Posted on 09/22/2012 11:11:14 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
The Time Abraham Lincoln and a Political Rival Almost Dueled on an Island
Exactly 170 years ago today, the Mississippi River levee in Alton, Illinois, was crammed full of spectators awaiting the results of a highly anticipated duel — a smackdown between Abraham Lincoln and political rival James Shields. Only one man could emerge victorious. Onlookers held their breath in suspense as they spotted a boat approaching with a blood-soaked body draped over the bow.
It had all started where so many skirmishes do: the Illinois state legislature. Though at the time Lincoln was a Whig and Shields was a Democrat, the two politicians had an amicable relationship and worked together to address the state’s enormous debt problem.
The relationship cooled, however, when Shields became the State Auditor. He passed a number of controversial measures and even instituted a policy whereby the state stopped accepting its own paper money as payment of taxes and other debts.
Lincoln expressed his disapproval in the most professional, statesman-like fashion he could think of: by anonymously lampooning Shields in print. He began composing letters to a Springfield paper deriding Shields’ character as well as his policies.
Poking fun at Shields wasn’t hard to do. He was notoriously pompous, vain, and a tad eccentric. Opponents dubbed him “an irresistible mark for satire.” Putting his infamously sarcastic wit to work, Lincoln created two fictitious characters — Jeff and Rebecca — who were unable to pay their debts because the state no longer accepted paper money.
He also poked fun at Shields’ lack of romantic game. One letter, signed “Rebecca,” quoted Shields as saying, “Dear girls, it is distressing, but I cannot marry you all . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at mentalfloss.com ...
Why do I think of Honest Abe wielding an axe instead? It must be that goofy Lincoln vs. Zombies movie trailer that I saw ...
The guy who played Abe, in that movie, did a fairly good job.
May have been better for all concerned, really. Imagine if Obama was encouraging half the country to invade and destroy the other half. That’s what Lincoln did
What do you think ObaMao is doing by demonizing Republicans (even the mild mannered RINO Romney), tea partiers and producers? What do you think he is doing by using executive orders to keep illegal aliens here and encourage more to come? What do you think he is doing with his racially charged rhetoric and using his tools and lackeys to cry racism at the slightest hint of opposition to his fascist Marxist policies?
And, by the way, the south weren't totally innocent victims of Lincoln. Who fired the first shots on Ft. Sumter? Who ram-roded secession through state legislatures over the objections of cooler headed citizens who wanted to see if Lincoln would really govern in the manner which they feared?
For the record, Lincoln's position wasn't an outright abolition of slavery, but a gradual compensated phaseout which included fair payments to owners through the sale of public lands in the west and resettlement of freed slaves in Africa who desired to go.
Had Lincoln's plan come to fruition, we might actually have American friendly Christian countries on Africa's west central coast. Liberia functioned in that manner for over a century until Jimmy Carter allowed it to be taken over by your typical tribal kleptocracy. Had a few more descendants of freed American slaves provided the critical mass necessary, the results might have been entirely different!
Good post.
Not even close.
The 1840 Model Heavy Cavalry Sword needed some serious muscles to wield.
“Model 1840 Heavy Cavalry Saber became a standard sword for horsemen. Its design was based on 1822 French saber, with a leather wrap and wound over by brass wire. Its blade is 35 inches in length, with a flat leading edge that it is sometimes called, “Old Wristbreaker”. Its use had also survived through the Civil War, even when the Model 1860 Light Cavalry Saber was introduced.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/96300659/antique-sabre-1840-heavy-cavalry-pattern
Before I give you my opinion, let me ask you-- what do you suppose the slaves thought of it?
bump
Paintballs at ten paces!
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