How did individual Americans respond to the shock of President Lincoln’s assassination? Diaries; letters; and intimate writings reveal a complicated; untold story. The news of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination on April 15; 1865; just days after Confederate surrender; astounded the war-weary nation. Massive crowds turned out for services and ceremonies. Countless expressions of grief and dismay were printed in newspapers and preached in sermons. Public responses to the assassination have been well chronicled; but this book is the first to delve into the personal and intimate responses of everyday people—northerners and southerners; soldiers and civilians; black people and white; men and women; rich and poor. Through deep and thoughtful exploration of diaries; letters; and other personal writings penned during the spring and summer of 1865; Martha Hodes; one of our finest historians; captures the full range of reactions to the president’s death—far more diverse than public expressions would suggest. She tells a story of shock; glee; sorrow; anger; blame; and fear. “’Tis the saddest day in our history;†wrote a mournful man. It was “an electric shock to my soul;†wrote a woman who had escaped from slavery. “Glorious News!†a Lincoln enemy exulted. “Old Lincoln is dead; and I will kill the goddamned Negroes now;†an angry white southerner ranted. For the black soldiers of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts; it was all “too overwhelming; too lamentable; too distressing†to absorb. There are many surprises in the story Hodes tells; not least the way in which even those utterly devastated by Lincoln’s demise easily interrupted their mourning rituals to attend to the most mundane aspects of everyday life. There is also the unexpected and unabated virulence of Lincoln’s northern critics; and the way Confederates simultaneously celebrated Lincoln’s death and instantly—on the very day he died—cast him as a fallen friend to the defeated white South. Hodes brings to life a key moment of national uncertainty and confusion; when competing visions of America’s future proved irreconcilable and hopes for racial justice in the aftermath of the Civil War slipped from the nation’s grasp. Hodes masterfully brings the tragedy of Lincoln’s assassination alive in human terms—terms that continue to stagger and rivet us one hundred and fifty years after the event they so strikingly describe.
#975114 in Books 2015-01-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x 1.00 x 6.50l; .0 #File Name: 030020423X336 pages
Review
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy gwyn spencerWonderful writing of such a historical time that has been missed throughout our nation's history.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. I felt as if I was on a cross-Atlantic journey and loved every minute. This is history at its best.By MargaretWOne of the best testaments I can offer to a book is that I didn't want it to end; and that is exactly what I felt when I finished Stephen Berry's A Path in the Mighty Waters. I wanted to know more about the many people on board the ships; the Simmonds and the London Merchant; and what happened to them in the New World; more about the sailors who got them safely across the Atlantic; and more about how these and similar journeys shaped our country.The author draws the reader in to understand and; more importantly; feel; what this treacherous journey was like for the passengers; providing an in-depth and well-documented look at every aspect of the journey from the hardships (cramped living quarters; seasickness; fear; boredom; loneliness; and the social challenges that arose from throwing people of such diverse backgrounds together on a ship) to the joys (the wonder they felt at seeing the enormity and beauty of the ocean and its creatures; time to reflect on their lives and their relationship with their Creator; intense conversations that they might never have had the chance to have elsewhere; to name a few).He tells this story with beautiful and eloquent prose. Reading his carefully crafted and moving words was itself a pleasurable experience. Adding to his own eloquence was his seamless integration of words from many other rich sources. I loved the inclusion of so many journal entries from passengers onboard these and other ships; their drawings; and their poetry. Similarly; he drew on historians; the Bible; Shakespeare; and many others to enrich and enliven his work. It is a truly elegant book.As if the tale of these passengers alone were not enough; Berry also chronicles the lives of the sailors onboard; giving me a much-needed and deeper understanding of their lives; struggles; and joys; taking me well past my own limited and stereotypical view of their experience.He also contrasts the hardships of European immigrants to America with those of slaves brought over involuntarily from Africa. With empathy and a specificity that was painful but necessary; he demonstrates that however hard the journey was for many coming voluntarily; it was nothing compared to that of those taken by force from their homes and families and brought here under far worse conditions with far worse prospects.Even though I am not a scholar or generally a reader of scholarly works; this book was a joy to read. I felt as if I was on my own cross-Atlantic journey and loved every minute. This is history writing at its best.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. I am amazed at the remarkable time and effort involved in writing ...By Gordon A. MoreauAs amateur but avid reader of history; including colonial America; this book has filled a gap in my study of early American History. A gap that I was not aware existed until I read this book. There are plenty of books on the foreign origins and the colonial destinations of the various groups of American colonists. 'A Path in the Mighty Waters" is my first book about the journey. A journey that must have impacted the hopes and fears of the colonists; perhaps as much as the frontier.I prefer history writing based on scholarly research and analysis; which Professor Berry has done with laudable success. This book is based on countless original sources such as diaries; ships' logs; letters; and others; all hand written in a form of English much different than the modern vernacular. I am amazed at the remarkable time and effort involved in writing this book.Finally; besides a scholarly foundation; I enjoy a more narrative style in history writing; with an occasional biographical anecdote. For example; Margaret MacMillan is one of my favorite authors of the Great War. Professor Berry has his own style but also a narrative flow that aids rather than stalls reading his book.If you share my interests and preferences; then I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
