A Friend of Mr. Lincoln

This richly drawn historical novel from the award-winning Harrigan (Gates of the Alamo) begins in 1865 with Abraham Lincoln lying in state in Springfield, IL. In the somber crowd stands Micajah "Cage" Weatherby, who had been part of Lincoln's inner circle in the 1830s and 1840s, when the ambitious young lawyer was a rising member of the state assembly. Cage is approached by Wiliam Herndon, Lincoln's law partner, who wants his help in publishing a book on the real Lincoln, the man they all knew. And so begin Cage's recollections of the young, up-and-coming Lincoln, as Cage soon becomes the chronicler of the raw beginnings of greatness. Cage draws a portrait of Lincoln gathering in the crowds with his raucous storytelling but also portrays a silent, brooding man given to dark moods. He also writes about Lincoln's Springfield circle, influential men on his road to the White House. The years pass, and Cage loses an arm fighting for the union cause, winning a last brief glimpse of his old friend when he visits Cage in the amputee ward. Not until the Springfield funeral are they destined to be reunited.