Lincoln: November 2008 Archives

Happy Thanksgiving, Cannonball readers!

I thought it would be appropriate to recycle one of last year's Cannonball blog entries, given the approaching holiday. Here again is the famous proclamation that President Abraham Lincoln penned on October 3, 1863, declaring the last Thursday of November as a formal "day of thanksgiving" for America. He traveled to Gettysburg on November 18, 1863, for the dedication of the National Cemetery and delivered his "few remarks," before returning to Washington via Hanover Junction. A few days later, he joined his fellow countrymen in prayer and thanksgiving for what blessings could be celebrated in the midst of the worst year of strife to that point in American history.

Take time this Thanksgiving to carefully read Lincoln's words - very carefully and thoughtfully. While we are not fighting a civil war, we still have conflicts and personal pains, and can reflect on Lincoln's words of encouragement. There is a lot to be thankful for, despite all that may be going on around us.

Here are the timeless words of the 16th President of the United States, penned seven score and five years ago this month...

This anti-Lincoln pamphlet, published in 1864 by J.F. Feeks of New York City, is typical of the strong anti-war, anti-Lincoln rhetoric that pervaded many places in the North, including southern Pennsylvania and my native southern Ohio.

Pennsylvania's southern tier of Franklin, Adams, and York counties was a mixture of personalities, ethnic backgrounds, and political beliefs. Some pockets (including the Hanover, Codorus Township, and North Codorus Township area in southwestern York County) had fairly high concentrations of Southern sympathizers. Other enclaves were strongly Unionist, and another large group of residents were totally ambivalent and just wanted to be left alone.

E. A. Paul was a New York Times correspondent who was "embedded" (to use a modern term) with the Army of the Potomac as it traveled northward. Specifically, he accompanied the V Corps into southwestern York County on July 1 en route to Gettysburg. His comments and opinions regarding York County's Copperheads were recorded after the war in Frank Moore's Rebellion Record, a postbellum anthology of Civil War stories. Keep in mind as you read this account, Paul is biased and bases much of his article on hearsay and second-hand information. Still, there are some sentiments in here that have some authenticity, as York County indeed had a fair amount of Copperheads.

Harper's Weekly was one of the most influential publications of the mid-19th century, helping to report war news, world affairs, and the latest political dealings. Naturally, the much antipicated Election of 1864 garnered significant attention. Incumbent President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Abraham Lincoln, was challenged by one of his former generals, the ex-commander of the Army of the Potomac. Early on, it looked like "Little Mac" would best "Honest Abe," but a string of military successes in the Western Theater swyed public opinion to Lincoln, and he readily carried the day to gain another term.