Lincoln’s Eagle Quill Pen (Article 51)

Abraham Lincoln had been recently, and surprisingly even to him, elected to become the next President of the United States. This night in early January,1861, he was fretful. For the last several days he had been forced to find quiet working space in the back of a relative’s general store in his home town of Springfield, to avoid the chaos from well-wishers and office seekers who streamed to his office and his home. He needed the privacy to complete the task at hand. He held the latest version of what would certainly be one of the most important speeches he would ever give; and arguably, at that time, the most important speech in American history.

 It was to be Lincoln’s first inaugural address.

South Carolina had already declared secession from the country and several other southern states had announced plans to follow. There were fifteen states in which slavery was legal and neither Abraham Lincoln, nor the rest of the nation, knew exactly how many of the slave-holding states would eventually secede. He believed at least seven, but thought probably more, primarily because they feared a new Republican administration would not support expansion of slavery to new territories; and might even try to restrict slavery in the states where it was then currently permitted under the U.S. Constitution.

 Lincoln had clearly stated in earlier speeches and writings that he would have no constitutional authority as President to interfere with slavery where it existed, but he believed secession was unconstitutional and illegal; and he intended to so declare in his speech. However, he also wanted to impress upon those states which had already decided on, or were contemplating, secession, that he did not threaten their way of life and wanted to hold open the door for their peaceful reconciliation within the United States. That evening he had considered a few changes to the draft and began to make the corrections which he felt strengthened his message. He dipped the long feather quill into the black inking solution and crossed out a few words and added others. By midnight, he finished, not quite satisfied, but unable to think of any better phrasing. He could do no more, and he put the quill down on the table.

 Perhaps he took a moment to admire the long eagle feather, perfectly trimmed to make it a fine writing instrument. At the time, most handwriting was done with quills made from goose or turkey feathers which were dipped into an inkwell; and there was even a new-fangled “fountain” pen made of brass which still used a quill tip but held a reservoir of ink.

But Lincoln was a traditionalist in many ways. He liked the feel of quills and thought the regular pauses to re-ink helped with reflection when writing. And, this pen was special.

 The eagle feather quill pen which Abraham Lincoln used to write portions of his first inaugural address was a gift from an Illinois admirer and political supporter, Rufus W. Miles. In one of those many ironies of history, in his letter which accompanied the gift, Mr. Miles seemed to write a eulogy for the new President, four and a half years before his assassination.

 Two years earlier the Democratic controlled Illinois legislature had appointed Stephen A. Douglas to a third six-year term as a U.S. Senator, narrowly rejecting the bid by Republican Abraham Lincoln. A few days after Lincoln’s opponent won the appointment, a group of Lincoln supporters met at the State Capitol Library. Among those present was Mr. Miles, a local businessman and ardent abolitionist, who had hoped Mr. Lincoln’s message that slavery should not be expanded to new states in the West would resonate with the Illinois legislators, regardless of party affiliation; and Lincoln would become the new Illinois Senator. After all, Miles reasoned, slavery was prohibited by the Illinois constitution and Douglas, during his previous two terms in the U.S. Senate, was referred to as “The Great Compromiser” for his willingness to extend slavery to new states. However, even though several Democrat legislators did vote for Lincoln, it was not enough for him to be selected. 

 The men who gathered at the Capitol Library intended to discuss the future of the Republican party in Illinois and had invited Lincoln to attend. On the other hand, some had a very specific agenda for the meeting; to encourage Abraham Lincoln to run for President of the United States.

 As Miles later recalled, Mr. Lincoln assured the group that he remained committed to the principals of the Republican party and would willingly support future Republican candidates. At some point in the discussion, one of the attendees declared that he “intended to bring Abraham Lincoln out as a candidate for President” in an editorial in a local newspaper.  After a murmur of approval was heard in the room, Lincoln said, “For God’s sake, let me alone. I have suffered enough.”

 To some in the room and a few historical observers, Lincoln, while appreciative of the show of support, was sincerely declining another campaign. However, others present at the meeting, and most historians, believed that Lincoln was mildly protesting only as a courtesy and had an unstated interest in seeking the Republication nomination.

 In the latter view, Lincoln believed a new campaign might lead to a Vice-Presidential nomination, or improve his chances if he chose to run for Governor of Illinois; but he did not believe there was even a remote possibility he could become the 1860 Presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention. The Party already had three formidable politicians under consideration, all with more political experience and broad based support than Lincoln; William Seward, former Governor of New York, Salmon Chase, Governor of Ohio, and Edward Bates, Governor of Missouri. Lincoln’s experience as an office holder included four terms in the Illinois Legislature and one term in the U.S. Congress, but he had not held political office for ten years.

 Proof for those who believed then, and still believe, that he did indeed hope for his name to be advanced, was the rigorous speaking schedule which he now planned until the Republican convention, including a tour of heavily populated New England. Lincoln may not have called it a “campaign” but it certainly had all of the hallmarks.

 And it worked!

 One year after that meeting in the Library of the Illinois Capitol, Abraham Lincoln, who had won his party’s nomination in June, was elected President of the United States. After the election, and after the Electoral College vote, Rufus W. Miles wrote a letter to the President-Elect on December 21, 1860, and included as a gift an eagle feather quill, proposing that Lincoln use the pen to write his inaugural address. The letter read in part:

 “Hon. A. Lincoln,

 Please accept this eagle quill I promised you. The bird from whose wing the quill was taken was shot by Mr. John Dillon, in February 1857. Having heard that James Buchannan (Lincoln’s Democrat predecessor as President) was furnished with an eagle quill to write his inaugural with, and believing that, in 1860, a Republican would be elected to take his place, I determined to save this quill and present it to the fortunate man, whoever he might be. Report tells us that the bird which furnished Buchannan’s quill was a captured bird, a fit emblem for the man who used it. (Mr. Miles believed President Buchannan was another “compromiser” of principles).

 But the bird from which this quill was taken, yielded the quill only with his life - a fit emblem of the man who is now expected to use it; for true Republicans believe that you will not think life worth the keeping after the murder of principle. Great difficulties surround you; traitors to their country have threatened your life; and should you be called upon to surrender your life at the post of duty, your memory will live forever in the heart of every free man; and that is a grander monument than can be built of brick or marble.

 ‘for if our hearts may not our memories keep, oblivion haste each vestige sweep, and let our memories end.’

 Yours truly,

R. W. Miles”

 This letter must have seemed to be a strange and morose reflection upon what was a celebratory occasion; the election of Lincoln as President. Perhaps Mr. Miles, better than most, realized the dangerous waters into which the United States, and President Lincoln, were headed.

That first inaugural address did become one of the most famous speeches in American history and the concluding lines can still stir us today.

 “We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as they surely will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

 On April 15, 1865, Abraham Lincoln died; and as Mr. Miles wrote, Lincoln surrendered his “life at the post of duty.”

 The Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Mount Rushmore, the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, and hundreds of schools which bear his likeness and/or his name, are tangible testaments in “brick and marble” as Mr. Miles suggested. But, most Americans today also have, in their own memories, an image of Abraham Lincoln and some understanding of his lasting value to our nation.

 It is up to us to assure that, as Mr. Miles also wrote, his “memory will live forever in the heart of every free man.”

 I sincerely hope we are up to the task.

Contact the author at  gadorris2@gmail.com