A. Lincoln1

Makers of History.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
AND THE
ABOLITION OF SLAVERY IN
THE UNITED STATES
BY
CHARLES GODFREY LELAND
AUTHOR OF “HANS BREITMANN’S BALLADS,” “THE EGYPTIAN SKETCH BOOK,”ETC., ETC.
NEW YORK
H. M. CALDWELL COMPANY
PUBLISHERS

2

COPYRIGHT BY
G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS.
1879
3

PUBLISHERS’ NOTE.

In issuing this second edition of Mr. Leland’sbiography, the publishers have taken occasionto correct a few errors in dates and proper names,and in citations from documents, that had crept intothe first edition.

The book was prepared during the author’s residenceabroad, where he did not have at hand forreference all the authorities needed, and as it wasstereotyped in London the above oversights werenot at once detected.45

PREFACE.

I make no apology for adding another “Life ofAbraham Lincoln” to the many already written,as I believe it impossible to make such an exampleof successful perseverance allied to honesty, as thegreat President gave, too well known to the world.And as I know of no other man whose life showsso perfectly what may be effected by resolute self-culture,and adherence to good principles in spite ofobstacles, I infer that such an example cannot betoo extensively set before all young men who areambitious to do well in the truest sense. There arealso other reasons why it should be studied. Thelife of Abraham Lincoln during his Presidency issimply that of his country—since he was so intimatelyconcerned with every public event of his time, thatas sometimes happens with photographs, so with thebiography of Lincoln and the history of his time, we6cannot decide whether the great picture was enlargedfrom the smaller one, or the smaller reduced from agreater. His career also fully proves that extremesmeet, since in no despotism is there an example ofany one who ever governed so great a country sothoroughly in detail as did this Republican of Republicans,whose one thought was simply to obey thepeople.

It is of course impossible to give within the limitsof a small book all the details of a busy life, and alsothe history of the American Emancipation and itscauses; but I trust that I have omitted little of muchimportance. The books to which I have been chieflyindebted, and from which I have borrowed mostfreely, are the lives of Lincoln by W. H. Lamon, andby my personal friends H. J. Raymond and Dr.Holland; and also the works referring to the war byI. N. Arnold, F. B. Carpenter, L. P. Brockett, A.Boyd, G. W. Bacon, J. Barrett, Adam Badeau, andF. Moore.

C. G. L.

June, 1879.7

CONTENTS.