When you think of Abraham Lincoln, you probably picture a tall, solemn orator whose speeches still echo through history. Yet, tucked behind that iconic stovepipe hat were ten troubling stories that showcase a man wrestling with fear, rage, and heartbreak. Below, we peel back the polished veneer to reveal the darker chapters of Lincoln’s life.
10 Troubling Stories Unveiled
10 He Was Afraid To Carry Knives Because He Might Kill Himself
Outwardly, Lincoln seemed like the town jester who could crack a bawdy joke at any moment, wearing a grin that convinced everyone he was the most carefree soul around. In private, however, he was battling a crushing depression that gnawed at his spirit.
He confided to a close friend that he “never dared carry a knife in his pocket” for fear that he might turn it on himself. This wasn’t idle paranoia—he came perilously close to ending his own life on more than one occasion.
During the bitter winter of 1840, his melancholy deepened. Though engaged to Mary Todd, Lincoln found his heart tangled with another woman, Matilda Edwards, and the emotional tug‑of‑war left him utterly distraught.
One colleague summed it up bluntly: “Lincoln went crazy as a loon.” He sank into a mental collapse, unable to work, spending his days mired in hopelessness.
Friends, fearing a tragic impulse, scoured his home, removing every kitchen knife and shaving razor, convinced that even a moment’s unsupervised access could spell disaster for him.
9 He Jumped Out A Window
Even as his depression lingered, Lincoln still showed up at the statehouse. In December 1840, amid a heated legislative session, he startled everyone by leaping out of a window.
The stunt wasn’t a suicide attempt. The Whig party, to which he belonged, was on the brink of losing a critical vote that would force the State Bank to make payments it could not afford, potentially sending the bank spiraling into bankruptcy.
Lincoln spotted a loophole: if the Whigs were short one member, the vote would be invalid. Determined to stall the tally, he ensured one Whig was absent by throwing himself out the window.
Contemporaries treated it as a theatrical political trick. Some joked that his towering height meant his legs barely missed the floor, turning the act into a punch‑line.
Modern scholars, however, view the episode through the lens of his deepening depression, suggesting that the jump may have been driven by more than mere political theatre.
8 He Stopped His First Political Speech To Fight Someone
Lincoln’s reputation as a champion wrestler preceded him—he boasted over three hundred victories and suffered only a single loss. Though his frame appeared lanky, those who saw him up close described a sinewy powerhouse.
In 1832, at the age of twenty‑three, he took the podium for his inaugural political address. He barely uttered a few words before his attention shifted to a scuffle erupting in the crowd.
Two men were locked in a brawl, and Lincoln saw a fervent supporter—who had urged him onto the stage—being roughed up. Without hesitation, the towering future president abandoned his speech, descended from the platform, and seized the beleaguered man by the trousers.
With a mighty heave, Lincoln flung his companion across the floor, sending him at least four metres away, according to eyewitness accounts.
7 He Started A Riot
Lincoln’s fighting spirit didn’t stop at wrestling. A local farmer recalled a moment when Lincoln was asked whether he could slaughter a hog with his bare hands. Lincoln replied, “If you’ll risk the hog, I’ll risk myself.”
Later, a man named William Grigsby challenged Lincoln, but the future president deemed the opponent insufficiently formidable. Instead, he arranged for Grigsby to spar with his stepbrother, John Johnson, to raise the stakes.
When Grigsby began to dominate, Lincoln intervened. He hoisted Grigsby and hurled him into the gathered crowd, then roared, “I’m the big buck of this lick! If any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns!”
The crowd erupted into a full‑blown melee. Some swung at Lincoln, while others defended him, and the entire street turned into a chaotic brawl sparked by the man who would later grace the penny.
6 He Watched His First Love Die
Before Mary Todd entered his life, Lincoln fell deeply for Ann Rutledge while still a law student. Ann was already engaged to John MacNamar, yet the two lovers pledged to break that engagement.
MacNamar was overseas in London, and Ann insisted on confronting him in person. While they waited for his return, Ann contracted typhoid fever, becoming gravely ill.
Lincoln visited her daily, and her sister Nancy later recalled the heartbreaking sight of Lincoln emerging from the room after their final meeting, visibly shattered.
Ann’s untimely death plunged Lincoln into a year‑long bout of madness and grief, with friends noting that he seemed “insane for a year after Annie’s death, with grief.”
5 He Was Considered Hideous
Lincoln’s voice, described by contemporaries as high‑pitched and shrill, was only part of his perceived physical flaws. Many considered his facial features unattractive, and even Lincoln himself seemed aware of the criticism.
When accused of being “two‑faced,” he retorted wittily, “If I had two faces, would I be wearing this one?” The remark hinted at a lingering self‑consciousness about his looks.
In 1860, an eleven‑year‑old girl named Grace Bedell wrote to him, urging, “Let your whiskers grow; all the ladies like whiskers and will tease their husbands to vote for you.”
Inspired, Lincoln grew a full beard, debuting it at his inauguration. He later met Grace, proudly showing off his new whiskers, saying, “Gracie, look at my whiskers; I have been growing them for you.”
4 There Were Rumors That He’d Impregnated Three Women
While modern speculation sometimes questions Lincoln’s sexuality, his contemporaries painted him as a notorious womanizer, reputed to have a “strong passion for women” and an inability to keep his hands off them.
Rumors swirled throughout the town. One farmer claimed Lincoln asked to be notified whenever a mare entered the barn so he could watch the horses breed.
More scandalously, whispers suggested Lincoln fathered children with three local women: Mrs. Abell’s daughter, Mrs. Duncan’s child, and Mrs. Armstrong’s baby. The gossip painted a picture of a secret paternity network.
When Lincoln became president, he invited Mrs. Armstrong—allegedly the mother of one of his secret offspring—to the White House. She laughed off the chatter, declaring, “It was not every woman who had the fortune and honor of sleeping with a president.”
3 He Almost Cheated On Mary Todd With A Prostitute
In the bleak year of 1840, Lincoln, wrestling with depression, sought solace in a brothel. His friend Joshua Speed facilitated the encounter after Lincoln asked, “Speed, do you know where I can get some?”
At the time, Lincoln was courting Mary Todd—perhaps already engaged. Yet the darkness of that year drove him to consider a night with a prostitute.
Upon arrival, he discovered the service would cost $5, but he possessed only $3. The prostitute, attempting to reassure him, offered to trust him for $2, but Lincoln refused, insisting he could not go into debt.
He explained, “I’m poor, I don’t know where my next dollar will come from, and I cannot afford to cheat you.” He offered his three dollars, which the woman declined.
Leaving the establishment, the prostitute praised him, saying, “You are the most conscientious man I ever saw.”
2 He Nearly Fought A Duel With Broadswords
In 1842, Lincoln’s literary ambitions collided with personal pride, culminating in a near‑duel with James Shields, a 36‑year‑old political rival.
Lincoln had penned a satirical short story lampooning Shields, depicting him as a liar and a fool. Offended, Shields demanded a public apology, which Lincoln flatly refused.
Consequently, Shields issued a challenge. Since Lincoln chose the weapon, he selected massive broadswords, insisting on a 30‑centimetre plank separating them, effectively rendering Shields unable to strike.
Believing Shields would concede, Lincoln was surprised when the challenger still marched to the field, ready for an unwinnable fight.
Lincoln prepared to strike down Shields, but a relative of Mary Todd intervened, persuading both men to stand down before blood was shed.
1 He Nearly Left Mary Todd At The Altar
Earlier we noted Lincoln’s flirtation with Matilda Edwards, but Mary Todd herself was also navigating a precarious path. She confessed later that, for two years before their wedding, she “doubtless trespassed many times” with other men, notably Stephen Douglas.
Lincoln, aware of his fiancée’s infidelities, still proceeded to marry her. Some historians argue that an unexpected pregnancy prompted the hurried nuptials.
In a private meeting at a friend’s house, Lincoln shifted from contemplating a broken engagement to declaring he would marry Mary the very next day.
He wrote to a confidant that he “shall have to” marry her, a phrase suggesting external pressure—perhaps the impending birth—forced his hand.
On the wedding day, witnesses recalled Lincoln looking as though he were marching toward the slaughter. When asked where he was headed, he replied, “To hell, I suppose.”