Seward
Seward House
I was interviewed yesterday by Andrew Roblee of the Seward House in Auburn NY. Here is the link. http://sewardhouse.org/mp3/sewardcast-episode-15-interview-with-walter-stahr/ I have not, I think, talked in this blog about the Seward House, but it is an amazing place, “worth the detour” in the immortal phrase of the Michelin guide. One feels as if Seward were…
Read MoreLincoln Forum
I am just back from an exciting weekend in Gettysburg, attending the Lincoln Forum. It is a great event, which I commend to anyone interested in Lincoln or the Civil War. Let me mention some of the high points. John Stauffer spoke about the the Battle Hymn of the Republic. I thought I knew about…
Read MoreDonald B. Cole
Yesterday I attended the memorial service for my history teacher and mentor, Donald Barnard Cole. It was a wonderful service, filled with music and laughter, stories and tears. I learned a great deal about Mr. Cole, and thought I would share here some of my own memories of him. I first got to know Mr.…
Read MoreNational Book Festival
I spoke yesterday to perhaps three or four hundred people at the National Book Festival on the mall in Washington. Then signed books and posters and programs for perhaps a hundred people–including some old friends. For those who were not there, and want to see what I said, CSPAN was there and taped it, and…
Read MoreGoodbye Again
John Denver, in his song Goodbye Again, sings that “I have to go to see some friends of mine, some that I don’t know, some that aren’t familiar with my name. It’s something that’s inside of me, not hard to understand, it’s anyone who’ll listen to me sing.” Well, I am not that bad, but…
Read MoreEnd of Summer
Summer is coming to an end. We are in southern California, starting tomorrow to drive back to New Hampshire, which we hope to reach in five days. As you can see from the events list, I have a number of Seward events this fall: in New England, New York, and Washington. I did not really…
Read MoreNantucket Notes
I spent this past weekend on Nantucket, for the Nantucket Book Festival. I flew with my parents from Los Angeles, and we were met and hosted by their old friends the Shacklefords, the best hosts possible. We also saw our friend Jane Moore, another friend from my father’s law school days, and from my own…
Read MoreCarriage Ride Redux
On page 340 of my Seward book, I assert that the famous “carriage ride conversation,” in which Lincoln first raised with Seward and Welles an emancipation proclamation, did not occur. Yes, there was a carriage ride, to a funeral of Stanton’s infant child, but no, there was no discussion of emancipation. Among other reasons I…
Read MoreCalifornia
I am back in Exeter after ten days and six book events in California. Some events were crowded, others less so, but that is the life of a traveling author. I naturally emphasized Seward’s connections with California: how his first great speech was a speech in favor of the immediate admission of California and (also)…
Read MoreCum Laude
The Cum Laude Society is the high school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa: an elite academic honor society. Here at Exeter, about twenty percent of each year’s graduating class is honored with Cum Laude membership. An even smaller group, about five percent of each year’s senior class, is honored with early membership in Cum Laude.…
Read More