We’re just in from seeing Steven Spielberg’s magnificent Lincoln.
It may be the only movie we’ve seen in 2012, but we highly recommend it all the same.
Historically important, interesting and full of intrigue, it made for a perfect rainy Saturday.
In addition to seeing a great film, I appreciated the domestic end of the Lincoln family life. Mary Todd Lincoln always gets a bad rap–whether deserved or not, I cannot say.
But the pathos evoked by seeing the martyr president loving his boy Tad, and mourning the three-years-past death of Willie, underscores the tragedy of the Civil War.
Everyone on both sides suffered in some way during those four wretched years of slaughter.
Hardheadedness and Lincoln
The movie also reminded me of a family story that I used–just as old Abe used stories in his life and in this film–to explain to my niece the definition of “hardheadedness,” at least in relation to our family.
Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States at the same time his second cousin, Col. James Steele Hanks, served in the army of the Confederate States of America.
Col. James Hanks, CSA
I’m Hanks’ great-great-granddaughter and thus Abraham Lincoln’s cousin four times removed. (If you’ve seen my photos, you’ll recognize the eyebrows).
During my research (investigated in part to figure out the LIncoln connection), I came across a Hanks family story that perfectly explains my family’s tendency to . . . obstinacy.
It seems the president was visiting a military hospital outside of Washington one day that housed both Union and Confederate soldiers.
President Lincoln stopped at one bed when he saw the Hanks name and asked the teenager about his kinfolk.
The boy provided the names and Lincoln nodded. “I know that family. Tell me, how are they doing?”
“Well, Pa died early on and Ma is home on the farm with my six younger brothers and sisters.”
“Is she farming?”
“As best she can, but it’s hard and they’re struggling.”
Lincoln looked the kid in the eye and said, “If you will promise never to pick up arms against the Union again, I’ll grant you a parole and send you home to care for your family. But you can never fight again. Think you can do that?”
“No sir, I can’t do that.”
“Then you’re in for the duration.” The president moved on to the next injured soldier.
As to my niece . . .
My niece listened then asked the obvious question: “What does that have to do with me?”
“It’s helpful to understand that when you behave like a hardhead, to stick to your opinion no matter how it affects other people, you may hurt yourself and others in the long run.”
“But he held to his convictions,” she pointed out.
“True. He preferred his hardheaded convictions about a losing cause to helping his family. How do you think his family back home managed?”
I love family history stories like this because it puts a human spin on great events. Abraham Lincoln was also hardheaded; he had to be (as the movie explains) to hold the union together despite potentially illegal decisions.
Challenging times require strong people to remain true to the principles which guide them; people whom God chose to live in such times. The movie touches on this theme as well.
Hardheaded? Tender at the core? Principled?
All were hallmarks of Abraham Lincoln–and of my family, too.
Loved this one! And I can’t wait to see the movie.
I knew I’d seen those eyebrows somewhere!
The young man did have strong convictions, but his family no doubt paid a huge price for them. I often think of the phrase “is this my hill to die on?” when I feel very strongly about something. It’s a huge thing to choose rationale over fervor, but at some point, for the good of those we love, it must be done and we have to sacrifice the immediate on the altar of the permanant.
I enjoyed your observations about Lincoln. One can say that Bible believers are hard headed too. The same could be said for Constitutionalists. In fact, had American had a Wilberforce, The war between the states could have been avoided. I see a lot of repeat of how families have been torn apart by the policies coming out of Washington these days. During the war, there was a great revival that took place. Many came to Christ during the war. Thomas Jonathan Jackson was credited on the confederate side with calling for chaplains to preach the gospel to the troops regardless of denomination. After a meeting with Moody, Ulysses S Grant called for chaplains to preach the gospel to union troops. Sadly today, we have a politically correct military and I fear that there will be no revival when the next war between the states occurs.
An intriguing story, but one that I would have to know more about to judge the young soldier’s actions. We can discern much about both Lincoln and the young man, as well as the society from this story. The fact that Lincoln would ask for such a promise and expected honesty tells us much about the society of that time. However, to judge whether the young man was being hardheaded or principled is difficult to know without knowing the status of the Civil War at that particular moment. If it were early in the war, the young man may have felt he was better serving his family by staying where he was and perhaps being able to escape and fight again. It is difficult to judge, because we cannot forget we know the end of the story. They had no such luxury.
So it is true in our lives: We don’t know the future. We can only study, pray for wisdom and trust the One who does know it.