“We are coming, Father Abraham, Three Hundred Thousand More.” This was the memorable opening line of an 1862 poem (and later popular song) by James Sloan Gibbons that signified the enthusiasm of some in the North for President Lincoln’s decisive call for more troops after more than a year of Civil War. Lincoln was father to four boys (two of whom died as children), but the poem helped capture the paternal image that Lincoln developed as a wartime leader, one that was embodied for some by his famous beard (grown after 1860) and for others by his general reputation for kindly empathy. But for many who knew Lincoln best, the idea of “Father Abraham” truly captured his penchant for doling out advice. many documents in this section illustrate Lincoln’s persistent attempts to advise his subordinates, rivals and even sometimes his political enemies on the right course of action.
Essential Question
How did Lincoln’s contemporaries respond to his leadership?
Featured Documents
- April 16, 1848 –Letter to Mary Todd Lincoln (#12)
- October 19, 1860 –Letter to Grace Bedell (#10)
- July 26, 1862 –Letter to Reverdy Johnson (#14)
- January 26, 1863 –Letter to Joseph Hooker (#13)
- January 19, 1865 –Letter to Ulysses S Grant (#24)
Additional Documents
- March 4, 1860—Letter to Mary Lincoln (#140)
- November 7, 1861—Letter to Lorenzo Thomas (#58)
- December 14, 1861—Letter to Arnold Fischel (#111)
- December 31, 1861—Letter to David Hunter (#84)
- January 13, 1862—Letter to Don Buell (#98)
- February 3, 1862—Letter to the King of Siam (#128)
- April 9, 1862—Letter to George McClellan (#129)
- July 28, 1862—Letter to Cuthbert Bullitt (#112)
- August 4, 1862—Letter to Agenor-Etienne de Gasparin (#149)
- October 13, 1862—Letter to George McClellan (#44)
- October 25, 1862—Letter to George McClellan (#51)
- November 1, 1862—To Whom It May Concern (#143)
- November 10, 1862—Letter to Carl Schurz (#67)
- December 6, 1862—Letter to Henry Sibley (#113)
- December 23, 1862—Letter to Fanny McCullough (#99)
- March 27, 1863—Remarks to Indians (#115)
- May 26, 1863—Letter to Isaac Arnold (#146)
- June 10, 1863—Telegram to Joseph Hooker (#116)
- June 16, 1863—Letter to Mary Lincoln (#117)
- July 13, 1863—Letter to Ulysses Grant (#118)
- July 14, 1863—Letter to George Meade (#87)
- September 21, 1863—Letter to Mary Lincoln (#89)
- August 22, 1864—Speech to 166th Ohio Regiment (#150)
- November 21, 1864—Letter to Lydia Bixby (#71)
- December 26, 1864—Letter to William Sherman (#120)
Multi-Media Resources
- Jane Black, How PA Soldiers Viewed Lincoln, Quora, Understanding Lincoln, Fall 2013
- Sara Combs, Letter to King of Siam, Prezi, Understanding Lincoln, Summer 2014
- Brian Elsner, Lincoln and McClellan, Wordpress, Understanding Lincoln, Fall 2013
- Patricia Nelson, Lincoln and Sioux Uprising, Prezi, Understanding Lincoln, Fall 2013
- Susan Segal, Lincoln as Commander in Chief, Prezi, Understanding Lincoln, Fall 2013
- Jonas Sheer, Abraham Lincoln & Jews, Storify, Understanding Lincoln, Fall 2013
- Megan VanGorder, Lincoln’s Bloomington, Weebly, Understanding Lincoln, Summer 2014
- Michael Van Wambeke, Change or Stay Course?, Wix, Understanding Lincoln, Fall 2013
Further Reading
- Catherine Clinton, “Wife Versus Widow: Clashing Perspectives on Mary Lincoln’s Legacy,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 28 (Winter 2007), http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.2629860.0028.103
- Herman Hattaway, “Lincoln’s Presidential Example in Dealing with the Military,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 7 (1985), http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.2629860.0007.104
- Matthew Pinsker, “The Myth of Rivals,” Journal Divided (June 7, 2010),http://housedivided.dickinson.edu/sites/journal/2010/06/07/team-of-rivals-op-ed/
- Brooks Simpson, “Lincoln and His Political Generals,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 21 (Winter 2000), http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.2629860.0021.105
- Bruce Tap, “Amateurs at War: Abraham Lincoln and the Committee on the Conduct of the War,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 23 (Summer 2002), http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.2629860.0023.203