reports Effie Afton trial, 101, 102–3, 106, 118, 129–30, 176
reports Lincoln-Douglas debates for Douglas, 101
Bissell, Josiah W.:
arrested, 169–70
designs bridge for St. Louis, 88, 189
and map of Rock Island Bridge, 88, 89
opposition to Rock Island Bridge, 88, 89, 165, 170
and St. Louis Chamber of Commerce, 88, 170–71
tried, 170–71
Bissell, William H., 84
Black Hawk, 53–55
Black Hawk War, 53, 54–55
Boyd, James, 125
Brayton, Benjamin B. (Bud), Jr., 105
Brayton, Benjamin B., Sr., 66, 104–5, 134–36, 142, 147
Breckinridge, John C., 180
Breese, Sidney, 28
Brickel, David, 121
bridges, 51, 52
Browning, Orville H., 82
Buchanan, James, 39, 82, 84, 163
Burlingame, Michael, 37
Cairo (Illinois), 26
Calhoun, John C., 39
Cameron, Simon, 180
Cass, Lewis, 77
Catron, John, 168
Central Pacific Railroad Company, 183
Chadwick, Walter F., 169, 170, 171
Chase, Salmon P., 82, 98–99, 180
Chicago and Alton Railroad, 32
Chicago and Rock Island Railroad Company, 3, 32, 91
Chicago Board of Trade, 87–88
Chicago–St. Louis rivalry, 4–5, 7, 69
Cincinnati:
and Effie Afton, 70–71, 72, 101, 121
and Josiah Bissell, 163
and Manny trial, 80–81
railroad connections, 25
and steamboat building, 16, 70, 169
and T. D. Lincoln, 86
Circuit Court, U.S., 1, 94–95
Clark, James, 109
Clay, Henry, 19–20, 39. See also American System
Clemens, Henry, 115
Colfax, Schuyler, 46
Collins, George, 127–28, 131
Columbus Insurance Company v. Peoria Bridge Company, 22
Committee on Commerce, U.S. House, 164–65
Connor, James W., 114–16, 125
Constitution, U.S.:
and admiralty jurisdiction, 168
and Bank of the United States, 19, 58, 176
Diversity clause, 85, 166
and Dred Scott case, 56, 99, 174, 175
enumerated powers, 57, 58
and internal improvements, 21, 56–57, 92
and interstate commerce, 5, 21, 58
Jefferson Davis’s views on, 62–73
Lincoln’s views on, 8, 21, 22, 84, 85
Necessary and Proper clause, 57–58
right to jury trial, 166
and roads and canals, 19
Tenth Amendment, 57
Thirteenth Amendment, 184
Cook, John, 62–63
Croton Aqueduct, 33
Curtis, Benjamin, 6
Cushing, Caleb, 63, 83
Daniel, Peter, 60
Davis, David, 44, 45, 48, 81, 180
Davis, Jefferson:
in Black Hawk War, 54
opposes Rock Island Bridge, 52, 61–63, 83
as secretary of war, 35, 52, 61–63
and southern route for Pacific railroad, 35, 36, 62–63, 69
Davis, Walter, 23–24
Dayton, William L., 83
Decker, Henry, 139
Deere, John, 138–39
Dempsey, Isaac, 109
Des Moines Rapids, 12, 13, 14
Devinney, Pleasant, 117
Dickerson, Edward M., 80
Dirck, Brian, 8
Dix, John A., 61
Dodge, Grenville M., 178
Douglas, Stephen A.:
campaign against John Todd Stuart, 41, 94
debates Lincoln, 56, 172, 174–77, 178
and Dred Scott decision, 175
Hurd seeks legal services, 163–64
and Illinois Central Railroad, 28–29
and Kansas-Nebraska Act, 77–78, 174
and Lincoln’s fee in Illinois Central case, 31
Lincoln’s opponent in presidential election, 180
and slavery, 78, 173, 174
Douglass, John M., 107
Dred Scott v. Sandford:
decision, 6, 7, 55–56, 174, 176
Douglas supports, 175
Lincoln opposes, 6, 56, 99, 175–76, 178
McLean dissents, 6, 99
see also Scott, Dred
Drummond, Thomas:
and admiralty suit, 168
background and ability, 99–100
and Effie Afton case, 95–97, 100
and Lincoln’s ability, 47
refers case to McLean, 64
Duncan’s Island, 14
Durant, Thomas C., 32
Eads, James, 189–90
Eads and Nelson v. The Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, 22–23
Eads Bridge, 189–90
Effie Afton (pseudonym of Sarah Elizabeth Harper), 71
Effie Afton (steamboat):
begins river service, 71
built and licensed at Cincinnati, 70, 71
crashes into Rock Island Bridge, 1, 2, 73–75, 86
described, 70, 131
insurance coverage, 83
named for Sarah Elizabeth Harper, 71
to New Orleans, 71–72
to Rock Island, 72
Effie Afton trial:
brings Lincoln and Judd closer together, 172
depositions, 92, 95, 102, 103, 104, 107, 113–14, 117, 128, 141
importance of, 6, 7
jury, 107–9, 160–61, 191
landmark in development of law, 5
Lincoln’s closing argument in, 9, 148–56, 158–59
Lincoln’s greatest case, 1–2, 3
Lincoln’s request for continuance, 95–97, 100, 102
McLean’s charge to jury, 159–60
newspaper reports as only surviving records, 102
public implications of, 4, 189, 191
as St. Louis v. Chicago, 5, 7
suit filed, 86–87
and unity of United States, 9–10
see also Hurd et al. v. The Railroad Bridge Company
Eighth Judicial Circuit (Illinois), 44–46, 81, 166, 180
Elting, John, 109
Emerson, John, 55, 56
Enterprise (steamboat), 15
Erie Canal, 25, 33
Farnam, Henry:
and Chicago and Rock Island Railroad Company, 32, 33
and Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad, 32
and Rock Island Bridge, 66, 67, 87
served with legal papers, 87
supposed discussion about asking Lincoln to join defense team, 92–93, 103
Fell, Jesse W., 180
Field, David Dudley, 21
Field, Stephen J., 169
Fillmore, Millard, 33, 39, 56, 84
Floyd, John B., 165
Fort Armstrong:
army withdraws from, 56
and Black Hawk War, 54
built on Rock Island, 12
and Dred Scott, 55
Fort Snelling, 13, 33
Frémont, John C., 82–83, 84, 98
Fuller, William, 116
Fulton, Robert, 15
Gadsden, James, 35
Gadsden Purchase, 35–36, 63, 69
Galena (Illinois), 13, 26, 29, 99, 165
Galena (steamboat), 126
Galena, Dunleith, and Minnesota Packet Company, 168–69
Galena Packet Line, 123–24
Gall, Cephas B., 118
General Pike (steamboat), 116, 133
Gilbert, William D., 136–37, 147
Goodrich, Grant, 46, 80
Government Bridge, 186–87, 188
Grace Darling (steamboat), 117
Grammar, John, 117, 126
Granite Railway, 25
Granite State (st
eamboat), 126
Grant, Ulysses S., 184
Great Comet of 1811, 15
Great West (steamboat), 72
Great Western Railroad Company, 27
Greeley, Horace, 178–79
Greenleaf, Simon, 128
Gregg, Patrick, 138
Grey Eagle (steamboat), 169
Grimes, James, 103, 104, 105
Guelzo, Allen C., 173
Gurney, Seth, 132–33, 146, 147, 150, 151
Hamburg (steamboat), 75
Hamilton, Alexander, 57
Harding, George H., 80
Harper, Joseph M., 71
Harper, Sarah Elizabeth (also known as Effie Afton), 71
Harris, Daniel L., 134, 147
Harrison, William Henry, 39
Hatch, Ozias M., 177, 178
Hatch, Sterns, 140
Heidler, David and Jeanne, 19
Henry Graff (steamboat), 117, 118
Herdman, Robert, 116
Herndon, William H. (Billy):
and Lincoln’s argument in state supreme court, 43
Lincoln’s law partner, 29, 31, 41, 49–50
and Lincoln’s legal abilities, 48
and Lincoln’s study of Euclid, 42
Hitt, Robert R.:
reports Effie Afton trial, 102, 106, 109, 118, 145, 148, 151, 176
reports Lincoln-Douglas debates, 101, 176–77
Holzer, Harold, 8
Hoomes, Benjamin P., 123
Howe trusses, 66, 67, 134
Hoyne, Thomas, 64, 78, 91
Hurd et al. v. The Railroad Bridge Company, 1, 4–5, 86, 95, 100. See also Effie Afton trial
Hurd, Jacob S.:
does not testify, 128
Effie Afton captain, 70
Effie Afton owner, 3, 70, 83
killed in steamboat explosion, 171
prepares lawsuit, 85
at Rock Island, 73
second and separate suit, 171
seeks Douglas’s services, 163–64
Hurd, Jesse T., 126
Husted, H. H., 109
Illinois and Michigan Canal, 20, 26, 28, 29
Illinois Central Railroad, 29, 30–31, 93
Illinois Central Railroad Company v. County of McLean, 30–31
Isham, John G., 123
Jackson, Andrew, 15, 19, 39, 97, 176
Jacobs, John, 126
J. B. Carson (steamboat):
accompanies Effie Afton from Cincinnati, 72
Effie Afton races with, 73, 111, 121, 147
Lincoln refers to, 156
Owens as captain, 125–26
rescues passengers, 74, 141
Jefferson, Thomas, 19, 38, 57
Jervis, John B., 32–33, 136, 147
Johnson, Andrew, 188
Johnson, Reverdy, 80, 81
Johnston, William S., 179
Johnston v. Jones and Marsh (Sand Bar case), 179–80
John Wilson (steamboat), 73
Jones, William, 179
Judd, Norman B.:
asks Lincoln to join defense team, 92–93
background and appearance, 91
and Chicago and Rock Island Railroad Company, 32, 64, 91, 166
and Chicago waterways convention, 92
joins Republican Party, 172–73
and Lincoln’s legal abilities, 172
and Lincoln’s loan to, 93–94, 177
and Lincoln’s Senate bid in 1855, 79
Lincoln spends evening at home of, 157–58
and Lincoln’s visit to bridge, 104
opening statement, 111–12
nominates Lincoln for president, 180
political support for Lincoln, 174, 176
at trial opening, 106
Kalamazoo and Erie (railroad), 25
Kansas-Nebraska Act, 77–78, 79, 83, 174, 177
Kayser, Henry, 14
Kelly, Joseph M., 126
Kent, Chancellor James, 22
Kidwell, Alexander W., 3, 70, 128
King, William R., 29
Knox, Joseph:
background, 91–92
closing argument, 146–48
defense attorney in Effie Afton case, 91
at opening of trial, 106
and suit to stop construction of bridge, 92
thinks Lincoln has lost case for them, 157–58
Krautz, George, 126
Lamon, Ward Hill, 180
Latrobe, Benjamin, 15
Latrobe, Lydia, 15
Lee, Robert E., 13–14, 184
Lightfoot (steamboat), 63
Lincoln, Abraham:
as appellate lawyer, 42–43, 48
assassination of, 184
becomes lawyer, 39–40
and Black Hawk War, 40, 54–55
candidate for U.S. Senate, 78–79, 172–77
at Chicago waterways convention with Judd, 92
closing argument in Effie Afton case, 148–56, 158–59
and Columbus Insurance Company v. Peoria Bridge Company, 22, 143
and Constitution as “complete protection to the Union,” 21
contribution to economic future of United States, 191
Cooper Union speech, 178–79
debates Douglas, 56, 101, 174–77, 178
described during Effie Afton trial, 119–20
and Dred Scott decision, 6, 56, 175–76, 178
and Eads and Nelson v. The Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, 22–23
early experience with rivers, 17–19
early interest in becoming lawyer, 37–39
early support for railroads, 26
elected president, 180
and equality, 85
and gauge for Pacific railroad, 182
and “General System of Internal Improvements,” 20, 21, 26
goes to Chicago, 1, 92, 104
and honesty, 41, 47
“House Divided” speech, 173
and Illinois Central Railroad Company v. County of McLean, 30–31, 93
and importance of Effie Afton trial, 6, 7, 191
joins defense team in Effie Afton case, 92–93
at Judd home, 157–58
and Kansas-Nebraska Act, 77–78, 79, 83, 177
and Know-Nothingism, 84
law partners, 41
legal abilities of, 7–8, 47–49, 172
loan to Judd, 93–94
and materiality of obstruction, 142–43
and McCormick v. Manny, 80–81
modesty conceals vast self-confidence, 49
and move of state capital to Springfield, 20–21
at opening of trial, 106
and patent for invention, 23–24
“peculiar ambition” of, 38
preparation for Effie Afton trial, 103–5
and railroad cases, 29–30
and reading, 42
and rights of east-west traffic, 150
and Sand Bar case, 179–80
signs Homestead Act, 182
signs Morrill Act, 182
signs Pacific Railway Act, 182, 183
and slavery, 78, 174–75
and state legislature, 26, 38
supports Republican platform, 181–82
supports river traffic and other forms of transportation, 19–20, 21–22
and town of Lincoln (Logan County, Illinois), 31–32
and transcontinental railroad, 178, 182–83
travels to Congress, 27–28
travels to New York and Canada with Mrs. Lincoln, 103
as trial lawyer, 43–47, 148
and unity of United States, 9
and vice-presidential voting at 1856 Republican convention, 83
visits Rock Island Bridge, 104–5
as Whig, 20, 23, 26, 55, 77, 82
Lincoln, Mary Todd, 27, 47, 103
Lincoln, Robert Todd (son of Abraham), 42
Lincoln, Thomas (father of Abraham), 17, 37
Lincoln, Timothy D., 86, 106, 112–13, 159, 168
Lincoln (Logan Count
y, Illinois), 31–32
Lincoln Legal Papers, 3, 10
Little Miami Railroad, 25
Livingston, Robert R., 15
Logan, Stephen T., 41, 180
Love, James M., 166, 167
Lowers, Robert, 140
Lucie May (steamboat), 122, 126, 127, 132–33
Madison, James, 39
Manny, John H., Company, 80
Mansfield (steamboat), 133
Marcy, William L., 56, 61
Marshall, John, 57–58
Martin, Albro, 5
Mason, Roswell B., 137–38, 147, 152
Matteson, Joel, 79
McBride, Samuel, 72, 73, 122
McCammant, Joseph, 70, 72, 121, 154–55
McClintock, George, 117, 125
McCormick, Cyrus H., 80
McCormick v. Manny, 80, 81, 99
McCulloch v. Maryland, 58
McLean, George, 118
McLean, John:
appeal of early Lincoln case to, 23
background and appearance, 97–98
charge to jury, 159–60
death of, 180
denies injunction against Rock Island Bridge, 64–65, 98
dissents from Dred Scott decision, 6, 99
in Effie Afton case, 95–162
Lincoln supports for 1856 Republican presidential nomination, 98
in McCormick v. Manny, 80–81
in Pennsylvania v. Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company, 59–60, 64, 143–44
personality, 98–99
presidential aspirations, 82–83, 98
on right of parties to testify, 128
McNeil, D. Clarence, 140–41
Meigs, Montgomery, 14
Memphis (Tennessee), 190
Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad, 32, 33
Miller, Samuel, 166, 167, 169
Milliken, Isaac L., 33
Minnesota Belle (steamboat), 122
Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Company, 3, 4, 34, 36, 61, 135
Mississippi River:
bridges over, 51, 187–88, 189, 190
as “great highway of nature,” 11–24
improvement projects, 187–88
lumber transported on, 190–91
and Rock Island, 53
Modjeski, Ralph, 187
Monmouth, Jacques Eugene, 71
Monroe, James, 39, 97
National Road, 59
navigation rights:
in construction of Rock Island Bridge, 64–65
as issue in Effie Afton trial, 5, 101, 126
in Wheeling Bridge case, 61
Neely, Mark, Jr., 8
Nelson, Samuel, 60, 128
New Orleans (Louisiana), 16–17, 18, 68, 190
New Orleans (steamboat), 15
Northern Cross (railroad), 26–27
Northwest Ordinance, 5
Otis, H. G., 109
Owens, Elias, 125–26
Pacific railroad, 34, 184. See also transcontinental railroad
Page, Elwin, 71
Paludan, Phillip Shaw, 8
Parker, Nathaniel W.:
pilot of Effie Afton, 72, 73, 121, 127
testimony, 122–23, 131, 154
Parker, Thomas, 117
Parkinson, Robert Henry, 80–81
Lincoln's Greatest Case: The River, the Bridge, and the Making of America Page 30