Description of the manuscript: pp [1]
In a darker ink, top of pg. 1: ‘Cordelia Perrine Harvey wife of Gov.L. P. Harvey of Wis;/ Also sister of Mrs. R M Benson./ Also Aunt of Mrs. G E Schaub.’
Most likely provenance: from author to her niece; then purchased by or donated to the Illinois State Historical Library (now Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library) probably in 1934 but possibly as early as 1915. Authenticity: comparison of the handwriting with a signed autograph letter of Cordelia Harvey’s, while inconclusive to these inexpert eyes, offers no reason to think they are not the same; I have proceeded under a strong presumption that she wrote this document, which appears to be a fair copy, herself. Other ms. copies: none known. Known typescript copies: Wisconsin Historical Society; Sterling Library, Yale University. Date of ms.: none given in the ms., probably late 1865 or early 1866 (see Section 2 below); dates of Mrs. Harvey’s interviews with Lincoln at the White House: September 6–9, 1863.
[[1]] Perhaps it is not well to open too frequently the deep wells of past sorrows that we may drink the bitter draughts which memory offers. Still, we would not forget the past; our glorious past! with all its terrible trials, its untold sufferings, its unwritten history.
The Christian never forgets the dying groans on Calvary, that gave to him his souls salvation; neither can an American citizen forget the great price paid for the life and liberty of this nation. Next to love of God is love of Country.
It is not my object to awaken any morbid feelings of sentimental sorrow; or again to open the deep [2] wounds which time has healed. Neither do I wish to serve up to an unhealthy imagination a dish of fearful horrors from which a healthy organization must turn away. I would only ask you to look at the shadows a little while, that the light and life, of peace and plenty which now fill our land may by contrast impress upon your hearts a picture more beautiful than any artist could ever [struck through] place on canvas. Shadows always make the light more beautiful.
In the fall of 1862 I found myself in Cape Girardeau, where hospitals were being improvised for the immediate use of the sick, and dying, then being brought in from the swamps by the returning Regiments; and up the [3] rivers in closely crowded hospital boats. These hospitals were mere sheds filled with the cots as thick as they could stand with scarcely room enough for one person to pass between them. Pneumonia Typhoid and Camp fevers; and that fearful scourge, of the Southern swamps and rivers chronic diarrhea occupied every bed. A surgeon once said to me ‘there is nothing else there; here, I see Pneumonia and there fever and on that cot another disease and I see nothing else! You had better stay away, the air is full of contagion: and contagion and sympathy do not go well together’. One day, a woman passed through these uncomfortable, illy ventilated, hot [4] unclean, infected wretched rooms; and
Mrs. Cordelia A. P. Harvey, cdv image 1860s, courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society. In 1862–63 she made her way south along the Mississippi from St. Louis to Vicksburg (and perhaps farther) as she nursed and supervised sanitary conditions for Union sick and wounded, especially those from Wisconsin. Accounts of her meetings with Lincoln about those events will appear in Part II of this article.
[5] As this woman passed these diseases as the surgeon called them whispered and smiled at each other and even reached out and took hold of each others hands, saying ‘she will take us home.’ I know her, she will not leave us here to die’ not dreaming that hovering just above them was a white robed one, who in a short time would take them to their Heavenly Home.
This woman failed to see on these cots ought but the human they were to her the sons, brothers, husbands and fathers of anxious weeping ones at home, and as such she cared for, and thought of them. Arm in arm with health, she day by day visited every sufferers cot doing, it is true, very little, but always taking with her from the outside [6] world fresh air, fresh flowers, and all the hope and comfort she could find in her heart to give them. Now and then, one would totter forth into the open air his good constitution having overcome disease, and the longings for life so strong within him that he grasped at straws determined to live. If perchance he could get a furlough, in a few weeks a strong man would return and greet you with ‘How do you do I am on my way to my regiment.!’ Who this stranger could be, you would never imagine until reminded by him of the skeleton form and trembling steps you had so recently watched going to the landing homeward bound. But, if as was too frequently the case they were sent to convalescent camps, in a few weeks they were returned to hospital, and again to camp [7] and thus to vibrate between camp and hospital until hope and life were gone. This was the fate of thousands. On a steamer from Cape Girardeau to Helena at table one day when the passengers were dinning [
This young officer was the medical director at Helena where I found over two thousand graves of northerners. Two thirds of these men could might [superscript] have been saived could they have been sent north. The surgeon in charge of the General Hospital when asked why he did not furlough some of the men from his overcrowded hospitals replied that he had at one time and another made out certificates of disability for furlough for nearly every man in his hospital and for hundreds who rest on yonder hill [9] but when sent for the signatures & approval of the Medical Director had invariably been returned disapproved. that he had also permitted the men themselves to go with their papers only to have them severely reproved and ordered back to hospital and said he, (with tears in his eyes) many of them never returned for broken hearted they have lain down by the roadside and died, another good illustration of the great difficulty of procuring furloughs I once heard a [illegible superscript] person [illegible insertion in different ink] who had been instrumental in giving [illegible superscript] a dying boy to his mother that she might nurse him back to life[period inserted in different ink] [following two clauses (12 words) struck out in different ink] relate the way it was done. how red tape is sometimes severed The Mother had succeeded in getting her son as far as St Louis where his papers were to be sent. They came in the usual way to the [10] Medical Director of that department, were all wrong of course—not made out according to army regulations and must therefore be returned to his regiment which was somewhere with Sherman and could not be reached; the Mother received the papers with that fearful word disapproved written upon them, there was nothing to be done but to place her sick son in a St Louis hospital and leave him there to die: She must return to her family. She told her story to this friend with streaming eyes and a broken heart. The woman impulsively said give me the papers, and off she went to the Medical Directors office. He was a man full six feet high over fifty years of age a head like Oliver Cromwell’s a face stern as fate, and of the Regular Army. She [‘I’ overwritten] entered his presence, seated herself [She [‘I’ overwritten] replied trembling I know it, but forgive me. I thought maybe when you knew about it General—and the Mother was weeping so, with the skeleton arms of the boy around her neck, I thought may be you would do something or tell me something to do Suppose I do approve these papers it will do no good, the General in command will stop them and censure me. But you will have done all you could have obeyed the Higher Law. In the mean time this truly noble man had firmly crossed out his own words and signature, and rewritten it under words of approval & in a quick harsh tone said, take it, and dont you come here again to-day. As the woman raised her eyes to thank him she saw a scowl on his brow, a smile [14] on his lips, but a tear in his eye. The Genl in command, said he, never went behind the medical Director’s signature. They boy started for home with his Mother that night full of hope. [spaces] Not long after this incident occurred showing how easily man yields to the Higher Law when once he makes humanity his stand-point. [spaces] An erring boy of nineteen who had deserted from a Minnesota Regt changed his name, enlisted in the Gun Boat service from which he again deserted, again changed his name and reenlisted in a Wisconsin Regt, a little unsteady to be sure but still a soldier. He was wounded in battle, honorably discharged from the service, and paid off. [spaces] On Saturday night he reached St Louis and found his way to one of the lowest dens. was drugged, and robbed of every thing he possessed. On Monday he was found tossing from side to side stricken by disease. His surroundings were terrible, lying on an old filthy mattress which [15] had been thrown into the open hall by the frightened inmates[‘:’ inserted in darker ink], [carat: ‘he was’ superscript insertion] screaming with pain & at times delirous. [spaces] As soon as [‘h’ overwritten] however, as he heard the soothing tones of a human voice, and recognized the hand of human kindness on his burning brow, he cried, Mother! Oh Mother, forgive me God forgive me! I have sinned. What shall I do! What shall I do! Conscience, and disease were doing their work. Softly speaking to him words of hope and comfort, our friend released herself from his grasp, promising to return in half an hour, and take him away.
This was easier, said, than done. This soldier was now a citizen, and could not therefore be admitted to a Military hospital. His disease [ill. strikethroughs in ‘disease,’ letters 2, 3 and 5] was of such a nature, that in all probability he must die, but his widowed Mother far away must she hear that her darling soldier had died in such a place. God forbid, an order must be had to place him in a Military Hospital.
[16] The woman goes to her old friend the Medical Director and tells her story in as few words as possible, saying now Genl write an order quick to the Surgeon in charge of the 5th St Hospital, that the boy may be received, I also want an ambulance mattrass, and bedding, and some me to help me move him. Yes! Yes! But listen I can’t do this I have no right—I know—I know but please do hurry, I promised to be back in half an hour, and the boy will expect me. The Genl calling an orderly and imitating her voice said hurry, hurry boy, get the best ambulance we have, a good mattrass and bedding, and some men, and go with Madame and do whatever she bids you to do. Here is the order, what else do you want? henceforth, we do what you wish, and no questions asked, it is the easiest and I guess the only way to get along with you.
The Mother mourned her son’s death but not [17] his disgrace. [brackets in pencil open] In after months this worthy officer by daring to take responsibility performed many acts which will gladden his dying hours. [brackets in pencil close] In this way one could be snatched from the suffering and death now and then, but oh the thousands that were beyond the reach of human aid and the numbers that no private individual power could help, only the great military power. This conviction first led to the thought of providing if possible some place where invalids could bed sent north without the trouble of furloughs. The idea of Northern Military hospitals seemed practicable and so natural that we never once thought the authorities would oppose the movement. For nearly, a year this question was agitated, and urged with all the force, that logic, position, and influence [carat: ‘could bring to bear’ superscript]; but all in vain. Hope was well nigh dead within us. [spaces] God often chooses the most weak and insignificant instruments to [18] accomplish great good. [brackets in pencil open] And here I would like to say to my young friends— if in your future lives you should be placed in circumstances where action is necessary, and you feel an impulse within you to act, never hesitate because others have failed. This impulse may be an inspiration from the Almighty— the voice of God speaking to you as much as was that audible voice that spoke years ago saying ‘Samuel! Samuel! and do you never fail to answer, ‘tell give you a short story of another chapter in my own life experience just as it was, if I can do so, without the least coloring. There is not a more difficulty task than to relate simple facts in such a manner as to convey [20] an entirely correct impression. The difficulty is increased when the relator is an interested party. I trust I shall not be accused of egotism if I give to you the exact conversations between Mr Lincoln, and myself, as taken down, at the time, for in no other way, can I so well give a picture of to you our much loved and martyred Pres. as he then appeared at the White House. As I said before, the necessity for establishing Military Hospitals at the North, had long been a subject of much thought, among our people but, it was steadily opposed by Military Authority. By the advice of friends and with an intense feeling that something must be done, I went to Washington. I entered the White House not with fear and trembling [21] but strong and self possessed fully conscious of the righteousness of my mission.
I was received after short delay. I had never seen Mr. Lincoln before. He was alone in a medium sized office-like room, no elegance, about him, no elegance in him. He was plainly clad in a suit of black, that illy fitted him. No fault of his tailor however, such a figure could not be fitted. He was tall, and lean, and as he sat in a folded up sort of way in a deep arm chair, one would almost have thought him deformed.
At his side stood a high writing desk, and table combined, plain straw matting covered the floor, a few stuffed chairs and sofa covered with green worsted completed the furniture, of the presence chamber of the President of this great Republic. When, I first saw him, his head was bent forward, his chin resting on his breast & in his had a letter, which I had just sent into him. He raised his eyes, saying, Mrs. Harvey? I hastened forward [22] and replied Yes, and I am glad to see you Mr. Lincoln, so much for Republican presentations and ceremony. The Pres’t too my hand, hoped I was well, but there was no smile of welcome on his face. It was rather the stern look of the judge who had decided against me. His face was peculiar, bone, nerve, vein, and muscle were all so plainly seen, deep lines of thought and care, were around his mouth, and eyes. The word justice, came into my mind, as though I could read it upon his face. I mean that extended sense of the word that comprehended the practice of every virtue, which reason prescribes, and society should expect. The debt we owe to God, to man to ourselves, when paid is but a simple act of justice, a duty performed.
This attribute seemed the source of Mr Lincoln’s strength. He motioned me to a chair. I sat, and silently read his face while he was reading a paper written by one [23] of our senators, introducing me and my mission. When he had finished reading this he looked up, ran his fingers through his hair well silvered, (though the brown there predominated his beard was more whitened. [no close paren.] In a moment he looked at me with a good deal of sad severity and said Madam! this matter of Northern hospitals has been talked of a great deal, and I thought it was settled, but it seems not, what have illeg., prob. miswritten ‘or,’ which is overwritten in superscript] or Logic in this last argument. He shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘if your
‘Indeed, but you must pardon me when I say—you are mistaken, you do not understand our people, You do not trust them sufficiently. They are as true and as loyal to the government as you say. The loyalty is among the Common Soldiers and they have ever been the chief sufferers.’ ‘This is
[31] At this the President threw himself forward in his chair in such a manner as to show me the most curious, comical face in the world. He was looking the man straight in the eye— with the left hand raised in a horizontal position and his right hand patting it coaxingly— he said ‘my friend, let me tell you some thing about that you are a farmer, I believe, if not you will understand me. [spaces] Suppose you had a large cattle yard full of all sorts of cattle, cows, oxen, and bulls and you kept selling your cows and oxen taking good care of your bulls, bye and bye you would find you had nothing but a yard full of old bulls good for nothing under heaven, and it will be just so with my army if I don’t stop making making [overwritten superscript] Brigadier Genls.
The man was answered, he could scarcely laugh though he tried to do so, but you should have seen Mr Lincoln laugh, he laughed all over, and fully enjoyed the point if no one else did. The story, if not elegant is certainly appropos [I fancied. I fancied, and said, ‘Have you nothing to say?’ ‘Nothing, Mr President, until I hear your decision. You bade me come this morning. Have you decided.’ ‘No! but I believe this idea of Northern hospitals is a great humbug, and I am tired of hearing about it. [no close quote] He spoke impatiently. I replied, ‘I regret to add a feather’s weight to your already overwhelming care and responsibility, I would rather have stayed at home.’ With a kind of half smile he said, ‘I wish you had.’ I answered him as though he had [36] not smiled. ‘Nothing would have given me greater pleasure, but a keen sense of duty to this government, justice and mercy to its most loyal supporters, and regard for your honor, and position made me come. The people cannot understand why their friends are left to die, when with proper care, they might live, and do good service for their country. Mr Lincoln, I believe you will be grateful for my coming. He looked at me intently. I could not tell if he were annoyed or not, as he did not speak I continued. I do not come to plead for the lives of criminals, for the lives of deserters, not for the lives of those who have [37] been in the least disloyal. I come to plead for the lives of those who were the first to hasten to the support of this government, who helped to place you where you are, because, they trusted you. Men who have done all they could, and now when flesh, and nerve, and muscle are gone, still pray for your life, and the life of this Republic; they scarcely ask for that for which I plead. They expect to sacrifice their lives for their country. Many on their cots faint, sick and dying, say, we would gladly do more, but I supposed this is all right. I know that a majority of them would live and be strong me again if they could be sent North. I say, I know because [38] I Was sick among them last spring surrounded by every comfort; with the best of care, and determined to get well, I grew weaker day by day until not being under military law my friends brought me North. I recovered entirely simply by breathing northern air.’ While I was speaking the expression of Mr Lincoln’s face had changed many times. He had never taken his eye from me, now every muscle in his face seemed to contract, and then suddenly expand, as he opened his mouth, you could almost hear them snap, when he said ‘You assume to know more than I do’ and closed his mouth [39] as though he never expected to open it again sort of slammed it too. I could scarcely reply. I was hurt and thought the tears would come but, I rallied in a moment and said, ‘You must pardon me Mr Pres I intend no disrespect, but it is because of this knowledge— because I 39 40] believe me or not. If you believe me you will give me hospitals. If not— [dash inserted in pencil] well.’ [original quotation marks] With the same snapping of muscle, he again said, ‘You seem to know more than surgeons do.’ ‘Oh no! Mr. Lincoln I could not perform an amputation nearly as well as some of them do. indeed, I do not think I could do it at all. But this is true, I do not come here for your favor I am not an aspirant for military honor. While it would be the pride of my life, to be able to win your respect, and confidence. Still this I can waive for the time being. Now the medical authorities know as well as I do that [41] you are opposed to establishing Northern military hospitals, and they report to please you. They desire your favor. I come to you from no casual tour of inspection, having passed rapidly through the general hospitals, in the principal cities on the river with a cigar in my mouth and a ratanthat he did not mean one word that he had said— but, what would come ne[ill let. ‘x’ overwritten]t as I looked at him I was troubled fearing that I had said something wrong. He was very pale, the silence was painful, I said, as quietly as I could ‘They have been faithful to the Government, [45] , [great words which then were agitating the heart of the American people, words which have ever spoken [carat, superscript: ‘throbbed’] the great heart of nations, [, inserted] words whose power every individual has recognized, just issued. I thanked him not only for the order just issued but for the manner and spirit in which it had been given—then said I must apologize for not having been there at nine o’clock as he desired me to be [56] but that I had been sick all night. He looked up with, ‘did joy make you sick. I said I don’t know, very likely it was the relaxation of nerve after intense excitement, still looking at me he said, I suppose you would have been mad if I had said No.’ I replied ‘No Mr Lincoln, I should neither have been angry nor sick.’ ‘What
This is a manifold question that cannot fully or finally be answered, given the scarcity of context or corroboration. Perhaps credibility rests on what one
In other words, ‘Personal Interviews with President Lincoln’ is a reminiscence composed
First meeting (Sunday, Sept. 6, 1863): she and Lincoln together privately in his office at the White House; he is polite but cool; she announces her northern hospitals agenda; he’s heard all this before and tries to fob her off by sending her to Secretary of War Stanton, who gives her no genuine encouragement, though Harvey is not
Second meeting (same day): returns to Lincoln, who hardly says ‘yes’ but offers her some mild hope by saying he’ll talk to Stanton himself about the matter.
Third meeting (Monday, Sept. 7): the grand agon begins. This is by far the most detailed and longest of Harvey’s accounts. She and Lincoln go at each other like two seasoned debaters, with Lincoln becoming strangely emotional: the one urging her case for northern hospitals for sick and wounded western soldiers, the other trying to hold off his opponent’s arguments, mostly on the grounds of knowing more and better on the subject than she does and by being just plain ornery about the matter. As the contest of wills continues, Lincoln becomes angry, then falters, seemingly overcome with melancholy feelings, and begins, with reluctance, to slump into defeat.
Fourth meeting (Tuesday, Sept. 8): After waiting more than three hours for the president to emerge from a cabinet meeting, Harvey is immediately told by Lincoln that her request has been granted! She is overwhelmed with thankful emotion, and he appears to be on the verge of collapse from worry and fatigue. Afternoon has shaded into evening. They share some unspecified length of time alone in the White House, no longer at odds and no longer discussing hospitals, before she takes her leave.
Fifth meeting (Wednesday, Sept. 9): Harvey appears at the White House around 10 a.m., makes her way through the crowd of people hoping to see the president and is announced to him immediately. There is a spark of genuine friendship, if not romantic chemistry, between them as they conclude their business tenderly and part forever.
Five meetings in four days, all private. This was quite a feat for Cordelia Harvey to have achieved, given the incessant demands on Lincoln’s time. How far does the historical record support the claims of her narrative? There is but one piece of corroboration. A document in AL’s hand reads, ‘To Edwin M. Stanton/ September 9, 1863/ Mrs. Harvey wishes the Hospital to be named for her late husband…’ (
On balance, then, there is sufficient reason to believe the narrative credible in two key aspects: Harvey did meet Abraham Lincoln at the White House, more than once; and her mission, to secure a hospital for Wisconsin sick and wounded soldiers, was successful, thus strongly implying persuasive argument on her part. The corroborated fact of her meeting with Lincoln on Wednesday, September 9, logically entails at least one previous meeting, since Harvey had to have presented her credentials and talked through her mission. So even had Lincoln immediately acceded to her request for a hospital, bureaucratic formalization of the requisite presidential order would have taken some time. And if two meetings, why not five? But everything else in the narrative, and in particular its recreated dialogue, is a matter of story. In the analysis of her narrative that follows, I hope to discover the extent to which Harvey’s story comports with what we know, independently, of Lincoln’s personality and character.
Harvey did not usually employ quotation marks to indicate conversation. J. G. Holland, however, in his reconnaissance of the Lincoln interviews section of the ms. inserted them freely, and these have been allowed to stand in the transcription. Only when Harvey herself appears to have used quotation marks is the fact noted paren- thetically. See Section 4 (next issue) for a discussion of Holland’s use of the Harvey ms. in his Lincoln biography.
i.e.