Lincoln Discussion Symposium

There is an acccount by William Stodard (one of Lincoln's staff) in "Looking For Lincoln" p.117, that President Lincoln had a Spencer carbine.

"...the President, who was a very good shot, enjoyed the relaxation very much. One morning early we were having a good time - he with his favorite "Spencer," and I with a vilianous kicking nondescript, with a sort of patent backaction breech, that left my shoulder balck and blue...."

In Tad Lincoln's Father by Julia Taft Bayne the author writes that Tad had a terrible longing for a real pistol. Finally he got one after nagging his parents repeatedly.

Does anyone know where this came from? Was it a pistol the Lincolns had in Springfield and brought to Washington?

Even more questions: what was the "real" pistol? My first "real" pistol was a BB pistol. I don't think Tad was given a Model 1860 Colt! Now that is a "real" pistol!

The only pistols I ever owned were a cap gun and a water pistol.

Did you ever have a rubber band gun? Those were great (except for the marks left on the wall - and then on my rear end - butt it was worth it)

Cap guns-now that brings back memories! The little red cap roll-the smell of the powder- hadn't thought of that in years. Of course, I was Wyatt Earp. Cowboys were all the rage.

Here is a little more from Julia Taft Bayne's book:

Ah, yes! Cap guns--funny, we plated the James Younger gang. Different up-bringing. My mom was from Missouri (we pronounced it, Mizzourah)

Roger, nice additional info. It seems that the good advice to "never point a gun at anything or anyone you don't intend to shoot" was around even back then. Too bad we don't know what kind of revolver it was-I'm just curious.

I agree, Bill. As I have mentioned in a few previous posts the idea that Lincoln was armed at Ford's Theatre is an interest of mine. If he were carrying a pistol that night, is this it? On June 9, 1863, Lincoln telegraphed Mary, "Think you better put Tad's' pistol away. I had an ugly dream about him." Assuming she did so, what happened to it? I have only questions - no answers.

If Lincoln was carrying a pistol at Ford's Theater, why do you suppose it is not known? Why isn't it among the things we know he had with him that night?

My guess would be because he didn't have one with him.

Bill, my cap gun (circa 1958 or so) was the wonderful Have Gun, Will Travel double-holster model, which came with a black leather belt and holsters and a black vest; the holsters had the silver chess-pawn Paladin emblem on it. It also came with a stack of Paladin business cards.

The asking price for this set on eBay, where I snagged the image, is $1,200.



--Jim (wire Carlton Hotel, San Francisco)

Gene: that's my guess too.
Jim: whoa-that is awesome! Whatever happened to our childhood toys, anyway? I still have a lot of my Marx Civil War soldiers-but-man- what happened to all my other stuff? Was my mother throwing things away behind my back?

(05-16-2013 08:56 PM)LincolnMan Wrote: [ -> ]Was my mother throwing things away behind my back?

Bill, if your mom was anything like my mom, the answer is, "Yes!"

--Jim