Overview

Lieutenant Benjamin Loring lived the life of an everyman Civil War soldier. He commanded no armies; he devised no grand strategies. Lt. Loring was a soldier who just wanted to return home, where he awaited the biggest story of his life. In I Held Lincoln: A Union Sailor's Journey Home, Richard E. Quest tells the story of Lt. Loring and his noteworthy impact on American history. Covering almost a year of Lt. Loring's service, I Held Lincoln includes the Lieutenant's command of the gunboat Wave, the Battle of the Calcasieu River, the surrender of the ship, and Lt. Loring's capture by the Confederates. He was incarcerated in Camp Groce, a deadly Confederate prison where he endured horrific conditions and abuse. Loring attempted to escape, evading capture for ten arduous days behind enemy lines, only to be recaptured just a few miles from freedom. After his second escape, Lt. Loring finally gained his freedom behind Union lines. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lt. Loring attended Ford's Theater and witnessed one of the single most tragic events in American history: the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. After the shot rang out, Lt. Loring climbed up the presidential box where he assisted the dying president and helped carry him across the street to the Peterson House. Using a recently discovered private journal of Lt. Loring, Quest tells this astonishing lost story, giving insight into a little-known Confederate prison camp during the last days of the Civil War, along with providing much-deserved recognition to a man whose journey has been overlooked and lost to American history.

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9781612349497

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Reviews

Lt. Benjamin Loring was a naval combat veteran and POW who twice escaped his Confederate captors, enduring enormous hardships as he struggled to return to duty. Ironically, rather than being hailed as a hero, he found himself under attack for having surrendered his ship. Richard Quest's book will finally correct the historical record, something Loring was not able to fully accomplish during his lifetime. --Thomas R. Turner, professor of history emeritus at Bridgewater State University and editor of the journal Lincoln Herald--Thomas R. Turner (09/16/2017) A compelling account of capture, imprisonment, escape, ordeal, and survival, I Held Lincoln reads like quality fiction. The reader follows with intense interest the efforts of Union Navy Lieutenant Benjamin W. Loring to gain freedom from a Texas prison camp despite an array of daunting obstacles. Richard Quest's ability to maintain the inherent drama and suspense of the story makes this book hard to put down. --Edward G. Longacre, author of The Sharpshooters: A History of the Ninth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War --Edward G. Longacre (09/16/2017) Gleaned from the actual documents of Lt. Benjamin Loring, I Held Lincoln tells the story of a Union sailor's remarkable odyssey as he twice escapes from a Confederate prison, only to later find himself a player at Ford's Theater at one of the most crucial events in American history. Richard Quest brings to life this extraordinary, fast-paced, and recently discovered story. I Held Lincoln could be The Conspirator's prequel. --Webster Stone, producer of The Conspirator --Webster Stone (09/16/2017)

Author Information

Richard E. Quest is the national director of education with the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, a nonprofit organization located in Arlington, Virginia. The organization is dedicated to providing young men and women the opportunity to experience, explore, and further develop their leadership skills as part of the official youth leadership program of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. A former history teacher, Quest has held administrative positions in public education and was a dean and associate vice president of several colleges. He is a member of the Loudoun County Civil War Round Table and is a guide at the Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park in Virginia.    

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