Lincoln in the Telegraph Office on April 14, 1865

[L Verge]

I think we need to remember that the MPD officers assigned to the White House (as well as much of the force) were men who had not entered military service for a variety of reasons. Many of them were not "quality" candidates for heavy duty as bodyguards.

I have wondered if Lincoln asked Lamon because of their long-standing friendship and because he wanted to share some of the festivities of the war's endings with those who had supported him throughout the course. The broken poker analogy might have just been a facetious statement at that moment in time, which the ever-cautious Stanton took seriously (if the situation even occurred)???