Lincoln Funeral Train

[HerbS]

A new book just got in my hands! Writing Home:Civil War letters from the Hinchhey Family archive.Elizabeth Hinchey writes in her diary-4-27-1865-I got up at 4am to view the funeral train of President Lincoln pass by on it's way to Springfield,Ill.4-15-1865-I went to church to help drape in mourning of President Lincoln's assassination.4-19-1865-I attended funeral services in Rochester,NY for President Lincoln!This is a great local history book for the Rochester,NY area! Despite the area having many Copperheads,there were many Lincoln lovers!

[RJNorton]

Herb, regarding the Rochester stop, author Victor Searcher writes in The Farewell to Lincoln:

"Though the hour was unconscionable and the weather inclement, the Fifty-fourth Infantry regiment, a company of Veteran Reserves, the Union Blues regiment, a battery of the Twenty-fifth Brigade, and several bands were surrounded by a solid sea of citizens."

The phrase "solid sea of citizens" exemplifies what happened all along the route during the nights. I am always amazed at the hordes of people who stood in the rain to watch the train go by late at night and early hours of the morning. For example, officials of Richmond, Indiana, estimated its mourners at 15,000 - a number greater than the city's population - at 3:15 in the morning!

[HerbS]

Yes,Roger-people poured out to pay their last respects to Lincoln!This tremendous turnout was country wide! I also read it was world wide.