Lincoln in the World (52 page)

27
. Lincoln to Mary S. Owens, May 7, 1837, in CWL, v. 1, p. 78 (“but one woman”); Ninian W. Edwards interview with Herndon, [1865–1866], in HI, p. 446; Elizabeth and Ninian W. Edwards interview with William Henry Herndon, July 27, 1887, in HI, p. 623 (shade trees); Donald,
Lincoln
, p. 101 (“silk-stocking” Whigs); Lincoln to Mary S. Owens, May 7, 1837, in
CWL
, v. 1, p. 78 (“flourishing about”).

28
. Baker, pp. 32–33, 45–46 (Belgian rugs), 51 (Lexington banker and physical description); Elizabeth L. Norris to Emilie Todd Helm, September 28, 1895, Norris Papers, ALPLM; Townsend,
Lincoln and the Bluegrass
, pp. 58, 59;
Kentucky Statesman
, Sept. 14, 1860, clipping in Mentelle Papers, Transylvania University; Townsend,
The Boarding School of Mary Todd Lincoln
, p. 10 (corpse); HL, p. 134 (“merry dance”).

29
. Elizabeth Todd Edwards interview with Herndon, [1865–66,] in HI, pp. 443–44 (“irresistibly so” and “position, fame, and power”); Elizabeth and Ninian W. Edwards interview with Herndon, July 27, 1887, in HI, p. 623 (poor breeding and “most
ambitious woman”); Baker, p. 29 (“seven years”); Lamon,
Recollections
, p. 21 (“not pretty”).

30
.
CWL
, v. 1, p. 303 (wedding date); Herndon to Jesse Weik, Jan. 16, 1886, HW, LOC; Donald,
Lincoln
, p. 84 (“fine conversationalist” and “haughty”); Jesse Weik interview with Herndon, Weik Papers, box 2, memo book 2, ALPLM (“family power”); John T. Stuart interview with Herndon, [late June 1865,] in HI, p. 64 (“policy match). Michael Burlingame believes that “[i]t is possible that Lincoln thought he could enhance his political career through a marriage alliance with the more aristocratic Whig element, but such a calculating approach to wedlock seems out of character for Lincoln” (
ALAL
, v. 2, p. 197). See also Guelzo,
Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President
, p. 57, cited in Howe,
What Hath God Wrought
, p. 597 (“larger world of trade”). Guelzo’s
Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President
is an impressive “intellectual biography” that presents Lincoln as a steady Whig. On Lincoln and the Whig party see also Boritt,
Lincoln and the Economics of the American Dream
(Memphis, 1978); Donald, “A Whig in the White House,” in
Lincoln Reconsidered
, p. 133; Daniel Walker Howe, “Why Abraham Lincoln Was a Whig,”
Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association
, v. 16, no. 1, pp. 27–39; Joel H. Silbey, “Always a Whig in Politics: The Partisan Life of Abraham Lincoln,”
Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association
, v. 8, no. 1, pp. 21–43. For the Gibbon gift see
CWL
, v. 8, p. 436. A leather-bound history of Europe and the Roman Empire that also bears Ninian Edwards’s signature and is said to have once resided in the Lincoln-Herndon law office is now housed in the Lincoln Collection at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill. My thanks to curator James Cornelius of the Lincoln Collection for allowing me to examine these books. For the final quote, see Lincoln to Samuel D. Marshall, Nov. 11, 1842, in
CWL
, v. 1, p. 305 (“profound wonder”).

31
. Beveridge, v. 2, pp. 67–68; Donald, “
We Are Lincoln Men,”
p. 91; Donald,
Lincoln’s Herndon
, p. 21 (popularity dropped off, influence of the aristocrats); Lincoln to Martin S. Morris, Mar. 26, 1843, in
CWL
, v. 1, p. 320 (“family distinction”); Berry,
House of Abraham
, p. xi; Foner,
Fiery Trial
, p. 13 (“good enough for God”); White,
A. Lincoln
, p. 128 (age); HL, p. 168 (“I can trust you”).

32
. For a description of the office, see “Lincoln’s Law Offices in the Tinsley Building, 1843–1852,”
Lincoln Lore
, No. 1579, Sept. 1969, pp. 1–4; Newton,
Lincoln and Herndon
, p. 42; Donald,
Lincoln’s Herndon
, pp. 22, 33; Donald,
Lincoln
, p. 103; Statement of Gibson W. Harris, quoted in Weik,
The Real Lincoln
, pp. 106–7, cited in Donald,
Lincoln’s Herndon
, p. 22 (office description quote); HL, p. 207 (read aloud and shirked his work); Herndon to Jesse Weik, Oct. 21, 1885, HW, LOC (fled the office).

33
. Albert Beveridge notes that “expansion … became the overshadowing issue of the campaign.” (Beveridge, v. 2, p. 69.) See also McDougall,
Throes of Democracy
, p. 260 (“foreign policy”); Lincoln to Williamson Durley, Oct. 3, 1845,
CWL
, v. 1, pp. 347–48 (“never much interested”); McDougall,
Throes of Democracy
, p. 79 (GTT); Merry, p. 76 (“unquenchable thirst”); Lincoln, “Speech on the Annexation of Texas,” May 22, 1844,
CWL
, v. 1, p. 337 (“altogether inexpedient”); Boritt,
Lincoln and the Economics of the American Dream
, p. 105 (“nothing but Texas”). My thanks to George C. Herring for reminding me of the important role foreign policy played in the 1796 and 1812 campaigns.

34
. Bauer, pp. 8, 24; and Merry, pp. 10, 188, 194 (Polk’s inaugural, orders Taylor to Rio Grande, terms of offer).

35
. Howe,
What Hath God Wrought
, p. 24 (
vaqueros
); Bauer, p. 19 (“prudence”); Merry, pp. 188, 192, 240 (“actual state of war” and “Star Spangled Banner”).

36
. Bauer, pp. 34–35 (brawls and
Moor of Venice
), 40 (watched the gringos and leaped nude).

37
. Pedro de Ampudia to Don Z. Taylor, April 12, 1846, in
House Exec. Doc. No. 60
, p. 140; Taylor to the Adjutant General, April 26, 1846, in ibid., pp. 140–41; Eisenhower,
So Far from God
, pp. 63, 65; Merry, pp. 240–45; Howe,
What Hath God Wrought
, p. 732.

38
. Merry, pp. 243–45. I have drawn heavily on Merry’s account of the raid for the preceding section.

39
. HL, p. 231 (“little engine”); Lincoln to Benjamin F. James, Nov. 17, 1845,
CWL
, v. 1, p. 349 (“operate against me”); Lincoln to Henry Dummer, Nov. 18, 1845,
CWL
, v. 1, p. 350 (“set a few stakes” and “turn about”); Mitgang,
Abraham Lincoln: A Press Portrait
, pp. 40–41 (avert a duel); Hardin quoted in Riddle,
Congressman Lincoln
, p. 56 (“aggression and insult”); Lincoln to Hardin, Feb. 7, 1846,
CWL
, v. 1, p. 360–365 (strained relationship).

40
. Beveridge, v. 2, pp. 78–80 (“blazed”). Donald Riddle writes that “[i]mmediately the prairies were afire.” (Riddle,
Lincoln Runs for Congress
, p. 160.) See also Merk,
Manifest Destiny
, p. 37 (“most hawkish states”); Beveridge, v. 1, pp. 78–80 (Hardin); HL, p. 173 (“best legal talent”); Foner,
Fiery Trial
, p. 53 (most volunteers).

41
.
Illinois State Register
, May 8, 1846, quoted in Beveridge, v. 2, p. 78.

42
.
Sangamo Journal
, June 4, 1846, quoted in Riddle,
Congressman Lincoln
, p. 11 (“warm, thrilling”); HL, p. 173.

43
. Johannsen,
To the Halls of the Montezumas
, p. 16 (penny press); Mott,
American Journalism
, pp. 248–49 (war correspondents); Howe,
What Hath God Wrought
, p. 697 (“major facilitator”). Howe’s monumental history of this era emphasizes the critical role played by the nineteenth-century communications revolution.

44
. Howe,
What Hath God Wrought
, p. 3 (millennialism); Merk,
Manifest Destiny
, p. 122; and McDougall,
Promised Land, Crusader State
, p. 95 (“regenerate the world”); Johannsen,
To the Halls of the Montezumas
, p. 296 (“air of decay”); McDougall,
Throes of Democracy
, p. 299 (“duty of neighbors”).

45
. Frederick Merk argues that the Mexican War enthusiasm was largely a product of the Northeastern penny press and its Midwestern counterparts like the
Illinois State Register
. (Merk,
Manifest Destiny
, pp. 35–37 and
passim.) Robert W. Johannsen makes a compelling case that the excitement was a national phenomenon. (Johannsen,
To the Halls of the Montezumas
, passim.)

46
. Johannsen,
To the Halls of the Montezumas
, pp. 26–27 (“all Whigs” and teenage boys), 169 (“little clothing”), 186–91 (“cast as redeemers”). The final quote is on p. 191. I have drawn heavily on Johannsen’s research and interpretations in the preceding paragraph.

47
. Beveridge, v. 2, p. 80; Baker, p. 104 (British-born Baker).

48
. W. C. P. Breckinridge reminiscences,
Morning Herald
, July 24, 1903 (“physical manhood”);
Sangamo Journal
, July 23, 1846 (“ignoble death”);
Sangamo Journal
, June 25, 1846 (“Foreign nations”). Transcriptions of all three articles in William H. Townsend Papers, University of Kentucky.

49
. Riddle,
Lincoln Runs for Congress
, pp. 167–68 (neutralizing it);
The Illinois Gazette
(Lacon), July 25, 1846, in
CWL
, v. 1, p. 381–82 (spoke on Oregon and Mexico); White,
A. Lincoln
, pp. 134–35 (by a wide margin).

50
. White,
A. Lincoln
, p. 136 (another sixteen months);
ALAL
, v. 1, p. 241; Lincoln to Joshua Speed, Oct. 22, 1846, in
CWL
, v. 1, pp. 389–91.

51
. Herndon to Jesse Weik, Dec. 29, 1885, HW, LOC.

52
. This account of the Battle of Buena Vista is drawn primarily from Bauer, pp. 209–18. See also McDougall,
Throes of Democracy
, p. 294 (“A little more grape”);
ALAL
, v. 1, p. 277 (slogan); and Johannsen,
To the Halls of the Montezumas
, pp. 106–107.

53
. Bauer, p. 216 (Hardin had fought heroically).

54
.
Illinois State Register
, Apr. 2, 1847, quoted in Beveridge, v. 2, p. 92n4 (“beloved by all”); Lincoln, “Resolutions Adopted at John J. Hardin Memorial Meeting,” in
Sangamo Jour
nal, Apr. 8, 1847, in
CWL
, v. 1, pp. 392–93.

55
. J. G. Buckingham, private letter, quoted in Findley,
A. Lincoln: Crucible of Congress
, p. 60 (“curvetting and galloping”); Beveridge, v. 2, p. 93.

56
. Bauer, pp. 220–21 (“robberies, murders, and rapes”), 225 (“missing daughters”), 268 (wooden leg); Beveridge v. 2, pp. 93–94.

57
. McPherson,
Battle Cry of Freedom
, pp. 3–4 (“bursting into applause”); Bauer, pp. 318 and 322 (“victorious commander”).

58
. Findley,
A. Lincoln: The Crucible of Congress
, p. 32 (know everyone); Illinois
Weekly Journal
, Oct. 28, 1847, quoted in Townsend,
Lincoln and His Wife’s Hometown
, p. 140 (“twice the good looks”).

59
. Helm,
True Story of Mary, Wife of Lincoln
, pp. 99–100.

60
. Townsend,
Lincoln and His Wife’s Hometown
, p. 146 (“away fighting in Mexico”);
Papers of Henry Clay
, v. 10, p. 320, quoted in Heidler and Heidler,
Henry Clay
, pp. 414–15 (“outrages committed”).

61
. Townsend,
Lincoln in His Wife’s Hometown
, pp. 144, 156 (Cromwell and Napoleon); Wilson, ed.,
Intimate Memories of Lincoln
, p. 243 (“almost worshipped”); Davis and Wilson, eds.,
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
, p. 34 (“beau ideal”);
ALAL
, v. 1, pp. 92, 224; Heidler and Heidler,
Henry Clay
,
p. 71 (denim suit); Townsend,
Lincoln in His Wife’s Hometown
, p. 152 (Lexington courthouse).

62
.
New Orleans Daily Picayune
, Dec. 23, 1846, quoted in Heidler and Heidler,
Henry Clay
, p. 412 (“slay a Mexican”); Remini,
Henry Clay
, pp. 680–81 (pistols);
Papers of Henry Clay
, v. 10, p. 274, cited in Heidler and Heidler,
Henry Clay
, p. 410 (“dictates of conscience”);
Papers of Henry Clay
, v. 10, p. 316, cited in Heidler and Heidler,
Henry Clay
, p. 416 (“calamitous”).

63
. Merry, p. 394 (Clay’s age); Clay, “Speech in Lexington, Ky., Nov. 13, 1847, in
Papers of Henry Clay
, v. 10, p. 362 (“frost of age”); Greenberg,
A Wicked War
, p. 228 (“trumpet”); Townsend,
Lincoln in His Wife’s Hometown
, pp. 152–53. The scene of Clay’s speech draws heavily on Townsend’s account of the event.

64
. Clay, “Speech in Lexington, Ky.,” Nov. 13, 1847, in
Papers of Henry Clay
, v. 10, pp. 361–77 (“direful and fatal”).

65
. Townsend,
Lincoln in His Wife’s Hometown
, p. 155 (length of speech); Howe,
What Hath God Wrought
, p. 828 (beamed it); Palmerston quoted in Greenberg,
A Wicked War
, p. 236; Anson G. Henry to Lincoln, Dec. 29, 1847, ALP, LOC (“Old Zac”).

66
. Usher F. Linder statement for J. G. Holland, in HI, p. 569 (shared a meal and “Mr. Lincoln’s expectations”); Heidler and Heidler,
Henry Clay
, p. xx, n. 24 (no corroborating evidence).

67
. Gouverneur,
As I Remember
, p. 170; Beveridge, v. 2, p. 102 (“scrambling village”); Busey,
Personal Reminiscences
, p. 65 (pigs and geese); Green,
Washington
, v. 1, pp. 164 (muddy streets), 156 (“English woolens”), 173 (“city of Washington”).