The Washington herald., 1915-02-28
ROBERT LINCOLN JOINED
GEN. GRANTS STAFF.
February q, 1865.


, Fifty years ago today Robert Todd
| Lincoln, eldest son of the President of
| the United States. joined the staff of
! Gen. Grant at City Point. with the rank
OF captain.
The appointment of Robert Lincoln to
| a military position was interesting his
| torically chiefly for the manner in which
| it was brought about. AS commander
| in-chicf of the military forces of the
United States. President Lincoln could
! have appointed his son 20 any ordinary
rank in the army he wished. He re-
Trained from doing that, but asked Gen.
Grant to make a place for the young
man on his staff, in which he might serve
without pay.
Lincon's manner of making this re-
quest reveals the care he took not to
trespass on the rights of others in Seek
ing position for his son. On January
10 he wrote Grant as follows:
please read and answer this letter as
though ! was not President, but only a
friend. My son. now in his twenty-sec-
ony year. having graduated at Harvard.
wishes to see something of the war be
fore it ends. I do not wish TO put him
in the ranks, nor yet to give him a COM
mission, TO which those who have al
ready served long are better entitled.
and better qualified to hold.
Gould he. without embarrassment to
you. or detriment TO the service. so into
your military family with some nominal
rank. ]. and not the public. furnishing
his necessary means? II no. say so with
out the least hesitation, because l am
anxious and as deeply interested that
you shall not be encountered as you can
he yourself"
Grant Suggests Rank.
Grants answer TO this request was as
follows:
Your favor of this date in relation to
your son serving in some military ca
pacity IS received. | will be most happy
to have him In my military family In
the manner You propose. The nominal
rank given him is inmaterial, but I
would suggest that OF captain. as I have
three staff officers now. OF considerable
service. in no higher grade. Indeed. !
have one officer with only the rank OF
lieutenant who has been in the service
from the beginning of the war. This.
however will make no difference. and /
would still say to give the rank of cap
tain. Please excuse my writing on a
half sheet. I have no resource but to
take the blank half OF your letter.
In due course Young Lincoln was ap-
pointed captain and adjutant general
of volunteers ION February 9D and pro-
ceeded to City Point. He was cordially
received by the other members of
Grants staff. not because he was the son
of the President hut for himself. He
had a winning personality and social
gifts which quickly made him popular
at headquarters.
Robert Lincoln was fortunate In COM
ing upon the stage OF the war at a
period when great events were culmi-
mating. Shortly after his appointment
one of his duties WAS 10 take an order
from Grant to Sheridan. when that Of
fcer reached White House. on the Pa
nunkcy River on his march across Viz
rinia from the Shenandoah Valley.
Young Lincoln thus had an opportunity
to meet the famous cavalry leader of the
Federal armies at most Interesting
period of his career.
When in the last week in March. the
President visited City Point. his son was
among the officers who met him at the
landing. On March -. when Lee at
tempted a sortfe and broke Grants line
at Fort Steadman, the news of the fight
ing was carried to Lincoln by his son.
Lost Fathers Address.
Brief mentions of Robert Lincoln in
the annals of his fathers administra-
ton show that a close companionshIpl
existed between father and son.
A humorous story told of Lincoln and
Robert describes the loss of the latter |
of his fathers first inaugural address |
The Presidential party was en- route
from Springfield, ILL.,, to Washington. |
when a stop was made at HARRISBURG |
Pa. The inaugural address was in a |
special satchel which was entrusted to !
Robert. When the party was ready 10 |
leave Harrisburg the satchel was mis- |
sing
Lincoln was almost in despair, as no
duplicate had been made of the address |
and he had not even preserved the notes |
from which it had been written. He |
said. II guess / have lost my certificate |
OF moral character, written by myself"
a search in the hotel baggage-room re-
vealed the lost satcheI. The finding of
the address put Lincoln in good
humor. He harbored no resentment |
against Bob" for having mislaid the
precious satcheL
Lincoln's wish 70 have his son "see
something of the war was a reflection
of Roberts own desire. The young man
had graduated from Harvard in June
1854, and had gone into the Harvard Law
School in the following autumn. Rest
less because he had no part in the war.
he had wished to leave the law school
and his father had given his consent.
1t was Lincoln's desire. however. that
his son should be lawyer rather than
a soldier 1t is related that on the morn
ing of the day of his death Lincoln is
said to have spoken as follows TO his
son:
We'll. my son. you have returned safe
ly from the front. The war is now
closed and We soon will live at peace
with the brave men that have been
fighting against US. / trust that the era
Of good feeling has returned with t-a
end OF the war and that henceforth We
shall live in peace. Now. listen to me.
Robert: You must lay aside your uni
form and return to college. 1 wish you
TO read law for three years. and at the
end of that time hope We shall be able
to tell whether you will make a lawyer
Or not"
Robert Lincoln followed his fathers
advice. In 1867 he was admitted to the
Illinois bar. Subsequently he practiced
In Chicago. From 1881 to 1855 he was
Secretary of War, in the administra-
don of Garfield and Arthur.
In 1Ss9-9s he was United States Minis
ter to Great Britain. The fiftieth yearl
following his services on Grants staff
found him a director of various large
financial and public utility interests in
Chicago and chairman of the board Of
directors Of the Pullman Company. !,