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country store telling funny stories. Known as
Honest Abe Lincoln, his reputation spread, and
people knew they could trust him. For instance,
if a Judge had a case in the next town, then he
would ask Abe to preside as judge in the case.
In regard to Lincoln’s religious life, Dunn
figures, “Because Lincoln was a lawyer he may
have dreamed of what it would have been liked
to defend Christ when he was charged by the
Romans. In researching both the Hebrew and
Roman law, Lincoln proves that Christ did not
get a fair trial. For instance, it was against the
Jewish law to arrest someone for a capital crime
at night, yet Christ was taken at night. It was
against Jewish law to rely on the word of a traitor
who would take money, and of course, Judas was
a traitor who took money for his testimony. In
the series, I have written several entries where
Lincoln is dreaming he’s defending Christ.”
Paul Dunn, local author of The Secret War Diaries of Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln’s religious road was full of skeptical
twists and turns, but after the death of his first
son, he started going to church in Springfield.
Originally from a Primitive Baptist congregation
that was anti-slavery in its beliefs, Lincoln
attended a Presbyterian church with Mary.
Lincoln approached the Bible from a legal mind;
when asked to give a talk on the validity of the
Bible, one of the elders said it "was the best
defense he’d ever heard.”
The most fascinating aspect of Lincoln’s
character Dunn discovered was, “A, he was
brilliant. B, he was incredibly honest. If you
compare him to the President of the United
States, Lincoln possesses all the virtues he
doesn’t have. Imagine if Trump had a cabinet
meeting every day! Lincoln had them every day;
he surrounded himself with brilliant men, the
smarter, the better. Also noted was that Lincoln
resorted to telling jokes to break the melancholy
monotony and dark mood of the day.”
The greatest burden that Lincoln faced was
losing so many men due to the way the soldiers
fought. Take Gettysburg when Lee sent troops
against the North—the men marched in long,
straight line for miles and were slaughtered.
Dunn slows, “The greatest number of men
killed in Gettysburg were from North Carolina.
After Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address,
he contracted small pox and was weak for six
months.”
Finding men whom Lincoln could trust was
a problem as many disappointed. His biggest
challenge was to win the Civil War with the
available men. Dunn informs, “One such general
in charge weighed about 350 lbs and couldn’t
even sit on his horse. He was a brilliant but
very old. Another general known as McClellan
called Lincoln an ape or a gorilla as he hated
him. Lincoln trusted this man to win the war,
but he ultimately ran against him in 1863, as the
democratic candidate.”
Burdened with so much loss, Lincoln began
to study military books for some answers. When
a certain Colonel Ulysses S. Grant all of a sudden
started winning when everybody else was losing,
Lincoln promoted Grant to Lieutenant General,
the highest post available. Grant decided to
send Sherman to Atlanta which resulted in the
taking of Atlanta, then Savannah, and so forth.
At the same time, Grant secured Richmond and
defeated Robert E. Lee. Lincoln trusted Grant;
Grant delivered, and they won the war!
An eye–opening observation came when
Dunn realized the complicated relationship
between the different generals. “Think of this,”
Dunn challenges, “Today the government has
the Department of Defense with an abundance
of generals and resources. Lincoln was never
an abolitionist; he ran the war with only three
assistants.”
The stories flow along with the volumes.
For instance, Volume One includes Lincoln’s
nomination to become President, the election,
the move to Washington, and the breakout
of the Civil War. Volume one covers the dates
of November 9, 1860 to December 31, 1861.
Volume Two spans from January 1, 1862 to
January 1, 1863, highlighting the second year of
the war. Volume Three travels January 1, 1863
to December 31, 1863, enduring the third year
of the war. In progress, Volume Four covers
from January 1, 1964 to April of 1865, Lincoln’s
assassination.
Just as Lincoln’s life presented blessings
with burdens, the same for Dunn. Growing up
in Long Island with his sister, Dunn discovered
that history was his favorite subject in grade
school. Enlisting with the Navy after high school,
Dunn served in WWII. Finding the military
too restrictive, Dunn became an account
executive with Radio City Music Hall owned
by the Rockefeller family. “Best job EVER!”
exclaims Dunn. “I would go down into the stage
door entrance and review movies. You see the
Rockefellers were very religious and didn’t want
any low-cut dresses, swearing or suggestive
stuff; so I would watch every movie and write a
report for the Rockefellers to consider.”
Living in Long Island, then Philadelphia,
back to New York and finally settling in New
Jersey, the Dunn family grew. Father of 10
children, including 2 sets of twins—twin boys,
twin girls, Dunn enjoyed his family along with
a career at his family’s ad agency. Now with 60
grandchildren and many great grandchildren,
Dunn keeps up on his travels!
Upon meeting B.J. in NYC, Dunn tells,
“We met in NYC as she owned an ad agency
in addition to being a professional skater
and an actress on Broadway. B.J. loved show
business! I was the marketing director of Good
Housekeeping at the time, that’s how we met!”
Upon moving to Connecticut, Dunn and B.J.
traveled to Florida and would stop in Pinehurst
to visit a lifelong friend B.J. had grown up with
as a child. It didn’t take long before they felt
the whisper of the pines calling them home
and never regretted the decision for a minute.
Wrapping up his life work in the Secret War
Diaries of Abraham Lincoln Including His
Recurring Dreams, Dunn writes from his home
in Pinehurst. He too a remarkable man, Dunn
will finish the series, find a publisher to promote
it in the marketplace, and continue to be a
student of Lincoln.
As for the rest of the story, the ending will be a
sad one concluding with Lincoln’s assassination
in 1865. We mourn the loss of our beloved
Lincoln; yet at the same time, we gain a friend
and forever find a smile in a life well-lived. What
a gift the series remains as the presidency of
Lincoln comes to life through the written word. ☐
Check out the series at the following:
Country Book Shop, Kindle, Amazon.com.
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"Go Back in Memory"
By L.S. Crain, S.Pines resident 1989-2017,
now lives in Taylors, SC, his birthplace.
A memory is a beautiful thing,
it's almost a desire that you miss.
~ Gustave Flaubert ~
No. 136 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.37
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