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Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes, and Confabulations Associated with Our Greatest President
In the more than 140 years since his death, Abraham Lincoln has become America's most revered president. The mythmaking about this self-made man began early, some of it starting during his campaign for the presidency in 1860. As an American icon, Lincoln has been the subject of speculation and inquiry as authors and researchers have examined every aspect―personal and professional―of the president's life.
In Lincoln Legends , noted historian and Lincoln expert Edward Steers Jr. carefully scrutinizes some of the most notorious tall tales and distorted ideas about America's sixteenth president. These inaccuracies and speculations about Lincoln's personal and professional life abound. Did he write his greatest speech on the back of an envelope on the way to Gettysburg? Did Lincoln appear before a congressional committee to defend his wife against charges of treason? Was he an illegitimate child? Did Lincoln have romantic encounters with women other than his wife? Did he have love affairs with men? What really happened in the weeks leading up to April 14, 1865, and in the aftermath of Lincoln's tragic assassination?
Lincoln Legends evaluates the evidence on all sides of the many heated debates about the Great Emancipator. Not only does Steers weigh the merits of all relevant arguments and interpretations, but he also traces the often fascinating evolution of flawed theories about Lincoln and uncovers the motivations of the individuals―occasionally sincere but more often cynical, self-serving, and nefarious―who are responsible for their dispersal.
Based on extensive primary research, the conclusions in Lincoln Legends will settle many of the enduring questions and persistent myths about Lincoln's life once and for all. Steers leaves us with a clearer image of Abraham Lincoln as a man, as an exceptionally effective president, and as a deserving recipient of the nation's admiration.
In Lincoln Legends , noted historian and Lincoln expert Edward Steers Jr. carefully scrutinizes some of the most notorious tall tales and distorted ideas about America's sixteenth president. These inaccuracies and speculations about Lincoln's personal and professional life abound. Did he write his greatest speech on the back of an envelope on the way to Gettysburg? Did Lincoln appear before a congressional committee to defend his wife against charges of treason? Was he an illegitimate child? Did Lincoln have romantic encounters with women other than his wife? Did he have love affairs with men? What really happened in the weeks leading up to April 14, 1865, and in the aftermath of Lincoln's tragic assassination?
Lincoln Legends evaluates the evidence on all sides of the many heated debates about the Great Emancipator. Not only does Steers weigh the merits of all relevant arguments and interpretations, but he also traces the often fascinating evolution of flawed theories about Lincoln and uncovers the motivations of the individuals―occasionally sincere but more often cynical, self-serving, and nefarious―who are responsible for their dispersal.
Based on extensive primary research, the conclusions in Lincoln Legends will settle many of the enduring questions and persistent myths about Lincoln's life once and for all. Steers leaves us with a clearer image of Abraham Lincoln as a man, as an exceptionally effective president, and as a deserving recipient of the nation's admiration.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 8, 2022
As I’ve been reading a number of Lincoln books lately, I’ve spent a good amount of time Googling anecdotes that rang false to me, tracking down primary sources to judge the veracity of some of the stories the authors tell (isn’t that what the authors themselves are supposed to do?) So I thought I’d give this book a read, to preemptively inform myself about some other questionable Lincoln stories I may read in the future.
The book doesn’t necessarily dispel commonly-held Lincoln myths so much as it explores, chapter by chapter, some of the more fanciful and elaborate Lincoln hoaxes that have been perpetuated over the years. So the stories of the legends and lies themselves and how they came to be are sometimes more interesting than Steers’ careful efforts to refute them.
The first chapter, for example, traces the fascinating backstory of what’s now known as the “symbolic birthplace cabin” and how it was presented over the years as the genuine Lincoln log cabin. Other chapters explore the supposed reinterment of Ann Rutledge’s remains, and forged documents such as purported Lincoln-Rutledge letters and an ostensible lost draft of the Gettysburg Address.
Most of the legends are rather obscure and not all that credible, though, so by the time they’re fully described, the ensuing refutations of them aren’t necessarily compelling. In one chapter on Lincoln’s supposed “secret baptism,” Steers carefully examines census data, weather conditions and train schedules to debunk a story that already seems implausible. Another chapter spends a good deal of time refuting various rumors of Lincoln’s illegitimacy, which Steers acknowledges have largely “faded from the public’s mind” anyway.
Early Lincoln biographers like William Herndon and Carl Sandburg come under scrutiny for originating or perpetuating stories that may be exaggerated or invented. Steers traces the story of the doomed Lincoln-Rutledge romance back to Herndon, who he says gathered witness testimony both for and against a possible relationship, but opted to believe only those who supported it. Sandburg’s biography popularized the story, as well as others like Lincoln’s mythical surprise congressional testimony before a committee investigating his wife.
Chapter 7 stands out in that it’s the only one that doesn’t really reach authoritative, definitive conclusions. It examines the authorship of the “Bixby letter,” the famous condolence letter written to a war widow that some believe Lincoln’s secretary actually wrote. Steers concludes that Lincoln himself wrote it, but that’s only his opinion, since the issue is still hotly debated and may never be resolved with certainty.
Only a couple of chapters are devoted to more well-known myths, such as when and where Lincoln authored the Gettysburg Address (it wasn’t on the train, on the back of an envelope). Steers also addresses the “Lincoln was gay” rumors, thoroughly dissecting their flimsiness, but attacking the messengers in a somewhat homophobic way (one who promoted the theory, he writes, was “an admitted homosexual” who aimed to have Lincoln “join the ranks of homosexuals in modern America” in order to “add legitimacy to being gay.”)
The book ultimately loses steam toward the end, as the last four chapters are more about John Wilkes Booth than Lincoln himself. Steers explores the guilt or innocence of Samuel Mudd, the supposed “lost pages” of Booth’s diary, the identity of the man who held Booth’s horse outside of Ford's Theater, and several conspiracy theories about who really killed Lincoln and whether Booth really survived and escaped. The overly-detailed theories themselves are rather outlandish and implausible, so the careful debunking of them is not particularly interesting.
And that’s how the book ends. As an examination of the various myths that have built up around Lincoln, this is an entertaining enough quick read. But unless the next Lincoln biography I read breathlessly refers to Lincoln’s lost love letters to Ann Rutledge, or speculates about where Booth really ended up after the assassination, I can’t say that I’ve learned much that will save me from going down a Google rabbit hole the next time I read a Lincoln anecdote that seems too good to be true.
The book doesn’t necessarily dispel commonly-held Lincoln myths so much as it explores, chapter by chapter, some of the more fanciful and elaborate Lincoln hoaxes that have been perpetuated over the years. So the stories of the legends and lies themselves and how they came to be are sometimes more interesting than Steers’ careful efforts to refute them.
The first chapter, for example, traces the fascinating backstory of what’s now known as the “symbolic birthplace cabin” and how it was presented over the years as the genuine Lincoln log cabin. Other chapters explore the supposed reinterment of Ann Rutledge’s remains, and forged documents such as purported Lincoln-Rutledge letters and an ostensible lost draft of the Gettysburg Address.
Most of the legends are rather obscure and not all that credible, though, so by the time they’re fully described, the ensuing refutations of them aren’t necessarily compelling. In one chapter on Lincoln’s supposed “secret baptism,” Steers carefully examines census data, weather conditions and train schedules to debunk a story that already seems implausible. Another chapter spends a good deal of time refuting various rumors of Lincoln’s illegitimacy, which Steers acknowledges have largely “faded from the public’s mind” anyway.
Early Lincoln biographers like William Herndon and Carl Sandburg come under scrutiny for originating or perpetuating stories that may be exaggerated or invented. Steers traces the story of the doomed Lincoln-Rutledge romance back to Herndon, who he says gathered witness testimony both for and against a possible relationship, but opted to believe only those who supported it. Sandburg’s biography popularized the story, as well as others like Lincoln’s mythical surprise congressional testimony before a committee investigating his wife.
Chapter 7 stands out in that it’s the only one that doesn’t really reach authoritative, definitive conclusions. It examines the authorship of the “Bixby letter,” the famous condolence letter written to a war widow that some believe Lincoln’s secretary actually wrote. Steers concludes that Lincoln himself wrote it, but that’s only his opinion, since the issue is still hotly debated and may never be resolved with certainty.
Only a couple of chapters are devoted to more well-known myths, such as when and where Lincoln authored the Gettysburg Address (it wasn’t on the train, on the back of an envelope). Steers also addresses the “Lincoln was gay” rumors, thoroughly dissecting their flimsiness, but attacking the messengers in a somewhat homophobic way (one who promoted the theory, he writes, was “an admitted homosexual” who aimed to have Lincoln “join the ranks of homosexuals in modern America” in order to “add legitimacy to being gay.”)
The book ultimately loses steam toward the end, as the last four chapters are more about John Wilkes Booth than Lincoln himself. Steers explores the guilt or innocence of Samuel Mudd, the supposed “lost pages” of Booth’s diary, the identity of the man who held Booth’s horse outside of Ford's Theater, and several conspiracy theories about who really killed Lincoln and whether Booth really survived and escaped. The overly-detailed theories themselves are rather outlandish and implausible, so the careful debunking of them is not particularly interesting.
And that’s how the book ends. As an examination of the various myths that have built up around Lincoln, this is an entertaining enough quick read. But unless the next Lincoln biography I read breathlessly refers to Lincoln’s lost love letters to Ann Rutledge, or speculates about where Booth really ended up after the assassination, I can’t say that I’ve learned much that will save me from going down a Google rabbit hole the next time I read a Lincoln anecdote that seems too good to be true.
June 17, 2019
Most of Lincoln Legends is directed at buffs attracted by such arcane topics as the provenance of the Lincoln “birthplace” cabin, the final resting place (or more likely, places) of Ann Rutledge, whether Lincoln could have been baptized by immersion in the Sangamon River, and assorted odd notions about the assassination. A few chapters are of greater significance, among them the one spiking the myth of a gay Lincoln and the thorough examination of the “deceptive doctor,” Samuel Alexander Mudd.
Steers writes well enough, but the book might have been improved by a more vigorous application of the editorial pen. Steers’ method is usually to begin by laying out the mythological tale at perhaps too great a length and then to demolish the myth at the end of the chapter. This course often leads to wordy repetition. Books about myths and hoaxes are often fun to read; and this one is no exception, although it would have been better if it had been say, fifty pages shorter.
Steers writes well enough, but the book might have been improved by a more vigorous application of the editorial pen. Steers’ method is usually to begin by laying out the mythological tale at perhaps too great a length and then to demolish the myth at the end of the chapter. This course often leads to wordy repetition. Books about myths and hoaxes are often fun to read; and this one is no exception, although it would have been better if it had been say, fifty pages shorter.
September 26, 2025
I'm sure that the author believes what he writes is the truth. But no human is without sin. It's hard to believe that with all these allegations, Lincoln's white robe doesn't have a few smudges.
October 5, 2014
"Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes and Confabulations Associated With Our Greatest President" by Edward Steer Jr. is an excellent addition to any historian's collection of Civil War-related tomes and yet, at the same time, it is easily accessible by non-Lincoln scholars as well.
The sections deal with many different myths and hoaxes that seem to surround our 16th President. The book begins with the fraud that is the Lincoln cabin, the "alleged" birthplace of the President. Its legitimacy is called into question by its shady and questionable past and uncertain provenance.
In other chapters, the hoax surrounding fabricated love letters between Lincoln and Ann Rutledge is revealed, even with this hoax, the unsupported illusion that Ann was Lincoln's "one great love" (addressed in another chapter) still refuses to die. Of course, according to one misguided historian, Lincoln was actually gay (supported only by reading into a few statements what he wanted to see) another myth easily dispensed with.
From "lost" drafts of the Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" to the shifting of authorship of the Bixby Letter, it certainly seems that interest in Lincoln and his writings hasn't diminished any in the last 150 years.
By far though, my favorite chapter was the "Noble American or Deceptive Doctor?" one about Doctor Samuel Mudd, the man who continues to be historically vilified for his role in helping John Wilkes Booth escape. In this chapter, Steers presents the case and proves BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, that Doctor Mudd was a traitor and deserved his punishment (the continued actions of his descendents to clear his name not withstanding) and in the opinion of this reader, should have hanged with Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt, he got off easy.
"Lincoln Legends" is a fascinating and engaging read. I recommend it to one and all.
The sections deal with many different myths and hoaxes that seem to surround our 16th President. The book begins with the fraud that is the Lincoln cabin, the "alleged" birthplace of the President. Its legitimacy is called into question by its shady and questionable past and uncertain provenance.
In other chapters, the hoax surrounding fabricated love letters between Lincoln and Ann Rutledge is revealed, even with this hoax, the unsupported illusion that Ann was Lincoln's "one great love" (addressed in another chapter) still refuses to die. Of course, according to one misguided historian, Lincoln was actually gay (supported only by reading into a few statements what he wanted to see) another myth easily dispensed with.
From "lost" drafts of the Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" to the shifting of authorship of the Bixby Letter, it certainly seems that interest in Lincoln and his writings hasn't diminished any in the last 150 years.
By far though, my favorite chapter was the "Noble American or Deceptive Doctor?" one about Doctor Samuel Mudd, the man who continues to be historically vilified for his role in helping John Wilkes Booth escape. In this chapter, Steers presents the case and proves BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, that Doctor Mudd was a traitor and deserved his punishment (the continued actions of his descendents to clear his name not withstanding) and in the opinion of this reader, should have hanged with Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt, he got off easy.
"Lincoln Legends" is a fascinating and engaging read. I recommend it to one and all.
May 12, 2011
Well nothing new in the book that I had not read before. Not sure what the aim of the author was.
Reminded me of some information that - over time - I had forgotten.
Perhaps the most telling chapter was 11 about Dr. Mudd - have read a good deal about Dr. Mudd and his role in JWB's escape. Mudd's essential defense was that he did not know that it was Booth that he treated that night. Far, far too much hard evidence to support that. He did - indeed - know who he was treating and had a rather long relationship with Booth. The fact that he went into town and learned of the murder and told Mudd to leave - but did not tell the authorities, makes Mudd very guilty. Any jury given the evidence available would have convicted him. He should have been hanged in my view, or at least life in prison. But no - President Johnson - let him out early and the southern President Jimmy Carter pardoned him. What a travesty!
Reminded me of some information that - over time - I had forgotten.
Perhaps the most telling chapter was 11 about Dr. Mudd - have read a good deal about Dr. Mudd and his role in JWB's escape. Mudd's essential defense was that he did not know that it was Booth that he treated that night. Far, far too much hard evidence to support that. He did - indeed - know who he was treating and had a rather long relationship with Booth. The fact that he went into town and learned of the murder and told Mudd to leave - but did not tell the authorities, makes Mudd very guilty. Any jury given the evidence available would have convicted him. He should have been hanged in my view, or at least life in prison. But no - President Johnson - let him out early and the southern President Jimmy Carter pardoned him. What a travesty!
October 16, 2015
Abraham Lincoln-a man who a lot of people agree that he was one of America's best presidents. With that adoration comes a lot of rumors, half-truths, and lies. Edward Steers Jr., who authored of "Blood on the Moon" a book about Lincoln's assassination (a book that I read and enjoyed), sets out to debunk some of the persisting Lincoln rumors.
I found the book to be quite interesting, especially since I'm always looking to read new material on Lincoln. I found the chapters dealing directly with Lincoln to be the most interesting. The ones that dealt with myths after Lincoln was assassinated were not as interesting to me. My favorite chapters were the ones about Abraham and Ann Rutledge (a story still not confirmed but I personally believe it's true), the Gettysburg chapters, and the chapter debunking some quotes that people attribute to Lincoln.
Being a Lincoln fan, I enjoyed this book a lot and I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in America's 16th President.
I found the book to be quite interesting, especially since I'm always looking to read new material on Lincoln. I found the chapters dealing directly with Lincoln to be the most interesting. The ones that dealt with myths after Lincoln was assassinated were not as interesting to me. My favorite chapters were the ones about Abraham and Ann Rutledge (a story still not confirmed but I personally believe it's true), the Gettysburg chapters, and the chapter debunking some quotes that people attribute to Lincoln.
Being a Lincoln fan, I enjoyed this book a lot and I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in America's 16th President.
June 12, 2008
How can a book be so interesting and so dry at the same time? History lovers would probably disagree with me (I'm one of those who likes the action moments, but start getting into dates and where someone was born and my mind starts wandering). At any rate, I did like it, and I honestly didn't know there were so many myths and fables surrounding our sixteenth president. I guess I'm not in the history rumor circles. ;-)
January 11, 2014
An interesting collection of historical snippets about Lincoln; I agree with another reviewer who noted that the book is a much more well-researched (and properly cited) work that the artwork on the cover would indicate. Academic but not dryly so, Steers provides convincing evidence regarding the truth about a number of misconceptions we've grown up believing about our (arguably) most famous president.
June 23, 2011
A lot more scholarly than the title and cover would suggest (which to me is a good thing). Steers debunks a number of myths about Lincoln including some I wasn't even aware of (Headline - LINCOLN WAS NOT GAY!!!). Enjoyable for those who don't put credence in conspiracy theories (my hand goes up) and probably pisses off those who do, which makes it all the more enjoyable
October 6, 2012
Excellent book - thoroughly researched. Steers, the author of several books on Lincoln, takes on some myths and conspiracy theories which have revolved around Lincoln since his assassination. Was Lincoln baptized? Was he gay? Was his cabinet part of the plot to have him killed? Who held Booth's horse outside the theater? The book is easy to read, and fascinating. Highly recommend this book.
August 13, 2013
This book looks at the various myths that have appeared over the years about the life and death of Abraham Lincoln. The author uses each chapter to present, then debunk, each story. Among these are the involvement of Edwin Stanton in Lincoln’s assassination, the sexual orientation of Lincoln, and the identity of Lincoln’s father. Very thorough book!
December 5, 2007
An average book on Lincoln, I felt it dwelled to much on other sources and he made in so glaringly obvious it detracted from the rest of the book. Read Lincoln's Meloncholy if you want in intersting read.
November 29, 2007
So Lincoln being gay was just a myth? Dang.
March 23, 2008
I really like reading about Lincoln, however this book is basicly a rehash of materials. There are afew surprises, but nothing earthshattering
December 12, 2018
Interesting information, but it has the same problem a lot of history books have: poor writing. As an English person, that bugs me to death.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews