Meeting Mr. Lincoln: Firsthand Recollections of Abraham Lincoln by People, Great and Small, Who Met the President

by Victoria Radford (Introduction)

Imagine walking into the White House between 1861 and 1865. Would you have been allowed to see the president? With no titles or accolades attached to your name, would he have talked with you? And if so, how would you have felt afterward about his dignity, intelligence, and character? Scores of individuals met President Lincoln and recorded their impressions. In this charming and affecting book, Victoria Radford has selected the most interesting of these recollections, which together add luster to the image of an American icon. “The people who met Abraham Lincoln found in some way a different man than expected,” Ms. Radford writes. “Some people were surprised by his appearance, that this haphazard and untidy man was indeed president. Some were surprised at his generosity, that he would take the time to see them and listen to their stories. Some were surprised by his kindness, that he would offer help and kind words whenever he could. Some were surprised by his compassion and mercy, and some by his simple dignity and grace. And many were surprised at how they felt in Lincoln's presence, that his sincerity and ease of manner set them at their ease, so that they forgot they were even talking to a president.” Even Lincoln buffs will find Meeting Mr. Lincoln a surprise and delight. Illustrated with photographs and engravings.

Genres: History

128 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 1998

Reviews

[David Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim volume provides some wonderful insight into Lincoln from some of the people who met him during the Civil War. While there are familiar recollections from Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth, virtually all the memories are from less well-known common people. Many were teenagers at the time, or wives of fallen soldiers, or just random people who wandered in to chat with the president during the open-door policy he called his "public opinion baths." There are even a few memories of Lincoln meeting with Confederate soldiers or their families. A nice review of how people felt about Lincoln.

[Steve Henderson]

Perfect

[Driftless · Rating 4 out of 5]

We live in an age of cynicism. Maybe it was Watergate, or the Vietnam War, or the first movie star president; but whenever someone is labeled an All-American hero, we all know it's just a matter of time before they're exposed as a drug addict, philanderer or pedophile.

Maybe it's just an illusion of history, but it seems that there was a time when this didn't happen so regularly. From a modern, cynical perspective it seems impossible that Abraham Lincoln could really be as brilliant, compassionate and morally upstanding as history has painted him - there must have been some skeletons in his closet that have never been revealed. But by harkening back to a simpler time and casting all negativity aside, Meeting Mr. Lincoln provides plenty of unadulterated evidence of Honest Abe's great integrity.

You can read the rest of my review at Meeting Mr. Lincoln.