The Presidents in The Iron Horse Chronicles

Lincoln meets with Dodge

In The Iron Horse Chronicles I include scenes about the impact certain Presidents of the United States had on the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. In the first volume of the trilogy, Eagle Talons, I point out the fact that President Abraham Lincoln met with Grenville M. Dodge in 1859 to discuss the best route for the railroad. Lincoln was no longer living in 1867 when Eagle Talons takes place, and by that time Dodge was honored with the title “General” because of the rank he reached in Civil War. Will Braddock first meets General Dodge, Chief Engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad, when Will arrives in Omaha, Nebraska, at the beginning of his quest that leads him to become involved with the greatest engineering achievement of the mid-nineteenth century.

President Ulysses S. Grant

In 1868, General Ulysses S. Grant is running for president, and he makes a campaign tour of some of the western states and territories, including Wyoming Territory. Will Braddock meets Grant and several famous Civil War generals who are traveling with Grant to the end of track in central Wyoming. Everything I write about Grant in Bear Claws, the second book in The Iron Horse Chronicles, is true except the attempted assassination attempt on the future president that Will and his companion, Lone Eagle, prevent. That part of the story is pure fiction.

As I pointed out on January 5, 2017, in the blog post I wrote for Mad About MG History, the Presidents of the United States have always had a significant impact on the course of the history of our country. With Inauguration Day for our forty-fifth president occurring on January 20, 2017, it is an appropriate time to learn more about them. If you missed reading my article “Inauguration Day and the Presidency,” you will find it at this link: http://madaboutmghistory.blogspot.com/. You will need to scroll down a bit to reach it.

This entry was posted in Bear Claws - Book Two, Eagle Talons - Book One, Geography, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

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