Abraham Lincoln’s Son: The Forgotten Story of Robert Todd Lincoln
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 6 May 2026
⏱️ 9 minutes
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Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, as the eldest son of Abraham Lincoln, Robert Todd Lincoln spent much of his life in the shadow of one of the most revered figures in American history. By the end of the Civil War, he had joined the Union Army despite his father’s reservations and was present near the front during its final days, including the period surrounding General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House.
In the years that followed, he charted his own course, serving as U.S. Secretary of War and later as Ambassador to Great Britain. Our regular contributor, The History Guy, shares the often-overlooked story of a man who built a legacy beyond his father’s name.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.6 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:04.3 | Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. |
| 0:07.7 | Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand |
| 0:11.8 | new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. |
| 0:15.5 | Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the |
| 0:20.3 | biology of taunons and wampas |
| 0:22.2 | on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. |
| 0:28.3 | Listen to Stuff to Bo Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your |
| 0:33.5 | podcasts. |
| 0:44.5 | Music your podcast. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, and we tell stories about everything |
| 0:49.5 | here on this show, from the arts to sports and from business to history and everything |
| 0:53.9 | in between, including your stories, send them to our American Stories.com. this show, from the arts to sports, and from business to history, and everything in |
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| 0:59.5 | favorites. And all of our history work is brought to us by the great folks at Hillsdale |
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| 1:09.8 | online courses. |
| 1:11.6 | And our next story comes to us from a man who's simply known as the History Guy. |
| 1:15.6 | His videos are watched by hundreds of thousands of people of all ages over on YouTube. |
| 1:21.6 | The History Guy is also heard here at our American Stories. |
| 1:24.6 | In this next story, the History Guy remembers the 16th president's son, Robert Todd Lincoln. |
| 1:30.8 | Because of his father, Abraham Lincoln, Robert Todd's life has been largely forgotten. |
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