Lincoln at Ford's Theatre

[loetar44]

In our discussion about Lincoln’s last words at

http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...-1858.html

I said in post #25: “Lincoln visited Ford’s several times during his presidency, but I don't know how many times. I found conflicting numbers, 9 times, 12 times, 13 times, 19 times ??? Does anybody know the exact number?”.

And re. General Burnside, Roger said in post#23: “Lincoln had previously attended the theater with Burnside (and Burnside sitting with him in the presidential box)”

There was no response on the conflicting numbers and indeed several sources on the internet say that Lincoln, Grant and Burnside attended Ford’s Theatre on February 10, 1865 to see John Sleeper Clarke perform in the comedy Love or Livery.

However, the question “How many times did Lincoln visit Ford’s Theatre during his presidency” kept my mind busy. So, I did some research. I found the book “Restoration of Ford’s Theatre”, prepared in 1963 under the general direction of the National Park Service by historian George J. Olszewski, Ph.D., a carefully selected reference with a load of facts about the history of the theatre, including a list of the occasions on which Lincoln attended Ford's Theatre and a complete list of all performances given at Ford's.

On page 11 is said: “Lincoln attended Ford's Theatre on May 28, 1862, for the first time, thus adding considerable prestige to the theatre's list of distinguished patrons”.

On page 53 is said: “Up to 1865, Lincoln had attended Ford's Theatre eight times: five times in 1863, and three times in 1864. Sometimes, the First Lady attended with her own party. In 1863 the President had seen Maggie Mitchell in "Fanchon, the Cricket," on Friday, October 30; John Wilkes Booth in "The Marble Heart," on Monday, November 9; and three performances of his favorite Shakespearean actor, J. H. Hackett, in "Henry IV," on Monday, November 14; the same performance the following night, November 15; and in "The Merry Wives of Windsor," on Thursday evening, December 17, 1863. In 1864, Lincoln attended a performance by Edwin Forrest in "King Lear," on Friday, April 8; a Sacred Concert on Sunday,June 19; and a Treasury Ball and Concert on Monday, December 19”.

   

There is NO mention of a visit on Friday, February 10, 1865 with Grant and Burnside. There were no visits from Lincoln to Ford’s in 1865, except Good Friday, April 14. So can we agree on: (1) there were only 9 visits of President Lincoln to Ford’s Theatre and (2) he never was there accompanied by the Generals Grant and Burnside?