Mary's Carriage Accident

[RJNorton]

Weren't they both greatly saddened by the death of Willie's pony in the fire? As if the pony was still a connection to the boy.

Good point, Mark. Robert W. McBride, a member of the Union Light Guard, wrote:

"After posting the sentinels, I went inside. Mr. Lincoln, with others, was standing in the East Room, looking at the still burning stable. He was weeping. Little 'Tad,' his youngest son, explained his father's emotion. His son Willie had died a short time before. He was his father's favorite, and the stable contained a pony that had belonged to the dead boy. The thought of his dead child had come to his mind as soon as he learned the stables were on fire, and he had rushed out to try to save the pony from the flames."