Roger you and Steve have identified the two senior naval people. Admiral Farragut's flagship the Malvern was carrying Lincoln to Richmond. But it struggled in the river and needed help from ... a tugboat named "Glance".

And eventually Lincoln, along with Admiral David D. Porter, had to be rowed upstream in a barge.

This led Lincoln to making one of his anecdotal-jokes to Porter.

I think I'll come to the full answer (even though you or Steve might have got there without any further help).


(from "Remarks on the Acceptance of the Lincoln Prize, David Herbert Donald | Oct 1, 1997)

"the president was visiting Grant's army and insisted on visiting Richmond right after it fell to the Union forces. He and his party started up the James River on the U.S.S. Malvern, Admiral Farragut's flagship, but it could not pass a line of obstructions the Southerners had placed in the river, and he had to transfer to a shallow-draft barge, pulled by the tugboat Glance. When the strong river current forced the Malvern against a bridge, the tugboat was detached to rescue it, and Lincoln was left in the barge, which 12 sailors slowly rowed upstream. The president was amused. “Admiral,” he said to David D. Porter, who was in the party "this brings to my mind a fellow who once came to me to ask for an appointment as minister abroad. Finding he could not get that, he came down to some more modest position. Finally he asked to be made a tide-waiter [a customs collector]. When he saw he could not get that, he asked me for an old pair of trousers."
"It is well to be humble” the president concluded.

Hence we have David Porter, Glance , and an old pair of trousers.

That story is new to me, Michael. Great trivia question!

During Abraham Lincoln's inaugural trip to Washington the train slowed as it passed by the grave of a previous President. Lincoln stood bare-headed on the rear platform and bowed in respect as the train slowly passed the cemetery. Which President's grave was it?

Wiliam Henry Harrison

milliard fillmore ?

Thanks for trying, Mike, but Wild Bill got it. Very good, Bill!

Yes, Abraham Lincoln's inaugural train passed the grave of William Henry Harrison on February 12, 1861. Members of Harrison's surviving family were at the gravesite as the train slowly passed the town of North Bend, Ohio.

Thanks to Bill B. who challenged me with these questions - which I think a neat forum challenge, too. Lincoln was a land surveyor - what do you know about US geography? Off the top of your head (or gut feeling), of course, no Google nor atlas/map, please!

1.  Which city is further south:  Atlanta or Dallas?  
2.  Which city is further west:  St. Louis or Milwaukee?  
3. Which city is further east:  New Orleans or Chicago?  
4.  Which city is further north:  Portland, O regon  or Portland, Maine  
5.  Which city is further south:  Phoenix or Los Angeles?  
6.  Which  city is further east:  Atlanta or Detroit?
7.  Which city is further south:  Richmond or Denver?  
8.  Which city is further north:  Dallas or New Orleans?  
9.  Which city is further east:  Los Angeles or Reno , NV?  
10. Which of the contiguous 48 states (ie, excluding Alaska and Hawaii) extends farthest north? 
11. Stump-the-German bonus question:
Which EU-state extends farthest north? 

(04-15-2020 03:06 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Thanks to Bill B. who challenged me with these questions - which I think a neat forum challenge, too. Lincoln was a land surveyor - what do you know about US geography? Off the top of your head (or gut feeling), of course, no Google nor atlas/map, please!

1.  Which city is further south:  Atlanta or Dallas?  
2.  Which city is further west:  St. Louis or Milwaukee?  
3. Which city is further east:  New Orleans or Chicago?  
4.  Which city is further north:  Portland, O regon  or Portland, Maine  
5.  Which city is further south:  Phoenix or Los Angeles?  
6.  Which  city is further east:  Atlanta or Detroit?
7.  Which city is further south:  Richmond or Denver?  
8.  Which city is further north:  Dallas or New Orleans?  
9.  Which city is further east:  Los Angeles or Reno , NV?  
10. Which of the contiguous 48 states (ie, excluding Alaska and Hawaii) extends farthest north? 
11. Stump-the-German bonus question:
Which EU-state extends farthest north? 

1. Dallas
2. St. Louis
3. Chicago
4. Portland, Maine
5. Los Angeles
6. Atlanta
7. Denver
8. Dallas
9. Los Angeles
10. Maine
11. I am sorry - no idea

PS: I think it makes sense not to comment right away (thanks for your guesses, Roger) but give "everyone" the chance to self-assess, at least till tomorrow.

My answers are as follows 1. Dallas
2. St. Louis
3. Chicago
4. Portland, Maine
5. Los Angeles
6. Atlanta
7. Richmond
8. Dallas
9. Reno. NV
10. Maine
11. Norway

Dallas
St Louis
New Orleans
Portland Oregon
Phoenix
Detroit
Richmond
New Orleans
Reno NV
Washington
Estonia

1. Dallas
2. St. Louis
3. New Orleans
4. Portland, Maine
5. Phoenix
6. Atlanta
7. Richmond
8. Dallas
9. Los Angeles
10. Maine
11. Sweden. ? (Norway's neutral, not part of the EU, or?)

Thanks everyone for many great guesses - please forgive I just "hand in" the correct answers as since last night I have been facing a major computer (data loss) issue which is a catastrophy, I need to tend to that first.
1. Dallas is further south than Atlanta.

2. St. Louis is further west than Milwaukee.

3.  Chicago is further east than New Orleans.

4. Portland, Oregon is further north than Portland, Maine.

5.  Phoenix is further south than Los Angeles.

6. Detroit is further east than Atlanta.

7.  Richmond is further south than Denver.

8. Dallas is further north than New Orleans. 

9.  Los Angeles is further east than Reno.

10. Correct answer is Minnesota

11. Finland is correct.

I have just finished looking at a map of the United States. It appeared to me that the state of Maine definitely stretches up a little further north than the state of Minnesota.

Roger, yes, it appears so, but the latitude of Minnesota is (43° 34'N) to 49° 23'N; vs Maine latitude: (43° 4'N to) 47° 28'N. (Equator is zero, hence the more ° the farther north)

It's the Angle Inlet of northern Minnesota at 49 degrees 23 minutes north that makes it north of any point in Maine!