Lincoln and Ann Rutledge

[RJNorton]

Mrs Grant and MTL did not get along at all-but we knew that.
Plus the General was the ultimate 'family man', and loved to spend as much time with them as he could. His love for Julia was beyond good, it was great.
So those are really the only reasons the Grants didn't go to the theater that night.
Plus I'm sure Julia wanted to get away from MTL ASAP!

Mr. Hess, I have also read a similar version as to why the Stantons turned down the Lincolns' invitation. Some books skip over Stanton and go right to the invitation of Thomas Eckert. But other books say that the Stantons had turned down the chance to go to the theater that evening with the Lincolns. I've read two possible reasons for this. One is that Stanton felt Lincoln shouldn't be going to the theater because it was too dangerous. The other is Ellen Stanton, like Julia Grant, did not like Mary Lincoln, and this was the actual reason for the Stantons' refusal to go that night.