LETTER TO MRS. BIXBY November 21, 1864 [Burdened with his public duties though he was, Mr. Lincoln found time to write to a grief-stricken mother this letter.] EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, November 21, 1864. MRS. BIXBY, Boston, Massachusetts: DEAR MADAM: I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Yours very sincerely and respectfully, ABRAHAM LINCOLN. LETTER TO HIS DYING FATHER January 12, 1851 [This letter, addressed to Lincoln's step-brother, John D. Johnston, was sent on receipt of the news that Thomas Lincoln, Abraham's father, was very ill, and probably could not recover. Lincoln had been generous in his gifts to his father during his declining years, and cared tenderly for his step-mother after his father's death. Prevented by illness in his own home from going to his father's bedside, he wrote directing that no care or comfort for either his father or step-mother should be omitted. The closing part of the letter is given herewith.] DEAR BROTHER: Springfield, Illinois, January 12, 1851. * * * * I sincerely hope father may recover his health; but at all events, tell him to call upon and confide in our great and good and merciful Maker, who will not turn away from him in any extremity. He notes the fall of a sparrow, and numbers the hairs of our heads, and He will not forget the dying man who puts his trust in Him. Say to him that if we could meet now it is doubtful whether it would not be more painful than pleasant, but that if it be his lot to go now, he will soon have a joyous meeting with many loved ones gone before, and where the rest of us, through the help of God, hope ere long to join him. Write to me again when you receive this. Affectionately, A. LINCOLN. A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS IN PRINT RELATING TO ABRAHAM LINCOLN BIOGRAPHIES AND REMINISCENCES Arnold, Isaac N. "THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN" A. C. McClurg & Company.. $2.00 The life of the inimitable martyred President is here portrayed with great faithfulness to detail. The style of writing is fluent, and graphic. Few men knew Lincoln better than did Judge Arnold. The permanent value of his book rests upon the author's first-hand knowledge, his accurate judgment, and his power of analysis. Barrett, J. H. "ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND HIS PRESIDENCY" Stewart & Kidd Company. 2 volumes..........$6.00 This book is the product of an interesting evolution. Its germ was a campaign biography, written by Dr. Barrett in 1860, after a personal visit to Mr. Lincoln, who thought himself unworthy of the attempt but directed the author to where the meagre material might be found. In 1865 the book was extended. In 1903, near the end of a long and useful life, the author added his gathered material, much of it of large value, and re-wrote it in two volumes. Barton, William E. "THE PATERNITY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, WAS HE George H. Doran Company. .....$4.00 In this new volume, the author traces every rumor and report relating to the question of Lincoln's birth, assembles all the evidence, and subjects it to the most exacting critical analysis. As a result he has arrived at the truth and renders a judgment from which he believes there can be no successful appeal. |