Forum established an annual book prize recently named in honor of our distinguished chairman with cash award of 1,000 to honor outstanding scholarship on the life and career of our nations 16th president. Published the year preceding the of this award. Previous winners of the book prize include sidney blumenthal, james oakes, ted widmer and. Roger lowenstein. On behalf of my the book prize jury, michele crowe, kristen mcwherter and daniel weinberg, it my honor and pleasu t announce the 2023 howard holter or lincoln book prize winner edward acorn for his the lincn inside the republican convention, the changed history. ■. Not yet. Acorn presents a brilliantly written, riveting account of the 1860 republican was held in chicago during summer of that year. He recounts in comprehensive how rat, dark, stunned the political pundits of the time by defeating William Seward of new york. As overwhelming favorite for the republican nomination for president. Acorns page. Turner i must admit, i could not put this book down even i knew how it would end places the in the cigar smoke filled hotel rooms of party movers and shakers and on the raucous convention floor, rivals, and especially his convention managers who worked the key state delegations and made the essential nomination. The 1860 republican convention, one of the most important, if not the mo important in our nations history. And it acorn has given us the the convention deserves before i call it to the stage i want to tell you a little about our book prize winner ed, a resident of rehoboth, massaca Pulitzer Prize for commentary and winner of the yankee quill highly praised every drop of the momentous second inaugural ocean of, Abraham Lincoln. Also available, i believe, in the bookstorez along with the lincoln miracle. He also has written truly widely acclaimed books about 19th century baseball. And something i didnt know until we chatted. American baseball and American Culture titled entitled 59 and 84. And the of beer and whiskey. I to read that one so please eddie cohen. Thank you so much. How much of an honor is it to receive an award with the name of harold sir on it . Ive turned to his books for insight into inspiration for decades now. And i never honestly imagined a moment like this would come. So thank you to the forum. And to him. I also want to thank my wife, valerie, who is here today. Shes the one to whomhe dedicat. Lincoln like to read aloud. Finding that sense inside combined to make his writing clearer and better. And he pretty much drove his law partner, billy herndon, crazy with that. But valerie seemed, to take it. Well, when i read each chapter of, this book to her and i, i was on the right track when, she said, i cant wait to hear what happens next. So. So to and all the lincoln aficionados and scholars here who have been so welcoming and kind tok you from the bottom my heart. Now, ill talk a little bit about this book. It was tom. Tom just mentioned. I spent some time in journalism. I actually 41 years in urnalism writing every day pretty much about politics. And thats an interesting word, politic thats from two words, ticks meaning bloodsucking parasites. So■ but. So that was a good experience for history. Little more about my background. I started off with 19th century history with another side of American Culture, whis baseball. 59 and 84 was about the grittiest competitors. Hall famer hoss radbourne,cl more games in a single season than any pitcher in history. And that was something managers players regarded as the g histol into the 20th century. He was quite a character, a relative contended radbourne drank a quart ofhiskey a day during the height of his career, and he was so ornery. He dressed in the other clubs locker because he couldnt stand his teammates when. And he was apparently the first man ever photographed giving the middle finger. And you might notice what hes doing with his left hand there on the cover of theook. My second book was the summer of beer and whiskey about this crazy the early major league, the American Association and how immigrants actually saved the game when it was going under. And that book is still selling well. I think the title didnt hurt, but of course, anyone who wants to write about the most remarkable figure of the 19th century has to drawn to Abraham Lincoln. Its been my extraordinary privilege in r in the company of lincoln, immersed his world and his observations. I was trained as an old earnestly thother side, and i have seriously spent a great deal of time investigating the evidence. He was asupremacist. But i found that no matter relentlessly, i focused on flaws and errors. This mans humanity, integrity, pragmatism and courage shine through. Theres a good reason honor man. Lincoln told a story about meeting a woman on horseback in the woods. He her to pass, but instead she scrutinized them carefully before saying, well, for lands sake, you were the holiest man i ever saw. Yes, madam, but i cant help it, he replied. No, i suppose not. But might have stayed at home. Well, i can relate to that as someone whos was in daily journalism rather academia. Ive often felt something of an interloper in the of lincoln scholarship. I might have stayed at home to at last count. There have been something, 19,000 books about Abraham Lincoln published, and thats more than other human being, than jesus christ. And across street from fords theater in washington, we. Many people must here must have seen it across the street from. Fords theater in washington is a tower of just some of those books glued together. And they sort of to the heavens. And i admit that was daunting to me. What made me with my 2020 book every drop of blood was my feeling that there was a story about lincoln that had never been told in this way. The story is basically 24 hours in Abraham Lincolns life from the evening ofid his second inauguration to the of march 4th, 1865. And this is the lens through which i think we can see in remarkably sharp detail the monstrous unleashed by the civil he ultimate meaning of that war as lincoln. That meaning in, i believe, is his greatest and most the second inaugural. I was struck by the very famous people who kept popping in and out of the with and with each other, interwove woven like a rich tapestry. The great black leader, frederick■8 douglass, who watchd lincoln deliver his speech and later discussed it him at a white house reception. The popular actor john wilkes booth, who evidently stalked lincoln athe inauguration. The Great American poet walt whitman, who was coverg the the angel of the battlefield, clara barton, who spent that week trying to meet lincoln and finally greeted him at the recepti. Course, there we Vice President elect, andrew johnson, who showed up at the inauguration embarrassingly pery different people provide a powerful and moving view of what that war was about and what lin was up against on that rainy, muddy day in washington. And i tried to weave those all into the story. At the center of it all. Of course is Abraham Lincoln, who can be seen standing in the. Thisrowd reading his speech just about above the table, a glass of water on it. He did something that day, as i mentioned, that no other no other politician would. On the cusp of victory after, four years of a brutal device of an widely despised war. He declined to make a speech about the unions triumph. Instead argued thaboth ses had been wrong and that the misery that both had shared might have been the price required for ending terrible slavery. Lincoln argued that it time for americans to stop thinking about selfrighteousness the only way forward. He argued, was to recognize that all had been wrong, to sacrifice, face hatred and vengeance and with toward none,h charity, for all. I think that a very narrow focus on a historical event can give us an understanding that usual omniscient view, historical view cannot. It brings us very close to. The ground instead of 30,000 feet up and studied in the course of one day or a short period. Historal magic, leigh, become flesh and blood. Real human beings subject to emotions and other vicissitudes, including the politics of moment. It becomes clearer they were groping in the dark and they had no idea how things would turn out. Just like us. With this forced perspective, we also get a stronger sense of everything. Looked, sounded and, smelled. I this approach which some call micro history. In my new book, the lincoln miracle. In that book we go back five years before the inauguration and to the week in chicago in may 1860. At that time, many northerners were fed with the political bullying corruption and censorship of the democrats. Sincen north and south and were unable to choose a candidate at their convention in charleston just days chicago knew they had a very real chance to nominate the next president of the United States and the political struggles that took place that week. I do believe, constituted a miracle for lincoln and for the United States. Lincoln went in as the dark ist of dark horses. After all he had, he had lost two elections for the u. S. Senate and had not Held Public Office for more than a decade. In illinois, said of him, lincoln is undoubtedly the most unfortunate politician that has ever attempted to in illinois, in everything he undertakes. Politically, he seems doomed to. Failure. He has been prostrated in his political schemes of any ordina. Lincoln had almost no formal education in this country. Mannerisms struck many people as quaint at best. He he told dirty jokes. His executive experience was pretty much limited to running a two man law office. Lincoln himself had told people did not think himself fit for the presidency, and two years earlier he had declared, with a roaring laughter. Just think of such a sucker as me as president in early 1860, when he visited new york city. He struck many people as crude. He had troubled deciphering menn french until a waiter mentioned beans. Lincolns face brightened and he said, hold on there. Bring beans. I know beans. In fact, lincol chances seem so remote that the of the Republican NationalCommittee Approved chicago as the conventionite, in part because they thought it was neutral ground. Noiserious candidate from the candidates candidates in those days did not show up at the convention. And lincoln wa a long that he contemplated attending. He told a friend. He felt like he was too much of a candidate to go with. Not quite enough to stay at home. In the end, he wisely stayed back in springfield, the begins on saturday, may 1860. Kx■uon morning david davis, 45,t his in bloomington, illinois and took t 1 mile train trip up to chicago. Go. There he discovered that no one was in charge and the lincoln was so disorganized that nobody had even booked a room to serve as its headquarters. Davis more than 250 pounds judge would come to lincoln intimately while the eighth judicial circuit with immediately took over as managerhe bribed a famis rooms, got to lincoln headquarters, sign up on the door and barely slept. The next six days. In this lithograph of the candidates that same day, harperweek played lincolns on the bottom with the also rans. Its written description of lincoln was dead last among all thele were talking about lincoln as a possible Vice President ial. Cummins. Cummins coming as he did from the crucial swing state front and center with the biggest picture and first and longest write up was the superstar of the republican party. The former governor, new york and current u. S. Senator William Seward. Serd was regarded as the founder and father of the republic and party, a bold opponent, slavery and defender of the rights of. And he was managed a brilliant political strategist named thurlow, who who could make or break senators and president s. He had more money behind him than any candidate. Seward had traveled to europe. Several months before the convention where he kept his preparation for the presidency by meeting with world leaders, including Queen Victoria pope pius the ninth and Frances Emperor the third. When returned, he was mobbed by americans who wanted him to be the next president. He was far and away the most candidate with the delegates gathering in chicago. Th was the sept of this man as the radical olitionist johnrown. Previous october, he had raided a federal armory and and to provide slaves guns for a violentn against whites. While brown was apprehended in hang the infuriated the south terrified many voters in the north. Slavery talk was putting impossible pressures on the political system and to break the nation and war. And nobody was more famous for antislavery rhetoric than William Seward. The lincoln had made many of the same points against slavery. He was far less known as a swing voters andhus not asthreatening. On top of that, seward had supported immigrants and was close to catholic leaders, something that turned off a sizable portion of the republicans base who feared a Mass Immigration was helping democrats steal and destroying america from within. Former members of the American Party called the know Nothing Party might well bolt from the republican. If they nomited seward lincolns position on immigrants, meanwhile, was solid, well known that some people assumed was a no nothing. In truth, lincoln despised the movement and liked to tell a story about a man who helped him with his. An irish immigrant named Patrick Lincoln asked pat why he not been born in america. Fate, mr. ■zu lincoln. He said, i wanted to be, but my mother wouldnt let me. One of the most striking things that quickly became clear in my research was that these men gathered in chicago were not choosing a candi on the basis of who might make the best president in a national crisis. Their biggest concern by far was who woulget e most republicans elected, which meant power, jobs and money. The pro Lincoln Chicago press and tribune appealed to this naked selfinterest in an editorial aimed at arriving delegates, quote, constables are worth more than pre run as a mef Holding Political power. The legisla nature is of vastly states than their delegation is in congress. We look to mr. Lincoln to toe constables, General Assembly members into who help themselves and. Lincolns men repeated. Lee made that case that week. There was Something Else going on for, lincoln, that wasnt immediately apparent in the national press, though he was sc been defeated repeatedly in the political realm. He was wellknown and wellliked in illinois during his years working the eighth District Court circuit in central illinois. He had been going to small towns and making friends with his funniest and his fairness, his kindness and his intelligence. As a result, david davis could oversee a team of diehard hard supporters ready to work themselves close to exhaustion in for him in chicago. And they could afford too becaug place in. State and that kind of personal loyalty made all the difference. Now, early in convention, the chief alternative to seward seemed to be this man. A missouri judge named edward bates, a conservative who did not like all this agitation about slavery. His argued he would calm the and negate all threats of secession. And he had the backing of some powerful, including the influential newspaper editor in the country horace greeley. Unfortunately for bates, german immigrants were dead set against had with the no Nothing Party. Prominent germans went so far as to hold their own national in chicago. That same just down the road from the republican one which sent a terrifying to the delegates. German made up only a small percentage of the republican vote, but they were enough to sway elections in many northern. The delegates did dare go with bates, and i call this book the lincoln miracle because so many control had to slot into place perfectly to advance him a little bit abtit a powerful symbol of the american of dari and innovation just 25 years earlier, it had been a small cluster of primitive cabins around Fort Dearborn on the swampy banks of the Chicago River. But its Central Location turned it overnight into a roaring transportation hub. And by 1860, its pul,iation had soared to 112,000, making it nations ninth largest city. Its skyline was dominated by giant grain elevators, and it was already connected by more rail lines than any city on the globe. Unfortunate lately, that explosive growth left it overrun by and plagued by disease. In 1860, the was in the midst of lifting buildings with giant corkscrew so that the street buried. E raised and sewer it. Streets were horribly muddy when it rained and horribly dusty. When it did, the Chicago River had the color and consistency of pea soup and stank so badly that women had to cover their noses handkerchiefs when shopping downtown. Is the wigwam built of wood nx just six weeks to host the convention and fitting up to 11,000 people. It was the largest auditorium in america america. This is the inside of the wigwam viewm the ladies gallery upstairs. This is looking th giant stage on the left there where the delegates were sitting in two groups with the press in the middle of the task of assigning seating on stage was given to chicago lawyer norman, a republican member who happened to be a close friend of lincoln and to tilt the playing field. He very cleverly put the solid seward votes on one side, but the doubtful ones on the other side, and that made it easier for the lincoln forces to gotiate the swing delegations between and almost impossible for the seward men to reach them. Amplification in back then. But the way structure was designed with that curved ceiling speakers, voices could heard all over the hall. And ladies got first dibs on the seats and parts. This gallery, which made them valuable assets for those trying to get inside quickly. Men began picking up any woman on the including women, schoolgirls and and paying them to come inside with them. A man tried to bribe woman to come with them, but she refused, saying she had already entered the wigwasix times. Six times before sneaking back. And she was afraid be arrested if she tried it again. The decorations will put up by the ladies of chicago and you can imagine with gas evergreens unfinished wood and cloth bunting, the wigwam have been as historian bruce catton noted, one of the most dangerous traps ever built in america. Sewards manager was thurlow. Wed there on left and he understood crowds psychology and the herd instead. D brought thousands of supporters with them by train to chicago. And this was the advantage of sewards money. They led huge parades in the streets and filled up the wigwam, and they created a strong impression of the inevitability of sewards nomination. Lincolns team was paltry by comparison and but it was dedicated and, led by a very shwd man, judge discovered early on that many professional politicians were afraid of seward and casting around for an alternative on bloomington lawyer leonard sweat arrived monday thinking lincoln was nothing more than a favorite son candidate and that he would fade after illinois voted. But davis made the startling statement to him. If you will, put yourself at my disposal day and night, i believe lincoln can be nominated. Did lawyer nathan knapp sent lincoln a letter that things are working . Keep a good nerve, be not surprised at any result. But i tell you that are not the worst. Charles ray in chief of the Chicago Press and told lincoln, as things stand today, i would rather have your chances than those of any other man but dont get excited on tuesday night, david davis and jesse dubois fired off a telegram to lincoln informing their friend that they wereoving he aarth for him. They added, hopefully nothing will beat us but old fogy politicians. The heart of the delegates are with us. Unfortunate early whenhe convention startedn dnesday, lincolns men had been unable to persuade enough that he wath best alternative to seward. On thursday evening, the delegates had still not settled on a seward alternative. The new yorker had won a series of test votes that day and was poisedtion when miracle occurred. The tally sheets for voting had yet arrived at the podium, and th hungry. That point that they decided to adjourn and vote the next day than take wait a few for the tally sheets for want of tally sheets was not nominated that evening. That gave the lincoln more time to defeat them. You know on such slender threads hang the fate of nations. As the lincoln men worked hard that night, judge davis counter said seward psychological advantages by finding champions and aigning them spaces in the hall for maximum of fact. On friday morning and somebody on the team managed to print co admission tickets to the wigwam after the seward forces staged the final grand parade with marching bands friday morning. Very impressive. Many arrived at the wigwam to find their occupied even though they had legitimate tickets the shouting of the lincoln supporters create an illusion of great strength. A davis that alsoovernight sellt positions and other offices for support. Lincoln to send a message. Supporters to make no deals in his name. Davis told his team lincoln ainthe know what we have to me. So we will go ahead as if we hadnt heard from him and he ratify it overnight, davis made deals that he did not know would stick until the actual voting. The next later that he promised some of the same officers to multiple delegations. Prevaricated somewhat. A friend responded to, a story prevaricated. Davis replied, prevaricate, added, we lied like hell. Lincoln was way seward onhe first ballot, but with his men inside and the pennsylvania legation flipping to lincoln as promised, lincoln captured the nomination, the third ballot. His victory astounded many people. The hall, never mind thee nati, the political profession of the wigwam accepted lincoln as the candidate who was as bitterly opposed to slavery he is seward thus appealing to partys base, but much less famous and thus not as scary. Offensive to immigrant voters. So all these things, john, the know nothings, t, ■the location, the convention, the momentary lack tally sheets, all these slotted into place perfectly for lincoln. The Party Insiders also knew that they could sell lincolns classic to riches story of lifting from a poor child hood in a log cabin and already he was known as the rail splitter for having split thousands of illinois. He did seem an unusually man and a man of the people. Soon after getting the news from chicago by telegraph, lincoln walked home alone. Theres a little woman down at our house who would like to hear this. He. The seward supporters, were livid to see the nominee stolen away from them. And they blamed this man. New york tribune editor horace greeley. Greeleys probably most fa youne spent the week warning delegates that seward was too control to win the men thought is al2 an act of vengeance since wheat and seward had refused to make greeley Lieutenant Governor of new york, giving the job instead to new york. Ed henry, raymond greeley had a lot of influence with the republicans and his timely was another reason t lincoln miracle happened after the vote. Greeley had the nerve to show at the new york headquarters where delegates cast him sewards men, one reporter wrote, accused greeley of stabbing seward and say he shall less than a year. He was paid for it. The seward team got its revenge on greeley by blocking him from the u. S. Senate, though, though, seward put on a good face, he was also devastated. Thinking himself far superior to the ill educated and inexperienced raitter before the november election, lincoln invited repeatedly to visit him in springfield and seward only condescended to stop his train at the station. There while heading to a speech in chicago. On october 2nd. Lincoln had to wait on the platform for the great man, and then fight way through the crowd get seward in his railroad car. After lincoln approached, seward delivered a calculated. As one reporter noted seward rose from his seat, shook hands with them, introduced him to the ladies and gentlemen in his company, and then, without entering into a converse session of even formal courtesy with him, resumed his seat. Like most president ial candidates at the time lincoln sat out the election remaining at his house in springfield, refusing to comment on the crisis engulfing ari. Here hes up front to the right of the door. A Massive Campaign parade stopped august 8th. He did communicate with an 11 Year Old Girl named grace who advised him to grow whiskers. ■ your face is so thin she. Wrote of the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands, vote for you and thenou would b president. Lincoln listened and grew as famous beard. Whether the whiskers helped or not. He did win the presidency handily in the electoral college, though he captured only 39 of the popular vote, the smallest percentage of any victor in our nations history. To this day, his name not even on the ballot in the deep, though he proved very popular in the north. The delegates who nominated him succeeded in getting their jobs, power and patronage. For the most part. But they had no real idea lincolns greatness of his pragmatism flair for the english language and powers of endurance that would be crucial to the nations survival in the endlavery during the civil war. A reporter on the scene at the wigwam later wrote they had nominated the mirth. Lincoln of the hustings, the husk only. The lincoln of history. Years to give the event its true relations and right proportions and was not until the veil was hand that the real lincoln was revealed. He concluded that the delegate had been unconscious instruments of a higher power. So much had to come together for lincoln that. I think the word miracle is not an exaggeration. Well, thats whirlwind tour through the book and im so grateful to all ofing out and listening to this. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Thank you. And id be delighted to answer questions, which is usually thee presentations. Lets start over here. Thank you. Jeffrey bagwell from columbia, maryland. First timer, wooden, cassius. Ever been a more appealing Vice President ial candidate than Hannibal Hamlin . Yes. The question is wouldnt cassius clay have been more a more appealing candidate . He might well have been, but what happened with hamlin was the delegates were in a panic that. The seward supporters were going to bolt from the party at, not bolt, but not get as much as they should. And they relied, on new yorks money ander to get republicans elected. So they were very desperate to to nominate for Vice President who was appealing to the seward forces. And they went to new yorkers. And the new yorkers absolutely refused. They they they wouldnt condone thisat they had done the seward. So they they opted for this guy in maine hamlin a former democrat who was friendly with seward and supported seward. And this was absolute surprised. They went to hamlin was in washington that night playing cards some friends and there was a pounding on his door and he went to the door and they they said congratulate and mr. Vice president said, what are you talking about . Youve been nominated Vice President. I dont want the job. But he he finally decided do it. So thats and lincoln no say mlin it was the convention came up with over here. Good morning bryan steenburgen grand Rapids Michigan in is book and in his recent book Steve Inskeep and a chapter on thurlow, he suggests that seward was so detached that was really a nominee. Lincoln and, thurlow wheat and not seward. Would you agree with that or do you differ with steve i extent,s there on the scene, david davis was there on the scene, and were the ones fighting it out. But i think seward was pretty well connected with what weed was doing. He had met with him, you know, prior to it. And they all thought they had their ducks a on friday mornin, seward was telegrams auburn, new york saying that dont sweat it this is in t bag dont worry about it all set and he was just the standard he was out on out in the garden outside of his mansion in auburn, new york, which still stands. And when gave him the results, the first ballot, he thought that was and then they came in running to him. Lincolns been nominated on the third ballot and his face just went ashen because he he expected he was going to win. Yes. Thank jeff matthews. Naples, florida. And i think it takes a man covered politics in rhode island to really bring out the nitty gritty here. I david davis is such a great character. And i ■ow t lincoln appointed him, i believe, to the Supreme Court. But im just curious what kind of relation ship they had after that convention. Yeah. Davis davis was appointed to the Supreme Court has is leonard who was i mentioned, was very involved in this had to pretty much browbeat lincoln to appoint davis the Supreme Court. Ht be sitting in that chair if not for and lincoln said youre right but i cant appoint too many of my friends tod he out to be a darn good Supreme Court justice. In fact, his mostous ruling was against lincoln believe, it or not, didnt come out until after he died. But it was involving whether you can try civilians in military d ■ ■a courts and and davis said you can. So they had a kind of a strained relationship wouldnt win. Listen though today this is advice. Davis was sort of a conservative h more liberal than davis and he just wouldnt listen to during the presidency3 youd listen to him, but he wouldnt follow what he suggested. And then davis, you know, of course, lincoln was assassinated. And das became, the executor of the estate and and was really a second father to robert. Robert was always deeply to davis for what he did. And davis became a very Prominent National figure, and he even was a president ial candidate at point. But he didnt. Didnt go anywhere. So thank you. Erlain. No relation as a former chicago and your description of davis behavior reminded of the dictum vote early and vote often which may have been by daley in 1960. Thank you. Yes. Thank you for your■ book and yor presentation. And im from studio city, california. And i wondered, mike, could go to the mike. I wonder if you could share with us your assessment of significance or the insignificance of mr. Lincolns speech in greenwich village, february 27th, 1860. I cant. He you know, in lincolns is propelling him to the presidency. And it it did in a way and made him look like he could be conceivably serious candidate but he still entered that convention. A total long shot and so. n you know i dont think that that visit was as influential as we tend to to look at it from the Vantage Point of hindsight. You know this history is often this way we think, boy, this inevitably had to happen. We think lincoln had to be nominated in 1860 and boy but when you look at the details its its absolutely scary how many things had to absolutely fall into place if you want to. So so do you do you believe or disbelieve the comment mr. Lincoln supposedly made that was the speech that made him president . Yeah, i i dont know the context of that comment. Id have id have to look at it but i mean Robert Lincoln said i made my father president big by failing my entrance exams. The harvard and that that prompted lincoln to go east and accept this invitation to the o forth and so he could use the money to visit robert, sort of talk to him. What was going on with his yes. Dr. John wall in washington. Theres apparently some story since youre also an baseball guy when lincoln received his the word of his nomination that he was playings in springfield. And he said well, you have to wait till i get another hit. Yeah. And apparently spalding, something made that story up. Were you able to prove that thats not true . Yeah, that breaks my heart. That lincoln wasnt playing baseball when goion. Its he he was supposedly playing handball and played it during the convention sort of to to ward away some the stress. He loved playing handball which is interesting they apparently his long arms he really helped and he said this game makes my shoulders feel better. So yes Ted Leventhal from philadelphia. First timer, i thought remember reading years back that even some of the new york that was sh profile extremely abolitionist that they actually lincoln to co east and do the Cooper Union Speech is that correct . Well the yes republicans who are to seward■ and about exactly wht you said did urge number of speakers to come and speak in the east. One of them was cassius clay and one of them was lincoln. And they thent to sort of spread the idea that you can somebody besides seward as the nominee. So that was very much in the case in the working. But the actual delegation that went to chicago was very strongly seward and boy, they had a great time. They had a lot of money and they they had crates and crates of champagne to play the and its its very interesting how hard wed work to get nominated and how really he was crafty in many ways. But just the moment had passed and the lincolns men were even craftier. So its a very interesting story. Thank you much, everybody. Im chris fernie, a member of the