Lincoln as I Knew Him: Gossip, Tributes, and Revelations from His Best Friends and Worst Enemies

Holzer, compiler of previous Lincoln books (Lincoln on Democracy, etc.), has found a new approach to this most revered yet enigmatic of presidents. He delves into Lincoln's character through the revelations of those who knew him--some well, some who met him only once. Holzer located memories from 11 classes of people: family members, personal and political friends, fellow lawyers, journalists and humorists, foreign observers, enemies, military men, authors, artists, African-Americans and White House intimates. One journalist wrote that Lincoln ""never hesitated to tell a coarse or even outright nasty story."" An old friend observed that he ""had no superhuman qualities (which we call genius) but he had those which belong to mankind in general in an astonishing degree."" General George McClellan wrote, ""The President is nothing but a well meaning baboon."" Frederick Douglass, who thought the president too slow to emancipate the slaves and called him ""preeminently the white man's president,"" granted that Lincoln's personal conduct was marked by ""his entire freedom from popular prejudice against the colored race."" Careful to screen out apocryphal accounts that spread after Lincoln had become famous, Holzer presents a collection that sheds light not only on Lincoln but also on his times--times that tried many souls. It is inspiring, based on Holzer's selections, to learn how much Lincoln helped to heal those souls. (Sept.)