interaction with them. landmark biographies of link in our many other standard 1926 and 1939 with his prairie years and four years. james g. randall, 1945 to 1955. benjamin p. thomas in 1952. stephen b. oates in 1977 and david herbert donald in 1995, just to name five. in any case, biographers can hardly sure from infecting lincoln's mind was so much of his revolutionary contribution to american life stemmed from his moral responsibilities. for its nuanced view of such key aspects of lincoln's leadership, ronald c. white junior's new a lincoln, a biography, has been praised expansively.

..

>> this helps him understand soldiers that served during the civil war. the tried by war and craig simon's lincoln and admirals both of which won this year's lincoln prize at the college. the illinois historic preservation agency in pursuing it's documentation project of lincoln's life has dispatched to pour over every likely

depository in the land. in about 2013, the agency will issue papers covering lincoln's birth to his inauguration. and by about 2020, it will release his presidential papers. not just everything he wrote, but also everything of any importance that was written to him. the project has already casting light on details of lincoln's legacy such as his presidential governing of the district of columbia. still the racket and cleanup on the 16th president are already so vast can we expect such to bring in major revisions of the lincoln story? along with much documentary work has come stock taking of controversy of recent decades.

was he a racist? which created the conditions that allowed him to write the emancipation proclamation? was he gay? unlike. despite the speculation. was his wife mary as horrid as the marriage has been portrayed? increasingly, clearly, yes, no, and maybe. narrowly tailored studies in the new literature. cochair of the u.s. abraham lincoln bisen tenable mission is winning phrase for the lincoln's activities between his election and inauguration. we call it the interregular numb. because they make the compelling case that the president-elect

was no debt a between november and march, but rather shrewd and principal as he tried to prevent succession. it inevidently will slow just as it did in the 1960s around the sen tenable of the civil war. yet, all specialist agree every generationds n lenses through which to view lincoln the american president. as fredcap linn, author of the well received, or as the writer puts it, does the book buying and book reading have an insashable apptize? well, semiinsatiable. rather than offer praise, they tend to expose floors, in his character, his presidency, and his accomplishments. he has been accused of abusing

american civil rights and libties exceeding the powers and leading the country into war and causing americans to die because of a war that should never have been fought. criticism aside, authors are con restaurantly striving to find a new way to tell lincoln's story. perhaps the most intriguing is the tendency to compare lincoln's time to modern day. historians ask and seek to answer the question what would lincoln do if faced with the trouble that is our culture is facing and confronting today? can we look to lincoln for guidance? what can lincoln, his mistakes, and his victories teach today's leaders? what accounts for this phenomenon? the answer to me is leadership. to date there are more than 900 leadership studies programs at american colleges and

universities. they study the great man theory, the belief that dominant personalities shape the course of history. and our man continues to lead the pack. lincoln proved that the highest grace can be obtained by a person of ordinary origins. borat an immigrant from the country after the revolution there appropriately calls it the right to rise. the leadership with which lincoln guided this country during it's darkest hour is the reason that we are still trying to connect with him. as for the issue, lincoln's action offer some guidance in what has been called our national security state. habeas corpus, which he

suspended had been important to the founders of this country. long before lincoln's time. yet lincoln demonstrate that had even though he felt it necessary to suspend the great red he still found good use of using the red in serving as a legal instrument to free slaves. lincoln was able to effectively balance these competing freedoms. to understand lincoln's use of the war power and the constitution, i recommend daniel faber's lincoln and the constitution and brian lincoln and the court. his style was one of america's greatest gifts to democracy. due to the universal nature of his character, lincoln remains an everlasting contemporary as his life highlights the past and present. as the society, we have adapted

his identity to accommodate new concerns. but not to the point where we have negated what it previously represented. in 1893, "the new york times" ran an article called three great leaders: washington, lincoln, and grant. in 1985 they published an article getting right with lincoln. this explored american politicians and everyone else to square their own position with what they thought would be lincoln's position on the matter. they were drawn to his leadership. and measured their success by that which lincoln would have approved. and in 1974 "time" magazines asked who were the greatest leaders? lincoln's named appeared most

frequently. c-span's 2009 presidential poll released the past president's day has abraham lincoln's first as he was in the last c-span survey in 2000 and today in 2009, 200 years after his birth, we as well lincoln authors are still trying to connect and get right with lincoln. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you so much more, with judge williams. hearing that means the person remained alive as long as their

name was spoken and remembered. so in coming here tonight and in hearing those profound remarks from judge williams, we are keeping alive not only the memory of abraham lincoln but the persona of abraham lincoln. our next speaker is a gentleman from new jersey, bill stifle well known to all of us here a profound civil war historian. he has had a life-long interest in the american civil war. he took his parents to the battlefield of virginia and instructed them in the works of bruce and she by which must have led to some very interesting dinner conversations. since 1988, he has written, cowritten, and edited numerous books to include the andersonville diary, and the wars of charles f. hopkins.

the biography of general strong vincent who was killed in action on july 2 around the top. the riding and fighting the civil war series which contains over 1,000 soldiers letters written from the battle fields. that takes dedication ladies and gentlemen. echoes of the blue and gray video series which shows civil war veterans including the immoral joshua riding a magnificent white horse in 1914. in three they discovered 24 boxes of reeving civil war. discovered by edward elli, interviewing the demanding generals of the civil war. since then he has across the

interviews that james kelly conducted with persons that had known or seen lincoln. he did in in -- this in 1919 just after the great war was concluded. the magnificent work is now presented in tell me of lincoln. which is absolutely entrawling. you won't be able to put it down. i would like to add a personal note that working as a professional military historian for three decades plus, i have seen so many historians just rehash over the same old dry leads of history. bill is quite the contrary. he is a sherlock holmes in the field of his tourography. he is searching out new information, bringing it to light, and increasing our knowledge and appreciation of

our magnificent american heritage. whenever he speaks, i listen, whenever he writes, i read it. and bill, federal new jersey. [applause] >> thank you all for allowing me to speak here in evening. like they said in 2003 i came across a collection of 24 boxes of interview notes. these notes were taken by an artist, james edward kelly born in 1955, died in 1933. -- born in 1855, died in 1933. it was also later turned to sculpture. at that time over 40 union generals came to kelly's studio to pose for their port rates. while kelly was an artist that

in his art he would not depict a button unless he could document it. sitting down with general grant. what an effort that would be or sitting down with joshua lawrence chamberlain and doing the portraits and asking any question you wanted. that's what he would do. he would interview more than the portraits have them speak of an event. there, p stop. there's the portrait. there's the painting. let's talk about that moment. he would take his notes. one day in the future, if his noted or art work was challenged, he could produce the notes. this is what they told me about little roundtable. this is what general grant told me about the surrender. he was very careful to preserve these notes. several years ago i worked on those 40 union generals and did the volume generals and bronze. it was also kelly's ambitious to

create a statute of abraham lincoln. he interviewed over 50 people that knew, saw, heard, met lincoln. only as an artist would, there's biographers, but there are artist. artist wants to depict them their way, a more human way. kelly was working on a revolutionary war monument that's in the city of new haven, connecticut. the committee would come to the studio in new york ends inspect his work. and one of the old gentleman that was member of the commit -- committee said have you ever made a lincoln? he said, no, no, it's been depicted by so many artists. yeah, but he's not been depicted

real. the lincoln that i knew was upright, animated, he's an athlete. that got kelly interested. what kelly wrote with is that gentleman was mr. blake from new haven. and kelly said did you hear lincoln speak. blake -- this is kelly very first interview as someone who sat with lincoln. blake would say, oh, yes, i have heard him. i was one the committee to receive him when he visited bridgeport on march 10. he was tired after his ride in the car. i took them in the sterling house. i said there, no one will disturb you. we then gave him the dinner. a wealthy citizen of that place. i remember that he took up, lincoln took up one of those large bridgepoint oysters on his fork. looked at it, and asked do i

understand you to say that this is a single oyster? blake smiled and always remembered that oyster moment with lincoln. he told kelly, i wish you would make a lincoln in the wild open manner. he is generally represented with his head down, or depicted grasping his coat as if he was stick to his stomach. while he was really full of animation and intensity. very often out of time. but that was a relief to him. he was mel on comely and said he to do it to be able to stand things. his soul was refined. refined when he was elevated. his soul was bigger than themselves. a common figure with the soul of a profit. when he spoke, he seemed to rise . he appeal for peace and

kindless. no hanging on other artists. but he stood up as a man he was an athlete and a leader. so then kelly said from that very moment i became inspired to create lincoln and bronze. not just standing o a two foot by two foot, but surrounded by the men he led in triumph. from that moment on, james edward kelly sought out anyone who could tell him anything about lincoln. one lady, a friend of his from hastings on the hudson. he was a little girl that drew up in illinois. he knew the lawyer lincoln. the guy that would come by. she sat down and gave the interview. the world has never seen another man like lincoln. i never saw him after he was president. but quite of few of us young

people were interested in him and followed him when we could. he was never well-dressed. partly because he did not have money enough. he wore homespun pants made of half cotton and wool. they never seemed long enough. i remember his shoes particularly, because when we were children our father was very particular about our keeping our shoe laces neatly tied. the laces were always untided. he always wore that battered rusty hat. his eyes were bluish gray, but they seemed to change with his moods. when he was talking, his eyes were dark. often he had a sad faraway look through there was quite a strange. at times he was very quiet and would not talk. apparently wouldn't hear. but at these times his friends and those who knew him left him alone. his mouth was large and jaw

impressed strangers. when he mild, his face was transfigured. i can't. no one can. describe the beautiful light that would come into his eyes. and his sweet wonderful smile. he was so kind and loved children and old people. i first new lincoln when i was a little girl. we lived between springfield and 'ore are in the 8th judicial district. they had a circuit court and they traveled from one place to another. they stopped at our house for water. there was not much good water in the country. i'll tell you my story of lincoln. i was playing one june day with my dogs. the country was sparsely settled. we had to depend on ourself for amusement. i had a few dolls, my favorite was mrs. cracker, who was larger than the rest. close to the house was a picket fence which went all the way around the house. i had lined up the dolls against

the date gate when i heard the stage horn. i forget my dolls and climbed up on the fence where the stage was quite an event. the stage stopped. i remember only too clearly. one was a tall fellow which hadn't seen the wash tub in some time and a dirty felt hat. he was not at all well-dressed. the other was very short, very well-dressed. but the gold headed cane. i had never seen before. i was quite impressed. i had forgetten. while looking at the tall man when they game to the gate, ms. ccker blocked the way. knocking her aside into the dirt. you can imagine how i felt. he might as well struck me as my doll. i was very angry as well as hurt. before i could rescue, lincoln picked her up, brushed her off, laid her carefully many my arms and with the most wonderful

smile, he said never mind, blue eyes, your baby isn't hurt. now there's the famous photograph of lincoln. you've all seen it. lincoln taken at the studio upon when he arrived here in washington. well, it was taken at studio by alexander gardiner. but that was an artist. his game was george h. story. he was a painter in new york. came to washington. he had a -- a portrait studio. but bradies is where you would get your image struck. you also had the painted port trait done there by story. now story was afterwards involved in the mel toe poll tan museum. as a painter, he knew kelly. kelly had the opportunity to sit down and interview him regarding that famous photograph that story helped dispose. story tells kelly. there was never a man more

abused and be lied an lincoln. he was called uncouth and course. all sorts of stories were told of him. he was not at all course or rough in build. his soul seemed to rise above his personality. he was full of fire. he would awake and become translated and forget himself. he indulge ited in no flourishing or study gusttures. he was himself. nerve to gesture by the force of his own mind and the action of his soul. without giving it a thought which gave him a quality. it is wrong to represent him as drooping. he was alert. the photograph of lincoln that i posed was made on february 23, 1861. lincoln was exhausted. he had ridden all night in the cars. and he had expected to be assassinated as he went through. gardener was manager. and i had my painting pseudoowe in the same building. depart never knew nothing about art. he used to pose them all in one

way. if there was a senator, he would have them standing erect. and the other hand resting on a pillar or table. it was laughable. i used to say gardener, why don't you change your pose. oh, it's good enough. they don't know the difference. but sometimes when an important man came in, he would call and say old steward or old chase is coming. i wish you would come done and pose them for me. i would go down. one day he said lincoln is here. come in and pose him. i was very much pleased with the prospect of meeting lincoln. when i went in, he was waiting to be posed. he did not utter a word and seemed unconscious of all that was going on around him. his appearance showed he's overwhelmed with anxiety. they wanted me to pose him. pose him i explain. no, bring the camera at once. it was so characteristic of

him. i said take him as he is. i saw that in this unconscience pose or attitude. a great picture might be taken. it was one the finest photograph of lincoln showing him seated at the walnut table with his tall hat placed upside down on it. another person that kelly interviewed was a corporal william. he was in the 11th new york call vary. which early in the war served as lincoln's bodyguard. now kelly met. he was a court clerk in new york city. they sat down at the court. they had a discussion about tisdale's time with lincoln. and kelly asked him -- he goes i asked about lincoln and complained with painters and sculptors made him slack. i told him i considered lincoln vigorous and powerful. how did lincoln strike you,

kelly asked? tisdale, he was not slack. he was one of nature's noble man. how did you meet him? it was when i captured that spy. i was over at georgetown. when i got near 20th street a fellow came up to me and said if you let me look at those dispatches i will give you $100. we can go in here. nobody will know. i said i wouldn't do it for less than $200. he handed it to me. i put out my hand. but i had my revolver with me. i handed him over. he was from richmond and worked on a newspaper. he was a southern spy. lincoln had heard of what i had done. he sent for me. he asked where i was stations. he said i'll be your personal orderly. then we will have one responsible head. that made me very close to him. i became like one of the family. i only worked two or three hours a day.

the rest of the time i amused myself. i was always with him. i went with him everywhere. i had on my citizen clothes. i used to wear them. he said put on your uniform and ran along. of course i sat back with him just like an orderly would act. he did not expect me to stand 15 paces behind him. kelly asked did you hear the speech? yes, tell me about it. tisdale said they expect me to make a speech. i am a poor hand of making a speech. he said i will write a little something. i suppose they have a good laugh over it. he wrote it on the cars just as you are going now. i thought he was merely taking down notes. when he finished, he said that'll be about it. it was the greatest speech. i was actually inspired when i heard it. some of the copperheads tried to

make fun of it. they undertook it. but they wouldn't go. they stood there like a war horse. he was so tall and upright. he had his hat in hand. when he got through, he put it on. his right hand was in his vest, his hat was in his left hand. there's not much applause. i thought at the time, that's a pretty big speech. he thought he was a failure. he said they'll have a good deal of support. i said mr. president, you have said a big speech in a few words. he said do you think so. i said yes. he said thank you. one day later he came over to me and said you guessed right about the speech. see what the papers say about it . now another interview that kelly did was with william. he was the third secretary of lincoln.

he lived in this 1920s, he lived in madison, new jersey, not far from where i live now. kelly corresponded with him. william was ill at the time. and he wrote to kelly, requiring, getting details about his appearance and how he had this vision of lincoln. women yes, ma'am said my door kelly, i am interested in your proposed sculptor. perhaps i could criticize a sketch. some have succeeded pretty well. one idea seems to be generally forgetten. do not represent him as if they were half asleep or in mourning. make him living. for he was one of the most all alive of men. such as a man is sure to look tired and sleepy as he knows how. remember lincoln was vigorous

physically and notably outspoken in all of his utter answers. never weak. i have seen his face light up as if god has kindled a bonfire. he was always plain and simple in dress. but never seedy and odd. try to make his face living. make it as if he was leaning halfway across the table and leaning an important paper he was preparing to send. he frequently said, i can form a better opinion of it. but in his reading, his face was all alive. and then william finishes the note with i hope you do not attempt the other picture of dead lincoln. his photograph before me while i write. his neck was not limp or stooping. i do not know of any other suggestions. they did correspond back and forth. but william died not long after. he was unable to criticize

kelly's work. a little humorous thing. lincoln and humor. he was a general in the division, his name was william j.critchly. he writed that this is the city point in 1865. the following occurred. the battle was going on at our left. we could hear the big guns but not the rifles. a captain rode up to the headquarters. lincoln was sitting. he got off his horse, threw the reigns and said here, old man. hold my horse. lincoln got up and took the reigns. he went inside and in a few minutes came out. grant following him. he took the reigns, and was going to mount when he said captain fitzgerald let me

introduce lincoln president of the united states. the dumbfounded captain jumped up and disappeared. the president and grant both asked at the joke. how asked how much does a hustler get in the army? and e grant laughed it all depends on how he gets the services. he said i do not think i'll get much. he did not even thank me. well, like many of us who have student of lincoln, the assassination is fascinating subject. kelly interviewed six eyewitnesses, members of the audience that were there that evening at ford's theater. he also met and four eyewitnesses who were at the bedside were lincoln died. it was dr. leo, robert lincoln, james tanner, the corporal who took the stenography note,

eyewitness testimony of the crime, and also thomas proctor. he was one the residents of the peterson house and burdener there. he was there at lincoln's bedside. and there after the war was successful lawyer, he fell on some very hard times. and kelly found him and did some extensive interviews. another judge, judge wesley from new jersey. westly was a secretary lawyer for benjamin butler. and the day of the assassination, he had left to go to monroe. he was supposed to go. he was delayed. had to wait for the following day. that evening he said i will go to the theater. well, he is interviewed by kelly. it starts off the beginning of his life. i was born in 1843. that made me 22 at time of the assassination. i joined general butler in 1863

and stayed at monroe before i went to washington. as secretary, i have seen president lincoln many times. i have seen him at resubpoenases at reviews and in the street. i have seen him serious after a defeat. he must have been depressed but he did not show it. the first time is when i was sent with a message. i had two letters, one an introduction and the over a private letter. i sent him the introduction. the messenger came out. he was sitting at his desk. he did not rise. he never rose to anyone. lincoln had a lot of go. he would walk through the streets of washington. he had no guard with him. it was not like it is now. everybody knew him and saluted as he passed. he would simply take off his hat and bow. i never saw him droop. but he did have a stoop. i never saw him bowed. he was not that kind of a man. he had a kindly face. but i have seen many businessman

with more worn face than lincoln when they were understand extreme heavy business worry. on one occasion, a women came to see him in trouble. after listening, lincoln said you go down and see secretary stanton. tell him what you have told me. then led me know what he says. she came back. and lincoln asked if stanton had helped her. no, he said. what did he say asked lincoln. she hesitated. lincoln insisted on her telling him. she answers, he said you were a god damn fool. he did? let's go have a talk. lincoln took stanton aside and had a talk. but he could not seem to bring stated ton around. lincoln was full of sympathy. but he was a different kind of ouster. so they came back and wrote a note to the man which was the direct order to the officer in charge to do what he wanted. lincoln was remarkable for not bearing resentments. he was the most forgiving man.

take the case of stanton. the way he did abuse both before and after. he was an old lying democrat but he was a union man. it was terrible the way he abused lincolned. and yet lincoln sent for him and offered him the position of secretary at war. he seemed staggered by it. he gave him three days to decide it. how did you come to be at ford's theater that night. he had gone the day before. i was to go after him and missed the boat. having nothing else to do, i missed the theater. i was present. it was president's lincoln hour of triumph. all was over. the whole house was on their feet cheering as he went with a smile into the box. bowing to the right and left. principally to the left. the audience was on that side. the presidential party came in late. he came in the theater last. presidential party walked right behind him. about six rows from where he

sat. i did not see the presidential party. no one could. as they sat back, expect for a few in the front seat, no one could see him. i did not see booth go in, but would have not noticed as he was always strolling around the theater. we heard a shot. but paid no attention. there was no one on the stage. he put his left hand on the rail as booth ran away. his left foot came down first. he shattered one of the bones of his leg near the ankle. he got up and said something. i did not catch what it was. booth then ran across the stage and disappeared. there was a dead silence. the people did not know what had happened. only one man had the presence of mind. he sat in the pit near the front. he jumped up, climbed the stage and ran after booth. but booth had got away. the people did not know what had happened. we thought the theater was on fire. laura ran out and called to the people. be quiet.

there is no fire. then mrs. lincoln screamed. the people called out who did it. hang him. murder. i did not see anyone but that one man get on the stage. then a people made a rush to the president's box struggling and pushing each other aside. some people calling out i am a surgeon. they did not get in. booth had locked the door with a wooden bar. it seemed like a half hour, it may have been three minutes. afterwards, i saw him carry him out. kelly asked am i write in saying the last thing i saw of lincoln he was smiling? yes. then he went to his death with a smile? yes. lincoln was shot in the back of the ear. he never knew what killed him. he died with a smile on his face. kelly's research on lincoln again it was going to be his finest work. his lifelong work.

by the 1920s his health startedded to fail. too ill to create this work of lincoln. they compiled the notes. he knew the importance of these papers. he tried to seek out some publishers, in 1931. there was a depression going on. the letters of rejection are in the kelly collection from these publishers saying nobody is interested in the civil war anymore. no one under 50 would buy this book. there's a depression on. and good-bye and good luck. so kelly's dream and also publishing his notes was forever forgetten. died in 1933. he was buried in an unmarked grave in the bronx in new york. it was again in 2003 doing research on another general is when i stumbled across kelly's

writings. and i realized that there are important for us today to continue this study of lincoln. every anecdote, story, letter, helps. even kelly there was a handwritten note in the collection. some of you might find these notes on lincoln trivial. but even a glimpse of one you love brings warmth to your heart. i will include them all. and it was again just a little handwritten note to us today to let's not forget who lincoln was. and let's not forget who these authors and who these artist were that depicted him. now i know we're hear this evening. one of kelly's he did an interview. he would meet the common soldier

at a gra or at a reunion. he would sit down and interview. the secretary of war, they didn't really need volunteer call vary. the regular force would be enough. the call calvary funded themselves. it was very common for the nickname. they called themselves the lincoln calvary. as they paraded through washington, lincoln and his staff came. and they watched this parade of the first new york calvary. one the cabinet members leaned over and whispered. mr. lincoln, i present to you the first new york lincoln

calvary. and lincoln turned to him and said who named that baby. he always took a keen interest in the regiment. and the one trooper that wrote the history, first new york was william h. beach and he writes an account of that review of bailey's cross roads which were here tonight come men rating. early in the morning, with compliance received the day before provided with a few rounds with old blankets strapped to the saddles. it was mounted on march on the pike. soldiers were supposed to be prepared for the execution of whatever orders might be given and not to be surprised of anything that might happen. but there was no fight that day.

and in the neighbor of bailey's cross roads a large area had been cleared of fences and over obstructions and made suitable. the whole army of the poe tommic was there. it was estimated that there were present 25,000 artillery and calvary and 25 infantry. the men appeared in their best condition. with their uniform of dark or light blue, with very disturbing colors and the long lines of infantry with their glittering and numberless bright flags. these gathered host presented an appearance that magnificence has never been equaled. they were called the great pictures. a battery on the right fired all of it's guns. a battery in the center fired it's guns. and this was followed by a battery on the left. seven times this was done. the salute of 21 guns fired by

battery in honor of president of the united states. the salute was followed by a mighty volume of cheers along the lines. then from the military bans came the notes, hail to the chief. and as long as general mcclellan and president followed by, the brilliant staff officers came. the men broke force in tears as proof of their devotion. the men felt they were honored in baring his name. the entire army by companies marched in review before the president. the commanding general and thousands of visitors. the spirit of the army was at it's highest. it was felt that such a vast power properly yielded could crush any force of rebellian, any force the rebellian could muster. and so, the long winter passed and those camps for many miles

covered the virginia hills. with their 150,000 men, they presented the greatest spectacle of that kind in our history. one that may not be seen for a century. and in the spirit that animated these host, there was a mighty significance. it was the early morning after leading through these more than quote 100 circling camps that julia wrote down the words that had come to her as an inspiration in the silent watches of the night. the battle hem of the republic. my knives have seen the glory of the coming of the lord. he is is trampling out for the grapes of wrath are stored. he had lost the faithful lightning of the sword. his truth is marching on. thank you all. [applause] do you want to do some q and a?

sure. a few questions? doofer questions? [laughter] go ahead. >> phil, what is your next project that you are working on? >> the biography of general phillip carney. in fact, i have an account. he commanded the first new jersey brigade at the cross roads. at the time, this again -- the army of potomac was just being born. nay -- they have yet to be numbered. it wasn't until after the review it was time to start numberrering these brigades. carney's brigade, the first in new jersey infantry brigade, it was considered by mcclellan and called after that review the

first brigade, first division, first corp, because it was the finest brigade in that review. so it's carney history there. any other questions? >> where there any other sketches made of what the statute was going to look like. >> well, when kelly would sit down, he would make a sketch. kelly would ask, can you enact the pose that kelly did. or that lincoln did? and so kelly would do a thumbnail sketch of lincoln depicting the gettysburg address. general wright's grave the bronze portrait of general wright. now general wright was a command effort of the six corp in july of 1864 when the confederates.

about 14,000 of them swept across maryland and attacked washington from the north and the six-army a a local dismounted and any troops that d.c. could muster. and skirmish, if you go to fort stevens today, there's a marker on the so where lincoln stood during that battle. right on the par pit there? and there's a bronze barf relief on that monument. the design is by kelly as the described by general wright who was conversing with lincoln at that moment. but unfortunately he had no finished work. he never got to complete his dream of creating lincoln bronze. all right. thank you very much. have a good one. [applause]

our final speaker this evening is sara who is going to relate to us a most wonderful story about her family and president-elect lincoln here at the willard hotel. this is one in a million. you will be so happy that you came tonight to hear this magnificent story from someone who's family has passed it down to her. and it will now be passed upon you and hopefully you will pass it on to your family in the future. >> i think i'm here because i have an dna relationship to the willard hotel. although i have a wedding relationship as well. when my husband don and i were

married at the cosmo club, we brought our generation here for dinner after the wedding and spent the wedding night at the willard. but my story is about my great, great, great grandfather, william bradley. i tooked it up to make sure that three greats were correct. he was here at the willard visiting his granddaughter sara bradley willard who was married to henry willard. well, it turned out when lincoln came here to stay before he could move into the white house, he suddenly realized he had forgetten his bedroom slippers. sara bradley willard remembered that her grandfather who was visiting had very large feet and approached him and indeed he had a pair of bedroom slipsers. and he loaned them to lincoln.

i thought you might like to see a picture of the slippers. [laughter] >> this is your prize for the evening. well, lincoln wore those slippers while he was visiting at the willard hotel. but when he left for the white house, he returned them with a little note saying, thank you for the very comfortable slippers. a. lincoln. now that pair of slippers used to be in the museum of the ford museum. at the ford theater museum, i mean. and i had seen them there. last saturday i went down to the renovated museum hoping to catch another glimpse of these slippers. unfortunately, they are no longer on exhibit. and so i talked to the ranger who was there in charge that afternoon. he said, oh, we have so many

more things that we just can't possible display everything at once. they are in storage at the moment. so at least you can see them by photograph. i hope you will go down to the ford theater museum. it's really a very, very interesting display of lincoln object and sayings and movies. it's really fun to go there. a. [applause] we have edited and written many books.>> just over an

hour. it contains language that some might find offensive. >> so i want to begin with a standard image of martin luther king and his relationship to americans and to the culture. and we tend to think of him as an icon of the universal humanity. the high flowing moral appeal. the serial dreamer who turned the other cheek. not a black or white dream, but a dream that transcended race. it's kind of a utter perfect person.

utterly noble. all of those phrases that he loved, the majestic language of the communities or the interconnectedness of humanity or the mu chewality or the content of culture that was beyond race. that image is tied to that to etic kind of vision of kings which is the the little black children and white children holding hands and sort of moving off into the future of the real america about to perfect itself. so in this sense, all -- a hole lot of what we know of as the identity politics of the last 30 years from black national to the outness of i'm here and i'm queer, the identity, up to evangelical christianity which brought them into the modern

world that we're here too. the king in some sense that we think of is a break with all of the that stress on particular identity. now if not, there is conventional image of king is wrong. but it's highly partial. what i try to do is my book is to take us to a more complicated of picture of king, who in many ways was earthier, more fervent, blacker, and you should hear the quotes around that phrase. rambunctious and rowdy, and certainly a less polite and noble king in many ways. martin was familiar to society. but the backstage king who emerged specifically beyond the scrutiny of the larger society. so what i do in my book is sort of take the reader -- in the way i try to reintroduce the world by focusing on the relationship

with the preacher buddy. sort of looking at the king who preached to black congregations. again, most of this is based on more than a decade of recovering recordings of the spoken king. because the written king doesn't come alive. he was really a man of spoken performance. king in the mass meetings and the special communion he established in selma and birmingham and a lot of small towns across the black belt. after having done that we i return to the king's crossover address to white. we understand a different. we can hear the earthier blacker white operating in the midst as well. i'm not going to say much about the most famous pieces of that tonight. and the questions we can get into that. if people have questions if i had a dream. for tonight's purpose, i'm really just going to try to evoke this backstage king as it

were. king we know was an unbelievably dignified person. and dignity, the mask of dignity was very important to him. and when he introduces himself to the larger white society, right after the montgomery insurgency, in the book stride to freedom, he writes in the first couple of pages, he striked the loftiest persona. he describes, i was driving back fast. listening to the towns. listening to music playing. he goes on listening to the architecture. he was a very refined person. we know there was somebody in there with him in the car. there was a wild man. hell of a fella. who would hitchhike a ride. he was dropping him off.

who would become king's close friend and colleague in the movement. and we know king had to go on to this other church. he had just been hired, the dexter church. king stopped. he said i'll go to the other place. come in mere. we have real food. if you go to the other church, you're going to get white people's food. if you come here, you're going to get serious southern soul food. this is -- king is smelling the food. he loves to eat. and he's thinking, i really, i'm supposed to go to this church. i have to take over the path there. you convinced me. they involved in your chat about the new church. which had lots of alabama state professor. it was sort of a son or daughterdy church. he said you have to be car.