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Abraham Lincoln statues
10-31-2020, 10:57 AM (This post was last modified: 10-31-2020 11:00 AM by David Lockmiller.)
Post: #45
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues
I have already posted on this thread much of what Mr. E. W. Andrews wrote about his train trip with President Lincoln to Gettysburg and events with which Mr. Andrews was associated at Gettysburg. I thought today that I might as well post a “poetic” short story that took place during the train trip and another highly informative “political” story personally involving Mr. Andrews and the President that took place almost a year later in September, 1864.

(Chapter XXIX (Pages 511 & 516 - 518) by E. W. Andrews in the book "Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln by Distinguished Men of His Time," collected and edited by Allen Thorndike Rice, Editor of the North American Review, (1888).)

At one of the stopping-placing places of the train, a very beautiful little child, having a bouquet of rose-buds in her hand, was lifted up to an open window of the President’s car. With a childish lisp she said: “Flowrth for the President!”

The President stepped to the window, took the rose-buds, bent down and kissed the child, saying: “You’re a sweet little rose-bud yourself. I hope your life will open into perpetual beauty and goodness.”

(Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln by Distinguished Men of His Time, page 511.)


[September, 1864]

I was still on duty in “the defenses of Baltimore” [as chief of staff to the commanding general], when the Presidential campaign of 1864 occurred. I had been a life-long Democrat, and I favored the election of General McClellan, the candidate of my party.

One evening in September, 1864, I was invited by a few friends to go with them to a Democratic meeting, and listen to a distinguished orator who was to advocate the claims of McClellan. As I could not well refuse, I agreed to go for a few minutes only. To my surprise and annoyance, I was called by the audience for a speech, and the calls were so persistent that I was placed in a most embarrassing position. Forced to say something, I contented myself with a brief expression of my high regard for McClellan as a soldier, and a statement of my intention to vote for him. I made no reference of Mr. Lincoln, and soon left the hall.

Next day an order came from Secretary Stanton directing me to be mustered out of the service. No reason was assigned, nor opportunity given for defense. As I was and had always been an unwavering Union man, as I had a brother and three sons in the military service of the Union, and as I had learned that my action at the meeting when reported to Secretary Stanton had made him very angry and caused him to utter severe threats against me, I determined to go, and did go, to Washington to know the reason of this attempt to disgrace me. As no other pretext could be given for such action, I resolved to appeal to the President.

I gave my papers setting forth these facts into the hands of a personal friend, a Republican member of Congress, with the request that he would ask Mr. Lincoln whether the revocation of my commission was by his order, knowledge or consent. He did so.

The President immediately replied: “I know nothing about it. Of course Stanton does a thousand things in his official character which I can know nothing about, and which it is not necessary that I should know anything about.”

Having heard the case, he then added: “Well, that’s no reason. Andrews has as good a right to hold on to his Democracy, if he chooses, as Stanton had to throw his overboard. If I should muster out all my generals who avow themselves Democrats there would be a sad thinning out of commanding officers in the army. No!” he continued, “when the military duties of a soldier are fully and faithfully performed, he can manage his politics in his own way; we’ve o more to do with them than with his religion. Tell this officer he can return to his post, and if there is no other or better reason for the order of Stanton than the one he suspects, it shall do him no harm; the commission he holds will remain as good as new. Supporting General McClellan for the Presidency is no violation of army regulations, and as a question of taste of choosing between him and me, well, I’m the longest, but he’s better looking.”

And so I resumed my service, and was never afterward molested by the Secretary of War.

E. W. ANDREWS

(Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln by Distinguished Men of His Time, pages 516 - 18.)

"So very difficult a matter is it to trace and find out the truth of anything by history." -- Plutarch
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Abraham Lincoln statues - RJNorton - 01-27-2020, 06:09 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 01-27-2020, 07:49 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 01-27-2020, 08:29 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 02-17-2020, 08:48 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 02-17-2020, 09:13 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 02-17-2020, 11:14 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 07-11-2020, 07:07 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 07-11-2020, 07:48 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 07-11-2020, 08:23 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 09-06-2020, 12:37 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 10-12-2020, 04:26 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Mylye2222 - 10-13-2020, 04:46 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 10-12-2020, 05:27 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Steve - 10-13-2020, 03:49 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 10-13-2020, 07:19 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Mylye2222 - 10-18-2020, 04:14 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 10-13-2020, 08:48 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 10-13-2020, 07:00 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 10-15-2020, 04:12 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 10-16-2020, 01:17 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 10-17-2020, 11:41 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 10-18-2020, 05:16 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 10-18-2020, 01:02 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 10-18-2020, 01:52 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 10-18-2020, 02:25 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 10-19-2020, 01:28 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 10-19-2020, 02:01 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - David Lockmiller - 10-31-2020 10:57 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 12-30-2020, 09:05 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 12-30-2020, 11:33 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Mylye2222 - 12-30-2020, 05:16 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 12-30-2020, 06:42 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Mylye2222 - 01-10-2021, 09:25 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - RJNorton - 01-17-2021, 02:19 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 01-17-2021, 05:04 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Jim Garrett - 01-26-2021, 11:06 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 01-30-2021, 08:39 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - RJNorton - 01-30-2021, 10:11 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - RJNorton - 02-03-2021, 10:50 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - RJNorton - 02-05-2021, 05:52 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Mylye2222 - 02-08-2021, 11:58 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 03-26-2021, 04:25 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 06-01-2021, 09:37 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 06-02-2021, 07:19 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 06-02-2021, 10:23 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 06-02-2021, 12:51 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 06-02-2021, 08:41 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 06-02-2021, 01:29 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 06-02-2021, 01:47 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 06-02-2021, 09:07 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 06-03-2021, 07:03 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Rob Wick - 06-03-2021, 08:18 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 06-03-2021, 10:40 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - AussieMick - 06-04-2021, 08:18 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 11-17-2022, 07:24 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - RJNorton - 11-25-2022, 07:43 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - Gene C - 11-19-2022, 11:14 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - RJNorton - 11-24-2022, 05:48 AM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - RJNorton - 11-24-2022, 01:41 PM
RE: Abraham Lincoln statues - LincolnMan - 02-15-2023, 05:50 AM

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