Mary Lincoln's presence at Abraham's death-bed

[Laurie Verge]

I think Gene's assessment of the situation is probably very accurate. Stanton was not a warm and fuzzy personality; his concern for the safety of the Union was paramount; and Mrs. Lincoln was already perceived as a "deranged" individual because of her previous, unseemly behaviors in public.

Despite the images we may have of our forefathers being gallant gentlemen in their dealings with females, our foremothers were not always considered important except for producing children and meals. The feelings of Mary Lincoln were likely not uppermost in any of those men's minds at 7:00 am on April 15, 1865.