We Are Lincoln Men: Abraham Lincoln and His Friends

by David Herbert Donald

Book Overview

In this brilliant and illuminating portrait of our sixteenth president, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner David Herbert Donald examines the significance of friendship in Abraham Lincoln's life and the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743254686
• ISBN13: 9780743254687
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 269 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Lincoln and his friends

Dacid Herbert Donald, who wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Abraham Lincon, returns to perhaps the most enigmatic American president in history. Donald identifies the handful of men who could be considered truly a friend of Lincoln and gives us a view of Lincoln from their vantage. He deals briefly with the possibility that Lincoln was gay and charges that Lincoln invited the attack on Fort Sumter. Of more interest is the description of Lincoln with friends. Donald speculates on why many people admired Lincoln but did not consider themselves intimate friends. This short book is easy to read and it presents more information on Lincoln the man.

We All Belong to Lincoln

One of the most written about person in our nation's history, it seems impossible to shed any new light on Abraham Lincoln. Yet, in his new book, "We Are Lincoln Men", David Herbert Donald manages to shed new little glimmers of light on this magnificent figure by viewing him through the eyes of some of the men that knew him best.Whereas Lincoln was a very social man who enjoyed the company of others, Donald's book makes the point that the close, personal friendships that most of us desire were hard to come by for Lincoln. He attributes this to Lincoln not having childhood chums, or boys in which he established early bonds with. However, Lincoln emerges from his youth and establishes some very close relationships with several men throughout his life. Impeccably researched, we learn about Joshua Speed, William Herndon, and others that come into close contact with Lincoln. By researching their papers, a more authentic, real Lincoln begins to come into focus.As a Lincoln book collector, I found this book to be very easy, and an enjoyable read. After finishing it, I not only understand Lincoln better, but the few men in his life who could actually claim to be a close friend of his. It will sit proudly on my shelf!

Lincoln Through Others Eyes

One of the most written about person in our nation?s history, it seems impossible to shed any new light on Abraham Lincoln. Yet, in his new book, ?We Are Lincoln Men?, David Herbert Donald manages to shed new little glimmers of light on this magnificent figure by viewing him through the eyes of some of the men that knew him best.Whereas Lincoln was a very social man who enjoyed the company of others, Donald?s book makes the point that the close, personal friendships that most of us desire were hard to come by for Lincoln. He attributes this to Lincoln not having childhood chums, or boys in which he established early bonds with. However, Lincoln emerges from his youth and establishes some very close relationships with several men throughout his life. Impeccably researched, we learn about Joshua Speed, William Herndon, and others that come into close contact with Lincoln. By researching their papers, a more authentic, real Lincoln begins to come into focus.Donald also doesn?t shy away from recent controversies regarding Lincoln and his sexuality. In two cases in the book, he confronts the theory that Lincoln was possibly a homosexual, due to a very close relationship with Joshua Speed. Donald?s handling of this information is honest and sincere as he attempts to puzzle out the truth. The same can be said about his discussion of an early love of Lincoln, Ann Rutledge. Donald tends to stick to facts, which lend credence to his gut feelings on the issue.As a Lincoln book collector, I found this book to be very easy, and an enjoyable read. After finishing it, I not only understand Lincoln better, but the few men in his life who could actually claim to be a close friend of his. It will sit proudly on my shelf!

A Revealing Exploration of a Little Examined Side of Lincoln

Yet another book about Lincoln? David Donald's "We Are Lincoln Men" more than justifies itself by presenting new insights into the 16th President's relationships with his six closest friends. In doing so, it demonstrates just how revealing a political leader's friendships can be. This book is a worthy successor to Donald's stellar biography, "Lincoln"; like that book, this one is captivating and a joy to read, even when presenting-as it rarely does-pieces of Lincoln lore which are fairly well known. No matter what the reader already knows about Lincoln or his times, he or she is bound to gain new perspectives by reading this volume.The book begins with a brief discussion of friendship, and presents Aristotle's basic typology of friendships ("enjoyable," "useful," and "perfect" or "complete"). The introductory chapter looks at Lincoln's boyhood and youth-concluding that "Lincoln never had a chum" and noting that "by temperament...Lincoln grew up as a man of great reserve." The book then proceeds with chapter-length examinations of his six key friendships. Each was unique, in part because of the personalities involved and because of when the friendships first developed. While Joshua Speed and Lincoln were remarkably close as young men in Illinois-to the point where some have speculated that they might have had a homoerotic relationship (a point Duncan dismisses)-they grew apart primarily because of political differences as they aged. "Billy" Herndon, Lincoln's principal law partner and eventual biographer, remained in Lincoln's shadow for a variety of reasons, including his radicalism, his inability to get along with Mary Lincoln, and his alcoholism. Orville Browning, an Illinois Whig who was appointed to fill Stephen Douglas's unexpired US Senate term on Douglas's death, was an ally and confidant during the early years of Lincoln's Presidency; the two drifted apart partly because of Browning's importuning Lincoln for political appointments and partly because of growing political differences. Lincoln's Secretary of State, William Seward, came into the Cabinet with a relatively low opinion of the President-Seward firmly believed that he should have been elected instead of Lincoln-but gradually grew into his closest ally and most loyal supporter in the Cabinet. Lincoln's two closest aides, John Nicolay and John Hay, were also loyal supporters. But partly because of the age difference-they were young enough to be his sons-they never grew out of the role of understudies to Lincoln and never became true confidants.Despite its focus on these six men, the book also explores Lincoln's relationships with a variety of other figures, including Judge David Davis, who was instrumental in getting the Presidential nomination, and Ward Hill Lamon, a long-standing ally who often doubled as Lincoln's body guard. It is remarkably compact, just over 200 pages long, and can almost be read in a single sitting.

A Fresh Perspective From A Veteran Lincoln Scholar

Fans and students of the sixteenth president of the United States can doubly rejoice over this work. "We Are Lincoln Men" demonstrates that despite thousands of books about the Great Emancipator already being in print, there are still new approaches to be mined; and it also represents another contribution by the most accomplished Lincoln scholar of this era, Professor David Herbert Donald. Professor Donald has spent more than half a century studying Lincoln's life and times and is author of many books, including "Lincoln" (1995), widely regarded as the best one-volume life of the subject in decades. He's brought that lifetime of experience to this project, along with study and contemplation of the nature of friendship. Perhaps part of the reason Lincoln remains an enigma and a subject of endless fascination and study is that he never fully revealed himself to any other human being. However, Donald has identified relationships which were pivotal at various points in Lincoln's life, and if not representing a marriage of equals, did at least offer this solitary man some of the benefits of close comradeship. Yet time, physical distance and political differences eventually eroded these relationships. The author examines his interactions with his one-time roommate, Joshua Speed; his long-time law partner, William Herndon; Illinois Senator Orville Browning; Secretary of State William Seward; and his personal secretaries, John Nicolay and John Hay. Each met differing needs for Lincoln at various times in his life. They served as sounding boards for Lincoln's ideas, provided him with comfort in times of grief, laughter in times of stress, and support in times of crisis. Yet even these men couldn't claim to fully know the great man. Herndon once claimed to have been able to "read his secrets and ambitions" but also described him as a "profound mystery." In his conclusion, Donald briefly considers the possibility of whether having a close, intimate confidant in the early, difficult days of his presidency might have saved Lincoln some of his hesitancy and missteps. He suggests this might have been the case, but is no means certain; for while Lincoln took some time to find the means to his ultimate goals, he always held firm to his guiding principles--containing, and if possible, abolishing slavery, and preserving the union. A work of first-rate scholarship that's also a pleasure to read.--William C. Hall