Civil War Random Thoughts

Civil War Random Thoughts

We are always happy to hear from you, our readers, on your opinions, news, and reactions to our site. Click on the image to the right to contact "The Old Sarge". All of the opinions expressed on this site are those of The Old Sarge exclusively.

The Old Sarge is a classically trained historian and a former member of our armed forces and , as such, brings a special perspective to the field of Civil War history. A popular speaker to Civil War Roundtables once told me, "Get all the standard sources, cut and paste until you get a pleasing narrative". I will never do that, as to me, history's lifeblood is original research from primary sources, not the 17th rehash of "what we all know". I hope we will both learn during this campaign.

Roundtable Rogue's March

In 2009, the State of Illinois instituted a fund-raising program to keep its Lincoln sites open in the era of the budget crunch. For a while, local newspapers were reporting on the school classes that contributed their pennies to the "Lincolns for Lincoln" campaign. They asked for historical organizations like Civil War Roundtables for $5.00 per member. While Roundtables donated literally thousands to battlefield preservation, none have thus far come to light who contributed the full amount asked for. Do Roundtables want to share history? If so, you have another chance, "A Greenback for a Great Cause" is looking to revamp the Lincoln Law Office. Let The Old Sarge know if your roundtable contributed to this new campaign and how much, and also if your roundtable contributed to "Lincolns for Lincoln". We will see your efforts are rewarded with a mention here.

Primary Concerns

Why are primary sources so important to Civil War History? Why should historians like James McPherson who rely almost exclusively on secondary sources be taken with a very large grain of salt?

Abraham Lincoln owned property during his time in New Salem.

A rediscovered document - a writ of execution of judgment from the March 1835 sheriff's auction of Lincoln's personal property - describes "the undivided half of Lots 16 & 17 north of Main Street New Salem" as having been owned by Lincoln.

Although his horse and surveyor's equipment were sold at that auction to settle a debt, the writ also contains the notation that "the above property levied on was sold this day for $81. The sale of the house and lots was stayed by order of the Plaintiff."

What originally was interpreted as two mentions of a horse actually was one listing of a "horse" and one of a "house." Digital technology enhanced the document for clarification. The new information was compared to additional documents and stories concerning the auction to add further clarification by Thomas Schwartz and Robert Mazrim.

The conventional wisdom is that Lincoln owned no property at New Salem, near Petersburg, and that his home in Springfield was the first improved property he ever purchased. Based on a theme that was part of the Victorian culture of the late 1800s, it was always thought and taught that, while at New Salem, Lincoln was somewhere between being a backwoods drifter and a responsible, important person.