"Herndon was born mediocre"

[Mike B.]

(12-10-2012 03:43 PM)Tom Emery Wrote:  I am completely in agreement with Mike B's closing statement on the importance of the Ann Rutledge romance.

Rob, I understand your question on "evidence." (And, let me also note your poignant comments on your life experiences. I'm sorry for your losses).

But, some writers such as Mark Neely (in his Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia) are highly dismissive of a Rutledge romance, even citing the Menard Axis report. I certainly don't mean to compare myself to Neely. But, I still have issues with the idea of a Rutledge romance.

I know that some New Salem residents supported the idea of a romance -- but weren't there some that didn't? (Help me on this -- I'm doing this off memory. If I'm wrong, sorry). In addition, haven't there been some questions on Mentor Graham's honesty, for lack of a better word?

Also, I felt the late 1990s studies were not as balanced as they could have been, as I said.

Let me ask your opinion on this: do you think Herndon was trying to examine all evidence to come up with a balanced finding? Or, was he trying to prove a notion, just because he hated Mary? Herndon gave us a portrait of the daily life of Lincoln that cannot be found anywhere else; but I think he offset that with his exaggerations of subjects like Ann Rutledge, which detract from his credibility.

My main gripe, though, is the way Herndon, and plenty of others, have blown the romance out of proportion. There is no question that there could have been a romance between Lincoln and Ann. But, there has never been anything to go on to believe it was something spectacular as some have written. Herndon, or anyone else through the years, really could not make that claim.

At any rate, I am in complete agreement with Mike B's statement on the romance's importance in Lincoln's life.

Tom,
I would point out that Mark Neely wrote his Encyclopedia in 1982. In later books like his 1995 "The Last Best Hope of Earth" he came out in favor of the romance.

Neely was writing in the "thus sayeth the Lord" period of the Randalls in his encyclopedia. I recall Stephen Oates wrote about the same time that nobody in New Salem thought the romance happened. The power of the Randalls was just that strong on this point. Really, until Simon and Wilson nobody even bothered to look at the actual material and just kept repeating what the Randalls had said.

Again, I would point you to Doug Wilson on the hatred of Mary Lincoln by Herndon. It is true they hated each other from 1866 or so onward. But there is no real evidence that they were mortal enemies before than. Herndon certainly had his opinions on the lack of happiness in the Lincoln marriage at the time (as did others), but he kept them to himself before then. The so-called "serpent" story has been blown out of proportion and in the full context Herndon is telling the story somewhat on himself for his own social clumsiness. In any case it is a flimsy reed to hang a lifetime of hatred on.

Here is an earlier version of Wilson's essay which is found in "The Mary Lincoln Enigma:"
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/2629860...w=fulltext

Worth a read.

I think it kind of pokes holes in the idea that Herndon went out of his way to led interviewees or tried to get them to say negative things about Mary or to push the Ann Rutledge story.

Again it is just a biographical incident. The poetry, plays, and other writers who couldn't resist the romantic notion of it doesn't affect the actual evidence.