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Compass and Covenant in the Washington Years
In this memoir excerpt, a narrator recalls a pivotal 1844 New Year and political turmoil as the senator contemplates presidential nomination. The undercurrent of Southern slaveholding power challenges abolitionist momentum while the narrator aids the campaign, witnesses Van Buren’s fall, and observes the senator’s principled refusal of the crown. A trip through Baltimore and a midnight ride culminate in a decisive telegram refusing nomination, framed by reflections on duty, compass, and the moral guide of God. The closing scenes shift to a personal union with Sally, wedding preparations, and family memories, ending with a nostalgic rural serenade.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fle
America
Whitman
South
Spencer
St. T
Sally
Thad
Washington
Lidy
Ben Grimshaw
Squire Fullerton
Senator
Washington Society
West
van Buren
Hudson
Wright
Texas
Baltimore
Judge Fine
Ogdensburg
New York
Tiv
Bart
Canton
Fine
Silas Wright
Wny
Benjamin F. Butler
Missouri
Virginia
Maryland
H. Dunkelberg
Benjamin Grimshaw
Lincoln