Title

Lincoln's sanctuary : Abraham Lincoln and the Soldiers' Home

Description

After the heartbreaking death of his son Willie, Abraham Lincoln and his family fled the gloom that hung over the White House, moving into a small cottage outside Washington, on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home, a residence for disabled military veterans. In Lincoln's Sanctuary, historian Matthew Pinsker offers a fascinating portrait of Lincoln's stay in this cottage and tells the story of the president's remarkable growth as a national leader and a private man. "Lincoln lived at the Soldiers' Home for a quarter of his presidency, and for nearly half of the critical year of 1862, but most Americans (including many scholars) have not heard of the place. Indeed, this is the first volume to specifically connect this early "summer White House" to key wartime developments, including the Emancipation Proclamation, the firing of McClellan, the evolution of Lincoln's "Father Abraham" image, the election of 1864, and the assassination conspiracy. Through a series of striking vignettes, the reader discovers a more accessible Lincoln, demonstrating what one visitor to the Soldiers' Home described as his remarkable "elasticity of spirits." At his secluded cottage, the president complained to his closest aides, recited poetry to his friends, reconnected with his wife and family, conducted secret meetings with his political enemies, and narrowly avoided assassination attempts. Perhaps most important, he forged key friendships that helped renew his flagging spirits. The cottage became a refuge from the pressures of the White House, a place of tranquility where Lincoln could refresh his mind." "Based on research in rarely tapped sources, especially the letters and memoirs of people who lived or worked at the Soldiers' Home, Lincoln's Sanctuary offers the unexpected - a completely fresh view of Abraham Lincoln - through the window of a place that helped shape his presidency."--Jacket.

Identifier

1132843

195162064

Creator

Pinsker, Matthew

Source

Brian Lamb Booknotes Collection

Gift of Brian Lamb, 2011.

Catalog record

Language

eng

Date

2003

Program air date: December 21, 2003

Publisher

Oxford University Press

George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives

Text

Transcription of Annotations
Extensive notes on front and back endpapers, concerning political, military, and personal events affecting Lincoln in the period before and during his stay at the Soldier's Home concerning the death of his son Willie, Lincoln's trouble sleeping, drafts of the Emancipation Proclamation, trips to battlefields, Mary Lincoln's injuries from a fall from a carriage, reelection, and the continual removal and appointments of generals. Lamb asks "how many generals did he remove?" Annotations by Brian Lamb in the margins and underlining of pertinent phrases throughout the book. Examples: "very tired," "anxiety over Emanc.," "Am I to have no rest," "Gettysburg," "Vicksburg," "threats to A.L.," "a sanctuary."

Subject

"Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Homes and haunts--Washington (D. C.)"

"Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Family."

"United States Soldiers' Home--History--19th century."

"Cottages--Washington (D.C.)--History--19th century."

Relation

Original Booknotes interview

Booknotes Oral History Project interview

Rights

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