Lincoln Movie - Your Reviews

[Linda Anderson]

That's quite a list! Fortunately, I didn't notice any of them. I did notice, however, that Lincoln called Seward "William." Seward's name was William Henry Seward but he was called "Henry" from childhood. In real life, Lincoln called him "Governor" since Seward was once the governor of New York. Maybe the filmmakers knew that but did not want to confuse people and so decided to just have Lincoln call him William.

"There were several references by characters in regards to the White House. Actually, at that time, it was still referred to as the Executive Mansion, or The Mansion. The term "White House" did not come about until Theodore Roosevelt was President."

Fanny Seward calls the President's House the "White House" in her diary entry of September 1, 1861.

"When Father came he said the President would
accompany us—we joined him at the White House—"

Also, Ward Hill Lamon reported that Lincoln told him about a terrible dream Lincoln had just before his assassination. Lincoln heard weeping and when he went downstairs he saw..." a catafalque, on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments. Around it were stationed soldiers who were acting as guards; and there was a throng of people, gazing mournfully upon the corpse, whose face was covered, others weeping pitifully. 'Who is dead in the White House?' I demanded of one of the soldiers, 'The President,' was his answer; 'he was killed by an assassin.'"

rogernorton.com