Existing comment:
April 14, 1865: Lincoln's Day:
8:00am: The president breakfasts with Mrs. Lincoln and their sons Tod and Robert, the latter newly returned from the front.
9:00am: Lincoln promises Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax that he'll give lawmakers at least sixty days notice before calling a special session of Congress to deal with issues of Reconstruction.
10:00am: Lincoln meets with his new minister to Spain, former New Hampshire Senator John P. Hale -- whose daughter Lucy happens to be romantically involved with John Wilkes Booth.
11:00am: Before the morning's Cabinet meeting, Lincoln sends a messenger to nearby Ford's Theatre, confirming that he and Mrs. Lincoln will attend that evening's performance of Our American Cousin.
12:00 Noon: Besides the regular members of his Cabinet, General Grant is on hand for a spirited discussion of Reconstruction. It is "providential," says Lincoln, that Congress has adjourned until December, giving him time to re-admit rebellious states, while protecting former slaves in their hard-won freedom.
1:00pm: Lincoln related to his Cabinet a dream in which he finds himself traveling by water toward "an indefinite shore." He takes it as a favorable omen, adding that he has had the same dream before several other turning points in the war.
2:00pm: At his Cabinet members depart, General Grant apologizes for being unable to accompany the Lincolns to the theatre that evening. The general and his wife, Julia, are eager to see their children to New Jersey.
3:00pm: After additional paperwork and meetings with some Maryland politicians, Lincoln leaves his office for a carriage ride with the First Lady. Their destination: the Navy Yard in southeast Washington.
4:00pm: Concluding their visit to the ironclad vessel Montauk, the presidential couple retrace the route to the White House. "Dear Husband, you almost startle me by your great cheerfulness," Mary tells the president.
5:00pm: Back at the White House, Lincoln encounters Illinois Governor Richard Oglesby and another old friend from Illinois. He invites them inside for a chat.
6:00pm: Lincoln reads aloud to his guests from one of his favorite humorists. A butler appears to announce dinner. Lincoln continues his reading. It is perhaps his favorite form of relaxation.
7:00pm: The president belatedly joins Mary at the dinner table. Following a hurried meal, Lincoln has his second meeting of the day with Speaker Colfax. As the clock strikes eight, the president scribbles out a card confirming an appointment that next morning for Massachusetts Congressman George Ashman.
8:00pm: His business for the day concluded, Lincoln walks out of the North Portico to a waiting carriage. Together with Mrs. Lincoln, he stops at the corner of Fifteenth and H Streets to pick up their guests for the evening, Major Henry Rathbone and his fiancee, Clara Harris, daughter of New York Senator Ira Harris.
At 8:30pm, the Lincolns arrive at Ford's Theatre. The performance stops and the orchestra plays "Hail to the Chief."
9:00pm: As the play continues, Lincoln gets a chill and puts on his overcoat. During the intermission, John Parker, the president's bodyguard, goes to Star Saloon for a drink. He does not return for the beginning of Act III.
10:15pm: Lincoln and Mary hold hands. Mary wonders what young Clara will think, and the president replies, "She won't think anything about it."
On stage, Actor Harry Hawk is getting to the punch line of the play's best joke: "Don't know the manners of good society, eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal -- you sockdologizing old mantrap!" The audience laughs. |