But perhaps the story that tells us most about "Honest @Abe" goes:
If you look at the history of the Presidents, you will see that Lincoln's origin is described as "English." But the @English love of fair play is joined with the art of not knowing when a man is beaten. If Lincoln is English, he differs from his ancestors on this point.
During the Black Hawk War, the soldiers in camp entertained themselves by sports contests. The captain of the @Sangamon company topped all his men in such events. This led the men to challenge the entire army. They offered Lincoln as a contestant against the whole field.
A man in another regiment, named @Thompson, showed up to fight Lincoln. Their preliminary match made Lincoln believe that this time he had bitten off more than he could chew. He suggested as much to his backers, who were betting not only all their money, but all their equipment, too, on Lincoln's win. They didn't believe him. But the first bout ended disastrously for Illinois. Lincoln was clearly "downed." The next, or settling bout, ended the same way. Lincoln's supporters, though, would not "see," and refused to pay up their bets. The whole company was about to fight over the decision, when Captain Lincoln spoke up:
"Boys, Thompson threw me fair and clean the first time. And he did the same the next time, but not so clearly."
"In peace or in war," it was always the same "Honest Abe."
