I Held Lincoln
A Union Sailor's Journey Home
Richard E. Quest
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Imprint: Potomac Books
Published: 05/2018
Pages: 216
Subject: History
eBook ISBN: 9781640120549
DESCRIPTION
Lt. Benjamin Loring (1824–1902) lived the life of an everyman Civil
War sailor. He commanded no armies and devised no grand strategies.
Loring was a sailor who just wanted to return home, where the
biggest story of his life awaited him. Covering almost a year
of Loring's service, I Held Lincoln describes the lieutenant's
command of the gunboat USS Wave, the Battle of Calcasieu Pass, the
surrender of his ship, and his capture by the Confederates. He
was incarcerated in Camp Groce, a deadly Confederate prison
where he endured horrific conditions and abuse. Loring
attempted to escape, evading capture for ten days behind enemy
lines, only to be recaptured just a few miles from freedom. After
an arduous second escape, he finally reached the safety of
Union lines and gained his freedom. On the night of April 14, 1865,
Loring attended Ford's Theater and witnessed one of the single most
tragic events in American history: the assassination of President
Abraham Lincoln. After the shot rang out, Loring climbed into the
presidential box and assisted the dying president, helping to carry
him across the street to the Peterson House. Using Loring's
recently discovered private journal, Richard E. Quest tells this
astonishing now-recovered story, giving insight into a
little-known Confederate prison camp during the last days of the
Civil War and providing much-deserved recognition to a man
whose journey was nearly lost to American history.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard E. Quest is the founding president and executive director of the charitable nonprofit organization Books in Homes USA, Inc. He is a former history teacher, has held administrative positions in public education, and was a dean and associate vice president of several colleges. Quest is a member of the Loudoun County Civil War Round Table and is a guide at the Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park in Virginia. He recently relocated to northern Virginia. For more information about the author visit richardequest.com.
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