Matthew Pinsker

Lincoln and his family spent summers at a house on the grounds of a wounded soldier's retirement home. It was a lovely wooded location, but an easy 30 minute commute to the White House. His time there allowed him to relax a little, though he still met many visitors and read and wrote important speeches and documents while there. This short book focused on his personal life, his interactions with the soldiers who guarded him and the the people he interacted with during his commute and his evenings at the cottage.… (mere)

I appreciated the incredible amount of research that went into the writing of this book. The information about the day-to-day life of the Lincolns, as well as the soldiers and officials around them on a regular basis, was fascinating and what I enjoyed about the book most. I also liked that photos were included of many of these people (Edwin Stanton, John Hay, Private John W. Nichols, etc.). On the other hand, some of the political discussions were very dry and scholarly, and I admit to having skimmed a few such paragraphs or pages here and there.

On a technical note, the font used for this book caused me some difficulty in reading. What made it worse was that when occasionally more emphasis was required, the font changed to a much smaller type (very tiny!), making it even more difficult for me to read.

I would have liked to have had more information about the Soldiers' Home property in general, and the house occupied by the Lincolns in particular. It was mentioned several times that specific definitive information about furnishings and rooms was not available. However, regardless of whether it is or is not possible to say for instance, what room Lincoln or other family members slept in, the Lincoln Cottage is a historical site (this book was written in part to raise funds to run the property), and I would have liked to have been able to see a general floorplan and more photos of the house, both inside and out.

As a casual reader, I was a bit overwhelmed by this book at times, but overall, I would highly recommend it to students of Lincoln, the Civil War, and the workings of the US government during this period.… (mere)

Well researched book about a the Soldier's Home, where Lincoln stayed during the hot summers during the Civil War. I was aware of this location, but this book brought to life many more details about it than I had known before. In addition to stories about the Lincoln's in the house itself, the author also weaves in history that was in some ways relevant to when Lincoln was at the house or was traveling to or from the house. Pinsker has found diaries of soldiers who 'guarded' Lincoln during his stay there, and he introduces those reminiscences into the book quite well. This is a must-read for a Lincoln scholar who wants to know more about this important summer home for Lincoln.… (mere)