The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-09-17
THE CENTURY OF 1867.
Important Announcement.

The leading feature of The Century for
| 1867 will be "The Authorized Life of
Lincoln" 10y his confidential secretaries,
John George Nicolay (now Marshal of
| the Supreme Court of the United States)
and Col. John Hay (lately Assistant Sec
rotary of State of the United States)
This work, which was begun with the
sanction and assistance of President
Lincoln himself, and has been continued
under the authority of the sole survivor
of the Presidents immediate Elmily,
has been in active preparation during
the past sixteen years. Ii is the only
full and authoritative record Ofthe priv
ate and public career of Abraham Lin
coin, including an account of the causes
of the rebellion, and record, ut first
hand, of the inside history of the civil
war, and of Prcsid lent Lincoln = admins
tratiOn, important details of which last
have hitherto remained unrevealed, in
order that they might first appear in
their proper connection in this anthem
tic history.
From purely literary point of view
the authorized Life of Lincoln is re-
markable. Mr.. NicOlay is an old Jour
nalist, and has lately shown his ability
us a historical writer in the wcll-known
NoltlIiit tlitltlttt lIt 'ItbIcuh III
"e GnStnn Days Day. "y hk .n' County "%1H"r Ba o.
lads" etc, ranks among the most bril-
liant writers of his generation. In the
present work the style is as tcrse and
vigorous as il is dignified in tone and
clear IN statement. The handling of the
vast historical material Mt the disposal
Of the writers has been mastery, and
there is no part of the narrative, either
personal, political or military, that will
not be read with absorbing interest.
Messrs, Nicolay and Hay were init
mate from boyhOod with the companions
Of LINCOLN. "Mr Nlcolay took charge
of his correspondence before his elcc-
ton to the Presidency, and the very
first commission Lincoln signed az Presi-
dent was that of Mr.. NicOlay to be his
official Private Secretary. He held this
position throughout Mr.. Lincoln's term
of Office. Mr.. Hay, like Mr. Nicolay,
accompanied the President from SPRING
field To Washington, where he remained
several years us Assistant Secretary"
After term of service in the field he
! returned To the White House as aide-de-
camp 10 the President. Throughout
LIncoln's administration the authors
were making notes and memoranda with
view To writing this life of their chief
At the conclusion of the war the writ
ers spent five years in the service of
their country abroad. Since the period
of their return To America most of their
time has been spent on the present
history. ain the first place, all the
manuscripts belonging to the estate of
Mr.. Lincoln were absolutely and I'M
rescrvedly placed i'm their hands by the
Honorable Robert Il. Lincoln, the only
surviving member of the Presidents
family. In addition To this, they sought
and obtained access to the private pap
ers and correspondence of most of Mr..
Lincoln's Cabinet. Being on terms of
intimacy with all the leading statesmen
and generals of the time, they were af-
forded by them every possible assistance
in the clucidation of difficult points.
They have also profited by the vast
quantity of "reminiscences, letters and
newspaper articles which have recently
been printed in regard Ia Lincoln and
his times Besides the mass of manu-
| script archives in all the Departments,
they have consulted thousands of print
ed volumes"
The Life of Lincoln will be illustrated
mainly by means of tho reproduction of
documents, and portraits of places, OBJ
jects, and persons. Certain ideal pict-
ures will also be introduced, great care
being taken that these should be as close
as possible To the actual facts depicted.