On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln was sworn in for his first term as President of the United States as the nation was on the verge of coming apart. As Lincoln addressed the crowd from the steps of the unfinished U.S. Capitol building, he sported a beard he had grown a few months earlier.
Lincoln grew the beard after Grace Bedell, an 11-year-old girl from New York, had written the then smooth-faced presidential candidate suggesting the facial hair. She wrote, “[Y]ou would look a great deal better for your face is so thin.”
Lincoln’s Speech at His First Inaugural
But on this date in 1861, Lincoln had other things on his mind besides his appearance. In writing his speech, he had struggled to find the words to keep the South from seceding and to keep his Northern supporters in his corner in case of a civil war. He closed his speech with poetic words that offered a warning to those who might divide the nation (I will crush you!). But he also offered an olive branch (We are friends!):
“In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to ‘preserve, protect, and defend it.’
“I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battle-field, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearth-stone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
Hal Holbrook as Lincoln
In a previous Chimesfreedom post, we noted how most contemporary accounts of Lincoln’s voice classified it as high-pitched or squeaky, unlike many of the deep baritone portrayals we usually hear today. This short clip of Hal Holbrook giving Lincoln’s closing of the First Inaugural seems along the lines of what the crowd heard on this date in 1861.
The video is from the TV miniseries Sandburg’s Lincoln (1974-76). Check it out.
Hal Holbrook is well-known for a number of roles, including his portrayals of Mark Twain. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his recent role in Into the Wild (2007), which made the 82-year-old the oldest actor to be nominated for an Oscar in that category. For more, see Holbrook’s IMDb page.
Bonus First Inaugural Coverage: The New York Times has several essays about the historical importance and background behind the First Inaugural. You may also read the entire speech.
(Related Posts)
I watched a documentary on Lincoln recently that suggested the letter might have been a cover up; that Lincoln suffered from Marfan Syndrome and was trying to cover up some of its effects. It’s not proven, of course, but something to think about.
There must be something in the family blood that leads to a fascination with Mr. Lincoln. I used to admire him, then I despised him for a while, now I find him intriguing; kind of like when Radar worshiped, then hated, then just accepted Hawkeye on the MASH episode “Fallen Idol.”
I’m also glad that you pointed out about his voice, it bugs me so much when he’s portrayed wrong on tv. Huge pet peeve. Just ask my brother, I go on about it whenever it happens.
Interesting theory about the cover up. At the least, I do suspect more political thought went into the beard than just the letter, but it is interesting if the little girl’s letter is part of the mix. One sad part of Grace Bedell’s letter is that her letter reminds us that at the time, women could not vote:
“All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husband’s to vote for you and then you would be President. My father is going to vote for you and if I was a man I would vote for you. . . .”
Thanks for the comment! That’s a great episode of MASH.