A Letter to President Lincoln by a 15-Year-Old Soldier

Arthur Tappan Strong expressed his love of the United States in an undated letter to President Abraham Lincoln. In it, he wonders what will happen a hundred years from now, and looks back to the old soldiers of the Revolution who purchased our freedom with blood and tears. Strong followed in their footsteps when he joined the 42nd Ohio Infantry in late 1861. Here's his heartfelt letter.
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Image: University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
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[@kkay2270]

Rest in peace Arthur.

[@tfishing8320]

Arthur's headstone - not the typical veteran's memorial, but one erected by his parents - American eagle surmounting a shield emblazoned with the national flag - a wonderful testament to the boy's patriotic idealism.

[@ryanstottlemyer5698]

Thank you, I wish that our present day, citizens and government would read Arthur’s letter.

[@TermiteUSA]

Wow Ron. I think this is absolutely one of you best discoveries. Its amazing to consider that Abe had read that letter and absorbed it into his mind and his grave concerns for where the country was going. Was the phrase "Four score" commonly used by other people in speeches, newspapers or conversation? Arthur may not have known the future, but he was very much an intelligent, grown man who contributed to war and the rocky peace that came after.

[@soyyoroaldo]

Arthur Tappan Strong - we thank from the bottom of our hearts with deepest gratitude for your service to us alive today.

[@mikestyles499]

RIP ARTHUR. Your letter should be read in every Public School, and Charters and the like.

[@robertward8035]

Such an intelligent, aware, young soul. I feel humbled. Thank you for the choice of this young man.

[@davidtvedt7597]

Beautifully written from the heart, very mature, for a 15yr old boy. Sad his life was cut short! His letter should be read to every young person so they can glimpse the mind of a young patriot!

[@acgillespie]

I'm afraid very few kids today would even understand 33% of it. This kid would be so proud of his country today

[@curtgomes]

Only 15 years old! By today's standard, or any standard, he had to be an exceptional boy and human being. I am so glad to know about him. Thanks Again, Ron.

[@megladon89]

Exceptional yes, more so today when todays 15 year old can barely read much less understand his letter.

[@susanschaffner4422]

Poignant, now as then. Thank you.

[@johnschuh8616]

Today’s 15 year olds do not strive like Arthur and his peers to be men but children forever.

[@carywest9256]

You said a mouthful there brother!

[@carywest9256]

And l am a Southerner from Texas.

[@glennycarroll]

One more reason your daily programs are so important. For just as that young lad looked back at the sacrifices of those who fought in the Revolution, our attention is brought to the terrible price he paid to preserve the Union that the earlier generation had brought about. You are very right, his poem is very poignant, but he was wrong about one thing though, that a hundred years hence, no one would weep for them. For who with a heart could not but weep? We only know his story because one diligent and dauntless student of history puts in the time and energy to discover and bring it to us. Thank you, Ron!

[@carywest9256]

The "Revolution" as you call it, was The War for American lndependence!

[@rickkawtoski9344]

This 15 year old spoke and wrote better than 95%of us now! Sounds like a cool young man.

[@megladon89]

Sadly we've been dumbed down as a process to reduce individual thinking and obey the will of tyrants.

[@manueldelacruz1959]

What an intelligent and brave young man. RIP patriot.❤

[@animemanganet]

A 15 year old writes so eloquently compared to today's college graduates. Probably worked harder than most of us as well at that age. Certainly can handle responsibility compared to most of the younger generations today as well. Look at us now.

[@carywest9256]

And just how old would you be? Me, l'm a nearly 62 year old Texan? If you respond, l will throw my two cents of what l feel about these youngsters today.

[@animemanganet]

@@carywest9256 I was born in 1971. I can remember back to around 5.

[@brad9092]

They read the classics and learned to write. Today, the public schools do neither of these two critical things.

[@debbiegipson4512]

What a poignant intuitive look at the tender heart of Arthur, standing on the precipice in more ways than one. I put great value on letters from a other time, they are often a painfully insightful glimpse into a searching heart. Oddly, I always feel a tinge of guilt when reading heartfelt missives meant for anothers eyes.

[@davide9658]

Quite and interesting letter written by a 15 year old boy. Our country obviously had a much better educational system in the 19th century than we do today. Thank you Ron.

[@carywest9256]

Yes they did have better Professors then. Nowadays, the academic field is full of leftists trying to under mine this country from within. Not of lover of Lincoln, but he stated this Country would be destroyed from within. Saying not foreign,but domestic forces would bring the Country down. Just look at how many foreigners are pouring into ours borders

[@owensomers8572]

What a naive statement. I do not wish to detract from his eloquence, but Arthur wasn't exposed to the myriad of technologies and distractions of modern life. It is also possible, and may explain his illness and death shortly after writing this letter, that he was often ill as a child, and as such was more likely to spend time reading, a luxury most youth of the day did not have, and which modern medicine may have prevented.

[@dcs5343]

​@@owensomers8572you base all of this on your own speculations. It is a fact that our education system has been dumbing down students for several decades.

[@owensomers8572]

@@dcs5343 No, it is a fact that you make that statement based on your own speculations and biases. By what metric are you claiming "our education system has been dumbing down students for several decades?" I was clear in my statement that my claims were speculative, yet you state something as unequivocally "factual" without even pretending to know what the fuck you are blabbering about.

[@dcs5343]

@@owensomers8572 you seem to be an emotional person based on your overly emotional responses. Since I am slow and don't know what I'm talking about, would you mind pointing out where you were clear about your statement being speculative? Also, my two sentences is hardly blabbering compared to your response. I'll give you a better example of blabbering... In fact, let me give you one clear example and briefly explain the "No Child Left Behind" program so you can better understand. The education system penalized low testing scores by reducing federal funding provided to individual schools based on their respective scores. In response, schools would repeatedly go over the same curriculum until every student understood. Therefore , slow learners received more focus while brighter students were pulled back, since gifted classes were no longer receiving the attention they once had, and as a result, no student got ahead. I have read it as "achieving equity through mediocrity". Once NCLB could clearly be seen as a failure, it then rolled over to the "Every Student Succeeds Act" which was not much if any better. This has since entwined into current teachings including common core but even before NCLB, teachers were repeating lectures due to pressures of raising tests scores. Teachers' pay was based directly on tests scores, therefore teachers would teach only what was to be on the test. It got so bad that teachers and school districts would neglect other subjects, sometimes break rules, and even break laws to achieve scores needed to obtain funding. In the end, it has drastically restricted and handicapped children from learning. There is so much more that could be mentioned that this is only a small part of it. I really hope this sheds some light on what you see as my own speculation and biases. And I pray that you get a grip on those emotions of yours. God bless! 🙏

[@brianhannan8030]

Hell yeah Ron😎 Rest in peace Arthur ❤

[@edwardlacey7953]

Beautifully composed. Not an adult or Harvard graduate. Not a poet or writer but a boy and a serious one. People and times have indeed changed. What matters today is so much different than in Arthur’s time. Thank you for sharing. BTW-I had three ancestors in the Union Army. My great grandfather in the 19th Illinois Infantry. My great uncle in the 47th Iowa Infantry and a great uncle in the 164th NY Infantry “Corcoran’s Legion”. He was killed at Cold Harbor. Thanks again!

[@dresqueda]

What a bittersweet story for such a fine young man. It's that the US can have such young men that makes me think the great experiment in democracy is worth it.

[@yisroelkatz-xj6pq]

Ron I always love your content! I especially like your opening, "Hey All!"

[@timdebvanaman4838]

Wow just wow!

[@thomasdykstra100]

Yes...I'm crying, and I have to believe you did yourself somewhere along the way of recovering Arthur's tale. I pray for his consolation in death by a warm reception into that perfect and eternal kingdom, which harbors the souls of all sincere peace-seekers / peacemakers: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

[@rendezvous5784]

Instead of our children being taught the nonsense in our schools today, our children would be better served learning and studying the young man, Arthur Tappan Strong, and the likes...

[@CaseyAngelicaHardy]

Such beautiful words. Gave me chills.

[@petercampbell7962]

Beautiful.. Thank you

[@joeparvana9549]

Another heart warming and touching story. Thank you for bringing Arthur to life once again.

[@TheCleric42]

I can’t believe that boy didn’t quote from Lincoln’s greatest speech, given in San Dimas, California: “Be excellent to each other, and party on dudes!”

[@owensomers8572]

That speech occurred in 1989, so Arthur would not have been exposed to it.

[@tfishing8320]

This letter clearly touched your heart and sensibilities. Letter so interesting on so many levels. A well educated lad with access to a good library. Strong's ear attracted, like so many others of the time, to verse and rhyme. An avid reader, influenced by his father's abolitionist sentiments. While his father's mind was obviously changed, consider this letter written by his father, a wealthy merchant living in Seville, Ohio. "September 7, 1861. Dear Son, I am glad to hear from home & also to hear you are so patriotic. But I cannot (underlined) consent to let you enlist so young - I don't think it to be my duty - I shall come home the last of next week. Your father, L. W. Strong" [original in University of Washington collection - Strong family papers] Correspondence between father and son after Arthur's enlistment suggest doting parents, who respected their son's desire, as Mr. Coddington states, "to be a man", but desperately wanted their boy to come home.

[@debbiegipson4512]

Heart touching addition. Moments in time....

[@TheAntHill184]

Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@jeffmilroy9345]

It is sad he died so young but at least he was spared being witness to the wasting. I wonder what would be his prologue now that the 100 years has passed? Would he cheer the means to victory? Would he cheer the ends that resulted? Or would he stand in melancholy when learning of the terrible price paid and what the future held for the freed slave and future generations.

[@ChacoteOutdoorRecreation]

To this day about the second or third week of recruit training everyone is sick, gathered from many different places and sharing the same space, the windows left open for fresh air even in winter. The death toll at Benton barracks and many places that America has chosen to train the recruits all tell a dark truth, even the Legion Entranger accepted and knew this truth. I am told that despite the most advanced inoculations, that new arrivals to the international space station all suffered welcome sickness.

[@TedBronson1918]

RON - Back then disease and illness killed as many soldiers as battle did, not to mention the non-sterile medical practices. What is the breakdown for the Civil War ? How many died of disease/illness, battle wounds etc... that gives us the grand total of the war (even a rough approximation) ?

[@charlesbelser7249]

Very sad that he was misguided and became the exact representative of tyrants just as the the British soldiers and Hessian Mercenaries and in fact fought against the principals that our forefathers did fight for four score years before . If he had been born 400 miles south , he would have seen things from a completely different perspective and fought to defend his state's soverignty which was guaranteed and promised to every representative of each state before they signed the founding documents even though many were definitely very apprehensive which was proven to obviously well deserved . I am very sorry He died before his time but despite his good intentions , he was deceived and might have very well become one of those northern invaders who committed numerous evil atrocities against his southern neighbors and relatives because they lived in certain areas or because they were trying to defend their families and farms against that unconstitutional invasion.

[@carywest9256]

Amen to your text, at least your eyes are open to what really went on back then.

[@owensomers8572]

Wow, you sure are a crybaby.

[@charlesbelser7249]

@@owensomers8572 are you a Biden voter or what? 100% founders would have agreed with me in the 1700s and 97-98%in the first decade of the 1800s when the north eastern states almost seceded and still at least 85% of the populace in 1861 as evidenced by the mm any recorded commentaries and editorials even on the northern news papers. I don't think you have a clear understanding of the catastrophe. Maybe if you had the many casualties and resulting poverty in your family as I did but that should not even be required if you just consider the 750,000 immediate un needed deaths and the many hundreds of thousands of lingering ones , invalids, pain ,misery and suffering etc afterwards which was caused by unconstitutional aggression and tyrany. It is the same today and if we do not stand and fight against leftist demoncrat tyrany and globalism, our republic will ( very) soon be on the ash heap of history.

[@ubervin]

I want to read a letter from his decendants today.