This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, in December of 2024. It was penned by Wendy Allen of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.
Christmas itself didn’t become a national holiday until President Ulysses S. Grant signed a congressional bill into law in 1870. But it became a national holiday because of its growing popularity in the 1850’s and 60’s.
According to Lincoln historian David Kent, the brutality of the Civil War also played a role in the resurgence of Christmas in American life. Ironically, it was the non-religious aspects of Christmas that saw the biggest growth during this period. Not the least of which was the popularization of Santa Claus.
Kent continues, while Santa may have had some origins in St. Nicholas and other regional folklore, he evolved into the jolly old elf we know today thanks in large part to Thomas Nast, a prolific illustrator and cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly magazine. It was Nast who first introduced Santa Claus (aka, Father Christmas) – surprisingly, as a recruiting tool for the Union army. One interesting illustration appears in the January 3, 1863 issue of Harper’s, depicting Santa “on a sleigh handing out packages to Union soldiers in Civil War camp.”
To us now, having state legislator Abraham Lincoln vote against making Christmas a state holiday in 1834 seems unthinkable. However, throughout his life, Christmas was a normal day at the office and that was not unusual. Up until the mid 1800s, Christmas was celebrated with church services, not parties and presents, which were seen as unchristian.
According to the National Park Service at the Springfield, Illinois Lincoln Home, “the Christmas tree was first represented in popular print in a woman's magazine, Godey's Lady's Book, in 1850. The image was an Americanized version of a very popular image of Queen Victoria and her family from the Illustrated London News. America's fondness for Queen Victoria helped popularize the idea of having a Christmas tree inside the home. While we have no evidence that the Lincolns had a Christmas tree, the family may have visited the Christmas tree exhibited at the First Presbyterian Church located a few blocks away.”
The NPS continues to suggest evidence that the Lincoln family participated in the Christmas tradition of stuffing stockings with small gifts. Lincoln family biographer Ruth Painter Randall's 1955 work, Lincoln's Sons, tells of the Lincolns hanging Christmas stockings. The eldest son, Robert, "was careful not to disturb the illusions of Willie and Tad as to the one who had filled those stockings.”
The Christmas season also called for special menus. Typical food for the holiday season may have included boned turkey, oysters, venison, chicken salad, biscuits, bullion, glazed fruit, fruit cake, ice cream, cake, candy, macaroon pyramids, citrus fruit, preserves, wine, eggnog, and hot coffee. It is believed that Abraham Lincoln was the first president to pardon a turkey. As the story from 1863 relates, Lincoln and his family, after feeding and fattening the bird, couldn’t bring themselves to kill and eat it. This animal was a Christmas turkey, not a Thanksgiving turkey. Still, it was “pardoned.”
The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania wishes everyone a warm and safe holiday season and a most wonderful New Year!
This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, November of 2024. It was penned by Therese Orr of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.
Tuesday, November 19, marked the 161st anniversary of the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery and Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Despite a forecast of cloudy skies, the sun shone through scattered clouds and temperatures in the 50’s made for a very pleasant day for an outdoor activity. The day began with a carriage ride for our rostrum participants (speakers, ministers, special guests) from the David Wills house to the Baltimore Street gate of the cemetery. In 1863 the procession to the cemetery travelled from the Wills House, south on Baltimore Street, until turning onto today’s Steinwehr Avenue and Taneytown Road. The Lincoln Fellowship carriage ride began in 2023 and may become a yearly tradition. The cemetery program began with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Soldiers National Monument. Bugler Jari Villanueva sounded “Assembly”; National Park Service (NPS) Ranger Chris Gwinn provided a historical interpretation; wreaths were presented; participants were awarded One Hundred Nights of Taps 2024 commemorative coins; Lincoln Fellowship historian John Tuskan spoke of 2LT Edmund Dascomb (the soldier honored on the coin); and Bugler Brian Poffenberger sounded “Taps”.
As the Rostrum participants took their seats the “One Hundred Nights of Taps, Gettysburg Fanfare” was played. This special piece was composed by Jari Villanueva in honor of our summertime Taps program. Following the singing of the National Anthem by the Gettysburg Choral Society and the Invocation by Rev. Dr. Theresa Smallwood of the United Lutheran Seminary, brief remarks were given by Superintendent Kristina Heister, Gettysburg National Military Park; Gene Barr, Vice Chair, Gettysburg Foundation; Robert Iuliano, President, Gettysburg College; and Wendy Allen, President, Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania. Music was also provided by the Gettysburg High School Ceremonial Band and baritone Wayne Hill.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Craig Symonds, Professor Emeritus of History at the United States Naval Academy, where he taught for thirty years. He focused his remarks on his introduction to the Gettysburg battlefield as a youth and the story of a New York soldier who died in the battle, SGT Amos Humiston.
Each year a special ceremony takes place as part of our Dedication Day program: the naturalization of 16 new citizens of the United States. As one listens to the oath of allegiance they take, one realizes the enormity of what they are leaving behind and the promises they make to be citizens of our great country. Following their oath, they were greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd. Representatives of the Daughters of the American Revolution presented our new citizens with flags and copies of the U.S. Constitution.
Two long-time supporters of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania were presented with honorary memberships in our organization by our president, Wendy Allen. Plaques made from pieces of the witness Sycamore from Baltimore Street were given to Lincoln scholars Harold Holzer and Dr. Gabor Boritt. Following this presentation Harold Holzer delivered the Gettysburg Address.
Mrs. Beth Carmichael, widow of Dr. Peter Carmichael, was presented a flag flown at the cemetery on November 19. Dr. Carmichael was the Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College and a beloved member of our Gettysburg community and the Civil War community.
Rev. Stephen Herr, Christ Lutheran Church, provided the Benediction.
Members of the Lincoln Fellowship concluded our day with our annual meeting and luncheon at Beyond the Battle Museum.
We hope to see you not only in 2025, but also in 2026 where we will recreate the original Dedication Day ceremony as part of the nationwide America 250 celebration.
This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, October of 2024. It was penned by Susan Paddock of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.
What happened in Gettysburg in 1863 is more than history. The Battle and the way President Abraham Lincoln defined it in the Gettysburg Address is a lesson as relevant today as it was then.
Lincoln said we were testing whether any nation based on the idea that “all men are created equal”, can “long endure.” In some ways, the question is still being asked in 2024. Hopefully today we will echo Lincoln’s resolve that “these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
This timeless message of our national intention to defend equal rights, our union and our democracy must be passed on perpetually to every new generation.
That’s what Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania has been doing since 1938 through our public presence. Every November 19th, hundreds of onlookers help commemorate the Gettysburg Address and re-dedicate the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Every Dedication Day program offers distinguished speakers, ceremonial wreath laying, music, and a new citizens naturalization ceremony.
We commissioned and care for the most photographed monument in Gettysburg, the “Return Visit” statue on Gettysburg’s historic Lincoln Square. Numerous families and friends cluster around the figures of “Modern Man” and President Lincoln, while Lincoln gestures with his hat toward the Wills House.
Each summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day, The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania and Gettysburg National Military Park co-sponsor One Hundred Nights of Taps, Gettysburg, in partnership with Taps for Veterans, Gettysburg’s Licensed Battlefield Guides, and Eisenhower National Historic Site. The program features new material every night, and the buglers come from all over the United States. This year it is estimated that we had over 10,000 visitors watching this educational and moving program. In 2025 we’ll be going into our 9th year, and we have inspired Taps programs in other towns.
All of our programs are educational. The Traveling Trunk, offered in partnership with the Gettysburg National Park Service, brings Lincoln information and memorabilia to classrooms. Each February we bring delighted preschoolers to the statue for Lincoln’s Birthday Party. We’ve also hosted historian conversations on YouTube and various other events. Except for the Annual Membership Luncheon, every program is free of cost.
Our all-volunteer Board and membership have been doing all this for 86 years from our kitchen tables. As our programs grow, we realize that the need for our program is larger than volunteers can manage. We are participating in the Giving Spree (ACCFGivingSpree.org) with a goal of getting the help of paid staff and a dedicated office. This year we request “forever fund” donations to Giving Spree to help us continue far into the future because we will always need Lincoln’s voice.
This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, September of 2024. It was penned by Wendy Allen of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.
One Hundred Nights of Taps, Gettysburg, 2024
Gettysburg National Cemetery
Gettysburg National Military Park
Gettysburg, PA, 2024
To these most gifted musicians Brian Poffenberger, Kaitlynn Gaff, Doug Rudisill, Robert Hawke, Mark Young, Graham Bentley, Jeff Stockham, Mitchell Mummert, Jeff Miller, Alan Ashley, John Charow, Howard Billig, Albert Lilly, Robert Roll, Lou Dileo, David Bufalini, Kevin McCarty, Steve Snyder, Thomas Sneeringer, Shirley Ann Walker, Jim McDevitt, Kevin Paul, Nathaniel Bauder, Jamie Cope, Kevin Czarnik, John Baker, Greg Murphy, Ron Glazer, Robert Beaver, Amy Gabriele, Evan Frantz, Ryan Bowden, Andrew Bisnett, Priscilla King, Jocelyn Hammond,Thomas Herman, Ron Ciasullo, Mitchell Hourt, Vince Pettinelli, Ken Bair, Ralph Brodt, Howard Billig, Katie Gaff, Brian Wilkie, Cameron Sands, Damon Morris, Stephen Bottom, Keith Lippincott, Liam Gallagher, George Boyd, Neil King, Judy Shellenberger, Anthony Nunes, David Apple, Randall McGuire, Warren Prender, Ian Monaghan, Michael Krauss, Scotty Clark, Robert Slamp, Joseph Dupesko, Drew Podnar, Brooks Brady, Brig. General Jeffrey Newton, John R. Thomas, Joshua Cooper, Landon Rosekrans, Aaron Robertson, Peter Sharrock, Jim Shufelt, Henry Dillon, Benjamin McClelland, Albert Trapani, Tom Hehman, John Lupp, Anthony June, Keith DeFontes, Nicholas Brown-Cáceres, Max Osborn and Lucas Fleming,Wes Snyder, Ryan Fox, David Beier, Erin Bannon, Debra Skripkunis, Tom Beaver, Michael Wood, Chris Myers, Donald Roeder, Russ Ebersole, Rick Barnes, Jim Steele, Jari Villanueva, Harold Collins, Jay Copenhaver, Jim Steele, Robert Balmer, and Jay Copenhaver,
and the most talented and dedicated program volunteers John Tuskan, Sandy Tuskan, and Scott Burkett,
and our special co-sponsor, Gettysburg National Military Park and our gifted program partners, Taps for Veterans, Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides, and Eisenhower National Historic Site,
the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania extends its profound praise and gratitude for making One Hundred Nights of Taps, Gettysburg, 2024 a great and meaningful success.
Join us next summer when the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania will present, One Hundred Nights of Taps, Gettysburg, 2025. For the ninth year, beginning on Memorial Day (Monday, May 26, 2025) and running through Labor Day (Monday, September 1, 2025), the notes of “Taps” will once more fill the air every evening as the famous 24-note call is sounded in Gettysburg National Cemetery.
Each evening will feature two educational components. Beginning at 5:30 P. M. each evening representatives from Gettysburg’s Licensed Battlefield Guides will offer a free interpretive program exploring the aftermath of the battle of Gettysburg and the creation of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg, concluding at the Soldiers’ National Monument. During the formal Taps program beginning at 7 P. M. representatives from the Lincoln Fellowship, guest National Park Service Rangers, and Licensed Battlefield Guides will again offer brief historical vignettes. Called Enduring Pathways, these focus on Abraham Lincoln, the Gettysburg Address, the history of Taps, and the Soldiers’ National Monument, with topics changing nightly.
And, of course, we will welcome the volunteer buglers that include active-duty military musicians, military veterans, Civil War living historians and musicians, community band members, high school and college students, and music teachers, to sound Taps.
This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, August of 2024. It was penned by Scott Burkett of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.
President Abraham Lincoln spent time with many soldiers during the Civil War. Few, if any, received the attention and kindness the boy bugler experienced.
Gustav Albert “Gus” Schurmann was just 12 when he volunteered on June 26, 1861, as a musician with the 40th New York Infantry. A chance meeting with Abraham’s son, Thomas “Tad” Lincoln in April 1863, brought him to the White House
Gus was serving as Dan Sickles’ bugler and aide when the president’s son saw the boy, just two years older than young Tad. The younger Lincoln implored his father to bring the boy bugler to Washington, but the president said, “he’s a soldier, he must do his duty here.” However, General Sickles responded, “Mr. President, if you desire, the bugler may accompany you. I will give him a two-week furlough.
During their fortnight at the White House, the two boys “had the run of the town” and White House, where they had free rein to play and, in some cases, create quite a bit of mischief. Taking a hand axe, thought at the time to be the one George Washington used to chop down a cherry tree, Tad and Gus hacked at furniture and sawed away the banisters of the main stairway in the White House.
When the boys were taken to Lincoln for the misadventure, the president didn't rebuke them. Instead, he told them tales of his time as a Captain in the Black Hawk War of 1832.
Later, the boys knocked loudly on the door of the Executive Office and burst in where the president was meeting with Secretary of State William Seward and Secretary of War Edward M. Stanton.
Tad hugged his father and then ran from the room. Gus saluted and followed Tad out into the hallway.
Secretary Seward asked, “Mr. Lincoln, are you not annoyed by those boys?”
The president smiled and said, “Oh, never mind. It’s a diversion, and we need diversion at the White House.”
Mary Todd Lincoln would later say their child-rearing philosophy was that children should be “free, happy and unrestrained by parental tyranny. Love is the chain whereby to bind a child to his parents.”
On a second visit to the White House, Tad and Gus rode horses throughout Washington and attended several plays. At one, the boys went backstage to meet the cast and were greeted and each given a rose by actor John Wilkes Booth.
Gus Schurmann would survive ten major battles and serve four Major Generals, including Dan Sickles at Gettysburg, and lived until 1905. He was 56 when he died.
The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania’s “One Hundred Nights of Taps, Gettysburg” program features buglers of all ages – including several the age of the boy bugler – from across the country.
This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, July of 2024. It was penned by Wendy Allen of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.
On July 4th, 2024, Dr. Ashley Whitehead Luskey delivered a moving keynote address for the “One Hundred Nights of Taps” ceremony. Dr. Luskey is the Assistant Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. She is also a member of the board of directors for the Lincoln Fellowship. Here are excerpts from her speech.
On July 7, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln emerged from the White House to address a crowd of supporters who had come with a brass band to celebrate the recent dual victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. "I would like to speak," Lincoln said, "in all praise that is due to the many brave officers and soldiers who have fought in the cause of the Union and liberties of this country from the beginning of this war, not on occasions of success, but upon the more trying occasions of the want of success.... I say I would like to speak in praise of these men...but...I should dislike to mention the name of a single officer, lest in doing so I wrong some other one whose name may not occur to me.”
In his refusal to spotlight the names of even just one individual, Lincoln revealed his steadfast belief in the foundational ideal of our Declaration of Independence, whose anniversary they had just commemorated—the equality of mankind. To Lincoln, the suffering of the soldiers knew no distinction between rank or commission. Their sacrifice, demonstrated in Gettysburg and on the other Union battlefields, he believed, were shared by men who were equals, on behalf of securing the equality of all.
Reflecting on the legacies of the fallen of Gettysburg some 20 years after the battle, Brigadier General Alexander Webb similarly recalled, “This three days’ contest was a constant recurrence of scenes of self-sacrifice on the part of all....The dead knew not, it may be, all that they have done; but they died for us, and for our country.... We approach their graves in reverence and in tears. We now know how much we owe to them. Rest, patriot spirits, rest.”
Like Lincoln, Webb refrained from singling out the names of any particular individuals, rather he spoke of the equal sacrifice shared by all: “We live to know how great was your sacrifice—how great was our gain...you have died that we might live, and this nation.” And in his closing remarks, he called forth upon the collective spirits of the dead to inspire the collective living to carry forth that torch of freedom and equality.
And so, on this 248th birthday of our country, let us also pause to remember the sacrifices that were at once both deeply personal, yet profoundly collective. And, from both the named and the nameless, may we take up the solemn responsibility as torchbearers of equality and freedom, and may we continue to find meaning in the reason why they died. And may we long remember the equality of their shared sacrifice.
Rest indeed, patriot spirits, rest.
This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, June of 2024. It was penned by Rev. Stephen Herr of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.
When we think of Abraham Lincoln and Gettysburg, our thoughts often turn to his famous address delivered on November 19, 1863 at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. To be sure, Lincoln’s speech remains his enduring legacy at Gettysburg. Yet, Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief contributed in important ways to the Gettysburg Campaign throughout June and July of 1863. Although he was not physically present in Gettysburg during this time, his impact was still felt.
Most significantly, on June 28, Lincoln appointed General George Gordon Meade to serve as the Commanding General of the Army of the Potomac. The President and Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton selected Meade, and, unlike General John Fulton Reynolds who had been offered the position and turned it down, Meade had no choice. Meade’s selection proved to be a good one. The new commanding general immediately began studying the locations of both the Army of Northern Virginia and his own army. Lincoln, along with General-in-Chief, Henry Halleck made it clear that Meade and his army were to stay between the southern army and the cities of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Meade also began preparing his army for battle.
Though often overlooked, Lincoln’s restraint during the battle of Gettysburg in allowing Meade to fight the battle on his terms had a significant effect on the way the battle played out. Lincoln remained in Washington, D.C. and often visited the War Department telegraph office for updates and news. The President displayed mature leadership by resisting the urge to send communications to Meade on how to conduct the battle, and thus let Meade’s responses to the ebb and flow of combat, rather than executive orders from afar, dictate the fighting. His address to the press and others on the Fourth of July noted that the laudable results of the battle were such “as to cover the Army with the highest honor, to promise a great success to the cause of the Union and to claim the condolence for all of the many gallant fallen.”
Following the battle, Lincoln expected Meade to aggressively pursue a crippled Confederate army. However, Meade was forced to navigate between healing his own badly beaten-up army and maintaining a position that still protected Washington. As a result, he was slow in pursuing Lee, much to the chagrin of Lincoln. After more than two years of war, Lincoln had come to the realization that driving the southern army from the field no longer would secure an end to the war; the Army of Northern Virginia, he believed, must be so heavily pummeled that it would eliminate the Confederates’ capacity to continue the struggle.
Lincoln conferred with his cabinet and General Halleck about a more aggressive pursuit of Lee by Meade. By July 14, Lee had escaped across the Potomac River and was back in Virginia. Meade received a message from Halleck indicating that Lee’s escape had “created great dissatisfaction in the mind of the President.” Meade responded by offering his resignation. Interestingly, throughout this closing portion of the campaign Lincoln did not communicate directly with Meade. On July 14, he penned a letter to Meade, both expressing gratitude for his victory at Gettysburg, and outlining his rationale for his frustration and anger at the missed opportunity to end the war; however, Lincoln never signed or sent the letter. Though we will never know for sure, it is possible that, had Lincoln decided to send his letter, and had he communicated more frequently and directly with Meade throughout the battle itself, he might have seen strikingly different results from the campaign, and from the war itself. Thus, Lincoln’s overall absence from the battle just may have been his most significant contribution to it—for better or for worse.
What is certain is that Lincoln’s greatest contribution to the enduring legacy of Gettysburg was his few appropriate remarks delivered four months later, in November. However, we cannot forget that his selection of Meade and his decisions both during and after the battle contributed in no small way to the military campaign itself.
Throughout the summer the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania remembers the sacrifice of the soldiers who died at Gettysburg and the enduring legacy of Abraham Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address. Join us each night through Labor Day at the Gettysburg National Cemetery for 100 Nights of Taps Gettysburg, 2024. This educational opportunity, in partnership with the National Park Service, begins at 7:00 p.m.
This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, May of 2024. It was penned by John Tuskan of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.
According to Jari Villanueva, Musical Director for 100 Nights of Taps Gettysburg and an expert on military bugle calls, the custom of honoring the dead at burials and memorial services with trumpet and bugle calls dates to Biblical times. Ancient trumpets were used at religious ceremonies and were associated with magical rites. The tradition of playing at sunrise (“Reveille”), sunset (“Retreat”), and at burials (“Taps”) may have evolved from these ancient services. In the military of many nations, it is now customary that a bugle or trumpet sounds the last call of the day and ceremonially honors the dead during military funerals.
In the United States, “Taps” was first sounded in a military funeral in July 1862. Beginning in 1891, the playing of Taps became standard at military funeral ceremonies. Today, “Taps” is sounded as the final call every evening on military installations and at military funerals. In 2013 “Taps” was legislated as our “National Song of Military Remembrance.” Although “Taps” is unique to the U.S., other nations have also developed bugle call that are performed at military funerals.
In England and the British Commonwealth Nations, “Last Post” “is the bugle call sounded during military funerals and other solemn occasions as a final farewell. It symbolizes that the duties of the dead are over and that they may rest in peace.
During French military funerals, the bugle call “Sonnerie Aux Morts” is sounded. This call was composed for use by the French after World War I. During the war, French military leaders were impressed by the impact that the “Last Post” and “Taps” had on participants and observers during military funerals.
In Italy “Silenzio d’Ordinanza” is sounded at night when soldiers have gone to sleep, and it is also performed at military funeral services.
In Germany, no bugle calls are sounded at military funerals. Musical support may consist of a band or three drummers and one trumpet player. At the end of the ceremony, the band plays the chorale “Ich hatt einen Kameraden” ("I had a comrade").
The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania cordially invites you to attend 100 Nights of Taps Gettysburg to hear the sounding of “Taps” and join us in honoring those buried there, as well as all those who have served our nation. The program will begin every evening at 7 PM between May 27 and September 2, 2024, at the Soldiers’ National Monument in the Gettysburg National Cemetery.
This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, April of 2024. It was penned by Therese Orr of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.
“I leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return.”
On November 6, 1860 telegraph lines spread the news across our still fledgling country: LINCOLN ELECTED! Thus began Lincoln’s journey to our nation’s capital that culminated in a serpentine trip of thirteen days from Springfield, IL to Washington, DC. It would be four long months before Lincoln’s inauguration.
During those months, Lincoln worked on his inaugural address; greeted the hordes of citizens who traveled to the Mecca that Springfield had become; learned of wild rumors of plots to prevent him from being officially declared President (perhaps even stealing the boxes containing the electoral vote certificates from the states); and, most alarmingly, received warnings of plots to kill him.
On January 30, 1861, Lincoln visited his elderly stepmother, Sarah, who declared that she would never see him again, that his enemies would assassinate him. Lincoln assured Sarah that all would be well, to trust in the Lord.
Finally, on the cold, rainy, gloomy day of February 11, 1861, Lincoln boarded the Presidential Special train and began his trip east. Before a crowd that was estimated to be between one hundred and one thousand people, Lincoln gave a farewell speech. In two minutes, nine sentences, he thanked friends and family for their support, spoke of the daunting challenge before him, and asked for their prayers. Then the train was off, with a very precise to the minutes schedule.
A direct route to Washington was risky as it would take him through hostile Virginia. Instead, he would journey into New York state before turning south towards his ultimate destination. Due to the precise schedule, crowds lined the route and waited at stations when the train paused, even if only for a few minutes. He delivered brief remarks at many small towns along the route. Receptions occurred and he gave even longer speeches at cities and overnight stops in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Troy, Poughkeepsie, New York City, Trenton, Philadelphia and Harrisburg.
Despite avoiding Virginia, danger still lay ahead at Baltimore. Informants learned that plans were underway to assassinate Lincoln as he traveled through the city. Railroad detective Allan Pinkerton was hired to foil the plot. He and eight detectives learned many more details of the assassination plot and finally informed Lincoln late on the night of February 21. However, he declined their recommendation to travel directly to Washington from Trenton, as he believed it was important to visit Philadelphia and Harrisburg.
As he left his final meeting in Harrisburg on the evening of February 22, Lincoln donned a soft wool hat and an old coat. A small train replaced the Presidential Special and it sped towards Baltimore, its lamps extinguished. The train reached Baltimore around 3:30 a.m., where the cars would be pulled by horses through the downtown streets to reach the next station and continue the journey to Washington. This was the most dangerous part of his journey. At approximately 4:30 a.m. the train eased out of Baltimore and arrived safely in Washington at 6:00 a.m. on February 23.
Lincoln had arrived. The long journey was over.
This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, January of 2024. It was penned by Ken Kime of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas’s famed 1858 debates on the issue of slavery helped both men achieve popularity in their pursuit of the White House and are often remembered as the early proving ground of Lincoln’s political career. However, the public generally declared Douglas the victor of those debates, and it would not be until two years later, at Cooper Union, that Lincoln would come to convince the American public of the dominance of his political aptitude.
In 1859, Lincoln campaigned in Ohio, where he gained accolades for his ability to deliver speeches in dramatic fashion. He spoke in Dayton, Columbus, Hamilton, and Cincinnati. Because of one particularly powerful address in Cincinnati at the Fifth Street Market and the ensuing widespread press coverage it garnered, residents in the northeast started to pay more attention to the man from Illinois. At that time, the front runner for the presidential nomination in New York was William Seward—ironically, the man who would later become Lincoln’s Secretary of State. Lincoln was becoming better known in the East, but still wasn’t popular enough to gain any momentum over Seward.
However, in February of 1860, the Rev. Henry Ward invited Lincoln to speak in New York City. After Lincoln accepted the invitation, an estimated 1500 people expressed an interest in attending and the venue was moved to The Cooper (Institute) Union Hall instead of Rev. Ward’s church. Lincoln’s law partner, William Herndon said that Lincoln worked harder on this speech than on any that he had written before. The speech was delivered on February 27, 1860. Noah Brooks, a New York Tribune journalist, took special note of the applause that interrupted the speech, as well as the enthusiasm generated amongst the audience.
The Cooper Union speech was a huge success for Lincoln’s push for the White House. During his stay in New York City, he also met popular figures, William Cullen Bryant, Noah Brooks, Horace Greely, Gideon Wells, and Mathew Brady. The extensive newspaper coverage of the program produced an estimated 170,000 copies of the speech that circulated widely, furthering increasing Lincoln’s popularity. After delivering the speech, Lincoln had Mathew Brady take a formal picture of Lincoln, which remains an iconic image to this day, and printed a formal copy of the speech itself.
While out east, he made appearances and delivered speeches in New Haven, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island. While in New Hampshire, he also visited his son Robert at his prep school for Harvard, in Exeter.
Lincoln went on to make additional speeches in Chicago that March and in Council Bluffs, Iowa in August, but his Cincinnati appearance and the Cooper Union speech in New York City were doubtless fundamental for helping to secure the Republican nomination for the Presidency.
For more information on Lincoln and to learn about The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, visit lincolnfellowshipofpa.org.
Ken Kime is the Vice President of The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania.
Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania is a 501(c)3 OrganizationP. O. Box 3372, Gettysburg, PA 17325Email: lincolnfellowshipofpa@gmail.com
