Through Five Administrations Reminiscences Of Colonel William H Crook

A fascinating behind-the-scenes account of life at the White House in the second half of the nineteenth century Hired in January 1865 as one of four White House bodyguards assigned to protect the president, Colonel William H. Crook—a Union army veteran and member of the Washington Police Force—developed a close, mutually respectful relationship with Abraham Lincoln. To his profound regret, Crook was not on duty the night that the Great Emancipator was assassinated—if he had been, one of the grimmest chapters in American history might have been rewritten. For the next fifty years, Crook dedicated himself to the White House and to the office of the presidency. In a variety of positions, from bodyguard to clerk to disburser, he served twelve different presidents—from Andrew Johnson to Woodrow Wilson—and played a key role in the inner workings of the executive mansion. Published posthumously, Through Five Administrations is Crook’s report on the first half of his tenure, and includes the deeply affecting story of his brief time with Lincoln, his memories of the divisive period surrounding Johnson’s impeachment, revealing portraits of Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes and their families, and a fascinating look at the turmoil caused by James A. Garfield’s assassination and the unexpected presidency of Chester A. Arthur. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

Colonel William H. Crook spent fifty years at the White House in varying roles, including, as the title says, Abraham Lincoln's bodyguard. Beyond his touching personal observations about president Lincoln (they were clearly friends, and Crook felt extremely affectionately about him), he also gives us a glimpse into life in the white house and those most influential of figures surrounding it. His stories of presidents Garfield, Johnson, and Hayes are fascinating. His many accounts of his friendship with Ulysses S. Grant, including buggy racing with the general, and his presence as a guest at Grant's daughter's white house wedding are as humorous as they are interesting.

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Colonel William H. Crook was a colorful character who served as a bodyguard to President Lincoln through the Civil War and beyond. In this fascinating memoir, Crook recounts his experiences with Lincoln and his encounters with other famous figures of the era, including Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. A must-read for anyone interested in Civil War history or presidential biographies. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This is a memoir written by a White House bodyguard who took the job beginning during Lincoln's presidency and lasted for decades. From the intro: "It was in November, 1864, that four police officers were detailed by Mr. William B. Webb, who was then chief of police in the District of Columbia, to be a special guard for President Lincoln. They were to act on instructions from headquarters, and were also to be subject to any orders the President might give. The men were Elphonso Dunn, John Parker, Alexander Smith, and Thomas Pendel. All have since died. They reported immediately to the White House. Not long after the appointment a vacancy in the position of doorkeeper occurred, and the place was given to Pendel. On the 4th of January I was sent to the White House to act as the fourth guard. There was rotation in the service, although the hours were not invariable. The general plan was this: Two men were on duty from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon. These officers guarded the approach to the President in his office or elsewhere in the building, accompanied him on any walks he might take-in general, stood between him and possible danger. At four another man went on duty and remained until midnight, or later if Mr. Lincoln had gone outside the White House and had not returned by that time. At twelve the second night-guard went on duty, and remained until he was relieved, at eight in the morning. The night-guards were expected to protect the President on his expeditions to and from the War Department, or while he was at any place of amusement, and to patrol the corridor outside his room while he slept. We were all armed with revolvers. The reasons why the friends of Mr. Lincoln insisted on this precaution were almost as evident then as they became later."

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.