The Inaugural Sorrow of Franklin Pierce

As we await the most dramatic inauguration day in American history, let's go back 170 years to the saddest inauguration day.

The North and the South were splitting apart over the future of slavery. We needed a slaviour. We needed a hero.

Into this formidable breech rode Franklin Pierce, not the most fortunate nor the most skillful equestrian. Pierce's opponent in the election was "Old Fuss and Feathers" General Winfield Scott. Scott had been Pierce's commanding officer in the Mexican War where Pierce found himself leading 2,500 men south of the border. Unfortunately for Franklin, his horse fell underneath him upon a ledge of rocks. During the fall, Pierce was hit in the groin by the pommel of his saddle. After the fall, Pierce strapped himself to his horse in order to stay in the battle. During the subsequent campaign Scott was so impressed by Pierce's leadership during the battle that he released a book to describe Pierce's heroism. The book was tiny and contained only blank pages.

Nevertheless, Pierce an open advocate of Southern interests ("slavery is one of the lights of our prospertity. Involuntary servitude is recognized by the Constitution and stands like any other right as demonstrated by our Founding Fathers." Franklin won the election with the support of all of the slave states.  

On his way to the inauguration, the president elect was travelling by train to Washington with his wife and young son Bennie. The train derailed and although Pierce and his wife were merely shaken up, eleven year old Bennie was crushed to death before his parents' horrified eyes. Pierce had to confront ther inauguaration and the subsequent presidency while still reeling from traumatic, personal tragedy.

During his stunned and stunted presidency, Pierce chose as Secretary of War....Jefferson Davis of all people who would eventually become the president of the Confederacy. Furthermore Pierce enforced the Fugitive Slave Act as well as the Kansas-Nebraska act......both legislations were pro-slavery much to the delight of his dwindling constituency.

In May of 1856 war over slavery broke out in Kansas. Pierce's own party turned against him and nominated James Buchanan, another wizard in the making.

In March of 1857, Pierce returned to New Hampshire after having nudged the nation closer to Civil War. As war became imminent, he wrote a letter to his home boy, former Secretary of War and current leader of Southern succession Jeff Davis. In his letter Pierce wrote that if he were in the Southerners' shoes after so many years of aggression, he would probably be doing what they were doing, partiuclarly if the fathers were wrong with the Constitution then the sooner we separate the better.

His letter was intercepted and published in all the newspapers. Pierce was reviled as a traitor even in his home state. Franklin became recluse. When his beloved, ever anguishing wife died in 1863 with the War raging, Pierce a recovering alcoholic returned to the bottle after twenty years of abstinence. "after the White House, what is there to do but drink?'

And that's what he did, he drank himself right into the grave.

Here in 2021, we've got a guy who falsely claims that he won the election. A guy who won all of the Southern states except Georgia which he claims he won anyway. A guy who hasn't touched a drink in decades. A guy who inspired an insurrection against his own govenrment which threatened the life of his vice-president as well as both Democrats and Republicans in the Congress. A guy who has already been impeached twice.

A guy who won't show up for the inauguration of a phony president while all of the captal buildings are under threat from his followers, fools and true believers.

Yeah, it's the angriest and most dramatic inauguration ever. It's still a couple of days away. God only knows what's about to happen. The national guard has been called out. The entire country is on alert.  Stay tuned

Still, for out and out sadness, it's hard to beat the sorrow of Franklin Pierce.