Monday, April 6, 2009

Following in Lincoln's Footsteps



Following in Lincoln's Footsteps by Ralph Gary

After blogging about my visit to Springfield Chris suggested that I check out "Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America" by Andrew Ferguson. When I reserved that one from the library I also reserved Following in Lincoln's Footsteps. I'm glad I did.

Following in Lincoln's Footsteps really does follow Lincoln. If he was there, or even rumored to have been there, Gary has a note about it. The section on Springfield is very detailed and whenever I get back there I will use this book extensively. In fact I think I will have to buy this book (I found a used copy on amazon that will run $4 with shipping).

As an example of a rumored visit is the entry for Sheboygan, Wisconsin. "It is possible Lincoln visited sometime between 1835 and 1840 with the view of opening a law office, although this is not generally accepted." I had never heard about this which seems a little odd because I have spent a fair amount of time in Sheboygan as I have quite a bit of family back there. Its interesting to think what might have happened if he had really moved there. If he stayed in Sheboygan he probably would not have been in position to run for President. If he had later moved to Madison or Milwaukee maybe he would have ended up running for President. Its interesting to think how history might have been different based on the variable of where Lincoln decides to practice law in the 1840s.

3 comments:

Chris Evans said...

'Footsteps' looks like an interesting book, I'll have to check it out sometime.

I think you'll enjoy 'Land of Lincoln'. In some ways it reminds me of 'Confederates in the Attic' except now the focus is on Lincoln. There are some passages that are pretty funny. You'll enjoy the discussion on Springfield and the Museum since you have recently been there.

Thanks for the mention,
Chris

Nick said...

I think that's a good comparison too, in fact I was thinking of making that very comparison in my review of the book. I am enjoying it and hope to finish it sometime today.

Chris Evans said...

Looking forward to your review of the book and seeing what you felt the pros and cons of it were.
Thanks,
Chris