Lincoln in the World (48 page)

Hay knew that every decision he made as secretary of state was circumscribed by the past—by economic influences he could not fully control, by a public with myths and minds of its own. Luckily for Lincoln’s former secretary, the spirits of the past also included some benevolent souls. By the summer of 1905, Hay had become chronically ill. He was sixty-six, and with each day he appeared a little thinner and grayer. His doctors recommended that he take a leave of absence from the State Department and travel to Europe to restore his health. He took their advice, returning to the United States by steamship in early June. In his cabin aboard the RMS
Baltic
, Hay
slipped in and out of consciousness. One evening he had a dream that he had been called to the White House by the president. The commander in chief in his dream was “kind and considerate, and sympathetic about my illness,” the secretary of state told his diary. The president gently assigned Hay a bit of menial work, perhaps to make him feel important. The whole episode left Hay haunted by a feeling of “overpowering melancholy.” He had dreamed that the president was Abraham Lincoln again.
³⁵

I owe a special debt to the distinguished scholars of the Civil War and American foreign policy who read early versions of this manuscript (some of them twice) or offered guidance and encouragement, especially Michael Burlingame, James Cornelius, Norman Ferris, Amanda Foreman, George Herring, Howard Jones, James McPherson, and Frank Williams.

I am also deeply fortunate to have been able to work closely with some of the country’s finest biographers and foreign-policy thinkers during my time at
Newsweek
. Jon Meacham, the magazine’s top editor during several of my years there, has been a longtime booster of my work. I am grateful for his suggestions and encouragement on this project. I am indebted also to Jon’s predecessor as editor, Mark Whitaker, and Mark’s then-deputies Mark Miller and Marcus Mabry, for agreeing to send a green twenty-six-year-old off to cover the world. Evan Thomas, perhaps the single best writer I know, has been reading and critiquing my work for years and has been a steady source of sage counsel. I have learned an enormous amount about telling true stories from Evan’s advice and example.

My thinking about U.S. foreign policy was shaped by years of working with dozens of accomplished current and former editors and foreign correspondents at
Newsweek
, including Jeffrey Bartholet, Joanna Chen, Babak Dehghanpisheh, Deidre Depke, Christopher Dickey, Tony Emerson, Dan Ephron, Alexis Gelber, Arlene Getz, Nisid Hajari, Joshua Hammer, Michael Hastings, Michael Hirsh, Scott Johnson, Larry Kaplow, Daniel Klaidman, Adam Kushner, Melinda Liu, Nuha Musleh, Andrew Nagorski, Rod Nordland, Debra Rosenberg, Steven Strasser, Jonathan Tepperman, Tom Watson, Lally Weymouth, and Fareed Zakaria.

I began this project while working as a foreign correspondent posted in Jerusalem. Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Mount Scopus, where I did some early research, holds a formidable collection
of books in English on U.S. and European history. I am grateful to the staff of the interlibrary loan office there, especially Jenny Chahanovski and Gila Emanuel, who cheerfully assisted me in borrowing a number of books from the University of Haifa and Tel Aviv University. While posted overseas I also benefited greatly from Internet Archive (
archive.org
), an invaluable resource that provides user-friendly access to an enormous selection of nineteenth-century memoirs, diaries, and reminiscences.

Once back in Washington, D.C., where my family and I moved in early 2012, my home base became Gelman Library at George Washington University. I am grateful to the good people of the Foggy Bottom Association, particularly Asher Corson and John Woodward, for facilitating my membership in their neighborhood organization, which made my research at GW possible. Thanks also to Joey Fones at Gelman for helping to arrange admission during my period of transition to the U.S. from abroad.

At the Library of Congress, the wonderful Michelle Krowl offered a number of useful suggestions and helped me to navigate the Lincoln Papers. During research trips to Springfield, Illinois, I enjoyed getting to know the superb staff at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, including James Cornelius, Debbie Hamm, Eileen Mackevich, Mary Michals, Jan Perone, Patrick Russell, Cheryl Schnirring, and Glenna Schroeder-Lein. Lori Birrell at the University of Rochester, Anna Cook at the Massachusetts Historical Society, B. J. Gooch at Transylvania University, and Holly Snyder at Brown University skillfully helped me with their respective collections. I am particularly grateful to Desiree Butterfield-Nagy at the University of Maine, Orono; Juanita Walker at Prairie View A&M University; and Michelle Ganz at Lincoln Memorial University—who went out of their way to send me copies of materials when I could not visit their libraries myself.

My family and friends have been reliable sources of inspiration, reassurance—and occasionally research. My brother Jim, a graduate student in architecture, took time from his busy schedule to plunge
deep into the stacks of Harvard’s Widener Library to look for a decaying pamphlet on free trade written by William Herndon. My brother-in-law Tony Ninan let me stay at his apartment during early trips to the Library of Congress. My brother-in-law Joe Musumeci somehow found time to read and critique my manuscript despite the pleasant distraction of twin baby girls at home. (Joe saved me from an alarming tendency to overuse semicolons; although in my defense, Lincoln once remarked, “I have a great respect for the semi-colon; it’s a very useful little chap.”) Thanks also to Joanna Musumeci, Mathew and Molly Ninan, Seena Ninan, Sean Cassels, Jeremy Saks, Mike and Laura Faga, Jonathan Carpenter and Caroline Nolan, Kevin and Nassrin Flower, and David and Jori Meyer, who, each in their own way, have been sources of support and inspiration over the years. Finally, I am lucky to have a large extended family that has provided willing readers since I was a boy.

Chad Frazier, a talented doctoral student in the Georgetown University history department, assisted me in running down sources and checking citations. Chad’s thoughtful suggestions, scrupulousness, and attention to detail made this a far better book. My thanks also to Karen Needles, director of the Lincoln Archives Digital Project, who read an early draft of the manuscript. Aviel Roshwald at Georgetown and Tyler Anbinder at GW also each provided useful recommendations as I prepared to begin the fact-checking process.

My original editor, Sean Desmond, is one of the stars of the book-publishing world. His sharp eye and creative mind significantly improved this book, and he made the whole process a pleasure. When Sean took another job in early 2013, Vanessa Mobley stepped in. Smart, funny, and a tireless advocate, Vanessa is every author’s dream. Thanks also to Sarah Breivogel, Danielle Crabtree, Stephanie Knapp, Maya Mavjee, Claire Potter, Annsley Rosner, Jay Sones, Molly Stern, and the rest of the team at Crown.

My agent, Amanda Urban, is a font of wise counsel and encouragement. I feel truly lucky for the opportunity to work with Binky, who offered her unerringly shrewd guidance and warm fellowship
throughout this project. I am grateful also to the staff of ICM Partners, including Liz Farrell and Colin Graham, for their assistance.

My parents, Sam and Donna Peraino, have nurtured my desire to write since about the first grade. They have patiently tolerated my interest in foreign affairs, even when it meant reporting from dangerous places—a form of devotion that I am only beginning to appreciate now that I am a father myself. I am endlessly grateful to them.

My most important debt is to my wife, Reena. Researching a book is a time-consuming process, and the work has sometimes taken me away to dusty archives when I would have preferred to be at home. Reena’s patience and encouragement have been the bedrock upon which this book was built. I love her more than I can say.

Both my children, Jack and Kate, were born during the research and writing of this book. It is almost impossible to believe that Jack is now old enough to recognize photos of Lincoln (whom he cheekily refers to as “Old Babe”). Kate, I fear, is not far behind. My interest in foreign affairs, at its most basic, is driven by the hope of a better world in their lifetimes.

A
BBREVIATIONS

I have also identified the following sources in the notes by the author’s last name only:
BAKER
, Jean,
Mary Todd Lincoln
(New York, 1987);
BANCROFT
, Frederic,
The Life of William H. Seward
, 2 vols. (New York, 1900);
BAUER
, Karl Jack,
The Mexican War
(New York, 1974);
BELL
, Herbert,
Lord Palmerston
(London, 1966);
BEVERIDGE
, Albert J.,
Abraham Lincoln, 1809–1858
, 4 vols. (Boston, 1928);
CORTI
, Count Egon Caesar,
Maximilian and Charlotte of Mexico
(Archon Books, 1999);
GABRIEL
, Mary,
Love and Capital
(New York, 2011);
GOODWIN
, Doris Kearns,
Team of Rivals
(New York, 2005);
HANNA AND HANNA
,
Napoleon III and Mexico
(Chapel Hill, 1971);
HERRING
, George C.,
From Colony to Superpower
(New York, 2008);
JENKINs
, Brian,
Britain and the War for the Union
(Montreal, 1974);
JERROLD
, Blanchard,
Life of Napoleon III
(London, 1874);
MAHIN
, Dean,
One War at a Time
(Washington, 1999);
MERRY
, Robert W.,
A Country of Vast Designs
(New York, 2009);
MONAGHAN
, Jay,
A Diplomat in Carpet Slippers
(Lincoln, 1997);
PALUDAN
, Phillip Shaw,
The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln
(Lawrence, 1994);
VAN
DEUSEN, Glyndon,
William Henry Seward
(New York, 1967);
WARREN
, Gordon H.,
Fountain of Discontent
(Boston, 1981); and
WHEEN
, Frances,
Karl Marx
(New York, 1999).

P
ROLOGUE

1
. For Mary Lincoln’s temper see, for example, Jesse Weik interview with Margaret Ryan, Oct. 27, 1886, Weik Papers, box 2, memo book 1, ALPLM. The most complete collection of Mary Lincoln’s outbursts is in Burlingame, “The Lincolns’ Marriage,”
Inner World
, p. 277. For Mary’s desire to visit Europe, see Mary Lincoln to Emilie Todd Helm, Sept. 20, [1857,] in Turner and Turner,
Mary Todd Lincoln
, pp. 49–50.