Doctor with Hamilton ties, 1st Black man at White House reception, among ‘courageous’ Civil War surgeons


More than 100 years after his death, Anderson’s visit Ruffin Abbott to the White House and his relationship with President Abraham Lincoln continues to fascinate people.

Abbott, a man of first notable, is included in the book by Jill L. Newmark No concealment, without obligation: the brave lives of black civil war surgeons.

In addition to being the first black Canadian to have a doctor as a doctor, said Newmark, was one of the first two black people to attend a reception in the White House.

Born in Toronto in On April 7, 1837, Abbott practiced medicine in the Hamilton Dundas community for about 10 years, and maintained a significant role in the field of medicine in Ontario and the United States, including the chief surgeon.

Newmark said Abbott followed his friend and mentor, fellow Dr. Alexander Augusta, who trained in Canada in the 1850s, Washington in 1863 to serve as a surgeon in the United States army.

During his investigation for his 312 -page book, which was published in 2023 and includes the stories of 14 doctors, Newmark said he learned through Abbott’s archiving documents and magazines in the Toronto Public Library that lived in a pension when He arrived in Washington.

“Elizabeth Keckley, who was the confidant and seamstress for Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s wife … lived in the pension where Anderson Abbott lived,” Newmark told CBC News.

“When Anderson Abbott came here, he became very ill and she helped breastfeed him. Obviously, Alexander Augusta came to see him there and he was the doctor who treated him. So there were these connections.

“Anderson Abbott later in life requested a pension … and Elizabeth Keckley did it [a deposition] For him and she considered him an intimate friend. Then they became friends in Washington, DC, “Newmark added.

Jill Newmark’s cover shows John H. Rapier Jr., Abbott, William P. Power Jr. and Alexander T. Augusta, from left to right. (Jill Newmark/Amazon)

Months after arriving in the United States, Abbott attended a reception at the White House.

“In February 1864, Alexander Augusta [an American] And Anderson Abbott were the first black men, probably the first black soldiers safely, in attending a white house reception, “said Newmark.

“The question about how they received the invitation is not clear, but I am sure that Elizabeth Keckley had something to do with that. There were not so many black surgeons in Washington, DC, I’m sure they knew who these people were. that Abraham Lincoln knew who Augusta was, and also [Edwin] Stanton because he had to approve it to take the exam to become a surgeon. ”

Visit of the White House ‘created a stir’

Newmark said that the presence of Augusta and Abbott in the White House “created a stir, because there are two black men with uniforms of military officers at a white house reception.”

In the 1890s, Abbott wrote about the experience, said Newmark.

“He talks about going to the reception and giving him his coats, and then entering and everyone is looking at them. He basically said that something could have fallen from the skylight that it would not have been as shocking as they enter,” he said.

“President Lincoln received them hot. They walked. I think Lincoln’s son asked his father:” Are you going to accept this innovation or something of that nature? “And he said: ‘Why not?’

“That was a big thing. So basically they broke the color barrier in the White House events,” said Newmark.

Abbott wrote that he was in the pension when Lincoln was shot, and a messenger for Mary Lincoln came to the door looking for Keckley.

“Abbott says it was not appropriate for a woman to go out in the middle of the night. Then, she said she accompanied her in the carriage [to the hospital]”Said Newmark.

‘Abbott got a chal that belonged to Lincoln’

The next morning, Abbott learned that Lincoln had died.

“After Lincoln died, Mary Lincoln gave gifts from Lincoln’s possessions to different people, and Anderson Abbott received a chal that belonged to Lincoln,” said Newmark.

“Then, that has to be representative of the possible friendship they had. He also says that after the president died, he went to the White House and went to the east room and saw the body.

“The White House described as bleak at the end, with a strong curtain of mourning, the deep gloom of the interior, the silenced voices and the damping steps,” Newmark added.

While confirming that he was escorted to the room where Lincoln’s body was, “he said it would be little thick to describe the affected family. Keckley as his only partner was unfortunate at the end,” said Newmark.

Chal ‘a precious article’: Abbott’s great -grandson

Abbott’s great grandchildren, Catherine Slaney, said that Mary Lincoln’s black and white chal was appreciated by the family.

“That was a precious article that was in the family … and I was very proud of that,” Slaney told CBC Hamilton.

“Now it is in the Wisconsin textile museum. We send it there because we feel it would be more significant in the hands of Americans.”

Lincoln's Chal to Anderson Abbott
The chal that Mary Lincoln, wife of the president of the United States murdered, Abraham Lincoln, gave Abbott (Presented by Catherine Slaney)

Slaney said Abbott never forgot where he came and always actively participated in the community.

“When he returned, he worked in Toronto operating at Toronto [General] Hospital, then became a coroner of [Chatham-Kent] County, and he went to private practice, “he said.

“He was the head of all community organizations: the school association, the Church, what was happening in the city, and that was that lifestyle in those days.”

‘Abbott’s life story must be appreciated by all Canadians’

Alan Smith, historical researcher at the Museum and Dundas Archives, said you can learn important lessons in Abbott’s history.

“The successes, difficulties and value contained in the history of the life of Dr. Anderson Ruffin Abbott must be appreciated by all Canadians,” Smith told CBC News.

“It provides us with a road map regarding what is possible, not only 150 years ago, but what can be achieved, regardless of race, when the opportunity is within one.”

Smith said that the Museum and the Dundas archives, through its next website dedicated to the achievements of the black Canadians, “hopes to communicate and help inform about the remarkable life of these first citizens such as Dr. Abbott. Who who knows?


A banner of cuffs overturned, with the words 'Black in Canada'.
(CBC)

To obtain more stories about the experiences of black Canadians, from anti-negral racism to success stories within the black community, visit Be black in CanadaA CBC project that black Canadians can be proud. You can read more stories here.



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