Lincoln's wound

[Jim Garrett]

Dr. Leale reported that initially Lincoln's wound did not bleed much. However, I believe that Lincoln's overcoat might tell a different story. Lincoln was wearing his overcoat when he was shot. The left shoulder of the overcoat today has a significant portion of the area surrounding the left shoulder and sleeve missing, being hacked away by the Donn family and their friends for souvenirs. This would have been the area where Lincoln would have bled out.

Since Victorians placed a greater value on bloody relics than the run of the mill non-bloody variety, so it would be natural that the area with blood would be hacked into small swatches for friends and family.

The overcoat will be on display for the upcoming 150th.

[L Verge]

Just want to clarify that the coat you are referring to is Lincoln's suit coat, not the greatcoat? The suit coat will also be on display?

[STS Lincolnite]

(01-10-2015 07:48 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Just want to clarify that the coat you are referring to is Lincoln's suit coat, not the greatcoat? The suit coat will also be on display?

I had the same question. I thought Lincoln wore the great coat to the theatre but was just wearing his frock coat when he was shot. That may have just been an incorrect assumption on my part.

[RJNorton]

In describing the events of the night Henry Rathbone stated, "The President seated himself in this chair, and except that he once left the chair for the purpose of putting on his overcoat, remained so seated until he was shot."

[STS Lincolnite]

(01-11-2015 05:28 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  In describing the events of the night Henry Rathbone stated, "The President seated himself in this chair, and except that he once left the chair for the purpose of putting on his overcoat, remained so seated until he was shot."

Thanks Jim and Roger! I did not know this. I love the fact that I learn something here every day! Can I assume Lincoln got his "overcoat" because he was cold? I do seem to remember reading one time that he also had a blanket that covered his legs while he was watching the play...I don't know if that is true either. If it is, what happened to the blanket?

I think Jim brings up a very interesting point about the potential for larger amounts of blood from the wound (then maybe has been previously considered) on the great coat. I concur that "blood relics" were very popular and it would make sense that areas of the coat with blood on it would have been the most prized of souvenirs and quickly removed (for those who did that kind of thing). Of course, as a history lover, I am appalled. A fully intact great coat, worn at the time Lincoln was shot, could potentially have taught us more about that evening. Was Lincoln's great coat removed before he was lowered to the floor or was it removed once he was on the floor or was it removed at the Peterson house? If there was a lot of blood on the great coat, maybe the alleged Lincoln blood on Laura Keene's dress was transferred from the great coat.

It should be noted that even minor scalp wounds bleed profusely due to the dense capillary network present in the scalp (as anyone who has gotten a minor bump and cut to their head can attest). Knowing this and having experienced it (and had to deal with clinically in a sports environment many times) I always wondered why more blood from Lincoln's wound was not reported. It may be that there was a copious amount of blood from the piercing of the scalp initially and that, like Leale said, the deeper wound clotted and bled little by the time he got to the President. Perhaps Blaine Houmes could chime in on this.

[L Verge]

If Lincoln was really wearing the greatcoat at the time of his murder, then I thank Jim and Roger also. Lo these many years, I always thought the greatcoat was somewhere nearby, not on the President.

[LincolnToddFan]

In Jim Bishop's rather fanciful telling of the story in "The Day Lincoln Was Shot", President Lincoln felt a chill at the very minute John Wilkes Booth entered the theater. And that is when he stood to put on his overcoat.

[Houmes]

(01-11-2015 01:16 PM)LincolnToddFan Wrote:  In Jim Bishop's rather fanciful telling of the story in "The Day Lincoln Was Shot", President Lincoln felt a chill at the very minute John Wilkes Booth entered the theater. And that is when he stood to put on his overcoat.

In a 2007 Washington Post story, Lincoln's clothing was described during transport to the Park Service Museum Resource Center. The Ford's Theatre curator (at that time Gloria Swift) noted there was blood on both his frockcoat ("on the back") and his overcoat, as well as "the knees" of his pants. In his accounts of that night Dr. Leale wrote that during his exam of the president he felt a blood clot on Lincoln's left shoulder and was concerned about a stab wound, since he had seen Booth cross the stage with a dagger in his hand. After placing Lincoln on the floor Leale ordered Lincoln's left coat and shirt to be cut open down to the elbow. Finding no injury, he then felt Lincoln's scalp and discovered another blood clot. Removing the clot he found the bullet wound and probed it; when he removed his finger there was a "slight oozing of blood." Assume it took 5-10 minutes for Leale to enter the barricaded theatre box door, and that it takes (depending upon how big a wound is and whether it's venous or arterial origin) for blood--on average--about 11-13 seconds to coagulate. No other clots were mentioned, suggesting Lincoln's coat(s) had some soaking in areas but not sopping wet enough to form other clots. Plus how was it that the only stains on the pants were found on one or both knees? I suspect it was from jostling the president around on the floor, trying to partially disrobe him to find the wound and/or resuscitate him. Since Dr. Leale only felt a weak or nonexistant pulse when Lincoln was still in his chair (meaning a very low blood pressure) and only minimal blood oozing out after the bullet wound was opened, the blood may very well not have been the president's, but rather Rathbone's which was covering the floor. And that includes the gloves, if those stains really are blood.

[Jim Garrett]

(01-10-2015 07:48 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Just want to clarify that the coat you are referring to is Lincoln's suit coat, not the greatcoat? The suit coat will also be on display?

The Overcoat is the coat I am referring to. The suit coat is always on display along with his tie, vest, and trousers. The overcoat was put on display in the lobby when the museum restoration was completed, against the advice of many of the professional associated, due to the fragile nature. It was returned to storage, due to it's fragile nature. It will be brought out again for the 150.

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The bloodstain on the left knee is visable.