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Eva Elisabeth · 01-06-2015, 05:16 AM

(01-05-2015 09:39 PM)Thomas Thorne Wrote: Many thanks for the link to the site. I discovered a risque Churchill story which is a first for me.

Which story was it, Tom?
"Victory at any cost" matches Grant and Sherman better. Did Churchill comment on them? (I read the site over 2 years ago, so I don't remember. But I remember he was impressed with the ironclads and considered them the beginning of modern warfare.)

Thomas Thorne · 01-06-2015, 07:42 AM

(01-06-2015 05:16 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:
(01-05-2015 09:39 PM)Thomas Thorne Wrote: Many thanks for the link to the site. I discovered a risque Churchill story which is a first for me.
Which story was it, Tom?
"Victory at any cost" matches Grant and Sherman better. Did Churchill comment on them? (I read the site over 2 years ago, so I don't remember. But I remember he was impressed with the ironclads and considered them the beginning of modern warfare.)

Roger told me the following Churchill story is appropriate forum material:

Churchill once told someone to be precise in their language. He cited a story of a man "who when instructing his surgeon, forgot the distinction between circumcision and castration."

Besides the wordplay,The idea of instructing yr surgeon is very Churchillian.
Tom

Eva Elisabeth · (This post was last modified: 01-06-2015 08:33 AM by Eva Elisabeth.)

...while others (Boston Corbett) prefer DIY...

Tom, one of the best-known and most cited Churchill quotes in Germany is what he allegedly at old age replied to a reporter's question about how he had reached such a great age although he smoked and drank a lot and was overweight: "No sports". Obviously this quote only spread in Germany (maybe the interview took place here?), and there's no source either. Have you (or has anyone else) ever heard of this? Despite he actually was a passionate horse rider (and till the age of 70 participated in fox hunting) and had been a fencer in his youth.

01-06-2015, 07:25 PM

Best book???
Backstage At The Lincoln Assassination

read it twice.....

Susan Higginbotham · 01-06-2015, 10:33 PM

(01-06-2015 07:25 PM)Hess1865 Wrote: Best book???
Backstage At The Lincoln Assassination

read it twice.....

I'd put that among my favorite reads, along with Betty's book (or did I read it in 2013?), Jason Emerson's The Madness of Mary Lincoln, Anthony Pitch's They Have Killed Papa Dead, Eric Wittenberg's Like a Meteor Blazing Brightly: The Short but Controversial Life of Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, and Peg Lamphier's Kate Chase and William Sprague: Politics and Gender in a Civil War Marriage.

Thomas Thorne · (This post was last modified: 01-07-2015 12:09 AM by Thomas Thorne.)

(01-06-2015 08:32 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote: ...while others (Boston Corbett) prefer DIY...

Tom, one of the best-known and most cited Churchill quotes in Germany is what he allegedly at old age replied to a reporter's question about how he had reached such a great age although he smoked and drank a lot and was overweight: "No sports". Obviously this quote only spread in Germany (maybe the interview took place here?), and there's no source either. Have you (or has anyone else) ever heard of this? Despite he actually was a passionate horse rider (and till the age of 70 participated in fox hunting) and had been a fencer in his youth.

Eva Elisabeth,I never heard the "no sports" story before. The 2 Churchill health and fitness tales I best remember are Gen. Montgomery: "I don't drink and I don't smoke and I am 100% fit. Churchill: "I drink & I smoke and I am 200% fit." The other quote is "I get my exercise by going to the funerals of people who exercise."

Churchill was also an excellent polo player, a sometimes hunter but gave up golf as too difficult.
Tom

Eva Elisabeth · (This post was last modified: 01-07-2015 04:16 AM by Eva Elisabeth.)

Thanks, Tom! That's indeed amazing, the alleged "no sports" quote is so widely known here and commercialized:

I didn't know it's most likely bogus (as I think now) until I wanted to find the source for the post.

BettyO · 01-07-2015, 09:43 AM

Quote:Despite he actually was a passionate horse rider (and till the age of 70 participated in fox hunting)

Believe it or not, Churchill was almost born on the back of a horse; literally!

His mother, American beauty Jeannie Jerome, never one to give up - even when with child, was out foxhunting from the Estate at Blenheim when she went into labor. She galloped back to Blenheim, where she was assisted down from her horse, carried into the foyer of the great hall and laid down on a couch. It was there that Winston was born. At least this is the story that I've always heard. So, I guess fox hunting was most certainly in his blood!

L Verge · 01-07-2015, 01:27 PM

There is another version of that story that has her walking during the foxhunt and falling. She was rushed back to Blenheim in a pony carriage, and the bumpy ride brought on the labor pains.

There has been another popular story on Winston being born in a ladies' room at Blenheim after his mother went into labor while dancing at a ball there.

Take your pick from what snopes has deduced: http://www.snopes.com/history/world/churchill.asp

LincolnToddFan · 01-07-2015, 03:29 PM

(01-05-2015 12:53 PM)STS Lincolnite Wrote: I liked Our One Common Country by James Conroy. Was about the Hamptom Roads Peace Conference which I knew very little about. The political posturing/ manueuvering was quite interesting.

I intend to finish that one before summer!

01-07-2015, 07:55 PM

BTW, Jeannie Jerome was from a family that owned a lot of land in Bronx way back when.
Jerome Avenue in the Bronx was named after them
(PS-its also a well-known exit on the Cross-Bronx Expressway!)

My Name Is Kate · (This post was last modified: 01-09-2015 02:36 PM by My Name Is Kate.)

(01-04-2015 03:17 PM)LincolnToddFan Wrote: My favorite Lincoln books for 2014 were "How A Nation Grieves", "The Last Lincolns" and Betty's first-rate biography of Lewis Powell. I have to admit that before I read Betty's work Lewis mostly creeped me out, I only felt revulsion for him. I am still chilled by what he did but I could never hate the man now, Betty did such a good job of humanizing him. In fact it was difficult to come to the end, because I found myself wanting the guy to be spared even though of course he was not. I now feel horribly sad for every one of the conspirators who were hung for having the misfortune and poor judgement of getting involved with JWB.

After reading in another thread on this forum, some of the things that were done to soldiers (and slaves) to break their spirits and make them toe the line, I wonder if Powell may have witnessed or experienced some of that. Also, being brought up by a strict father who was also a minister, it may have seemed almost like God himself had spoken whenever his father told him to do something. Plus, the Powell boys were named after some pretty famous people: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Lewis was named after some prominent person too, though I forget who. So the implication, whether it was ever specifically stated or not, seems to have been that they were expected to be somebody and make their mark in the world. Powell's superiors probably regarded him as the ideal soldier. He payed the ultimate price trying to be the hero that his training led him to believe he was supposed to be.

BTW, happy b-day, Eva!

Eva Elisabeth · 01-08-2015, 04:27 AM

Thank you, Kate! I'm happy to see you on the forum again!

Eva Elisabeth · 01-08-2015, 09:58 AM

(01-07-2015 09:43 AM)BettyO Wrote:
Quote:Despite he actually was a passionate horse rider (and till the age of 70 participated in fox hunting)
Believe it or not, Churchill was almost born on the back of a horse; literally!

Just to assist imagination - found this photo:

Winston Churchill celebrates his 74th birthday, in 1948, by joining the Old Surrey and Burstow foxhounds in Kent.

LincolnToddFan · 01-08-2015, 01:24 PM

(01-07-2015 11:31 PM)My Name Is Kate Wrote:
(01-04-2015 03:17 PM)LincolnToddFan Wrote: My favorite Lincoln books for 2014 were "How A Nation Grieves", "The Last Lincolns" and Betty's first-rate biography of Lewis Powell. I have to admit that before I read Betty's work Lewis mostly creeped me out, I only felt revulsion for him. I am still chilled by what he did but I could never hate the man now, Betty did such a good job of humanizing him. In fact it was difficult to come to the end, because I found myself wanting the guy to be spared even though of course he was not. I now feel horribly sad for every one of the conspirators who were hung for having the misfortune and poor judgement of getting involved with JWB.
After reading in another thread on this forum, some of the things that were done to soldiers (and slaves) to break their spirits and make them tow the line, I wonder if Powell may have witnessed or experienced some of that. Also, being brought up by a strict father who was also a minister, it may have seemed almost like God himself had spoken whenever his father told him to do something. Plus, the Powell boys were named after some pretty famous people: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Lewis was named after some prominent person too, though I forget who. So the implication, whether it was ever specifically stated or not, seems to have been that they were expected to be somebody and make their mark in the world. Powell's superiors probably regarded him as the ideal soldier. He payed the ultimate price trying to be the hero that his training led him to believe he was supposed to be.

BTW, happy b-day, Eva!

Never thought of it that way but you are EXACTLY right Kate!

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY EVA! Tongue