Six True Stories of Abraham Lincoln's Grit

“There Was a Man -- Abe Lincoln Licks Jack Armstrong"
by Harold Von Schmidt,
July 1949 issue of Esquire Magazine

During their first debate on August 21, 1858, in Ottawa, Illinois, Stephen Douglas made this remark:

“Lincoln is one of those peculiar men who perform with admirable skill everything which they undertake...He could beat any of the boys wrestling...and the dignity and impartiality with which he presided at a horse race or fist fight, excited the admiration and won the praise of everybody that was present and participated

Though it wasn’t meant as praise, Douglas inadvertently captured the dichotomy that was Abraham Lincoln: toughest, nicest, roughest, kindest, strongest, most sensible, man on the frontier. Those who admired intellect and character respected him. Those who revered toughness and physical prowess were devoted to him.

Lincoln’s contemporaries—William Herndon, Henry Clay Whitney, Colonel Andrew McClure, and others—recounted these stories not as curiosities, but as essential threads in the fabric of his complex legacy.

The pattern is always the same: Lincoln was a reluctant participant. But when the moment called for it—whether to defend a friend, protect a woman’s dignity, or confront gangs of bullies bent on injustice—he didn’t hesitate. He waded right in.

Here are six stories—part history, part folklore—that show Lincoln at his most physical, principled, and unforgettable.

These elements of Lincoln's story have became part of American folklore.

Here are six of Lincoln’s finest moments.

1. . The Armstrong Throwdown (New Salem)

Lincoln didn’t seek out fights—but when challenged, he met the moment with strength and composure.

Jack Armstrong, leader of the Clary’s Grove Boys—a rough-and-rowdy gang known for testing newcomers—was the strongest man on the Sangamon River. Lincoln, new to town and working for Mr. Offutt, was rumored to be able to outrun, outwrestle, or outwork any man in the county. Armstrong’s crew demanded a match.

Lincoln tried to avoid it. But the pressure mounted, and the two men wrestled. When Armstrong resorted to foul play, Lincoln’s patience snapped. He seized Armstrong by the neck and shook him like a child. The crowd, mostly Armstrong’s men, looked ready to pounce. Lincoln backed up against Offutt’s store and calmly awaited the attack.

Armstrong stepped forward, shook Lincoln’s hand, and declared:

“Boys, Abe Lincoln is the best fellow that ever broke into this settlement. He shall be one of us.”

From that day on, Armstrong and the Clary’s Grove Boys were Lincoln’s loyal allies. Lincoln didn’t just win the match—he won their respect.

2. The Indian Standoff (Black Hawk War)

During the Black Hawk War, a peaceful Native American arrived at Lincoln’s camp with a safe-conduct letter. The men, inflamed by war tensions, rushed to kill him.

Lincoln stepped between them and their victim. His men had never seen him so angry.

“Men,” he said, “this must not be done! He must not be killed by us!”

One soldier called him a coward. Lincoln stared him down:

“If any man thinks I am a coward, let him test it. Choose your weapons!”

No one did.

Years later, Lincoln reflected that his life and character had been at stake—and that he had to forget he was an officer and assert himself as a man. His men weren’t soldiers, just armed citizens. Arresting them would have sparked mutiny. But Lincoln’s moral authority held.

He didn’t throw a punch. He didn’t need to.

3. The Pappsville Breeches Toss

Lincoln’s first campaign speech nearly turned into a brawl.

At Pappsville, just west of Springfield, Lincoln saw a friend getting roughed up in the crowd. He stepped down from the platform, pushed through the mob, grabbed the attacker by the neck and breeches, and tossed him ten feet.

Then, without missing a beat, he climbed back on stage and began:

“Gentlemen and Fellow-Citizens, I presume you all know who I am. I am humble Abraham Lincoln…”

It was classic Lincoln: loyal, theatrical, and completely unshaken.

4. The Duel That Never Happened (Springfield)

When Lincoln mocked James Shields in print, Shields demanded satisfaction and challenged Lincoln to a duel. Lincoln accepted the challenge—but chose broadswords and a comically long dueling distance.

He trained methodically and wrote detailed instructions for the fight, including a plank between them that neither could cross. It was absurd. It was brilliant.

When asked why he chose broadswords, Lincoln replied:

“To tell you the truth, Linder, I didn’t want to kill Shields... and furthermore, I didn’t want the damned fellow to kill me.”

The duel was called off. Lincoln’s wit and restraint won the day.

5. The Smartweed Smackdown (New Salem)

A man entered Offutt’s store, cursing and provoking Lincoln in front of two women. Lincoln asked him to stop. He didn’t.

Lincoln told him to wait until the women left. Then they stepped outside.

Lincoln threw him to the ground, held him like a child, and rubbed smartweed into his face and eyes until the man bellowed with pain. Then Lincoln fetched water, washed his face, and did everything he could to ease his suffering.

The man became a lifelong friend.

Lincoln didn’t fight out of anger. He fought to make a point—and then made peace.

6. The Thompson Fight (Black Hawk War)

During the Black Hawk War, Lincoln wrestled Nathan “Dow” Thompson of Union County—a man he later called “the strongest man I ever met.”

They wrestled. Lincoln was thrown. Then thrown again.

A hundred men ripped off their coats, ready to fight. Lincoln raised his voice:

“Boys, this man can throw me fairly, if he didn’t do it this time; so let’s give up that I was beat fairly.”

The crowd calmed. The fight ended with dignity.

Lincoln lost the match—but won the moment.

Final Bell

These stories have become part of America’s folklore. Lincoln wasn’t a brawler. He wasn’t showy. He didn’t go looking for trouble.

But as Henry Clay Whitney, Lincoln’s friend and biographer, cautioned:

“Although he could endure many insults without resentment, it need not be supposed that Lincoln was a man to brook an unequivocal insult… he was an utter stranger to fear.”

When the moment called for it, Lincoln waded right in. Whether it was a bully in New Salem or a nation on the brink of collapse, he met the moment with courage, clarity, and resolve.

And he did it, again and again.

Call it courage. Call it charisma. 

Or just call it what it was—Abraham Lincoln.

Mac

📚 Works Cited

Browne, Francis F. (1913) The Every-day Life of Abraham Lincoln. Chicago, IL : Browne & Howell Co.

Burlingame, Michael. (2008) Abraham Lincoln A Life: Volume One. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

"First Debate with Stephen A. Douglas at Ottawa, Illinois, August 21, 1858". Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 3 [Aug. 21, 1858-Mar. 4, 1860]. In the University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed November 9, 2025.

"Lincoln Before Politics". Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library Blog. Retrieved November 9, 2025.

McClure, Alexander K. (1901) Lincoln's Yarns and Stories. Chicago,IL: The John Winston Company.

McNamara, Robert. "Was Abraham Lincoln Really a Wrestler?" ThoughtCo, May 9, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.

Whitney, Henry C. (1892) Life on the Circuit with Lincoln. Boston, MA: Estes and Lauriat, Publishers.