to Robert's speedy arrival, Temple bases his theory that Mary trapped Lincoln into marriage on James Matheny's recollection of Lincoln telling him "I shall have to marry that girl." He even interprets Lincoln's remark to Joshua Speed that his son Robert "has a great deal of that sort of mischief, that is the offspring of much animal spirits" as a possible reference to an illicit conception! I think that's stretching things greatly; I read the remark as simply saying that Robert's "animal spirits" caused him to be full of mischief.

Michael Burlingame has also embraced the trapped-into-marriage theory, although he at least has the decency to admit that it can't be proved.