A True Book: Abraham Lincoln, by Peter Benoit, Children’s Press, Scholastic Books, New York, 2012.
This book is geared to give little known facts about President Lincoln. Yes, he is the only president to hold a patent. He also did not win his first try for the state legislature in Illinois. With only 18 months of school, Lincoln read as many books as he could. Other facts include: There were seven Lincoln-Douglas debates, there were almost 4 million slaves in 1860, 46,000 were killed or wounded at Gettysburg. 12 million peple saw Lincoln’s funeral train. 360,000 soldiers died in the Civil War. There are less than 300 words in the Gettysburg Address.
Lincoln first saw slavery up close when he and some friends piloted a boat down the Mississippi in 1830. He walked back to Illinois from Louisiana. Lincoln was a hard worker and a good story teller and was well liked. Lincoln served in the militia in the Black Hawk War, but never saw action. In 1842 he married Mary Todd. He also met Stephen Douglas at this time who would become a political opponent. Lincoln battled depression, which was made worse by the loss of his sons. Only one would live to adulthood. After becoming president, one of his biggest moves was the emancipation proclamation effective January 1, 1863. This allowed the Union to recruit 180,000 African Americans to the military. Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address, which he wrote himself, at the dedication of the military graveyard in Gettysburg. Lincoln at first thought the speech a failure. However in a few words he outlined the struggle and the commitment. Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theater the evening of April 14. He would die the next morning.
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