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| The Stanton House, Morris, pictured in winter |
Edwin M. Stanton was a highly accomplished American in the 19th
Century who helped preserve the Union. Abraham Lincoln came away with
iconic status for doing that. Winning the Civil War is not a task that
can fall on one man's shoulder's, though. Edwin Stanton was secretary of
war under Lincoln during that tragic but (apparently) necessary test
for the young U.S. nation. Alistair Cooke called the war "a firebell in
the night."
Just recently there was a big-screen cinematic release called
"Lincoln." He became the face of the Union side. But Stanton seemed a
most essential right-hand man. And, we ought to care out here in West
Central Minnesota. Edwin had a son named Lewis who came out here and
helped give Morris its early personality. If my research is correct,
Lewis must have been very young when coming here, like just out of high
school. I have heard that Morris was judged a good place for him to live
based on climate. He had some health issues.
It's hard to find much detailed information about Lewis. But he
left behind a house that stands as his symbol. It's one of the several
grand Victorian-style houses that were built here in the 1880s, a
prosperous time. The houses were built like fortresses which was no
coincidence. The outside world still had its share of dangers. We were a
rough-hewn nation as you proceeded west.
You should know the Stanton House still stands. You can see it
straight ahead as you turn off Pacific Avenue and head toward West Wind
Village. Indeed, it still looks very grand. It dates back to 1880. It
came to be known as "the Chimneys," along with the rather disparaging
"Stanton's folly." Perhaps it was more ostentatious than needed? More
trouble than it was worth?
I have been inside this grand old mansion. I interviewed a couple
of exchange students there in my work for the local print media. I found
the house to be quite agreeable in all respects. It's on Park Avenue in
west Morris. Park Avenue had a grand and prestigious place in Morris'
early history. It was the ideal place to take a buggy ride on a summer
evening. Pacific and Park were the main arteries going through west
Morris.
West Morris seems to have been planned with 90-degree angles not
very much in mind. Whatever, it has blossomed into a quite fine place
for many Morris residents to live. (I took a photo once of the infamous
"five-way intersection.")
West Morris had the greater prestige in the days when Morris had
the well-understood dichotomy of "east side" and "west side." People of
English stock tended to settle on the west side. They had a natural
advantage with their mastery of the English language. Non-English
speaking immigrants tended to settle on the east side.
Today the old residential core of Morris is all quite homogeneous.
If anything, it has a problem with aging homes. I suppose the main
"prestige" is projected now by those new additions out on the eastern
fringe, out toward the bypass and river. Our civilization plods along.
I predict that with our aging population and smaller families, small houses will become more trendy.
Edwin Stanton: dynamic person
The father of Lewis Stanton had the kind of life that should keep
his name more high-profile. History can be odd in how it bestows
attention. For example, the Union Civil War General name of George
Thomas should be much better-remembered than he is. Another example is
Edwin Stanton.
Edwin was an Ohio native and began his political life as a lawyer
in that state, and as an antislavery Democrat. He moved to Pittsburgh in
1847 and to Washington, D.C. in 1856. In 1859 he was the defense
attorney in the celebrated trial of Daniel Sickles, who would become a
Union general. Sickles was tried for murdering his wife's lover (son of
Francis Scott Key, incidentally). Sickles was acquitted after Stanton
used the insanity defense which was then barely established.
Stanton was appointed U.S. attorney general under President James
Buchanan. His adventures continued as he was sent west, way west of
Morris, as he became an agent for land claims in California. The year:
1858. It was the year Minnesota became a state. In California Edwin
broke up a conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government of vast tracts of
land.
Edwin developed a rock-solid commitment to preserving the Union. He
is credited for influencing Buchanan's position away from entertaining
thoughts of secession or perhaps accommodating it. Those thoughts
instead gravitated to denouncing secession as unconstitutional and
illegal. Such a commitment put Stanton in Lincoln's inner circle of
public servants who would make the maximum commitment toward preserving
the Union.
Stanton in fact became old Abe's closest advisor. He took the helm
as Lincoln's secretary of war on January 15, 1862. He rolled up his
sleeves for administering the huge (and presumably bureaucratic) war
department. He was wary about any officers who were suspected of
sympathies for the South. Lincoln said "without him, I should be
destroyed." Stanton made a political switch, becoming a Republican.
The so-called "rebellion" of the South was put down, albeit with
tremendous cost, sacrifice and tragedy. Indeed, a "firebell in the
night."
The messy business was hardly over, though. How to come together
again? In this respect Stanton fell into a deep conflict situation. He
disagreed with the new president, Andrew Johnson, whose chief fame was -
you're well aware if you stayed awake in history class - getting
impeached.
Those were the days of "the bloody shirt." Politicians waved it,
figuratively speaking, as a way of affirming the Union's efficacy. Johnson's
problem? He seemed a little lenient. Stanton disagreed with Johnson's
plans to readmit the seceded states to the Union without guarantees of
civil rights for the freed slaves. Slavery! It must have gotten
established here under the guiding hand of the Devil. The Civil War was
the bloody price we paid.
We have a wonderful monument in Morris to the commitment of the Union cause: the Sam Smith statue at Summit Cemetery.
President Johnson tried to force Stanton from office in 1867.
Stanton refused and the U.S. Senate stood behind him. Stanton had a
central role in trying to impeach Johnson. The president escaped ouster
by a single vote in the Senate.
Stanton went back to the legal profession after his significant
government career. Ulysses Grant appointed Stanton to the Supreme Court
but Stanton died four days after he was confirmed by the Senate. He was
the second American other than a president to be on a U.S. postage
stamp, good ol' Ben Franklin having been the first. It was Franklin, you
might recall, who wanted the turkey, not the eagle, to be the national
symbol. ("Turkeys are industrious.") This seven-cent stamp was issued in
1871.
Lewis was part of Edwin's second family. Edwin was first married to
Mary Lamson in 1836. To that union two children were born. They resided
in Cadiz OH. Mary died in 1844. Edwin married Ellen Hutchinson in 1856.
This marriage was blessed by four children, Lewis coming along in 1862
(when the war's fury was at its height). The other three children were
Eleanor (born in 1857), James (1861) and Bessie (1863).
What a tremendous mark Edwin left on our still-young nation. It was
Edwin who gave the famous quote as Lincoln passed away: "Now he belongs
to the ages." We can say the same of Edwin and his unflagging moral
convictions, sharp legal mind and hesitance to compromise. I hope the
19th Century stays well preserved in Morris historical annals. Just
close your eyes and imagine you're guiding a horse and buggy along Park
Avenue on a nice still summer Sunday.
Click on the permalink below to see a vintage photo of Morris' Stanton House, from the Minnesota Digital Library.
I'm wondering if maybe Michael Eble's art students at UMM could
begin doing paintings of scenes from Morris' past, to complement the
current subject matter they portray? Old photos from the digital library
would be the guide. How about the alfalfa arch?
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
Good informative article, Brian. Thanks.
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