President Biden’s Family Connection to Abraham Lincoln Revealed through Civil War Brawl
President Joe Biden’s Oval Office is adorned with a portrait and bust of Abraham Lincoln, showcasing his admiration for the 16th president. However, the connection between Biden’s family and Lincoln goes beyond mere decoration. It dates back to a late-night brawl during the Civil War that has remained untold for 160 years.
The incident took place on the evening of March 21, 1864, in a small corner of the Army of the Potomac’s winter camp near Beverly Ford, Virginia. A fight erupted between two Union Army civilian employees, Moses J. Robinette and John J. Alexander, leaving Alexander with knife wounds and Robinette charged with attempted murder. Robinette was subsequently imprisoned on a remote island near present-day Florida.
Remarkably, Robinette was none other than President Biden’s great-great-grandfather. Although Biden’s ancestral lineage has long been established, very little has been chronicled about Robinette. However, his court-martial records, discovered at the National Archives in Washington, shed light on this captivating chapter of American history that intertwines the lives of two presidents.
At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Robinette was 42 years old and running a hotel near the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad junction in Grafton, Virginia. As tensions rose and Virginia’s western counties broke away to form West Virginia, a battleground emerged in the region. Union troops occupied Grafton, forcing Robinette to seek refuge with his extended family in Allegany County, Maryland, after his wife’s death and the destruction of his hotel.
In late 1862 or early 1863, Robinette was hired as a civilian veterinary surgeon by the U.S. Army Quartermaster’s Department. His role was to ensure the health of the horses and mules that pulled ammunition wagons for the Army of the Potomac’s reserve artillery. Although Robinette lacked formal medical training, such appointments were not uncommon during the Civil War due to the scarcity of veterinary colleges.
The pivotal moment in the connection between Robinette and Lincoln occurred on that fateful evening near Beverly Ford. Alexander overheard Robinette making remarks about him to a female cook, which led to a confrontation in the mess shanty. Tempers flared, and Robinette drew his pocketknife, resulting in Alexander sustaining several cuts before camp watchmen intervened and arrested Robinette.
Robinette’s military trial began almost a month later, with charges of inciting a dangerous quarrel and assault with an attempt to kill. Witnesses testified to Robinette’s jovial nature but offered conflicting accounts of whether alcohol played a role in the altercation. Robinette maintained that he acted in self-defense. Nevertheless, the military judges found him guilty on all counts except for “attempt to kill,” sentencing him to two years of hard labor.
Robinette’s case then endured a lengthy bureaucratic process, with General George G. Meade confirming his sentence in early July 1864. Subsequently, Robinette was sent to the Dry Tortugas islands near Key West, Florida, where Fort Jefferson served as a military prison during the Civil War. When Robinette arrived at the prison, it housed over 700 inmates, earning a reputation as “American Siberia.”
Around this time, three army officers who knew Robinette petitioned President Lincoln to overturn his conviction. They argued that his punishment was too severe for defending himself against a larger and stronger teamster in the heat of the moment. They also highlighted his unwavering support for the Union cause throughout the war. The officers’ plea reached Lincoln’s desk through various channels, prompting him to review the trial transcripts and ultimately grant a pardon for the unexecuted part of Robinette’s sentence on September 1, 1864.
After spending more than a month in the sweltering conditions of Dry Tortugas, Robinette was finally released and reunited with his family in Maryland. He returned to farming and lived until 1903 when he passed away at his daughter’s home. Despite Robinette’s accomplishments as an educated man and gentleman, his wartime court-martial and connection to Abraham Lincoln were not mentioned in his obituary.
The discovery of Robinette’s 22-page trial transcript among the routine court-martial cases in the National Archives not only sheds light on an unknown piece of Biden family history but also highlights the countless untold stories of the Civil War. It serves as a reminder of the rich tapestry of American history waiting to be explored and shared.
David J. Gerleman, a 19th-century historian, Lincoln scholar, and history instructor at George Mason University, unraveled this hidden link between two presidents across the centuries. Through meticulous research and a passion for history, Gerleman has unearthed yet another compelling tale from one of America’s most defining periods.
