Lincoln letter turns up on Antiques Roadshow

Written in the summer of 1860, the letter is addressed to William Jones, an early employer of Lincoln’s in Indiana.  Jones went on to serve in the Union Army despite being well advanced in years, losing his life at Atlanta in 1864.  This document is not included in the Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, although a few others with the same date made it into the collection.

War in the Mountains Symposium this April

The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum will host the third War in the Mountains Symposium on April 20, 2013.  This event will feature presentations by several notable scholars on Appalachia and the Civil War:

• Dr. Wilma Dunaway, Professor of Sociology in the Government and International Affairs Program at Virginia Tech, whose books include The First American Frontier: Transition to Capitalism in Southern Appalachia, 1700-1860 and Slavery in the Mountain South
  
• Dr. Brian McKnight, Associate Professor of History at UVa-Wise and author of Confederate Outlaw: Champ Ferguson and the Civil War in Appalachia and Contested Borderland: The Civil War in Appalachian Kentucky and Virginia
  
• Dr. Michael Toomey, Associate Professor of History at Lincoln Memorial University and author of a number of publications on East Tennessee history

Dr. Charles Hubbard, Director of LMU’s Abraham Lincoln Institute for the Study of Leadership and Public Policy, will preside over the symposium.

For more information, call 1-800-325-0900 ext. 6439 or (423) 869-6439.

Lincoln as a “constitutional leader”

Steven B. Smith assesses Lincoln’s presidency as a successful example of constitutional leadership operating within prescribed limits.  “As Lincoln understood,” he writes, “the most essential feature of constitutional leadership is self-restraint.”

Spielberg is sending Lincoln to school

DVD copies of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln will be going out to public and private schools as part of an educational outreach effort; some schools will also receive new electronic equipment.  Click here for more info.

“God Didn’t Choose Sides”: Special Civil War music event coming to LMU

Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) and the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum (ALLM) will welcome some of the nation’s top bluegrass artists for a special benefit music event at the Sam and Sue Mars Performing Arts Center of the Duke Hall of Citizenship on Friday, February 22.

The historic concert will celebrate the February 12 release of Rural Rhythm Records’ “God Didn’t Choose Sides: Civil War True Stories about Real People” album that coincides with the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The concert and CD features some of today’s top artists including: Steve Gulley, Dale Ann Bradley, Marty Raybon, Carrie Hassler, Brad Gulley, Tim Stafford, Rickey Wasson, Dwight McCall, Dave Adkins, and the Gap Creek Quartet. Supporting musicians include: Sierra Hull (mandolin), Jason Burleson (banjo), Brandon Godman (fiddle), Phil Leadbetter (dobro), Bryan Turner (bass) and Debbie Gulley (vocals). Mark “Brink” Brinkman will also provide a special songwriter segment. 

The proceeds from the concert will benefit the ALLM and help fund a documentary on the project that is currently under development. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show will begin at 7 p.m. Two ticket options are available. A VIP experience includes a reception at the LMU President’s House before the concert, a copy of the CD, VIP seats at the show and a meet and greet with the musicians after the show. VIP tickets are available for $100. General admission tickets are $35. Tickets can be purchased online here.

The album, “God Didn’t Choose Sides: Civil War True Stories about Real People,” includes 12 original songs inspired by journals, stories and artifacts from soldiers, civilians and politicians during the Civil War. Also included on the recording is the traditional song “There is a Fountain” performed by the Gap Creek Quartet. It’s a collection of songs that focus on the common men and women who were thrown together into the realities and horrors of war; people who displayed amazing acts of kindness, selflessness, faith, love and brotherhood. All but one track, “Legend of Jennie Wade,” on the album were recorded, at least in part, at Steve Gulley’s The Curve Studio in Cumberland Gap, Tenn.

Accompanying the music is an extensive 16-page booklet filled with historical notes, photographs and lyrics. LMU and ALLM archivist Michelle Ganz provided historical content supervision and materials from the ALLM collection. Additional assistance was provided by ALLM Program and Tourism Director Carol Campbell and the historical booklet notes were provided by Jamie Lynn Brinkman.

Rural Rhythm Records has set up a dedicated site for the album that includes interviews, additional content relating to the history behind the songs, songwriters, performing artists and musicians. Visit RuralRhythm.com for more information.

The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum is located on the historic campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. Housing one of the top five Lincoln and Civil War private collections in the world, the Museum is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about this and other programs at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum, call 423-869-6235.

Management lessons from Lincoln

Nancy Koehn explores business and management lessons from Lincoln’s life in an essay for The New York Times, writing that these principles “demonstrate the importance of resilience, forbearance, emotional intelligence, thoughtful listening and the consideration of all sides of an argument. They also show the value of staying true to a larger mission.”