Sherman's capture of Atlanta in September and David Farragut's capture of Mobile ended defeatism. Did Lincoln deserve the nickname, Honest Abe? Upon his return to Illinois he settled in New Salem, a village of about 25 families on the Sangamon River. Nixons opponent was fellow Congressmember Helen Gahagan Douglas, a former actress who had become Californias first female Democratic representative. 1. Civil War victory came on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. He went to school on and off for a total of about a year, but he educated himself by reading borrowed books. The emphasis shifted away from Lincoln the emancipator to an argument that blacks had freed themselves from slavery, or at least were responsible for pressuring the government to emancipate them. [6][c] Thomas then worked at odd jobs in Kentucky and Tennessee before the family settled in Hardin County, Kentucky, in the early 1800s. Always comfortable telling jokes and stories around the men of Springfield, he usually was awkward and self-conscious around women. Lincoln never slept in the Lincoln Bedroom. Grant's bloody stalemates damaged Lincoln's re-election prospects, and many Republicans feared defeat. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. The Lincoln family ate at the White House dinner table with their cat. He could draw crowds as a raconteur, but lacked the requisite formal education, powerful friends, and money, and lost the election. Confederate Vice President Stephens led a group meeting with Lincoln, Seward, and others at Hampton Roads. [196], Lincoln's war strategy embraced two priorities: ensuring that Washington was well-defended and conducting an aggressive war effort for a prompt, decisive victory. [348], As a Whig activist, Lincoln was a spokesman for business interests, favoring high tariffs, banks, infrastructure improvements, and railroads, in opposition to Jacksonian democrats. [396] An influential statue of Lincoln stands in Lincoln Park, Chicago, with recastings given as diplomatic gifts standing in Parliament Square, London, and Parque Lincoln, Mexico City. [32] He was an active wrestler during his youth and trained in the rough catch-as-catch-can style (also known as catch wrestling).