Martin A. Sweeney, the town historian of Homer, New York, writes frequently for local newspapers and is a member of the Lincoln Forum of Gettysburg.

“the organic nature of this homegrown gem is what gives the book its charm...it’s the tale of two friends from Homer whose stories are well known to Lincoln buffs”—Civil War News; “This is the story of two friends from Homer, NY, whose ambition and talents won them assignments in the Lincoln White House and special roles in presenting the image of the Great Emancipator to the public eye. This meticulously researched study sheds light on the leaders of the Homer community and the way many of its citizens were involved in intersecting events that became Civil War history.”—Eleanor Stoddard, granddaughter of William O. Stoddard.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Preface      Prologue      1. Homer: The Place of the Silversmith      2. “Proximus Ascendi”      3. A Clever Drawing on the Schoolhouse Door      4. Having Interests and Aspirations Different from Others      5. “That Grim Object Lesson”      6. Honing His Craft      7. The Lemon Tree Comes into Bloom      8. An Ambition Rising Fast      9. “Something in This Man’s Face and Manner”      10. A Request “Bold, Even to Presumption”      11. Foiling the Plot to Kill “Nuts”      12. On Loan to the White House      13. A Desk Near the President’s Chamber      14. The Sound of Breaking and Falling Chains      15. “Do You Think You Can Make a Handsome Picture of Me?”      16. “Turned in Loose” for Six Months at the White House      17. “It Is as Good as It Can Be Made”      18. Last Days in the Service of Lincoln      19. Assassination and the Iconic Image of Lincoln      20. Lobbying for Carpenter and the Painting      21. A Dream Fulfilled and Dark Days      22. Carpenter’s Last Three Decades      23. “To Portray the Man as He Was Revealed to Me”      24. “I Have Certainly Not Stolen a March on Anybody”      25. Homer and the Lincoln Legacy      Epilogue      Appendix A: Central Illinois Gazette Story (May 4, 1859)      Appendix B: Central Illinois Gazette Editorial (December 7, 1859)      Appendix C: Gideon Welles’s Version of the September 22, 1863, Cabinet Meeting      Appendix D: The Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (September 22, 1862)      Appendix E: The Final Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863)      Appendix F: Carpenter and Stoddard Describe Lincoln’s Sleepless Nights      Appendix G: Remarks of William O. Stoddard of New York      Chapter Notes      Sources      Index

Martin A. Sweeney, the town historian of Homer, New York, writes frequently for local newspapers and is a member of the Lincoln Forum of Gettysburg.

“the organic nature of this homegrown gem is what gives the book its charm...it’s the tale of two friends from Homer whose stories are well known to Lincoln buffs”—Civil War News; “This is the story of two friends from Homer, NY, whose ambition and talents won them assignments in the Lincoln White House and special roles in presenting the image of the Great Emancipator to the public eye. This meticulously researched study sheds light on the leaders of the Homer community and the way many of its citizens were involved in intersecting events that became Civil War history.”—Eleanor Stoddard, granddaughter of William O. Stoddard.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Preface      Prologue      1. Homer: The Place of the Silversmith      2. “Proximus Ascendi”      3. A Clever Drawing on the Schoolhouse Door      4. Having Interests and Aspirations Different from Others      5. “That Grim Object Lesson”      6. Honing His Craft      7. The Lemon Tree Comes into Bloom      8. An Ambition Rising Fast      9. “Something in This Man’s Face and Manner”      10. A Request “Bold, Even to Presumption”      11. Foiling the Plot to Kill “Nuts”      12. On Loan to the White House      13. A Desk Near the President’s Chamber      14. The Sound of Breaking and Falling Chains      15. “Do You Think You Can Make a Handsome Picture of Me?”      16. “Turned in Loose” for Six Months at the White House      17. “It Is as Good as It Can Be Made”      18. Last Days in the Service of Lincoln      19. Assassination and the Iconic Image of Lincoln      20. Lobbying for Carpenter and the Painting      21. A Dream Fulfilled and Dark Days      22. Carpenter’s Last Three Decades      23. “To Portray the Man as He Was Revealed to Me”      24. “I Have Certainly Not Stolen a March on Anybody”      25. Homer and the Lincoln Legacy      Epilogue      Appendix A: Central Illinois Gazette Story (May 4, 1859)      Appendix B: Central Illinois Gazette Editorial (December 7, 1859)      Appendix C: Gideon Welles’s Version of the September 22, 1863, Cabinet Meeting      Appendix D: The Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (September 22, 1862)      Appendix E: The Final Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863)      Appendix F: Carpenter and Stoddard Describe Lincoln’s Sleepless Nights      Appendix G: Remarks of William O. Stoddard of New York      Chapter Notes      Sources      Index