Lincoln's Autobiographies

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Lincoln's Autobiographies

Ã‚				learned from him that he had failed in
				getting a boat at Beardstown. This led to
Ã‚ December 20, 1859				their hiring themselves to him for twelve
				dollars per month each, and getting the
I was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Hardin County,				timber out of the trees and building a boat
Kentucky. My parents were both born in				at Old Sangamon town on the Sangamon River,
Virginia, of undistinguished families--				seven miles northwest of Springfield, which
second families, perhaps I should say. My				boat they took to New Orleans, substantially
mother, who died in my tenth year, was of a				upon the old contract.
family of the name of Hanks, some of whom now
reside in Adams, and others in Macon				During this boat-enterprise acquaintance with
Counties, Illinois. My paternal grandfather,				Offutt, who was previously an entire
Abraham Lincoln, emigrated from Rockingham				stranger, he conceived a liking for Abraham,
County, Virginia, to Kentucky, about 1781 or				and believing he could turn him to account,
2, where, a year or two later, he was killed				he contracted with him to act as clerk for
by indians, not in battle, but by stealth,				him, on his return from New Orleans, in
when he was laboring to open a farm in the				charge of a store and mill at New Salem, then
forest. His ancestors, who were Quakers, went				in Sangamon, now in Menard County. Hanks had
to Virginia from Berks County, Pennsylvania.				not gone to New Orleans, but having a family,
An effort to identify them with the				and being likely to be detained from home
New-England family of the same name ended in				longer than at first expected, had turned
nothing more definite, than a similarity of				back from St. Louis. He is the same John
Christian names in both families, such as				Hanks who now engineers the "rail enterprise"
Enoch, Levi, Mordecai, Solomon, Abraham, and				at Decatur, and is a first cousin to
the like.				Abraham's mother. Abraham's father, with his
				own family and others mentioned, had, in
My father, at the death of his father, was				pursuance of their intention, removed from
but six years of age; and he grew up,				Macon to Coles County. John D. Johnston, the
litterally [sic] without education. He				stepmother's son, went with them, and Abraham
removed from Kentucky to what is now Spencer				stopped indefinitely and for the first time,
County, Indiana, in my eighth year. We				as it were, by himself at New Salem, before
reached our new home about the time the State				mentioned. This was in July, 1831. Here he
came into the Union. It was a wild region,				rapidly made acquaintances and friends. In
with many bears and other wild animals, still				less than a year Offutt's business was
in the woods. There I grew up. There were				failing--had almost failed--when the Black
some schools, so called; but no qualification				Hawk war of 1832 broke out. Abraham joined a
was ever required of a teacher beyond				volunteer company, and, to his own surprise,
"readin, writin, and cipherin" to the Rule of				was elected captain of it. He says he has not
Three. If a straggler supposed to understand				since had any success in life which gave him
latin happened to sojourn in the				so much satisfaction. He went to the
neighborhood, he was looked upon as a wizzard				campaign, served near three months, met the
[sic]. There was absolutely nothing to excite				ordinary hardships of such an expedition, but
ambition for education. Of course when I came				was in no battle. He now owns, in Iowa, the
of age I did not know much. Still somehow, I				land upon which his own warrants for the
could read, write, and cipher to the Rule of				service were located. Returning from the
Three; but that was all. I have not been to				campaign, and encouraged by his great
school since. The little advance I now have				popularity among his immediate neighbors, he
upon this store of education, I have picked				the same year ran for the legislature, and
up from time to time under the pressure of				was beaten,--his own precinct, however,
necessity.				casting its votes 277 for and 7 against
				him--and that, too, while he was an avowed
I was raised to farm work, which I continued				Clay man, and the precinct the autumn
till I was twenty-two. At twenty one I came				afterward giving a majority of 115 to General
to Illinois, and passed the first year in				Jackson over Mr. Clay. This was the only time
Macon County. Then I got to New-Salem (at				Abraham was ever beaten on a direct vote of
that time in Sangamon, now in Menard County),				the people. He was now without means and out
where I remained a year as a sort of Clerk in				of business, but was anxious to remain with
a store. Then came the Black-Hawk war; and I				his friends who had treated him with so much
was elected a Captain of Volunteers--a				generosity, especially as he had nothing
success which gave me more pleasure than any				elsewhere to go to. He studied what he should
I have had since. I went the campaign, was				do--thought of learning the blacksmith
elated, ran for the Legislature the same year				trade--thought of trying to study law--rather
(1832) and was beaten--the only time I ever				thought he could not succeed at that without
have been beaten by the people. The next, and				a better education. Before long, strangely
three succeeding biennial elections, I was				enough, a man offered to sell, and did sell,
elected to the Legislature. I was not a				to Abraham and another as poor as himself, an
candidate afterwards. During this Legislative				old stock of goods, upon credit. They opened
period I had studied law, and removed to				as merchants; and he says that was the store.
Springfield to practise it. In 1846 I was				Of course they did nothing but get deeper and
once elected to the lower House of Congress.				deeper in debt. He was appointed postmaster
Was not a candidate for re-election. From				at New Salem--the office being too
1849 to 1854, both inclusive, practiced law				insignificant to make his politics an
more assiduously than ever before. Always a				objection. The store winked out. The surveyor
whig in politics, and generally on the whig				of Sangamon offered to depute to Abraham that
electoral tickets, making active canvasses--I				portion of his work which was within his part
was losing interest in politics, when the				of the county. He accepted, procured a
repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused me				compass and chain, studied Flint and Gibson a
again. What I have done since then is pretty				little, and went at it. This procured bread,
well known.				and kept soul and body together. The election
				of 1834 came, and he was then elected to the
If any personal description of me is thought				legislature by the highest vote cast for any
desirable, it may be said, I am, in height,				candidate. Major John T. Stuart, then in full
six feet, four inches, nearly; lean in flesh,				practice of the law, was also elected. During
weighing on an average one hundred and eighty				the canvass, in a private conversation he
pounds; dark complexion, with coarse black				encouraged Abraham [to] study law. After the
hair, and grey eyes--no other marks or brands				election he borrowed books of Stuart, took
recollected.				them home with him, and went at it in good
				earnest. He studied with nobody. He still
Ã‚ June 1860				mixed in the surveying to pay board and
				clothing bills. When the legislature met, the
Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809,				lawbooks were dropped, but were taken up
then in Hardin, now in the more recently				again at the end of the session. He was
formed county of La Rue, Kentucky. His				reelected in 1836, 1838, and 1840. In the
father, Thomas, and grandfather, Abraham,				autumn of 1836 he obtained a law license, and
were born in Rockingham County, Virginia,				on April 15, 1837, removed to Springfield,
whither their ancestors had come from Berks				and commenced the practice--his old friend
County, Pennsylvania. His lineage has been				Stuart taking him into partnership. March 3,
traced no father back than this. The family				1837, by a protest entered upon the "Illinois
were originally Quakers, though in later				House Journal" of that date, at pages 817 and
times they have fallen away from the peculiar				818, Abraham, with Dan Stone, another
habits of that people. The grandfather,				representative of Sangamon, briefly defined
Abraham, had four brothers--Isaac, Jacob,				his position on the slavery question; and so
John, and Thomas. So far as known, the				far as it goes, it was then the same that it
descendants of Jacob and John are still in				is now. The protest is as follows:
Virginia. Isaac went to a place near where
Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee join;				"Resolutions upon the subject of domestic
and his descendants are in that region.				slavery having passed both branches of the
Thomas came to Kentucky, and after many years				General Assembly at its present session, the
died there, whence his descendants went to				undersigned hereby protest against the
Missouri. Abraham, grandfather of the subject				passage of the same.
of this sketch, came to Kentucky, and was
killed by Indians about the year 1784. He				"They believe that the institution of slavery
left a widow, three sons, and two daughters.				is founded on both injustice and bad policy,
The eldest son, Mordecai, remained in				but that the promulgation of Abolition
Kentucky till late in life, when he removed				doctrines tends rather to increase than abate
to Hancock County, Illinois, where soon after				its evils.
he died, and where several of his descendants
still remain. The second son, Josiah, removed				"They believe that the Congress of the United
at an early day to a place on Blue River, now				States has no power under the Constitution to
within Hancock County, Indiana, but no recent				interfere with the institution of slavery in
information of him or his family has been				the different States.
obtained. The eldest sister, Mary, married
Ralph Crume, and some of her descendants are				"They believe that the Congress of the United
now known to be in Breckenridge County,				States has the power, under the Constitution,
Kentucky. The second sister, Nancy, married				to abolish slavery in the District of
William Brumfield, and her family are not				Columbia, but that the power ought not to be
known to have left Kentucky, but there is no				exercised unless at the request of the people
recent information from them. Thomas, the				of the District.
youngest son, and the father of the present
subject, by the early death of his father,				"The difference between these opinions and
and very narrow circumstances of his mother,				those contained in the above resolutions is
even in childhood was a wandering				their reason for entering this protest.
laboring-boy, and grew up literally without
education. He never did more in the way of				"Dan Stone,
writing than to bunglingly write his own
name. Before he was grown he passed one year				"A Lincoln,
as a hired hand with his uncle Isaac on
Watauga, a branch of the Holston River.				"Representatives from the County of
Getting back into Kentucky, and having				Sangamon."
reached his twenty-eighth year, he married
Nancy Hanks--mother of the present				In 1838 and 1840, Mr. Lincoln's party voted
subject--in the year 1806. She also was born				for him as Speaker, but being in the minority
in Virginia; and relatives of hers of the				he was not elected. After 1840 he declined a
name of Hanks, and of other names, now reside				reelection to the legislature. He was on the
in Coles, in Macon, and in Adams counties,				Harrison electoral ticket in 1840, and on
Illinois, and also in Iowa. The present				that of Clay in 1844, and spent much time and
subject has no brother or sister of the whole				labor in both those canvasses. In November,
or half blood. He had a sister, older than				1842, he was married to Mary, daughter of
himself, who was grown and married, but died				Robert S. Todd, of Lexington, Kentucky. They
many years ago, leaving no child; also a				have three living children, all sons, one
brother, younger than himself, who died in				born in 1843, one in 1850, and one in 1853.
infancy. Before leaving Kentucky, he and his				They lost one, who was born in 1846.
sister were sent, for short periods, to A B C
schools, the first kept by Zachariah Riney,				In 1846 he was elected to the lower House of
and the second by Caleb Hazel.				Congress, and served one term only,
				commencing in December, 1847, and ending with
At this time his father resided on Knob				the inauguration of General Taylor, in March
Creek, on the road from Bardstown, Kentucky,				1849. All the battles of the Mexican war had
to Nashville, Tennessee, at a point three or				been fought before Mr. Lincoln took his seat
three and a half miles south or southwest of				in Congress, but the American army was still
Atherton's Ferry, on the Rolling Fork. From				in Mexico, and the treaty of peace was not
this place he removed to what is now Spencer				fully and formally ratified till the June
County, Indiana, in the autumn of 1816,				afterward. Much has been said of his course
Abraham then being in his eighth year. This				in Congress in regard to this war. A careful
removal was partly on account of slavery, but				examination of the "Journal" and
chiefly on account of the difficulty in land				"Congressional Globe" shows that he voted for
titles in Kentucky. He settled in an unbroken				all the supply measures that came up, and for
forest, and the clearing away of surplus wood				all the measures in any way favorable to the
was the great task ahead. Abraham, though				officers, soldiers, and their families, who
very young, was large of his age, and had an				conducted the war through: with the exception
ax put into his hands at once; and from that				that some of these measures passed without
till within his twenty-third year he was				yeas and nays, leaving no record as to how
almost constantly handling that most useful				particular men voted. The "Journal" and
instrument--less, of course, in plowing and				"Globe" also show him voting that the war was
harvesting seasons. At this place Abraham				unnecessarily and unconstitutionally begun by
took an early start as a hunter, which was				the President of the United States. This is
never much improved afterward. A few days				the language of Mr. Ashmun's amendment, for
before the completion of his eighth year, in				which Mr. Lincoln and nearly or quite all
the absence of his father, a flock of wild				other Whigs of the House of Representatives
turkeys approached the new log cabin, and				voted.
Abraham with a rifle-gun, standing inside,
shot through a crack and killed one of them.				Mr. Lincoln's reasons for the opinion
He has never since pulled a trigger on any				expressed by this vote were briefly that the
larger game. In the autumn of 1818 his mother				President had sent General Taylor into an
died; and a year afterward his father married				inhabited part of the country belonging to
Mrs. Sally Johnston, at Elizabethtown,				Mexico, and not to the United States, and
Kentucky, a widow with three children of her				thereby had provoked the first act of
first marriage. She proved a good and kind				hostility, in fact the commencement of the
mother to Abraham, and is still living in				war; that the place, being the country
Coles County, Illinois. There were no				bordering on the east bank of the Rio Grande,
children of this second marriage. His				was inhabited by native Mexicans, born there
father's residence continued at the same				under the Mexican government, and had never
place in Indiana till 1830. While here				submitted to, nor been conquered by, Texas or
Abraham went to A B C schools by littles,				the United States, nor transferred to either
kept successively by Andrew				by treaty; that although Texas claimed the
Crawford,--Sweeney, and Azel W. Dorsey. He				Rio Grande as her boundary, Mexico had never
does not remember any other. The family of				recognized it, and neither Texas nor the
Mr. Dorsey now resides in Schuyler County,				United States had ever enforced it; that
Illinois. Abraham now thinks that the				there was a broad desert between that and the
aggregate of all his schooling did not amount				country over which Texas had actual control;
to one year. He was never in a college or				that the country where hostilities commenced,
academy as a student, and never inside of a				having once belonged to Mexico, must remain
college or academy building till since he had				so until it was somehow legally transferred,
a law license. What he has in the way of				which had never been done.
education he has picked up. After he was
twenty-three and had separated from his				Mr. Lincoln thought the act of sending an
father, he studied English				armed force among the Mexicans was
grammar--imperfectly, of course, but so as to				unnecessary, inasmuch as Mexico was in no way
speak and write as well as he now does. He				molesting or menacing the United States or
studied and nearly mastered the six books of				the people thereof; and that it was
Euclid since he was a member of Congress. He				unconstitutional, because the power of
regrets his want of education, and does what				levying war is vested in Congress, and not in
he can to supply the want. In his tenth year				the President. He thought the principal
he was kicked by a horse, and apparently				motive for the act was to divert public
killed for a time. When he was nineteen,				attention from the surrender of "Fifty-four,
still residing in Indiana, he made his first				forty, or fight" to Great Britain, on the
trip upon a flatboat to New Orleans. He was a				Oregon boundary question.
hired hand merely, and he and a son of the
owner, without other assistance, made the				Mr. Lincoln was not a candidate for
trip. The nature of part of the "cargo-load,"				reelection. This was determined upon and
as it was called, made it necessary for them				declared before he went to Washington, in
to linger and trade along the sugar-coast;				accordance with an understanding among Whig
and one night they were attacked by seven				friends, by which Colonel Hardin and Colonel
negroes with intent to kill and rob them.				Baker had each previously served a single
They were hurt some in the				term in this same district.
mÃƒÂªlÃƒÂ©e, but succeeded in driving
the negroes from the boat, and then "cut				In 1848, during his term in Congress, he
cable," "weighed anchor," and left.				advocated General Taylor's nomination for the
				presidency, in opposition to all others, and
March 1, 1830, Abraham having just completed				also took an active part for his election
his twenty-first year, his father and family,				after his nomination, speaking a few times in
with the families of the two daughters and				Maryland, near Washington, several times in
sons-in-law of his stepmother, left the old				Massachusetts, and canvassing quite fully his
homestead in Indiana and came to Illinois.				own district in Illinois, which was followed
Their mode of conveyance was wagons drawn by				by a majority in the district of over 1500
ox-teams, and Abraham drove one of the teams.				for General Taylor.
They reached the county of Macon, and stopped
there some time within the same month of				Upon his return from Congress he went to the
March. His father and family settled a new				practice of the law with greater earnestness
place on the north side of the Sangamon				than ever before. In 1852 he was upon the
River, at the junction of the timberland and				Scott electoral ticket, and did something in
prairie, about ten miles westerly from				the way of canvassing, but owing to the
Decatur. Here they built a log cabin, into				hopelessness of the cause in Illinois he did
which they removed, and made sufficient of				less than in previous presidential canvasses.
rails to fence ten acres of ground, fenced
and broke the ground, and raised a crop of				In 1854 his profession had almost superseded
sown corn upon it the same year. These are,				the thought of politics in his mind, when the
or are supposed to be, the rails about which				repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused him
so much is being said just now, though these				as he had never been before.
are far from being the first or only rails
ever made by Abraham.				In the autumn of that year he took the stump
				with no broader practical aim or object than
The sons-in-law were temporarily settled in				to secure, if possible, the reelection of
other places in the county. In the autumn all				Hon. Richard Yates to Congress. His speeches
hands were greatly afflicted with ague and				at once attracted a more marked attention
fever, to which they had not been used, and				than they had ever before done. As the
by which they were greatly discouraged, so				canvass proceeded he was drawn to different
much so that they determined on leaving the				parts of the State outside of Mr. Yates'
county. They remained, however, through the				district. He did not abandon the law, but
succeeding winter, which was the winter of				gave his attention by turns to that and
the very celebrated "deep snow" of Illinois.				politics. The State agricultural fair was at
During that winter Abraham, together with his				Springfield that year, and Douglas was
stepmother's son, John D. Johnston, and John				announced to speak there.
Hanks, yet residing in Macon County, hired
themselves to Denton Offutt to take a				In the canvass of 1856 Mr. Lincoln made over
flatboat from Beardstown, Illinois, to New				fifty speeches, no one of which, so far as he
Orleans; and for that purpose were to join				remembers, was put in print. One of them was
him--Offutt--at Springfield, Illinois, so				made at Galena, but Mr. Lincoln has no
soon as the snow should go off. When it did				recollection of any part of it being printed;
go off, which was about the first of March,				nor does he remember whether in that speech
1831, the county was so flooded as to make				he said anything about a Supreme Court
traveling by land impracticable; to obviate				decision. He may have spoken upon that
which difficulty they purchased a large				subject, and some of the newspapers may have
canoe, and came down the Sangamon River in				reported him as saying what it now ascribed
it. This is the time and the manner of				to him, but he thinks he could not have
Abraham's first entrance into Sangamon				expressed himself as represented.
County. They found Offutt at Springfield, but

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Lincoln's Autobiographies

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