From telegraph to email: Insights into the mind of President Lincoln

In the grand scheme of things, the telegraph was invented yesterday. On this Presidents’ holiday in the United States, I found the Washington Post article from last week, “Lincoln Online: The Telegraph as a Window Into the Mind of the 16th President” to be both insightful about President Lincoln as well as thought provoking when it comes to communication technologies.

Have you ever engaged in, or observed others you know engage in “an email war?” Have you ever clicked the “send” button and later regretted it? President Lincoln dealt with similar issues when using the latest technology of the day, the telegraph, when communicating with his commanding generals during the U.S. Civil War. According to this article by Tom Wheeler:

Before handing the message to the clerk for transmission, however, Lincoln reconsidered the outburst that put McClellan in his place and scratched through it. The marks reveal the struggle between the president’s great frustration and his better judgment as to when and how to deliver such a rebuke.

For more on this, check out the NPR report from February 12th as well as the website of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The US National Archive’s site, “Teaching With Documents: Letters, Telegrams, and Photographs Illustrating Factors that Affected the Civil War” is also a great related resource, including multiple telegraphs written by President Lincoln in his own cursive script.

This Washington Post article also references a telegram response to his wife which revealed Lincoln’s wit:

Consider this glimpse into how Lincoln dealt with the war’s grinding pressures. The peripatetic Mary Todd Lincoln had wired from New York seeking cash. Her note’s perfunctory “Hope you are well” was followed with instructions on where to send a check. Then she tacked on without punctuation a last-second message from their son, “Tad says are the goats well.”

The president promptly responded that the check would go in the mail, then seized on the query about the White House pets to comment on his own well-being: “Tell Tad the goats and father are very well — especially the goats.” The few words speak volumes about Lincoln’s spirits and the refuge he found in wit.

This original handwritten telegram is also available from the National Archives.

There’s never been a better day than TODAY to teach about history with primary sources! 🙂 If you’re interested in obtaining more resources for your library, school or classroom relating to American History and the value of teaching with primary resources, consider applying for the Teaching American History grant program from the U.S. Dept of Education. The deadline for 2007 grants is March 9th.

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