Scuffle with a knife

Biden’s great-great-grandfather pardoned by Abraham Lincoln

A US newspaper has unearthed an interesting anecdote about an ancestor of current President Joe Biden. The great-great-grandfather of the head of state was convicted of attempted murder after a brawl. However, after a few months, he was pardoned by then President Abraham Lincoln in 1864.

According to a report in the Washington Post, a court transcript in the US National Archives describes the incident that led to Moses J. Robinette's conviction. Biden's great-great-grandfather was employed by the Army of the Northern States as a veterinarian during the American Civil War. In a military camp, he clashed with another civilian employee named John J. Alexander.

According to the minutes, Robinette is said to have overheard Alexander saying something negative about him to a kitchen worker and then called him in. During the ensuing scuffle, Robinette pulled out a pocket knife and inflicted several cuts on his adversary before others present intervened.

Sentenced to two years in prison - and then pardoned
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 had chosen". Nevertheless, the court sentenced him to two years of hard labor.

However, several officers considered the punishment too harsh and demanded that Robinette be pardoned, as he had only defended himself against someone "far superior in strength and size". President Lincoln actually agreed and signed the pardon on September 1, 1864.