A General Hesitated to Lobby for His Stranded Son. His Wife Pressed Him.

Historians did not record this home conversation, but it likely went something like this.

It is evening in Washington near the end of 1882, and Mrs. Lockwood, the wife of Army General Henry Lockwood, waits with a letter when her husband walks through the front door.

The letter is from Henrietta Greeley, the wife of the Army officer leading an American expedition stranded in the Arctic. She offers sympathy to parents waiting for word from a son, Lieutenant James Lockwood, and asks for help urging faster action in Washington.

This private appeal mattered because Lockwood's pressure later helped bring a second rescue effort after the 1882 failure had left the men to face another winter.

Henrietta was worried because the 1882 relief ship had been delayed and then failed to push through heavy ice. She feared that another slow effort could leave her husband and his men without help.

When his wife asks him to lobby Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's son, Lockwood at first says no. He says the relief work belongs to General William Hazen of the Signal Corps, and that stepping in would be improper.

He also says the Arctic party should still have ample supplies, enough by his estimate to last at least two more years. The expedition had planned for a long stay, and he believes the men are fine.

His wife counters that keeping their son alive is worth some embarrassment at work. She suggests he offer help with planning or logistics, so Hazen might welcome support rather than see interference. After listening, he agrees to see what he can do for James.

Whatever the exact words that evening, the outcome is documented. In March 1883, Lincoln authorized another relief ship, with urging from Lockwood as one reason for the decision. A family argument about duty had helped give the stranded men another chance.