Harper’s Weekly – March 9, 1861

Harper's Weekly archives ^ | March 9, 1861

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Rebelbase]

It is nice to see that Dicken’s Great Expectations was printed in the paper for all to read.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas

[Homer_J_Simpson]

With Lincoln in the White House: Letters, Memoranda, and Other Writings of John G. Nicolay, 1860-1865, edited by Michael Burlingame

[Homer_J_Simpson]

The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas

“The Icebergs,” Frederic Edwin Church (1861)

[Jim W N]

Just waiting for that big ship to come along.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Continued from March 6 (reply #29).

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3938855/posts#29

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Bruce Catton, The Coming Fury

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Continued from March 9 (reply #3).

Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Continued from March 9 (reply #4).

David Herbert Donald, Lincoln

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Lincoln sent identical letters to each member of his cabinet. The replies started coming this same day. See them below.

Abraham Lincoln: Speeches and Writings 1859-1865, edited by Don E. Fehrenbacher

[Homer_J_Simpson]

The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Lieutenant-General Winfield Scott’s Memoranda for the Secretary of War, March 15, 1861
https://civilwarnotebook.blogspot.com/2016/09/lieutenant-general-winfield-scotts.html

Gideon Welles to Abraham Lincoln, March 15, 1861
https://civilwarnotebook.blogspot.com/2016/09/gideon-welles-to-abraham-lincoln-march.html

William H. Seward to Abraham Lincoln, March 15, 1861
https://civilwarnotebook.blogspot.com/2016/09/william-h-seward-to-abraham-lincoln_7.html

Edward Bates to Abraham Lincoln, March 15, 1861
https://civilwarnotebook.blogspot.com/2016/09/edward-bates-to-abraham-lincoln-march.html

Montgomery Blair to Abraham Lincoln, March 15, 1861
https://civilwarnotebook.blogspot.com/2016/09/montgomery-blair-to-abraham-lincoln.html

Notes of Justice J. A. Campbell, Copy “A,” March 15, 1861
https://civilwarnotebook.blogspot.com/2016/08/notes-of-justice-j-campbell-copy-march.html

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Final posts for this week’s Harper’s Weekly thread:

“The Coming Fury,” reply #26
“Team of Rivals,” #27
“Lincoln,” #28
Lincoln’s note to Sec. Seward (and rest of cabinet), #29
George Templeton Strong, #30
Civil War Notebook entries, including 3 responses from cabinet members to Lincoln’s query, #31.

[BroJoeK]

"Mary Chesnut’s Diary, Edited by Isabella D. Martin and Myrta Lockett Avary"

"The Herald says three only of the elite Washington families attended the Inaugural Ball."

An extraordinarily important comment in light of the picture DiogenesLamp keeps painting for us of "Lincoln the establishment insider, in cahoots with Washington & New York elites".

In fact, like Republican Donald Trump, Lincoln was the outsider come to shake things up in Washington beginning with the item Mary Chesnut seems most piqued about: hiring all their own people.

Much is made about the long months it took Lincoln to individually fill Washington's government posts, and so Congress passed new laws to make transitions "easier".
But the result is many Democrat partisans remained in office to snipe at and undercut the Trump administration, which was powerless to fire them.

Like Trump, Lincoln also had trouble finding good people for his administration, but I don't think he faced anything like the Deep State opposition to Donald Trump.
The exception proves the rule: Democrat SCOTUS Chief Justice crazy Roger Taney!

[BroJoeK]

"The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas"

"The political entity known as the United States of America is found out at last, after imposing on the community of nations for three-quarters of a century.
The bird of our country is a debilitated chicken, disguised in eagle feathers.
We have never been a nation; we are only an aggregate of communities, ready to fall apart at the first serious shock and without a centre of vigorous national life to keep us together."

Old George is not so happy about surrendering Fort Sumter and laments in language which might well apply to us today.

Curiously, Strong calls Seward the "conservative", as opposed to Horace Greeley, even though it's Seward who's putting out the word on Fort Sumter's "surrender".
Seward will soon enough come around to supporting Lincoln's plan for Fort Sumter, but as of "today" is singing a very different tune.

[BroJoeK]

"Mary Chesnut’s Diary, Edited by Isabella D. Martin and Myrta Lockett Avary"

"A man said aloud: 'This war talk is nothing.
It will soon blow over.
Only a fuss gotten up by that Charleston clique.'
Mr. Toombs asked him to show his passports, for a man who uses such language is a suspicious character."

Mr. Toombs will soon have something important to say, on the subject of war and peace, directly to Jefferson Davis.
Davis will ignore him.

[BroJoeK]

"It is nice to see that Dicken’s Great Expectations was printed in the paper for all to read."

Dickens hated greedy Northerners and admired the Southern aristocracy -- though not slavery itself -- and may have more to say on it if/when push comes to shove.

[Rebelbase]

“push comes to shove.”

You really think that would happen?

[BroJoeK]

Naw, how could it?
Republicans have always been too weak and Democrats are all bluff & bluster.

So it'll soon blow over and Republican compromisers will get together with Southern Unionists to make it all well again, don't you think?

[Rebelbase]

Makes sense to me. If there’s any disagreement that might get a bit squirrely it would be between those mountain folk in Western Virginia and rest of the planters back east. But they’ll work it out, probably.