The Madness of Mary Lincoln
By Jason Emerson
(January 2009 Civil War News)

Illustrated, appendices, index, 304 pp., 2007. Southern Illinois University Press, 1915 University Press Dr., Carbondale, IL, 62902, $29.95 plus shipping.

Reviewer: Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor is the author/editor of four books on the Civil War. His forthcoming biography of Union officer and engineer Orlando M. Poe will be published by Kent State University Press. Visit www.paulrtaylor.com for details.

Review:
The post-Civil War mental state of Mary Todd Lincoln has long been an enigma to Lincoln scholars. Since she was forcibly placed against her will into an asylum by her son Robert in 1875, historians have endlessly debated whether Robert Todd Lincoln was simply a loving son acting in his emotionally-unstable mother’s best interests, or a schemer who sought to bury away a family embarrassment and preserve a financial legacy for himself.

A crucial, missing piece to that puzzle were the letters that Mary wrote to her legal advisors, James and Myra Bradwell, during that critical, mid-1870s timeframe; letters that were thought to have been destroyed by the Lincoln family.

Though their existence was an acknowledged fact, the letters were believed to have been lost to history until historian and author Jason Emerson discovered them in 2005 in a steamer trunk formerly owned by Frederic N. Towers, Robert Todd Lincoln's lawyer, and kept in a family attic for more than 40 years.

Those 25 previously unseen letters, the concurrent discovery of Mary’s long-lost final will and testament, and a modern psychiatric diagnosis of her emotional state provide the basis for this new examination of Mary Lincoln’s mental illness.

Without revealing the author’s conclusions as to Mary’s diagnosis, I will disclose that Robert Todd Lincoln is completely vindicated by the author as to his motives.

By all accounts, Robert was the quintessential Victorian gentleman who placed more value on honor and duty than any other obligations. Meanwhile, Mary was, in contemporary jargon, a “drama queen” of the highest order.

Though often in less than able-bodied health, Mary was still considered a serious hypochondriac by many and also one who suffered serious delusions of imminent poverty. Emerson shows in detail how Robert Todd Lincoln agonized over having his mother committed and her threats at revenge.

He also explains why Lincoln finally relented to her release from the asylum eight months early, and what their relationship was like until Mary’s death in 1882.

Robert Todd Lincoln ultimately owned all of his father’s personal papers and he jealously guarded that literary legacy up until his death in 1926. His wife, Mary Harlan Lincoln, then took over the task of preserving the family heritage.

Imagine the shock then, when her attorneys received a call in October 1927 from the Bradwell’s granddaughter informing them that she now owned several dozen letters from Mary Lincoln to her late grandparents, and that she intended publishing them as part of a Mary Lincoln biography that she was then working on.

Emerson relays the cat-and-mouse game from that point of secret payments, watertight legal contracts and undisclosed typed copies that ultimately led through the decades to his recent goldmine of a discovery.

So how exactly did Emerson track down one of Lincolnmania’s legendary lost treasures, a literary grail that eluded Lincoln scholars for generations? The author reveals all, but I will not spoil the story for readers by divulging his entire tale here. Better that they learn for themselves of Emerson’s hunt and the wonderful book that has resulted.

Included are three appendices that present a modern psychiatric evaluation of Mary Lincoln, the25 lost letters in their entirety, and the legal documents that pertain to the original sale and destruction of those letters.

The author previously worked as a National Park Service park ranger at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site and at Gettysburg National Military Park.

His Madness of Mary Lincoln is a fresh look at an American first lady tragedy that combines the best of historical detective work, scholarly interpretation and engaging prose. It was named Book of the Year by the Illinois State Historical Society in 2007 and is likewise heartily recommended by this reviewer.