What are you reading now?

[L Verge]

Thanks. I should have read it, I guess, but the volunteer who gave it to me characterized it as fiction. It seems that's still under debate.

[LincolnMan]

I just purchased The Life Of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd by Nettie Mudd, but I haven't read it yet. It is signed by Dr. Richard Mudd, MD. Near the end of the book are two sections that were not in the original printing of the volume-Descendants Of Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd- and Letters Not In Original Edition: Dr. Mudd's Pardon. The book says inside that it was privately published by Richard D. Mudd, M.D. Saginaw, Michigan 1962. Seems like a "keeper" to me.

[L Verge]

Definitely a keeper. To my knowledge, it is only available through the Dr. Mudd museum and on the secondary market.

[LincolnMan]

Thanks, Laurie! I like that Dr. Richard Mudd signed it too-always a bonus!

[Thomas Thorne]

I am reading "Final Freedom: The Civil War,the Abolition of Slavery,and the Thirteenth Amendment" by Michael Vorenberg.

It is interesting to see the development of abolitionist sentiment among significant numbers of Northern Democrats as early as late 1863/early 1864 and I am only up to p 60. The most prominent of these so far was John Brough, a vigorous War Democrat who was elected Governor of Ohio in 1863 on the Union ticket. His opponent was Democrat Clement Vallandigham who had become a martyr to Peace Democrats after he had earlier that year been banished to the Confederacy after his conviction by a military commission for disloyal statements.

Brough was a vigorous wartime governor who according to Wiki exceeded Ohio's troop quota.

Both he and and Vallandigham came to unlikely ends. In the summer of 1865 Gov Brough tripped and fell and badly sprained an ankle. Inflammation and gangrene developed and he died. Vallandigham,in 1871, while trying a case, tested a pistol at the court house by pulling the trigger. He killed himself not realizing the gun was loaded.

Please remind me to avoid these two fellow klutzes.
Tom

[Mark MacKenzie]

I had heard that about Vallandigham but I also heard that he shot himself the night before he was to demonstrate the pistol in court in his hotel room. Shooting himself in front of the jury makes for a better story.

[Thomas Thorne]

I first read the Vallandigham death story years ago in American Heritage and remembered the story as V testing the gun in front of the jury and shooting himself. In rereading the account in Wiki,I overlooked the part where it clearly said it was done in a hotel room showing other attorneys his defense of a client. Sorry for the error.

American Heritage has almost all its past articles on line at americanheritage.com
Tom

[LincolnMan]

I wonder what comment Lincoln might have had about V's untimely accident, if he had lived to hear about it.

[Thomas Thorne]

I finished the Michael Vorenberg Book "Final Freedom' I previously mentioned in #110 on Sat 12/1. Of 73 house Democrats. 50 voted against rarification.15 voted for it and 8 were absent. Only Democrats were absent from the House that day. If 4 of them had shown up and voted no, the amendment would have failed. But this assumes no else would have switched their vote

The fact that only Democrats and such a high percentage of them were absent that day tells me the fix was in. The Democratic Party was violently split between War Democrats who blamed their Southern brethren for the War and Peace Democrats who detested Lincoln and all his works. An interesting subtext was the belief that an abolition amendment was the best means to forestall subsequent Republican attempts to pass Civil Rights amendments and laws.

Vorenberg does not mention Mary Lincoln being in the house gallery on the day of the vote. He does mention other visitors including Cabinet members and Supreme Ct justices.

Petitions to Congress for the abolition of slavery followed the social custom of the age. Signatures of women were separated from the signatures of men on the same petition.
Tom

[RJNorton]

Vorenberg does not mention Mary Lincoln being in the house gallery on the day of the vote.

Very interesting, Tom. I had mentioned in another thread that I had never read that either Mary Lincoln or Elizabeth Keckly attended any of the meetings of the House.

P.S. I was thumbing through magazines at the food store the other day, and one of them listed both actresses...Sally Field and Gloria Reuben...as potential nominees for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Sally Field was listed in the probables to be nominated, and Gloria Reuben was listed in the possibilities.

[Gene C]

Just finished an interesting non-Lincoln book called "The Heart Mender" by Andy Andrews. I thought it was excellent. It takes place during WWII and involves German submarines in the Gulf of Mexico, but there's more...

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play...ge=0&&tt=b

and

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play...ge=0&&tt=b

[asobbingfilm]

Just finished "His Name is Still Mudd" and started Lincolns Assassins by Chamlee. On deck, a re read of Alias Payne before I visit Richmond in April. My new reading glasses are a big help.

[LincolnMan]

I just finished listening to Mr. Lincoln: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Allen C. Guelzo. It is the lecture series produced by The Great Courses. I must say that Dr. Guelzo is probably the most interesting speaker about Lincoln I've ever heard. His presentation style is top-notch.

[Craig Hipkins]

I just started reading William Lee Miller's book Lincoln's Virtues. Has anyone ever read Miller before?

Craig

[LincolnMan]

I just read the latest Surratt Courier (April 2013). The article Judah Benjamin: A Person of Interest by The Honorable Sandy Prindle is outstanding reading-another great edition of the Courier!