Bloody dispute in 1864
Archive document shows: Biden’s ancestor pardoned by Lincoln
February 19, 2024, 8:10 p.m
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Joe Biden’s family history is enriched by an anecdote: According to a court document that has surfaced, the great-great-grandfather of the US President was pardoned by Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. The reason for the conviction is a bloody clash in 1864.
US President Joe Biden has a portrait and a bust of Abraham Lincoln in the Oval Office – but his admiration for his predecessor certainly has nothing to do with an event in Biden’s family history that the Washington Post has now revealed. As the newspaper reported, Biden’s great-great-grandfather Moses J. Robinette was pardoned after being convicted in a brawl by Lincoln in 1864.
A court transcript in the US National Archives describes the incident that led to Robinette’s conviction. Biden’s great-great-grandfather was employed by the Northern Army as a veterinarian during the American Civil War. At a military camp, he clashed with another civilian employee named John J. Alexander.
According to the report, Robinette is said to have overheard Alexander saying something negative about him to a kitchen worker and then rushed towards him. During the ensuing scuffle, Robinette pulled out a pocket knife and inflicted several cuts on his opponent before others present intervened.
The 42-year-old later defended himself before a military court by saying that Alexander “might have seriously injured me if I had not resorted to the means I chose.” Nevertheless, the court sentenced him to two years of hard labor.
But three officers then stood up for Robinette. They called the punishment unduly harsh and found that Robinette had defended herself against someone “who was far superior in strength and size.” President Lincoln agreed and signed the pardon of Biden’s great-great-grandfather on September 1, 1864.