It would be an impossible task to write a commemoration of Abraham Lincoln in a few short paragraphs, so we will not even attempt it; it simply can’t be done. Lincoln is a towering figure in American history, and his actions as President of the United States during the Civil War are the stuff of legend. The Emancipation Proclamation, about which we wrote in last month’s blog (available at americanheritagepartners.org), was his most famous achievement, of course. His goal throughout the Civil War was to preserve the Union, and his skillful leadership of the war effort was remarkable for a man who had served only 2 years in Congress in the 1840’s, and who had held no political office in the decade preceding his election to the presidency. His shrewd political instincts kept his opponents at bay during the darkest days of the war, when victory was uncertain, and when many political leaders—including those of his own party– openly advocated for a cessation of hostilities on terms that would allow the institution of slavery in the Southern States to persist. Indeed, his once fair-haired General, George McClellan, ran against Lincoln in the 1864 presidential campaign on a platform that called for the immediate end of the war (and implicitly, the continuation of slavery in some form). The personal animosity between Lincoln and McClellan was palpable, and McClellan never lived down his betrayal of Lincoln in the midst of war.
While Lincoln had no military experience, he immersed himself in the details of battlefield tactics, and worked closely with his generals. Lincoln also was not shy about reprimanding his generals when they failed to take the battle to the enemy. One of Lincoln’s most important military decisions was to appoint Ulysses S. Grant the Commanding General of the Union Army—the right man at the right time. Most historians credit that decision as the turning point in the war.
When the war ended in 1865, Lincoln’s immediate challenge was to heal a nation that was still deeply divided, and to bring the Southern states back into the Union in a judicious manner. We can only guess at whether he might have succeeded in doing that. We all know what happened: an assassin’s bullet ended his life on April 14, 1865. He was 56 years old.
So today we honor the memory of Abraham Lincoln, born this day on April 12, 1809.
