Abraham Lincoln was walking in the woods one day and a stranger...

[NNadir]

carrying a rifle approached him.

"Sir," he said, you must now prepare to die, for I have made a solemn vow that the first time I saw a man uglier than myself, I would shoot him!"

Abe got a good look at the feller and then stood tall and ripped open his shirt. "Fire at will," quoth Abe, "For if I am indeed uglier than you, I don't deserve to live..."

[0007]

1. Cute!

[Journeyman]

2. Mr Lincoln was once accused by an opponent of being two-faced . . .

"I ask you," Mr Lincoln rejoined, "if I was two-faced would I be wearing this one?"

[babylonsister]

3. Oh,

my! :rofl: True story? If so, I'd say the man had a heckuva sense of humor!

[Journeyman]

4. Yes, both this tale and the OP are true. . .

Here's another example of Mr Lincoln's wit:


Early in his career, Abraham Lincoln “rode the circuit” through Illinois. In those years, it meant travel by horseback over rugged, unpaved roads.

During one particularly vicious winter storm, Mr Lincoln traveled most of the day to make it to the small burg of Galena. Like most stops on the circuit, the people of Galena looked forward to the Judge and Lawyers’ arrival, as they brought news from throughout the state. A place of honor was reserved for the visitors next to the stove in the general store, the main meeting place for the town.

As Mr Lincoln made himself comfortable, one of the locals called out and asked how his journey had been.

“Well,” came the reply, “I’ve been through Hell this day to get to Galena.”

“What’s Hell like, Abe?”

“Well,” Mr Lincoln mused, “it’s a lot like Galena -- lawyers closest to the fire.”

[babylonsister]

5. Are you reading D.K.Goodwin's book, or have you? These

stories are wonderful. I need to read up on Abe!
Funny, my dad told me he's reading a book about John Wilkes Booth, but Dad is a major Civil War buff.

[Journeyman]

6. No. I don't have time for her book at present. . .

though I'd like to read it someday if time permits. I've read countless books on Mr Lincoln -- wrote one for my children, years ago -- and enjoy sharing anecdotes and observations about Mr Lincoln and his life whenever possible.

One little known fact about Mr Lincoln (and this is not intended as a rebuke of you or criticism at all, only mentioned because your post brought it to mind), but Mr Lincoln hated to be called "Abe" and was somewhat embarrassed when he was referred to as "The Rail Splitter," or by any of the other down home, country boy descriptions that were occasionally hung on him. At their most casual, his closest associates called him "Lincoln," and most referred to him as Mr Lincoln (including his wife). All indications are, he was most pleased with Mr Lincoln. And it makes sense when you think of it.

Here's a man, raised in the fields and woods of a backward, provincial land, the son of a semi-literate farmer, with less than one year of formal schooling in his entire life, and yet he managed to raise himself up through sheer force of personal drive to become an incredibly successful lawyer and one of the most gifted writers in the history of our land. He wasn't ashamed of the labor he did as a young man but it wasn't how he wanted to be defined. His ambition, as his law partner, William Herndon wrote, was "a little engine that knew no rest." And for a successful, competent professional man, there was no greater compliment than to be known in his community as "Mr Lincoln." It signified, in so many ways, that he had arrived at the station in life to which he aspired.

Oh, he accepted the use of casual nicknames as a political tool, and never discouraged the use of the "rail splitter" image, but he didn't encourage these things, either, and those who knew him best never dreamed of taking such liberties.

[babylonsister]

7. Fascinating, and thanks for another glimpse of Mr. Lincoln.

I shall get myself to a bookstore!

[Journeyman]

8. Very good. . .

An excellent, one volume biography is Stephen B. Oates' With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln. It's been out a number of years so it's available in paperback (and you can probably find it in most used bookstores).

Another good one volume biography is Lincoln by David Herbert Donald. I haven't seen it in paperback yet but it's probably available in that format by now.

For an excellent history of the life and times of Mr Lincoln, the one volume history, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson is a remarkable read. It's part of the "The Oxford History of the United States," a very comprehensive overview of the nation's history written by a succession of historians, each covering overlapping eras.

Finally, for an enlightening look at Mr Lincoln's prose style and the politics of his decisions, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America by Garry Wills is unequaled. For an example, if you are familiar with the Christ story, re-read Mr Lincoln's remarks at Gettysburg with an ear to parallels between Christ's life and the life of the nation as described by Mr Lincoln. A nation "brought forth" (not founded, but intellectually realized from a virgin land), a struggle through a crucible of blood and death, and resurrection through "a new birth of freedom." The imagery was highly calculated by Mr Lincoln to draw his audience into subconscious agreement with a fundamental ideal Mr Lincoln sought to instill, and the speech serves the purpose of not only dedicating a cemetary and establishing a memorial for the war, it remade the emphasis of the nation and turned us from the flawed Constitution (which codified slavery within the land) and rededicated us to the ideals of the Declaration, which sought freedom and equality for all.

[NNadir]

9. I missed this post, but Wills' "Lincoln at Gettysburg" is one of the most

brilliant pieces of exegesis I have ever read.

Your posts on this subject are excellent.

There is a book, by the way, on Lincoln's humor which he basically used to remain inscrutable, so as to preserve his options in every situation and also to disarm potential opponents.

The book is called Abe Lincoln Laughing, P.M. Zall, ed. University of Tennessee Press, 1995.

The book gives many of the sources for Mr. Lincoln's "stories," most of which were derivative.

[Journeyman]

10. Thank you for the comment. . .

I've seen Abe Lincoln Laughing cited many times but haven't had the opportunity to read it yet. Your recommendation means a lot, so I'll definitely acquire it soon.