The kittens - A story about Abe Lincoln

 

In the final weeks of the Civil War, President Lincoln issued an "executive order" at General U.S. Grant's field headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he expected it to be followed—to the letter. Here's the story.

In late March 1865—just three weeks before his assassination—Lincoln and his family visited General Ulysses S. Grant’s headquarters at City Point, Virginia. One morning, Lincoln wandered into the telegraph tent, where several of Grant’s officers were gathered. There, he spotted three tiny kittens crawling about, mewing piteously. Their mother had died.

General Horace Porter described what happened next:

“Mr. Lincoln picked them up, took them on his lap, stroked their soft fur, and murmured: ‘Poor little creatures, don't cry; you'll be taken good care of.’" [1] 

Then, turning to Colonel Bowers, he issued an executive order in typical Lincoln-fashion:

"‘Colonel, I hope you will see that these poor little motherless waifs are given plenty of milk and treated kindly.’” [1]

Bowers snapped to attention and replied:

“I will see, Mr. President, that they are taken in charge by the cook of our mess, and are well cared for.” [1]

And it was carried out because those kittens were protected with full presidential authority.

Over the next few days, Lincoln was often found playing with the kittens, wiping their eyes with his handkerchief, stroking their coats, and listening to their grateful purring.

Porter was amazed—and moved:

“It was a curious sight at an army headquarters, upon the eve of a great military crisis in the nation's history, to see the hand which had affixed the signature to the Emancipation Proclamation… tenderly caressing three stray kittens.” [2]

Untouched by the callousness of war—or perhaps softened by it—Lincoln’s gesture revealed the childlike simplicity mingled with the grandeur of his nature. And the range of his executive authority.

Another heart-warmer from the archives of Abraham Lincoln, Storyteller.

Mac

🐖🎩 Ever seen a pig interrupt a trial—and earn a statue for it? Lincoln’s courtroom kindness gets delightfully muddy in this tale. [Read: A Tale of Pigs: A Statue's Story ]

📚 Works Cited

[1] Porter, Horace (1697) Campaigning with Grant. New York, NY: Harcourt, Brace. p.410.