By Patricia Holbrook

During our summer vacation this year, my husband and I surprised our oldest daughter with a trip to New York City for her 16th birthday celebration. We had a planned trip with our church’s choir to Washington, D.C., where the group was invited to sing at the 2018 Christians United for Israel (CUFI)’s Summit, and therefore we decided to extend the trip to New York and later to Gettysburg in Pennsylvania.

While in Gettysburg, we visited the Civil War battlefield and museum, where I learned details about the battle that later became known as the highwater mark for the Confederate Army — a crucial victory of the Union forces, which certainly helped determine the outcome of America’s deadliest war.

In the last room of the battlefield museum, there stands a large picture of one of my favorite American heroes: President Abraham Lincoln. I gazed upon the massive picture, noticing the difference that a couple of years had made in the features of the beloved president. The war had taken its toll, and his grave countenance became graver still.

As I stood there, noticing the wear on his face, I remembered a story about Lincoln that perfectly illustrates one of his great qualities: humility.

The story was told by Civil War era congressman George W. Julian, who supposedly witnessed the account.

Edwin M. Stanton became Secretary of War in 1862 under Lincoln’s administration, and was known to be a man of sharp military vision and strong opinions. A former critic of the administration, Stanton had no problem expressing his opinion when he disagreed with the president. According to Julian, a committee of Western men, headed by Congressman Owen Lovejoy, proposed an exchange of Eastern and Western soldiers — a political move that would please the committee and enlarge the president’s popularity within the group. Lincoln approved the move and sent word to Stanton, ordering the exchange to take place.

Lovejoy explained the orders, but was met by Stanton’s flat refusal...read more