Famous People of the Civil War

Learning about the lives of some famous Civil War era individuals

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the self-taught lawyer who was born in Kentucky and became the 16th President of the United States. He is best known for preserving the Union during the American Civil War and for writing the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves.

Early Life

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in a log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. When Abraham Lincoln was just seven years old he moved from Hodgenville, Kentucky to Pigeon Creek Indiana. At age 9, Lincoln’s mother died of milksickness and three years later, Thomas married Sarah Bush. It was Sarah who taught young Abe to read, write, and do simple math. Lincoln loved to read and would often walk miles to borrow books.

In March 1830, the Lincoln’s moved to Illinois. Now age 21, Abe was 6’ 4” tall and strong and lanky and was a hard worker. While in Illinois Lincoln tried a variety of jobs including being a rail splitter, flat boatman, storekeeper, blacksmith, postmaster, and surveyor. At the outbreak of the Black Hawk War in 1832, Abe enlisted and was promoted to Captain of his company.

Lawyer, Statesman, Husband, President

In 1834, Lincoln was elected to the Illinois General Assembly for the first time, representing Sangamon County as a member of the Whig Party. This was his second attempt to gain a political office and he would serve four terms. Finally, after much reading and studying, Lincoln passed the Illinois State Bar exam in 1836 to become a lawyer. The next year he moved to Springfield, Illinois and became partners first with John T. Stuart, then with Stephen T. Logan, and finally, from 1844, he was partners with William H. Herndon. He had to work hard. To keep himself busy, he found it necessary not only to practice in the capital but also to follow the court as it made the rounds of its circuit. After about 20 years, Lincoln began to be a more prominent figure in national politics and has distinguished himself as one of the most successful lawyers in Illinois.

In 1840, Lincoln met Mary Todd who was 10 years younger than Abe. She was well educated and came from a distinguished family. The two were married on November 4,1842 and went on to have four children. Lincoln served one term in the US Congress from 1847-1849. Beginning in 1854, Lincoln became more vocal in politics and challenged Stephen Douglas for his Senate seat. It was during this time that Lincoln became a Republican and because of his position on numerous issues, he became the Republican candidate for the 1860 presidential election. On November 6th, the popular votes were so distributed that Lincoln won a clear and decisive majority in the electoral college.

The Civil War

After the election and before he was even inaugurated, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Shortly after taking office, Lincoln learned that Fort Sumter was under siege and troops were forced to either evacuate or starve. Lincoln hesitated and on April 12, 1861, at dawn, the Confederate batteries in the harbor near the fort opened fire. After the firing on Fort Sumter, Lincoln issued a call to all the states for volunteers to put down the rebellion. Lincoln’s main purpose was to preserve the Union.

From 1861 to 1864, Lincoln struggled with his own leadership and the leadership of the commanders of the Union troops which Lincoln changed often. Some of Lincoln’s cabinet acted as war councils and would send official orders either from the group or personally from Lincoln. In March 1864 Lincoln promoted Ulysses S. Grant to lieutenant general and gave him command of all the federal armies. Grant and his subordinates, provided Lincoln with an army that could carry out his original plan to defeat the Confederates. In the fall of 1862, Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation which granted freedom to slaves in Confederate states. This changed the focus of the war from preserving the Union to abolishing slavery. In 1864, he traveled to Gettysburg and gave his now famous Gettysburg Address. On April 9th, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, thus ending the war.

Assassination

A few days after the surrender, Lincoln and his wife Mary went to Ford’s Theater to watch the play, Our American Cousin. At 10:15, John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, slipped into the box and fired his .44-caliber single-shot derringer pistol into the back of Lincoln’s head. After stabbing Major Henry Rathbone who was also in the box, Booth leaped onto the stage and shouted, “Sic semper tyrannis!” which means “Thus ever to tyrants!” and is the Virginia state motto. The president died the following morning. Within hours, Washington DC was covered in black cloth and ribbon mourning the President. Even some Southern newspapers condemned the assassination.
On April 18, Lincoln’s body was placed in the Capitol rotunda to lay in state on a catafalque. Three days later, his remains along with the remains of his son Willie were placed onto a train and traveled 1,654 miles and stopped in several cities along the way and reached Springfield on May 3. Lincoln’s body was interred on May 4, at Oak Ridge Cemetery.

Fast Facts

Fast Fact #1

In November 1864, Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. America’s modern Thanksgiving holiday dates from that first national observation.

Fast Fact #2

Within a few years of his moving to Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln was earning about $1,400 per year which might not seem like a lot of money. However, during that time, the governor of the state received a salary of $1,200 and circuit judges only $750 per year.

Fast Fact # 3

Abraham Lincoln is the only president to hold a patent. On May 22, 1849, Lincoln received Patent No. 6469 for a device to lift boats over shoals, an invention that was never manufactured.