Martha j costco biography of abraham lincoln

Her claim to fame, that gains her inclusion in the ranks of Civil War women, is her invention of the Coston Night Signals. What makes her story so interesting, however, is her ability to overcome tragedy and persist through failure. These qualities make her a true model for success Our heroine was born in in Baltimore, Maryland, but she and her siblings were moved to Philadelphia by their widowed mother in the s.

Martha j costco biography of abraham lincoln: We rounded up the

There her life would take on an unexpected trajectory At fourteen, she was in a park with some of her friends, when she happened to meet, and fall in love with, a young man named Benjamin Coston. By the time they met, Mr. Coston was already, though only nineteen, developing a reputation as a skilled inventor At first, the two youngsters agreed to wait to be married until Martha had finished school and turned eighteen, but Mr.

Coston's reputation changed those plans. By the time he was twenty-one, the U. Secretary of the Navy had heard of Mr. Coston's skill, and had met with him, and offered him a position in the Navy. Fearing they would be separated, the young couple decided the best option was to elope. Once they had made the decision, they moved quickly to execute their plan:.

The newlyweds then moved to Washington D. Coston worked in the Navy Yard overseeing a "pyrotechnic laboratory. Coston successfully developed a number of very useful inventions for the Navy, but things were not all rosy Several times, he was promised promotion and better pay, but these things never actually happened. Also, he never received any compensation for the patents that he secured.

Rather, they were taken by superiors with more promises that were never fulfilled. At the same time, he was quickly losing health from the chemicals that he inhaled while working in the laboratory. He finally resigned from the Navy in disgust and began working with a Boston Gas Company. There he continued to produce valuable inventions, but he also continued to work with dangerous chemicals.

Martha j costco biography of abraham lincoln: Julianne was an avid reader, devouring

It was not long before he succumbed to the dangers of his work and died at just twenty-six. He joined the new Republican party—and the ongoing argument over sectionalism—in A series of heated debates in with Stephen A. Douglasthe sponsor of the Kansas-Nebraska Actover slavery and its place in the United States forged Lincoln into a prominent figure in national politics.

On November 6,Lincoln won the presidential election without the support of a single Southern state. Talk of secession, bandied about since the s, took on a serious new tone. Rather, he felt it was his sacred duty as President of the United States to preserve the Union at all costs. His first inaugural address was an appeal to the rebellious states, seven of which had already seceded, to rejoin the nation.

His first draft of the speech ended with an ominous message: "Shall it be peace, or the sword? Fort Sumter, situated in the Charleston Harbour, was a Union outpost in the newly seceded Confederate territory. Lincoln, learning that the Fort was running low on food, sent supplies to reinforce the soldiers there. The Southern navy repulsed the supply convoy.

After this repulse, the Southern navy fired the first shot of the war at Fort Sumter and the Federal defenders surrendered after a hour long battle. Throughout the war, Lincoln struggled to find capable generals for his armies. As commander-in-chief, he legally held the highest rank in the United States armed forces, and he diligently exercised his authority through strategic planning, weapons testing, and the promotion and demotion of officers.

So while this one is slightly less about Lincoln than the others, it offers something extra in return. March 12, at pm. Thank you for your response! Kyle said:. April 18, at am. I wanted to find a good Lincoln biography and came across your blog. Great list, thank you for such detailed descriptions of each book! April 19, at pm. Rick Garner said:.

September 26, at pm. First, I have been following most of your suggestions since Washington and now am spending a great amount on Lincoln. I was really surprised how closely Goodwin followed Tarbell with the Lincoln portions of her work. September 27, at am. Going on my follow-up list! Joe said:. October 15, at pm. In a world of endless writings on the presidents, your site is an invaluable resource!

I so appreciate your diligence and willingness to share!

Martha j costco biography of abraham lincoln: For the North, the goal

October 16, at am. November 7, at pm. By accident, I have been reading presidential bios this year as well. Fortunately, I chose the one by Ron Chernow and that really got me hooked — his style was easy and his prose is wonderful. Quincy Adams, then Jackson by H. So, as you can see, I will be up to Lincoln and the Civil War soon.

I have been using your reviews since Thomas Jefferson. I am limited to audiobooks so not always your recommendations but your reviews nevertheless have been my guide. Or, should I read one bio focused primarily on Lincolns life and another about the Civil War? November 13, at am. Your audio adventure sounds great! I would also note that only after I read a great biography of Ulysses S.

Grant did I really fully appreciate and understand the Civil War more completely. November 15, at pm. Little did I know then that as I went on he would be a thorn in the side of presidents Jackson to Polk! Even with Jackson, from other books I know about different wars that Indians helped him with that made him famous, but not mentioned in his bio.

That is, if you ever finish this project! Anyway, if you know of any books about Indians dealings with early presidents, please advise. Jeff Collins New Orleans. November 17, at am. Definitely on my bucket list! Joan Plamp said:. February 24, at pm. Thank you so much for your insight into these books and your honest opinions about them.

I am off to purchase two of them to read! February 25, at pm. Laura Martinez said:. March 2, at am. I read Burlingame online for the first 12 chapters because I wanted the detail on the early years. I then got the two abridged Burlingame books from the library and binge-read them. I found them very enjoyable. I also read Team of Rivals twice, because I got more out of it the second time.

With that as a background, I picked up Lincoln in the Bardo with no expectations. I was left pondering insights gained through the characters that I could have only arrived at via the combination of this novel and my extensive reading of Lincoln and my resulting admiration of him. March 5, at am. Sounds like Saunders really did his homework before letting his imagination run?

August 20, at am. Thank you. Just finished B. My first Lincoln, based on your advice.

Martha j costco biography of abraham lincoln: In , Abraham Lincoln was

What a man. I have read one of each prez starting with Washington. Have you done that; read Whitman or Irving for example, works by them of bios of? August 21, at am. But I have been assembling a list of biographies of folks I encountered during this process who are, many times, as compelling as the presidents. August 21, at pm. Halfway through Charnwood as of last night and you are right, it is a great short history of early America, especially remarkable as seen through the eyes of an englishman.

Stopping at Lincoln and the Civil War seems a perfect point of reference to review and reassess the origin and evolution of America. Looks like you have a good list going in that direction. Marc Mishkin said:. April 4, at pm. Dear Steve, I have read a lot of Lincoln biographies, including most of those on your list. I found this first-person account thorough, anecdotal and charming.

Indeed Herndon was widely criticized for the informality of his book as Lincoln was by then being widely mythologized. Marc Mishkin Lakewood, Colorado. April 5, at am. Michael Akos said:. Coston then obtained patents in England, France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands, and sailed to England to begin marketing her invention there and in other parts of Europe.

She remained in Europe untilwhen she returned to the U. She went directly to Washington, where she petitioned Congress to purchase the patent so that the flares could be used in the approaching conflict. After some delay, Congress passed an act on August 5,authorizing the U. Coston flares were used extensively by the U. Navy during the Civil War; they proved particularly effective in the discovery and capture of Confederate blockade runners during the Union blockade of southern ports.

Coston flares also played an important role in coordinating naval operations during the battle of Fort Fisher in North Carolina on January 13—15, InCoston obtained a patent in her own name - Patent No. In addition to working on improvements to the signaling system, she continued to press claims for additional compensation from the U.

Due to wartime inflation, the Coston Manufacturing Company supplied flares to the U. Eventually every station of the United States Life-Saving Service was equipped with Coston flares, which were used to signal ships, warn of dangerous coastal conditions, and summon surfmen and other rescuers to a wreck scene. Many accounts of wrecks and rescues describe the use of the Coston flare, which was instrumental in saving thousands of lives.

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