Lincoln: Man or Myth

We had a good final night for the class, examining the latter stages of the Civil War from roughly Fredericksburg on. The discussion of Lincoln's inability to find the right commander for his army and his attempt to stay out of the military side of the war led to a myriad of Union commanders. McClellan, Pope, McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, and Meade were all called to lead the Army of the Potomac...with mixed success. They either couldn't beat General Lee or had what Lincoln called a case of the "slows" and wouldn't follow Lee's army. Lincoln's movement from emancipation as a war aim to a moral campaign was discussed and was shown vividly in our examination of his short, but powerful speech at Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Address was only moments long and Lincoln wasn't even the featured speaker, but while he said that no one would long remember what he said that day...he was very wrong. This short speech has been immortalized in American History and culture...along with his moving Second Inaugural Address...are two of the finest pieces of oratory in our short history. In the end, we took that short ride with Lincoln and Mary to Ford's Theatre and came to understand John Wilkes Booth's plan and his motives. Our final discussion of Lincoln's legacy to this country and his mortality...a man who was imperfect as we all are, but one who was dedicated to his principles and those that he believed defined this country. Many people find different things in Lincoln, but I have found a man who can be respected and appreciated. A man who is not a giant or a genius, but an honest man who did the best he could to accomplish the tasks set before him...though he himself often doubted his ability to do so.