He wandered over to the telegraph office on the north side of the square to see if any new dispatches had come in. The editorial room on the second floor, with a central large wood-burning stove, was a gathering place for the exchange of news and gossip. Restlessly descending to the street, he passed the state capitol building, set back from the road, and the open lot where he played handball with his friends, and climbed a short set of stairs to the office of the Illinois State Journal, the local Republican newspaper. When he needed a particular piece of correspondence, Lincoln had to rifle through disorderly stacks of paper, rummaging, as a last resort, in the lining of his old plug hat, where he often put stray letters or notes. Additional documents and letters spilled out from the drawers and pigeonholes of an outmoded secretary in the corner. Two worktables, piled high with papers and correspondence, formed a T in the center of the room. Even under ordinary circumstances many would have found concentration difficult in the untidy office Lincoln shared with his younger partner, William Herndon. and Lincoln, although patient by nature, was visibly "nervous, fidgety, and intensely excited." With an outside chance to secure the Republican nomination for the highest office of the land, he was unable to focus on his work. The first ballot was not due to be called until 10 a.m. A new convention hall called the "Wigwam" had been constructed for the occasion. The Republicans had chosen to meet in Chicago. And in the morning newspaper, the proprietors at Smith, Wickersham & Company had announced the arrival of a large spring stock of silks, calicos, ginghams, and linens, along with a new supply of the latest styles of hosiery and gloves. Fresh butter, flour, lard, and eggs were being put out for sale at the City Grocery Store on North Sixth Street. As he climbed the stairs to his plainly furnished law office on the west side of the public square in Springfield, Illinois, breakfast was being served at the 130-room Chenery House on Fourth Street. On May 18, 1860, the day when the Republican Party would nominate its candidate for president, Abraham Lincoln was up early. Goodwin talks with Linda Wertheimer about the book.Įxcerpt from Chapter One: Four Men Waiting In her latest book, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin explores how Lincoln's extraordinary political acumen helped him overcome the obstacles of his presidency. Doris Kearns Goodwin is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning No Ordinary Time, about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.
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