Lincoln and Ann Rutledge

[David Lockmiller]

Fascinating post, Linda! We have discussed several times over the past two years the reliability/lack of reliability of Jim Bishop's book. But I thought I would share his take on the Grants' trip. According to Bishop there were four trains north each day, and the Grants chose the route that took 13 hours. The shortest trip left the next morning and took 7 1/2 hours.

Here was the route they chose (according to Bishop):

6 P.M. Leave Washington City
7:25 P.M Arrive Baltimore
12:00 P.M. Arrive Philadelphia
Change Trains
6:00 A.M. Leave Philadelphia
7:00 A.M. Arrive Burlington

If they had spent the night of the 14th in Washington they could have caught a 7:30 A.M. express the morning of the 15th and arrived in Burlington at 2:58 P.M. So they could have gone to the theater with the Lincolns, spent the night at the Willard, and taken an express train the next day (although arriving in Burlington later).

The implication is they definitely wanted to leave the evening of the 14th (despite the prospect of a much faster train trip the next morning).
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Roger, not only was the alternative much faster, but the Grant's apparently had to spend six hours in the train station in Philadelphia in the middle of the night (instead of asleep in a hotel) in order to catch a train from Philadelphia to Burlington that lasted only one hour.

I agree with you: "The implication is they definitely wanted to leave the evening of the 14th." The reason being either 1) to be with their children in Burlington that much sooner (with very little sleep) or 2) to have the excuse not to be able to attend the theater with the Lincoln's the night of April 14, 1865.