Catherine Clinton, who believes that Lincoln was carrying a pistol on the night he was assassinated?

Best
Rob

(07-02-2026, 04:39 PM)Rob Wick Wrote: Catherine Clinton, who believes that Lincoln was carrying a pistol on the night he was assassinated?

Wait, what?

In 2011, based on a thread that I saw here, I emailed Clinton the following message:

Dear Ms. Clinton,

On page 314 of your book on Mary Todd Lincoln, you write, "Abraham Lincoln himself was carrying a pistol on the night he died," and in your footnotes you mention that Louise Taper reminded you of this. I am curious as to where she sourced this as I have never heard this before in the 35+ years I've studied Lincoln and his assassination. In every book I've ever read on Lincoln or on his murder, to the best of my knowledge, no mention of this has ever been made.

I would appreciate knowing where Ms. Taper got this information.

Thank you.

Robert G. Wick

She responded:

Dear Mr. Wick,

I was just as surprised as you were to find out this information.

it is my understanding that Louise Taper got this information from Thomas Schwartz--who was for several decades associated with the Abraham Lincoln Library in Springfield, Illinois, and Dr. Schwartz will be verifying this in his forthcoming book.

Many thanks for your interest.

Best,


Catherine Clinton
Chair Professor of U.S. History
Queen's University Belfast

Of course, that's also assuming that I am correct that the picture is of Clinton.

Best
Rob

You are correct, Rob. It is indeed Catherine Clinton.

(07-02-2026, 05:49 PM)Rob Wick Wrote: In 2011, based on a thread that I saw here, I emailed Clinton the following message:

Dear Ms. Clinton,

On page 314 of your book on Mary Todd Lincoln, you write, "Abraham Lincoln himself was carrying a pistol on the night he died," and in your footnotes you mention that Louise Taper reminded you of this. I am curious as to where she sourced this as I have never heard this before in the 35+ years I've studied Lincoln and his assassination. In every book I've ever read on Lincoln or on his murder, to the best of my knowledge, no mention of this has ever been made.

I would appreciate knowing where Ms. Taper got this information.

Thank you.

Robert G. Wick

She responded:

Dear Mr. Wick,

I was just as surprised as you were to find out this information.

it is my understanding that Louise Taper got this information from Thomas Schwartz--who was for several decades associated with the Abraham Lincoln Library in Springfield, Illinois, and Dr. Schwartz will be verifying this in his forthcoming book.

Many thanks for your interest.

Best,


Catherine Clinton
Chair Professor of U.S. History
Queen's University Belfast

Of course, that's also assuming that I am correct that the picture is of Clinton.

Best
Rob

Rob, I went through Thomas Schwartz's 2012 book and found no reference to this nor can I find a reference that Louise Taper ever said or wrote about this. Is there an update verifying that Lincoln carried a pistol on the night of his assassination from any source?

I asked Chatgpt (admittedly not always 100% reliable ... and I suggest this is another occasion when it is wrong ... see end of this Post)

"was lincoln carrying a gun the night he was killed 1865 ?"

Yes. Historical evidence indicates that Abraham Lincoln was carrying a small pistol on the night he was assassinated, Assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

When he was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre on the evening of April 14, 1865, items found on Lincoln's person included:

A small, ivory-handled Derringer pistol.
A pocketknife.
A wallet.
A handkerchief.
A watch.
Other personal papers and belongings.

The pistol was a compact, single-shot pocket weapon, not a military sidearm. There is no evidence that Lincoln attempted to draw or use it during the attack. Booth entered the presidential box from behind and fired a single shot into the back of Lincoln's head at very close range, giving Lincoln essentially no opportunity to react.

Lincoln's personal effects, including the pistol, were inventoried after his death and are preserved as historical artifacts. Some of these items are in the collections of the Library of Congress and the National Park Service, which oversees Ford's Theatre National Historic Site.


BUT .... Grok (x) responded to same question ...
No, Abraham Lincoln was not carrying a gun the night he was assassinated (April 14, 1865) at Ford's Theatre.

biography.com

Historical records of the items found in his pockets and coat after the shooting list everyday personal effects, but no firearm or weapon of any kind. These contents were given to his son Robert Todd Lincoln, kept in the family for decades, and later donated to the Library of Congress (where they remain). They include:

biography.com

Two pairs of eyeglasses (one repaired with string) and a lens polisher/chamois.
A pocketknife (likely used for small repairs, like tightening his glasses).
A gold watch fob.
A white handkerchief monogrammed with “A.”
A brown leather wallet containing a $5 Confederate bill (a souvenir from his recent visit to Richmond) and several newspaper clippings (mostly favorable to Lincoln or related to the war and his policies).

biography.com

No sources from the assassination investigation, autopsy, or contemporary accounts mention Lincoln carrying or using a gun that night. The only weapon involved was the single-shot .44-caliber Philadelphia Deringer pistol used by John Wilkes Booth, which Booth dropped in the presidential box.

fords.org

Lincoln did face threats and had bodyguards at times, but on this occasion he attended the theater with minimal security, and there's no evidence he armed himself personally. The detailed inventory of his belongings underscores how ordinary the evening started before the tragedy. These items are preserved as artifacts and occasionally displayed (e.g., at the Library of Congress or Ford's Theatre exhibits).

So ... even Grok gets it wrong ( Booth also had the knife used to hurt Rathbone)

I then said to Chatgpt "Where do you get the information that he had a derringer?

That's a good question, and it prompted me to double-check.

The claim that Lincoln was carrying a personal derringer is not supported by the best primary evidence. I should not have stated it as fact.

The strongest evidence comes from the inventory of the contents of Lincoln's pockets, which has been preserved by the Library of Congress. The catalog lists:

Two pairs of spectacles
A spectacles case
A lens cleaner
An ivory pocketknife
A watch fob
A linen handkerchief
A wallet containing a Confederate $5 bill and newspaper clippings
A cuff link/button

There is no pistol in the Library of Congress inventory.

The confusion likely comes from the fact that John Wilkes Booth used a small Philadelphia Deringer pistol to assassinate Lincoln. That weapon is well documented and survives today, but it belonged to Booth, not Lincoln.

There are occasional secondary sources, museum displays, or books that mention Lincoln owning or carrying a pistol at various points during his presidency because of assassination threats. However, I have not found a reliable primary source showing that he had one on his person at Assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

So the most accurate answer is:

There is solid primary evidence for what was in Lincoln's pockets the night he was shot, and it does not include a firearm.
There is no reliable evidence that Lincoln was carrying a derringer when he was assassinated.

Thanks for asking for the source—that was a useful correction

Anita,

I never followed up on Clinton's email, so I'm not sure what has come about since then, but I'm still skeptical. Given that Schwartz didn't mention it in his book that seems to me prima facie that either he couldn't independently confirm it or decided against going with it. Since Roger is good friends with Schwartz, maybe he can be persuaded to contact him to find out.

Best
Rob

RE: "Given that Schwartz didn't mention it in his book that seems to me prima facie that either he couldn't independently confirm it or decided against going with it."

I believe this is the case as what he told Catherine Clinton is the same as what he told me.

(07-03-2026, 11:44 AM)RJNorton Wrote: RE: "Given that Schwartz didn't mention it in his book that seems to me prima facie that either he couldn't independently confirm it or decided against going with it."

I believe this is the case as what he told Catherine Clinton is the same as what he told me.

Thanks for the update Roger.

Years ago I posted some wild speculation regarding the possibility of Abraham Lincoln being armed at Ford's. This is mostly unsubstantiated guesswork on my part.

1. Tad Lincoln was once given a pistol during the war; however, on June 9, 1863, Abraham sent Mary a message that said: "Think you better put Tad's pistol away. I had an ugly dream about him."

2. Worried about his security Lincoln loaded that pistol and carried it with him on April 14, 1865.

3. Either in the box or as he was being carried to the Petersen House, it dropped out along with some papers.

4. The papers and pistol were picked up.

5. The next day the papers and pistol were taken to Stanton; Stanton told no one about Lincoln's gun.

6. Stanton quietly returned the pistol to Mary Lincoln in the White House.

7. Mary packed it away in her trunks.

8. The gun resurfaces in the mid-1870s when Mary is said to be carrying a pistol in her pocket.

9. From there the pistol disappears...

Item # 6, It's interesting to me to speculate if and how this might have transpired.

What is this lady's name?

Vinnie Ream

Kudos, Gene! Indeed it is Vinnie Ream. The photo was taken c. 1885, and Vinnie was born in 1847.

I only posted part of the entire photo. The whole photo is here:

https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc230189/

No googling please.

This lady is the daughter of a person who has been previously mentioned on the forum. Whose daughter is she?