LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS - .: ; - - LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY MEMORIAL the Class of 1901 founded by HARLAN HOYT HORNER and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://www.archive.org/details/lincolnrailroadsOOstar Courtesy, Baltimore <6 Ohio Railroad Co. (From oil painting by Herbert D. Stitt) president Lincoln's arrival at Washington In striking contrast to the crowded station in his home town of Springfield and the cheering crowds along the way, was the arrival of the President-elect at the Capital. Rumors of a threatened assas- sination at Baltimore caused a last moment change of plans, and Lincoln slipped quietly through that city arriving in Washington in the gray of early morning, unheralded. LINCOLN#//fc RAILROADS lA^Biographical Study by JOHN W. STARR, JR. Author OJ & BIBLIOGRAPHY OF LICOLNIANA, Lincoln's last day, Etc. Illustrated DODD, MEAD & COMPANY NEW YORK MCMXXVII Copyright. 1927 By DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, Inc. PRINTED IN U. S. A. MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY THE VAIL-BALLOU PRESS, INC., BINGHAMTON, N. Y. 4U7U3 L , wei TO MY DAUGHTERS iEisttjwr ffiumte? §>tarr AND fHariatma S>iarr PREFACE Amid the voluminous literature concerning Lincoln — just how voluminous only those of us who have spent many years in the collecting of Lincolniana can appre- ciate — there is no concrete document, aside from the present one, which deals with the man in his relation to the railroads. Yet the facts of his life furnish many curious parallels with them. American railroads are just one hundred years old. The first feeble lines were pushing their uncertain way across the Alleghenies and into the Middle West when the gangly young "rail-splitter" was growing to man- hood. As a green legislator in Illinois he helped to pro- mote the vicious legislation which went into the laws of the state, for excessive and unwise railroad building. As a rising lawyer some of his best clients were the rail- roads; although at times he appeared against them. He "chalked his hat," or traveled on passes habitually. He was tempted with an offer from the New York Cen- tral, which, if accepted, would have changed his entire political career. He was a guiding spirit behind the first line to the Far West — the Union Pacific — and he helped determine its gauge, which became the standard gauge of the country. In the famous Rock Island Bridge case, he enunciated a right for common carriers which has become an accepted doctrine. All these and many other curious and out-of-the-way vii viii PREFACE facts are the excuse and reason for the present book. The author believes that it will throw new light on both Lincoln and the history of transportation. If this result has been achieved, the author can by no means claim exclusive credit. He has been aided at every turn, not only by the biographers who have gone before, but also by the railroad companies who have cheerfully answered innumerable questions and placed at his disposal their files and correspondence. Rare pictures scattered through the text are likewise due to their cooperation. The author takes this means of making partial acknowl- edgment of his indebtedness to all those who have con- tributed to make this book possible. In the preparation of the text, particular reference should be made to the various officials of the different lines under investigation, especially J. G. Drennan, Esq., General Attorney of the Illinois Central Railroad Company ; Receiver and former President W. G. Bierd, of the Chicago and Alton Railroad Company; and President J. E. Gorman of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company, all of which roads Abraham Lincoln served as attorney ; to the New York Sun for permission to reprint largely from copyrighted material; to Dr. L. D. Carman, of Washington, D. C, who has never failed when called upon to contribute his share of time and labor; to Mr. Jesse W. Weik, of Greencastle, Ind. ; and to my mother for her kindly interest and helpful suggestions. For the illustrations, acknowledgment should be made of the courtesy extended by the Pennsylvania Railroad ; Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway; Norfolk and Western Railway; PREFACE ix Wabash Railway; Louisville and Nashville Railroad; Chicago and Alton Railroad; Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis Railway; Boston and Maine Railroad; Illinois Central Railroad; Union Pacific Railroad ; New York Central Railroad ; Delaware and Hudson Company; Mr. Dwight C. Morgan, of the Pittsburgh and Shawmut Railroad; Mr. Frederick H. Meserve, of New York; and Miss Ida M. Tarbell and the Macmillan Company, for permission to reprint a map showing the railroad projection authorized by the 1836-37 session of the Illinois state legislature. Finally I must express my appreciation of the edi- torial services of Mr. J. Walker McSpadden, whose aid in the way of advice and revision of text is gratefully acknowledged. J. W. S. Jr. Millersburg, Pennsylvania April 1, 1927 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I The Rise of the Railroads 1 II Lincoln's Life Before the Day of Railroads 6 III Lincoln's First Interest in Transportation 12 IV Lincoln and the Internal Improvement Follies of 1837 18 V The First Railroad in Illinois .... 32 VI Lincoln and the Illinois Central Railroad 40 VII First Journeys to the East 46 VIII Lincoln as Attorney for the Illinois Cen- tral 57 IX Lincoln's Largest Railroad Fee .... 73 X Other Railroad Cases 80 XI The Rock Island Bridge Case 92 XII Lincoln as Opposing Counsel to Railroads . 117 XIII Lincoln's Offer from the New York Cen- tral 126 XIV The Lincoln-Douglas Debates . . . .132 XV Lincoln's Travels During the Fifties . .150 XVI Another Trip East and Its Results . . . 160 XVII Lincoln's Last Visit to His Foster-Mother . 164 XVIII The Journey to Washington in 1861 . . . 172 XIX Lincoln and the Union Pacific .... 194 XX President Lincoln's Travels 226 xi xii CONTENTS CHAPTEE PAGE XXI The Journey to Gettysburg ...... 246 XXII The Last Journey 265 Notes 283 Bibliography 299 Index; 313 ILLUSTRATIONS President Lincoln's arrival at Washington . Frontispiece FACING PAGtf The Lincoln birthplace cabin 10 Early railroad map of Illinois 20 Traveling by canal-boat 36 Legal papers written by Lincoln ... 60 and following Papers in Lincoln's suit against the Illinois Central 74 and following Further papers in Lincoln's lawsuit . . 78 and following When Lincoln "chalked his hat" 82 Engine and train, Great Western Railroad .... 86 The "New Hampshire" 90 "And who is Abraham Lincoln?" asked Farnam ... 94 The bridge in the case 106 First locomotive operated in Iowa 114 Erastus Corning 128 Lincoln Mementoes 136 Early portraits of Lincoln 158 Where Lincoln bade farewell to his home folks . . .174 The "L. H. Tupper" 186 General Grenville M. Dodge 202 A letter of recommendation 210 Other rare railroad items 216 Grant's military railroad in Virginia 234 Photographs of Lincoln 240 Locomotive used in 1855 and the Lincoln "Funeral Car" . 250 Back in Illinois 266 Time table of the "Funeral Train" 274 xiii LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS CHAPTER I THE RISE OF THE RAILROADS To the traveler of to-day the luxuries of modern transportation are such a familiar story, that it is dif- ficult for him to visualize a time when the railroad and the steamship were unknown. And yet they are the prod- ucts of the last century, their larger development hav- ing been realized within the last fifty years. It was not until after the Civil War in America that the steel highways finally completed their course from the East to the West. The first growth of American railroads — their ad- olescent period, one might say, — was coincident with the formative years of our typical American, Abraham Lincoln. His fight for an education and a place in life, in the great untrodden spaces of the Middle West, af- fords many curious parallels and contacts with this new and then untried method of transportation. When Lincoln was born in the little log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809, the steam engine was likewise in its infancy. Not merely in the wildernesses of Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, where his early days were spent, was such a contrivance unknown, but even in civilized Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, people still traveled by stagecoach and canal-boat. The first active experiments with steam were being carried on in England, in Lincoln's birth-year. As far 2 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS back as 1773 the new motive power had intrigued the English, beginning with the discoveries of James Watt. But in America the colonies were then talking liberty and the right to manage their own affairs. Mere scien- tific experiments did not greatly interest us during the stormy days of our Revolution when we had other things to think about than railroads. Following Watt came Trevithick, Blenkinsop, and the great Stephen- son who, about the turn of the century, actually placed the first clumsy locomotives upon rails. But it was not until the year 1821 that a short railway was actually opened for traffic in England. Meanwhile our American inventors had not been idle. Oliver Evans, one of the very first of these, made models of a steam carriage as early as the year 1804. Colonel John Stevens, of Hoboken, New Jersey, strongly advocated the building of a railroad system for our young Republic and, a few years later, con- structed a successful locomotive which he ran upon a half-mile track on his own estate. Then Peter Cooper, of New York, made a diminutive machine which he called "Tom Thumb." Its boiler was little larger than one used for boiling clothes, and it had a single cylinder of three and one-half inches diameter — but it ran! On one trial trip before an amazed crowd it pulled two coaches carrying forty passengers, and at a speed of eighteen miles an hour. Other early, successful locomotives of American make were the "Best Friend," operated in South Caro- lina, the "De Witt Clinton," in New York, and "Old Ironsides," the first of the long line of locomotives built by Baldwin, of Philadelphia. At the Sesquicenten- THE RISE OF THE RAILROADS 3 nial Exposition of 1926, "Old Ironsides" still stood proudly exhibiting her seven and one-half tons in front of the ponderous three-hundred-ton giants of the pres- ent day. Most of the early experiments in railroading, both in this country and England, were very crude, the horse furnishing the motive power. To Gridley Bryant is given the credit for having operated the first one of this nature in the United States which was a success. He built a tramway, in 1826, to haul granite in Massa- chusetts used in the erection of the Bunker Hill Monu- ment. Two years later, the Delaware and Hudson Com- pany, which had been organized to develop some mines in northeastern Pennsylvania, realized that their chief problem was transportation. They had heard of the locomotives made by George Stephenson, over in Eng- land, and accordingly sent Horatio Allen there to in- vestigate the first line then being constructed. He re- turned with enthusiastic reports and, better still, with the promise of four locomotives, one of which was built by Stephenson himself. This was the famous "Stour- bridge Lion," the earliest locomotive to see actual serv- ice in America. The late twenties and the early thirties — just a cen- tury ago — saw determined efforts made upon the part of several companies to launch railway systems. But they faced peculiar difficulties, not merely of engineer- ing but also of popular opinion. The railroads were looked upon by most people, particularly by the early legislators, as only improved common highways. They were classed with the macadamized turnpike, and their first charters were patterned after the turnpike char- 4 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS ters. Their use was not to be limited to the holding com- pany, but was open to any person who could comply with the rules as to weight allowed, style of cars, and form of wheels. Further, the gauges were of varying width for different roads. The attitude of these early lawmakers on the subject is of special interest, as Lin- coln himself served in the Illinois legislature at the pivotal time when the first railroads were penetrating the Alleghenies on their way to the Mississippi. The first roads found their most earnest antagonists to be the stage lines, the turnpike and bridge compan- ies, and those interested in canal development. That was the heyday of canals; people in some states were canal crazy; ditches were being dug everywhere and exclusive carrying privileges obtained between certain towns. Naturally their companies looked with disfavor upon this clumsy toy which puffed along tracks and tried to divert commerce from its great common carrier — water! A canal line between Boston and Lowell sought an injunction in the courts to prevent the com- petition of the railroad. Among other forces arrayed against steam should be mentioned the farming element, who were fearful of losing the revenue derived from the sale of horses, hay and grain to the stage-coach lines, the canal lines, and the innkeepers along the way. Some of the good people were apprehensive of the innovation from moral rea- sons, and one little village in Connecticut went so far as to file a remonstrance with the directors of a pro- jected route, asking that the peace and quiet of their orderly village should not be disturbed by steam cars, THE RISE OF THE RAILROADS 5 nor by the strangers who would thus be rudely dumped into their midst. However, with these and other natural difficulties of steam transportation in its pioneer days the boy Lin- coln had nothing to do. The steam engine was scarcely described at all in the few books which he borrowed, as a gangly youth, and read laboriously by the light of a pitch-pine fire. But as the Lincoln family journeyed here and yonder in the mid- Western wilderness, urged on by the restless spirit of Tom Lincoln, they began to hear vague rumors of the iron horse. "I hearn tell," said one farmer, punctuating his re- marks by tobacco juice, "as how the contraption runs on rails — yes, sir, the ordinary road not being good enough fer hit. They build a fire and bile some water, and blest if the derned thing don't begin to wheeze an' snort an', purty soon if she don't blow up she starts rampagin 9 along them tracks! I call that flyin' in the face of Providence, I do !" In some such way as this must the boy Lincoln have gotten his first impressions of the great common car- rier whose early history was to touch his own at so many points, and whose twin rails stretching on and on became to him a sign and symbol of the manifest destiny of his later years. CHAPTER n LINCOLN'S LIFE BEFORE THE DAY OF RAILROADS When Lincoln was about three years old, his father was seized with one of his periodical attacks of wander- lust and moved from the shack near Hodgenville to bet- ter farming land on Knob Creek, some fifteen miles away. Moving was a simple process with him, so far as household goods were concerned, but the Kentucky roads were little better than trails, and the lumbering, springless wagon bumped painfully along for hours over the rough land before they reached their destina- tion. Here at Knob Creek they lived and farmed after a fashion until the fall of 1816, when Tom heard of a still better place "just around the corner," and decided to move there. It was in the newly-admitted state of Indiana where plenty of land was ready and waiting for settlers, and crops grew while you waited. He told all this jubilantly to poor, patient Nancy Hanks Lin- coln, his wife, his nine year old daughter, and the large- eyed boy of seven, and made ready to move on without more ado. He sold his Knob Creek farm for a little cash and some barrels of whiskey — as the latter were a ready means of barter between settlers and Indians — put his small worldly effects upon a raft, and floated down the Ohio on the first leg of his journey to his new home. The further progress of the little family up into 6 BEFORE THE DAY OF RAILROADS 7 Indiana was made partly by water, and partly over- land. It was arduous in either case. The bogs were fre- quent and treacherous, the river currents uncertain. Once their boat capsized and their furniture went into the river, but fortunately into shallow water. The last stage of their journey was through virgin forest, to the site of their new home near Little Pigeon Creek, in what is now Spencer County. During their long jour- ney of nearly one hundred miles Abe and his father slept in the open on fair nights. If it rained they took refuge under the wagon. It was a painful journey of many days. To-day as one makes his smooth progress in Pullman trains over the same country, a hundred miles is as nothing — a distance to be traversed while one is eating a leisurely lunch ! The years of hardship spent by this pioneer family in Indiana are a familiar story, and not unlike that of many another such home in the wilderness. Nancy Hanks Lincoln did not survive long enough to enjoy even the ordinary comforts of a home, but succumbed within a few months. Tom married again — a capable widow with children of her own — and the combined household moved sturdily forward. For fourteen years they lived here — a long time for the restless Tom — and when young Abe was just turn- ing twenty-one they decided to "pull up stakes" again and move over into Illinois. Those fourteen years on the Little Pigeon had seen the spindly youth shooting up like a sycamore. From the age of eight or nine he had begun to swing his axe in the clearings. For a time he seemed all arms and legs, but he was as hard as nails — all bone, sinew, and muscle, and a "holy terror" at 8 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS wrestling. At eighteen he had reached his full height of six feet, four inches. It was about this time — the summer of 1826 — that he got a job as ferryman on the Ohio, boating passen- gers across the stream at the mouth of Anderson's Creek. The river steamers were just then beginning to ply on the Ohio and Mississippi, and as he poled his craft back and forth he would watch these big, un- gainly craft with eager eyes. It was his first direct con- tact with the giant, Steam. Flatboats, however, contin- ued to be the popular medium for shipping produce, and the one great adventure of those days was to float down the great rivers clear to New Orleans with goods, and dispose of them there. Then one could return by steamer, or overland by horseback. Many a farmer was bitten with this idea, and Tom Lincoln made at least one trip to the southern port. Abe doubtless heard many stories about it. When the latter was nineteen he was working for a man named James Gentry, who outfitted a flatboat for the New Orleans trip. This was loaded with produce and placed in charge of Abe and Gentry's son, Allen. Their plan was to trade at St. Louis and other points along the river, and "see the sights." It was a journey of continuous marvel for the two backwoodsmen. The ever-changing stream, the small towns, the people, the country — all were like the open- ing pages of a book. It was, indeed, the book from which Lincoln gained most of his later wisdom. The trip itself was leisurely but not lazy. Their clumsy craft was kept to its course by two long sweeps, and at times it required their united efforts to keep it clear of snags BEFORE THE DAY OF RAILROADS 9 or sandbars, to say nothing of capricious eddies, cross- currents, or rapids. As they tugged at their sweeps and watched some puffing steamer pass them, they doubtless nodded their heads to each other, and re- marked: "That is the life!" After reaching the Mississippi River the boys com- menced their trading, so that by the time they arrived at New Orleans the produce had been disposed of and other commodities received in exchange. This was a journey of about eighteen hundred miles. The only in- cident of the trip worth recording occurred at a planta- tion near Baton Rouge, where the boat had been tied up for the night. A party of negroes, bent on plunder, had gotten on board the craft, when they were heard by the boys, who quickly grabbing clubs beat off the marauders. In the melee Lincoln received a wound, the mark of which he carried to his grave. The return trip was made by steamboat — a memo- rable experience in the lives of the two boys. Early in 1830, Tom Lincoln decided to move again. He was dissatisfied with his surroundings, and rightly so, for the country in which he had settled turned out to be very unpromising. The locality was unhealthy and the soil unproductive. After a journey of fifteen days the emigrants reached Macon County, Illinois. A section of land on the north bank of the Sangamon River, about ten miles west of Decatur, was selected, and after helping his father erect a cabin and fence in the plot of ground, Abraham determined to strike out for himself. He had now attained his majority and was a physical giant. Yet we find him reaching man's estate with no profession and no trade. His opportuni- 10 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS ties for education had been of necessity distressingly meager, but he had read with avidity and absorption anything he could lay his hands on, and thus had a rather fair knowledge of things in general. Abraham Lincoln left his father's roof in March or April, 1830. That summer and fall he worked in the neighborhood, chiefly as a farm hand. The winter of 1830-1831 is what is known in Illinois history as the "Winter of the Deep Snow," so that Lincoln could not have done much that season. Yet he secured employ- ment for the coming spring. A relative of his, John Hanks, had been asked by Denton Offutt, the leading business man along that portion of the Sangamon, to take a flatboat loaded with provisions and stock from Beardstown, Illinois, to New Orleans. A deal was made whereby Abraham Lincoln and John Johnston, his step-brother, were to accom- pany Hanks to assist in the work. In March, when the snow was gone, it was found that traveling by land was almost impossible, due to the flooded country. So, purchasing a large canoe, the party of three embarked on the Sangamon to meet Off- utt at Springfield. Here they found him, but were in- formed that, as he had not been able to get a boat at Beardstown as intended, they would be hired to hew down timber and build their own craft for the jour- ney at Sangamon Town, seven miles northwest of Springfield. This was accordingly done, and on April 19th the long journey was begun. At New Salem, a few miles below Springfield, the boat stuck on a mill- dam, but through young Lincoln's ingenuity was got- ten under way again. Courtesy, Illinois Central Railroad THE LINCOLN BIRTHPLACE CABIN This rude log hut in which Lincoln first saw the light of day has been pre- served to posterity in the Lincoln Memorial Hall, at Hodgenville, Kentucky. BEFORE THE DAY OF RAILROADS 11 The party remained in New Orleans about a month. The city had changed in many respects since Lincoln had been there before, the thing making the deepest im- pression upon him being the slave market, and the in- human way in which it was conducted. It was there and then that "the iron entered into his soul." The long trip back to Illinois was made in the pleas- ant month of June. Offutt took a great liking to his tall, awkward boathand, and offered him work in his store and mill in the village of New Salem. It was a lazy sort of job and gave Lincoln plenty of time to read and day-dream, as well as pursue his favorite study — that of human nature — but it did not last long. Offutt failed within a few months, and his clerk was once again thrown upon his own resources. What should he do? He was a man grown, with an odd assortment of knowledge and experience, but no special training for anything. It is said that at one time he contemplated turning blacksmith. Meanwhile he did what odd jobs that came his way and drifted, until a new interest began to beckon. It was the field of politics and, strangely enough, one of his first bids for public support was upon the theme of railroads. CHAPTER III LINCOLN'S FIRST INTEREST IN TRANSPORTATION Lincoln's journeys by water to New Orleans natu- rally inclined him to regard this as the prime means of transportation. He was an earnest advocate, as a young man, of the desirability of clearing the streams. The Sangamon River which flowed by his father's farm was constantly cluttered with driftwood, and he saw that if this were only cleared it would open up a natu- ral highway for many miles. While he was clerking for Off utt many were the ar- guments he carried on with the farmers. It is related that on one occasion a candidate for the state legisla- ture came through on a stump-speaking tour, and took as his text this same theme of the opening up of the rivers. When he had ended, one of his hearers ex- claimed: "You just ought to hear our Abe talk about it ! Git up, Abe, and make a speech !" Thus urged, the tall, ungainly clerk slowly got to his feet and made his way forward amid the good-natured jibes of his neighbors. He began hesitatingly, but soon the subject gripped him and his words poured forth. The laughter was changed to hearty applause, and the campaigner was generous enough to say: "You made a better speech than I did, young fellow !" Lincoln had, in fact, been quietly preparing himself for just such an opportunity. During his spare time 12 INTEREST IN TRANSPORTATION 13 at the store he had read an English Grammar closely and had even practiced speaking aloud to the sacks in the mill, or the saplings in some thicket safe from hu- man ears. The opinion was gradually forming in his mind that he was as able to represent the constituency of his county in the legislature, as anyone else. The consequence was that in March, 1832, he boldly took the first step in this direction by publicly announcing his candidacy. Under date of March 9th he prepared a hand-bill which was distributed to the people of Sangamon County, in which he gave at some length his views on local matters. The first thing upon which he touched was the sub- ject of internal improvements, and fully three-fourths of his "Address," as he called it, is devoted to this topic. It shows that he had begun, at this early period, to make a study of transportation problems, but had not as yet progressed to the point where he thought that the railroad would be as profitable an enterprise for the young country as the navigable waterway. "With respect to the County of Sangamon," he said, "some more easy means of communication than it now possesses, for the purpose of facilitating the task of exporting the surplus products of its fertile soil, and importing necessary articles from abroad, is indispen- sably necessary. A meeting has been held by the citi- zens of Jacksonville and the adjacent country, for the purpose of deliberating and inquiring into the expedi- ency of constructing a railroad from some eligible point on the Illinois River, through the town of Jack- sonville, in Morgan County, to the town of Springfield, 14 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS in Sangamon County. This is, indeed, a very desirable object. No other improvement that reason will justify us in hoping for can equal in utility the railroad. It is a never-failing source of communication between the places of business remotely situated from each other. Upon the railroad the regular progress of commercial intercourse is not interrupted by either high or low water, or freezing weather, which are the principal diffi- culties that render our future hopes of water communi- cation precarious and uncertain. "Yet, however desirable an object the construction of a railroad through our county may be; however high our imaginations may be heated at thoughts of it, — there is always a heart-appalling shock accompanying the amount of its cost, which forces us to shrink from our pleasing anticipations. The probable cost of this contemplated railroad is estimated at $290,000; the bare statement of which, in my opinion, is sufficient to justify the belief that the improvement of the Sanga- mon River is an object much better suited to our infant resources." On the ground of economy, therefore, Abraham Lin- coln declared for the improvement of the Sangamon, rather than railroad construction. Yet we find him in a later session of the Illinois Legislature supporting some of the most injudicious and reckless railroad legis- lation ever enacted, without regard to finances, rev- enues, or taxes. Hardly had Lincoln entered the political arena when he was afforded an opportunity to serve his state in an- other manner. The Governor of Illinois, about the mid- dle of April, 1832, issued a call for volunteers to repel INTEREST IN TRANSPORTATION 15 the invasion of the Indian chief, Black Hawk, in the northwestern part of the state. Along with many others, Lincoln enlisted, and was chosen Captain of the Sangamon company. They as- sembled at Beardstown, and after effecting a sort of organization, proceeded on their march. Mustered out in May, Captain Lincoln enlisted again as a private in the company of Captain Elijah lies. Again discharged in June, he reenlisted as a private under Captain Jacob M. Early. The volunteers got as far north as Wiscon- sin (then called Michigan Territory), when, their serv- ices no longer required, the entire company was dis- banded. During this campaign Lincoln engaged in no battles, and, as he once said, did not even see "any live, fight- ing Indians," but he did have "a good many bloody struggles with the mosquitoes." His horse was stolen from him up in Michigan, and he had to make a return journey of about two hundred miles by foot, horseback, and canoe. This afforded him further opportunity to ruminate upon the joys of easy transportation. Arriving back in New Salem he took off his coat and entered into the campaign with gusto. Campaign- ing in those days was a rough-and-tumble affair and free-for-all fights were frequently the wind-up of de- bate. It is said that on one occasion Lincoln stopped short in the midst of an impassioned outburst for bet- ter ways of travel, and jumping down from the rostrum made his way through the crowd to the spot where one of his adherents was getting the worst of it. He calmly separated the antagonists, gave them a shaking, and went back to finish his speech. 16 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS He was not elected in his maiden campaign, but doubtless derived some consolation from the fact that out of three hundred votes cast in New Salem, he re- ceived two hundred and seventy-seven. Turning again to store-keeping, he entered into partnership with William Berry, acting also as post- master, but devoting all his spare time to the study of law. The store was a failure, and for a time we find Lin- coln turning his talents in an entirely new direction — that of surveying. While running the transit and level across country, he had still further opportunity to study the problems of transportation, both by water and land. Again in 1834 he became a candidate for the legis- lature, and this time he was successful. Vandalia was then the capital, and one of the first projects in which the young legislator distinguished himself was the re- moval of the seat of government to the more central Springfield. He had made his first journey to Van- dalia, of seventy-five miles, in a jolty stage and over impossible roads. So a little later when he and the other lawmakers heard of the approach of the railroads, it is not surprising that they welcomed them with open arms and unsound legislation. The story of Illinois, in this respect, is not different from the other states. For a time they were "railroad crazy." Lincoln was reelected to the legislature in 1836, and in this year was also admitted to the bar. He spent the first years of his public life quietly, being content to study the men with whom he came in contact and their methods. This first term, however, developed his INTEREST IN TRANSPORTATION 17 self-possession and assertion to such a degree that he was able thereafter to cope with others in all the prom- inent legislation of the day. He had earned his spurs, and instead of the shambling youth was now Mr. Lin- coln, seasoned legislator and lawyer. CHAPTER IV LINCOLN AND THE INTERNAL IM- PROVEMENT FOLLIES OF 1837 When the first session of the Tenth General Assembly of Illinois convened at Vandalia, then the capital of the state, in December, 1836, it found the country entering the throes of what has since been termed the "internal improvement follies of 1837." This period was made memorable by the reckless policy of various states in the question of internal improvements, and the unsound financial policy pursued. After the orgy of unwise expenditures had passed, many of the states found themselves in a bankrupt condition. Such was the case with the great eastern states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, while of those farther west, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois, were like- wise included. Since 1819, when Governor Bond in his message to the first state legislature of Illinois had spoken of a proposed Illinois and Michigan Canal, the attention of politicians and the people generally had been turned toward transportation problems. But practically noth- ing of a very definite nature had been done, aside from the passage of a few bills which had accomplished nothing. The Illinois and Michigan Canal was to connect the Illinois River with the Great Lakes at Chicago. As 18 IMPROVEMENT FOLLIES OF 1837 19 an engineering problem it was difficult, yet at the out- set the state was faced with the problem of how to finance the project rather than the difficulty of com- pleting it. Various legislators took their turn at pass- ing legislation relating to it, until the canal commis- sioners, in November, 1831, advocated the construction of a railroad instead of a canal. They had placed the matter in the hands of a noted engineer, James M. Bucklin by name, who recommended that a railroad be built, as it would serve the purpose better. The matter dragged along until 1835, when by act of the legislature the Governor was authorized to negotiate a loan not to exceed $500,000 on the canal lands and toll for the construction of the Canal. At this session the way was paved for the reckless manner in which its successor handled the internal improvement and fiscal legislation. When Lincoln and his eight colleagues from San- gamon County took their seats in December, 1836, they found this legislature, by reason of a reapportion- ment, larger by fifty members than its predecessors. The Sang?mon delegation consisted of two Senators and seven members of the House, who on account of their average height being over six feet, were dubbed the "Long Nine." To Lincoln was assigned by common consent, the leadership of this delegation. In keeping with the temper of the people, they were to a man pledged to do what they could towards internal improvements. In a short statement issued June 13, Lincoln had said that he was "for distributing the proceeds of the sales of public lands to the several states, to enable our state, 20 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS in common with others, to dig canals and construct railroads without borrowing money and paying the in- terest on it." Shortly before the legislature met, the Sangamon representatives had been instructed by a convention of their constituency "to vote for a general system of internal improvements," and on the evening of the day the legislature assembled, the hall of the House was turned over to a crowd of delegates from all over the state, recommending that their elected representatives enact such legislation "commensurate with the wants of the people." Another matter of concern was the contemplated removal of the capital, already mentioned. Originally located in a wilderness, an agitation was begun in 1832 for removing it to another portion of the state, after the allotted twenty years assigned to Vandalia were up. Various other localities were mentioned, chief among them being Springfield, Alton, Peoria, and Jackson- ville. Naturally the "Long Nine" were expected to do what they could for Springfield, which was located in their own county. Lincoln was a member of the Committee on Finance, and as such had much to do with fostering the legisla- tion concerning the two most prominent matters of transportation and finance, but the subject nearest the hearts of the entire Sangamon delegation was the re- moval of the capital of the state to their county. In order to accomplish this end, it must be confessed that under the able leadership of Lincoln, the "Sangamon Chief," they engaged in the reprehensible practice of log-rolling. We find them to a man voting for almost Courtesy, Ida M. Tarbell, and The Macmillan Co. EARLY RAILROAD MAP OF ILLINOIS Showing projection of railroads, as well as improve- ment of various streams, and construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, as authorized by the State Assem- bly of 1836-7. In this orgy of reckless expenditures for public improvements Lincoln took a prominent part. IMPROVEMENT FOLLIES OF 1837 31 any kind of extravagant expenditures that was sug- gested, in order that they might go back to their con- stituents and tell them that their county would soon hold the seat of government for the "Prairie State." Then again they had been elected on pledges to support the measures aimed to aid the transportation problem of the state. Several of Lincoln's contemporaries in this legisla- ture have left their impressions of it and the part that Lincoln played in the enactment of the leading statutes passed. "We ran perfectly wild on the subject of internal improvements," said General Usher F. Linder. "A map of that scheme, with the various routes along which our contemplated roads were to run, would be some- what amusing to look at, at this day. . . . Every member wanted a road to his county town — a great many of them got one; and those counties through which no road was authorized to be constructed were to be compensated in money ; which was to be obtained by a loan from Europe, or — God knows where. "The enthusiastic friends of the measure, such as John Hogan, one of the members from Alton, an Irish- man, who had been a Methodist preacher, and who was quite a fluent and interesting speaker, maintained that instead of there being any difficulty in obtaining a loan of the fifteen or twenty millions authorized to be bor- rowed, our bonds would go like hot cakes, and be sought for by the Rothschilds and Baring Brothers, and others of that stamp, and that the premium which we would obtain upon them would range from fifty to one hun- dred per cent, and that the premium itself would be 22 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS sufficient to construct most of the important works, leaving the principal sum to go into our treasury, and leave the people free from taxation for years to come. "The law authorized these works to be constructed by the state, without the intervention of corporations or any individual interest whatever. Commissioners were to be appointed to go to Europe and borrow money on our state bonds. . . . "I supported the measure, with many others, and am willing now to take my share of the blame which should attach to those who supported it. We were all young and inexperienced men." In referring to his recollections of Lincoln at this session, General Linder says that "he made a good many speeches in the legislature, mostly on local mat- ters. A close observer, however, could not fail to see that the tall six-footer, with his homely logic, clothed in the language of the humbler classes, had the stuff in him to make a man of mark." Robert L. Wilson, one of the "Long Nine," in speaking of his fellow-representative's oratorical abili- ties, said that Lincoln was "in the halls of the Legisla- ture a ready debater, manifesting extraordinary ability in his peculiar manner of presenting his subjects. He did not follow the beaten track of other speakers and thinkers, but appeared to comprehend the whole situa- tion of the subject, and take hold of its principles. He had a remarkable faculty for concentration, enabling him to present his subject in such a manner that noth- ing but conclusions were presented." IMPROVEMENT FOLLIES OF 1837 23 But it was not alone as a speaker that Representa- tive Lincoln excelled. "He seemed to be a born politician," said Wilson. "We followed his lead, but he followed nobody's lead; he hewed his way for us to follow, and we gladly did so. He could grasp and concentrate the matters under discussion, and his clear statement of an intricate or obscure subject was better than an ordinary argument. It may almost be said that he did our thinking for us, but he had no arrogance, nothing of the dictatorial; it seemed the right thing to do as he did. He excited no envy or jealousy. He was felt to be so much greater than the rest of us that we were glad to abridge our intellectual labors by letting him do the general think- ing for the crowd." Wilson also relates circumstantially Lincoln's atti- tude during the progress of the bill to relocate the seat of government. The contest over this measure, he says, "was long and severe." Twice it seemed doomed to defeat. But in the darkest hour Lincoln did not despair. He rallied his forces and carried them to vic- tory "just before the adjournment of the legislature." While undoubtedly engaged in log-rolling during this session, another Representative, Henderson, is authority for a incident which occurred that winter illustrating Lincoln's "character for integrity and his firmness in maintaining what he regarded as right in his public acts, in a marked manner." It seems that there were certain efforts being made to join the forces bent on the capital removal with those favoring some particular measure which Lincoln 24 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS did not see his way clear to support. Prolonged confer- ences did not change his attitude. Finally a caucus was called, in which not only those members most in- terested in the capital removal but citizens from the northern and central parts of the state were present. Far into the night the discussion waxed, but Lincoln was as adamant. His conscience would not allow him to be party to the deal, whatever it may have been. After midnight, when the participants had exhausted their persuasive powers, and the "candles were burning low in the room," Lincoln arose and made "one of the most powerful speeches" to which Henderson ever lis- tened. While we have of course no printed report of it, yet Henderson is authority for the concluding remarks. "You may," said Lincoln, "burn my body to ashes, and scatter them to the winds of heaven ; you may drag my soul down to the regions of darkness and despair to be tormented forever; but you will never get me to support a measure which I believe to be wrong, al- though by so doing I may accomplish that which I be- lieve to be right." Let it be emphasized that this legislature with which Abraham Lincoln had to deal was no mediocre body of politicians. Aside from the fact that it contained a fu- ture president, there were other men of ability who afterwards became prominent in the state and nation as well. Here was Stephen A. Douglas, later United States Senator and candidate for president. Here was James Shields, native of Ireland, officer in the Mexican and Civil Wars, Senator from three states, and the only personage with whom Abraham Lincoln was en- gaged to fight a duel. Here also were John A. McCler- IMPROVEMENT FOLLIES OF 1837 25 nand, member of Congress and officer of high command during the Civil War; Orville H. Browning, United States Senator and Cabinet member; William A. Richardson, representative in Congress and candidate for Speaker of the House, and United States Senator ; Augustus C. French, twice Governor of Illinois ; James Semple, foreign Minister and United States Senator; not to mention others of more or less prominence. The bill as finally passed in February, 1837, author- ized the expenditure of over twelve million dollars for internal improvements. Estimating the cost of building railroads at about $8,000 per mile, the plans called for the roads to be begun at intersections with naviga- ble streams and important towns, and from thence ex- tended in both directions. The sum of $3,500,000 was to be expended on the Illinois Central Railroad, which received the largest single appropriation. Let us see what the provisions of this "Act to estab- lish and maintain a General System of Internal Im- provements, in force 27th February, 1837," were. First there was to be a railroad from Galena in the extreme northwestern part of the state extending southward through Springfield to Cairo, in the south- ern extremity, at the junction of the Ohio with the Mississippi River. From Alton, above St. Louis, at the junction of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, three roads were to radiate: one to Shawneetown, on the Ohio, about seventy-five miles northeast of Cairo; another to Mt. Carmel, just across the border from Indiana, on the Wabash River ; and a third also extend- ing in an easterly direction to the border, towards Terre Haute, Indiana. 26 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS There was also a road to run from Quincy, on the Mississippi, extending across the state through Springfield, to the Wabash River; one from Warsaw, also on the Mississippi, to Peoria, on the Illinois River ; and finally a road from Pekin, also on the latter stream, just below Peoria, to Bloomington, a projected point on the main line running from Galena to Cairo. A short cut-off was to join the latter two roads running from Peoria to Tremont. The first road described, to run from Galena to Cairo, was to be known as the Illinois Central. In addition to authorizing the expenditure of four million dollars on the Illinois and Michigan Canal, pro- visions were made for the improvement of all the larger and some of the small streams in the state: the Great and Little Wabash Rivers, the Rock River, the Kas- kaskia, and the Illinois. To-day we cannot but marvel at the ease with which the raising and spending of the then enormous sum of twelve million dollars was provided for by these early Illinois law-makers, in view of the times and con- ditions prevailing. "These sums," say Nicolay and Hay, in their bio- graphy of Lincoln, "monstrous as they were, were still ridiculously inadequate to the purpose in view. But while the frenzy lasted there was no consideration of cost or of possibilities. These vast works were voted without estimates, without surveys, without any ra- tional consideration of their necessity. The voice of reason seemed to be silent in the Assembly; only the utterances of fervid prophecy found listeners. "Governor Ford (then the State Executive) speaks IMPROVEMENT FOLLIES OF 1837 27 of one orator who insisted, amid enthusiastic plaudits, that the State could well afford to borrow one hundred millions for internal improvements. The process of reasoning, or rather predicting, was easy and natural. "The roads would raise the price of land; the state could enter large tracts and sell them at a profit; for- eign capital would be invested in land, and could be heavily taxed to pay bonded interest; and the roads, as fast as they were built, could be operated at a great profit to pay for their own construction. The climax of the whole folly was reached by the provision of law directing that work should be begun at once at the termini of all the roads and the crossings of all rivers. . . . "Mr. Lincoln is continually found voting with his friends in favor of this legislation, and there is nothing to show that he saw any danger in it. He was a Whig, and as such in favor of internal improvements in general and a liberal construction of constitutional law in such matters. As a boy, he had interested himself in the de- tails of local improvements of rivers and roads, and he doubtless went with the current in Vandalia in favor of this enormous system." In considering this extravagant legislation it should be noted that the Assembly also voted wildly and inju- diciously in the matter of banking legislation, which it is not our purpose to consider here in detail. We can only summarize one or two opinions. "The legislature of which Mr. Lincoln was a mem- ber," says his law-partner, Herndon, "was one that will never be forgotten in Illinois. Its legislation in aid of the so-called internal improvement system was signifi- 28 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS cantly reckless and unwise. The gigantic and stupen- dous operations of the scheme dazzled the eyes of nearly everybody, but in the end it rolled up a debt so enor- mous as to impede the otherwise marvelous progress of Illinois. The burdens imposed by this legislature under the guise of improvements became so monumental in size it is little wonder that at intervals for years after- ward the monster of repudiation often showed its hid- eous face above the waves of popular indignation. . . . However much we may regret that Lincoln took part and aided in this reckless legislation, we must not for- get that his party and all his constituents gave him their united endorsement." "If Mr. Lincoln had no other claims to be remem- bered than his services in the legislature of 1836-7," say his secretaries, Nicolay and Hay, "there would be little to say in his favor. Its history is one of disaster to the state. Its legislation was almost wholly unwise and hurtful. The most we can say for Mr. Lincoln is that he obeyed the will of his constituents, as he prom- ised to do, and labored with singular skill and ability to accomplish the objects desired by the people who gave him their votes. ... In the account of errors and follies committed by the legislature to the lasting injury of the state, he is entitled to no praise or blame beyond the rest. He shared in that sanguine epidemic of financial and industrial quackery which devastated the entire community, and voted with the best men of the country in favor of schemes which appeared then like a promise of an immediate millennium, and now seem like midsummer madness. He entered political IMPROVEMENT FOLLIES OF 1837 29 life in one of those eras of delusive prosperity which so often precede great financial convulsions." "The magnificent system of internal improvements which this Legislature evolved from the nebuloe of de- sire and necessity," says Henry C. Whitney, law asso- ciate of Lincoln, "would have been all right if the state could have afforded it, or if the hoped-for development had been a well-founded pledge and promise of enough taxes to pay the interest on bonds promptly and surely; but, unfortunately, no such conditions existed, and this really able legislature was in the condition of a visionary but hopeful man, entering into enlarged busi- ness enterprises, with roseate hopes and brilliant antic- ipations for his sole capital. However, then as always in a farming community, the ordinary tax-list was the greatest burden to be borne, and to have carried into effect the grand schemes which were here proposed by law and on paper, would have bankrupted nine men out of ten in the whole state, so the inevitable and nec- essary result was that, after spending millions, the whole scheme was hopelessly abandoned, with very lit- tle substantial benefit. In point of fact, I happen to remember that, as late as 1884, a railway was built in the southern part of the state partly upon a grade made at the expense of the state nearly a half century before," After this session of the legislature, Abraham Lin- coln, having been largely instrumental in voting away twelve millions of dollars, returned to New Salem, walk- ing the entire distance of seventy-five miles. Following the adoption of the internal improvement 30 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS legislation, the Board of Fund Commissioners provided for in the bill prepared to begin the work of construc- tion at the earliest possible moment. The distance was estimated at 1,341 miles, and about three hundred miles were at once put under contract, distributed among dif- ferent roads. The total cost was estimated at $11,470,- 444, and by December, 1838, the Commissioners had been drawn upon for the sum of $1,142,027. It did not take a very close observer to see that the system was headed for the rocks. Political opposition soon began to develop. Certain newspapers opened up their broadsides against the work of the legislature and its framers. The prospective taxation also was cause for antagonism. Reelected to the legislature in 1838, we find in January of the fol- lowing year that Lincoln, in the course of some remarks as a member of the Committee on Finance, suggested that, instead of taxation, all the unsold lands lying within the state be purchased from the United States government for speculation. Meanwhile the finances of the state were daily be- coming more snarled and it was getting harder to keep up the interest on the loans negotiated. The Fund Com- missioners, in addition to facing the problem of how to obtain funds to carry on the project, were working at cross-purposes. The "Sangamon Chief" naturally came in for some of the opprobrium heaped upon the legislators, but it did not seem to affect his standing with his constituency. Instead of curtailing expenditures, which it should have been seen was the wise thing to do, the Eleventh Assembly expanded upon the system. Additional out- IMPROVEMENT FOLLIES OF 1887. 31 lays were authorized for other work. A general taxa- tion law was passed, carrying with it the provision for a levy of twenty cents on each hundred dollars worth of property in the state. Sentiment in opposition to the system rapidly crys- tallized. Indignation meetings in various counties de- nounced the law and passed resolutions asking for its repeal. Finally in February, 1840, two acts were drawn up and passed which stopped all railroad work in the state. Up to this time, after all this blowing of horns, only twenty-six miles of railroad, and one hundred and five miles of canal, had been constructed, and this included work done on the Illinois and Michigan Canal before the wholesale legislation had been enacted. In considering the results of the speculative legis- lation in Illinois, it is but just to recall that it was in the year 1837 that the second great panic suffered by the United States occurred, due in part, as one his- torian has said, to the "preceding years of extraor- dinary speculation, carried on with a most unsound banking system.'' CHAPTER V THE FIRST RAILROAD IN ILLINOIS As a result of all this wildcat legislation involving millions of dollars, it will be of interest to see the sort of railroad that was the first to be built — the pioneer transportation line of the state. This was known as the Northern Cross Railroad and probably had nothing to do with astronomy; it simply indicated that it was to cross the state in the northern section. It was to extend from Quincy through Jacksonville, Springfield, and Decatur to the Indiana line, the eastern terminus being just beyond Danville in Vermillion County. After the passage of the Act authorizing this road, Murray McConnel, an aggressive lawyer, was selected to carry out the project in and around Jacksonville. In less than two months he had employed James M. Bucklin as chief engineer. He also induced several of his own relatives who had some knowledge of what had been done in New York in railroad construction to come West. The survey was rapidly pushed for a distance of fifty-five miles, and contracts let for con- struction. This right of way ran from Meredosia, on the Illinois River, to Springfield. In the meanwhile the energetic McConnel ordered rails, cars, and other equipment from the East. In those days there were no large locomotive works waiting to turn out engines of any size or weight, but such things could only be obtained by "prayer and fasting." 32 THE FIRST RAILROAD IN ILLINOIS 38 A locomotive of any kind was a ten days' wonder, and its behavior when on the rails was highly problemati- cal. The first one ordered was reported "lost in its passage," by one of the commissioners. It should be remembered that there were no connecting lines of road leading back East, and that a bulky object such as this would have to be transported largely by water. The problems of loading and unloading, to say nothing of portages, presented difficulties unknown to the shipper to-day. The commissioner who had reported this loss soon after obtained another locomotive, which he claimed was purchased for another embryonic road in the north. This one was shipped by way of the Illinois River, on one of the little, puffing packet-boats of the time, and rolled ashore at Meredosia. The momentous event took place in November, 1838. The first rails had been laid six months earlier, so the important newcomer found a home and work to be done at once. For the first time on the wide prairies of the great West the puff of a locomotive was heard. It was also the first locomotive to be put in operation in the whole Mississippi Valley. "The little locomotive had no whistle, no spark- arrester, no cow-catcher, and the cab was open to the sky," says an eye-witness. "Its speed was about six miles an hour, and where the railroad and the high- way lay parallel to each other there was frequently a trial of speed between the locomotive with its 'pleasure cars' and the stage-coaches. Sometimes the stage- coaches came in ahead. Six inches of snow were suf- ficient to blockade the trains drawn by this American engine." 34 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS The builders of this pioneer Western engine were Rogers, Grosvenor, and Ketchum, of Paterson, New- Jersey, the founders of a famous locomotive works. It was called the "Rogers." By the latter part of 1838 the road was in running order from Meredosia to Jacksonville, a distance of twenty-four miles. Continuing eastward the road into Springfield was completed and opened for traffic, May 13, 1842. In the meanwhile a second engine was pur- chased, built by M. W. Baldwin, of Philadelphia, and placed in service February 14, of the same year. An account of the construction of the roadbed is like- wise interesting. The writer — another Mr. McConnel — says : "The road was built by laying parallel lines of mud- sills, eight or ten inches square, under where the rails would come, save where the earth bottom was judged firm enough to lay cross ties much as is now done, only much further apart than now. On these ties were laid 'stringers' of oak, probably four by six, or four by eight inches, notched and pinned together, and on these were spiked flat strap-iron rails, some two and one- half inches wide, five-eighths of an inch thick, and prob- ably twelve or fifteen feet long, with ends mitred, or slanted, so as to take the weight of a wheel on each rail before it had quite left the other. The frequent re- sult may be easily imagined. These ends gradually curled up as the wheels rolled over them, till the points, rising higher than the wheel center, became what were called 'snake-heads, 5 were under-run by the wheels and shot up through the car and sometimes through an un- fortunate passenger or employee. THE FIRST RAILROAD IN ILLINOIS 35 "The only passenger coaches the road possessed," continues Mr. McConnel, "were about of the size and 'build' of the big omnibuses of the past generation. The seats ran along each side, like those of the omnibus, and the coaches were equally destitute of any and every other appliance for the comfort or convenience of the traveler, other than to sit down and 'hang on' — if he could. The speed of the trains was very low, as speed is now measured, but it was, relatively to that to which that generation was accustomed, nearly as high as we now habitually know, the roadway was very uneven, there were no straps to hang to and the lurching about of passengers unfortunate enough to be obliged to stand, their stumbling over and trampling upon the feet of the seated travelers, into whose surprised embraces they not infrequently stumbled and sprawled, were often vastly amusing to onlookers howsoever exasperating to the participants. It was often equally disagreeable when passengers were few. There were no divisions of any kind in the seats. Along each wall of the coach ran a smooth stretch of bench-like seat, and a sudden lurch of the coach would often slide a sitter half the length of the coach, and land him or her, with a grue- some bump in the middle of the floor. "These were specimen inconveniences for travelers, while the want of some of the simplest of the railway devices of the past twenty years brought serious hard- ships and hazards to the employees. Cars were coupled only with the long link and pin, operated by hand and resulting in any train of a number of cars suddenly stretching or shrinking in length with sudden changes of speed as much as a score or more of feet, with sudden 36 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS jars and hazards unknown on modern trains. There was no means then known for warming the water in the tank of the locomotive tender, and the only known means of conveying it from the tank to the boiler was by ordinary leathern hose swinging freely enough be- tween the two to assure immunity from breaking in any one of these sudden elongations of the train. Often a stop of two or three minutes at any station exposed to the bitter cold blasts of winter, would suffice to freeze the water in these hose, tying up the train for from a few minutes to several hours, destitute of any means of informing anybody of the cause and probable dura- tion of the delay. A few minutes of delay in pushing through a snow-drift far from any station would bring the same frozen hose, far from even the useless but sympathetic knowledge of the denizens of a bit of prairie station. "Then it became necessary for the train crew to take wood from the locomotive tender — the art of burning coal in a locomotive furnace had not then been discov- ered — and carefully build a fire on the ground between the rails, and under the hose where it passed in festoons from tank to boiler, watching it like a hawk lest it scorch the leather, in which case the hose would crack and burst and the locomotive be left hopelessly 'dead,' till drawn away by some force other than its own. "What this task must be for two or three men crouched in the narrow space under a locomotive cab, with a maniac-like northwest wind howling like a legion of devils across the open prairie, driving clouds of stinging snow before it, may be partly guessed by those who have seen a prairie blizzard, but can never be ap- P a o u 03 nd -M 03 o3 P £ "3 03 a ,C 03 -M h «4H CO o 5h 03 -t-> P o be z 03 ^ > O ^ O e Ph^ 8 a 03 03 15 P 03 !% T3 «0 o s g 03 H3 P Q. 03 03 H CO 03 «S © *-> £ o a 42 THE FIRST RAILROAD IN ILLINOIS 37 predated save by him who has taken part in the tortur- ing task. "The facilities for supplying locomotives with fuel and water were very meager, and when the train stopped at any 'wooding' station, the whole train crew and not infrequently some of the passengers, joined in throwing the sawed wood into the great box of the tender, some- times even having to add to the labors of the sawyers to fill the needed quantity. In many cases some slight accident has caused a stop at some point remote from scanty water stations, and lines of disgusted passengers trudged back and forth for hours between the impotent train and the nearest creek or farm well, often a dis- tance of miles, each with one or two pails of some kind, carrying water to put into the tank. "These are but a few of the embarrassments of rail- roading in those days. There were scores of others, for the signal code, the air brake, the automatic cou- pler, the toilet devices of to-day, the sleeping-car, the dining-car, steam-heated cars, all lights save candles alone, the use of the telegraph in operating trains, these and many another commonplace of to-day, were as yet undreamed of. I speak only of such as I saw some- thing of in my boyhood." The road was operated by the state until 1847, when, being unable to complete all the works authorized by the original Act, the Governor by deed conveyed the railroad property to a combination of local individuals who reorganized it under the name of the Sangamon and Morgan Railroad Company. This company had been incorporated by the state legislature, March 1, 1845, and it retained the name of Sangamon and Mor- 38 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS gan until 1853, when the legislature changed its name to the Great Western Railroad Company. Abraham Lincoln's name is found but rarely in these early years of railroading, although he was doubtless active both as lawyer and legislator. He appeared as opposing counsel to the corporation in certain litigation when it was operating under the latter two names, mention of which will be made in another chapter. Later by various sales or consolidations, the road became a part of the present Wabash system, which literally follows the line surveyed and located by those old railroad pioneers of Illinois, on that part of its route. It is interesting to note in passing that when the state turned over the road to its new owners in 1847, the two engines which had been in use were found to be so dilapidated and worn that they were unfit for further use. For several months the company was compelled to run the trains, consisting of two cars, with oxen and mules as motive power. The present-day officials of the Wabash Railroad Company gave the writer the following story, which it is claimed was told by Lincoln while practicing law at Springfield, relating his experiences on one of the early runs. Lincoln said that he was a passenger on a train drawn by one of the little engines coming from Jacksonville, one stormy night, and as the train ap- proached Springfield the fool engineer wanted to notify his wife that his train was coming. He gave a blast of the whistle and blew all of the steam out of the boiler, and the passengers had to walk to Springfield through the mud and rain! THE FIRST RAILROAD IN ILLINOIS 39 This Northern Cross Railroad, with its queer loco- motive, primitive coaches and freight cars, and crude road-bed, was the first that Abraham Lincoln looked upon, and through it he made his acquaintance with railroads. CHAPTER VI LINCOLN AND THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD It has been said that the "history of the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad is the history of Illinois." But as to whether Lincoln aided or opposed this project in its in- ception, there is conflicting testimony. The idea of a railroad as a highway to connect the northern and southern parts of the state seems to have been first suggested by Lieutenant-Governor A. M. Jenkins in 1832, his proposition causing considerable discussion. Three years later, Sidney Breese, known as the "Father of the Illinois Central," disseminated his views as to a combination of internal improvement schemes, which included the building of a railroad. Several newspapers also took up their cudgels in favor of the project, notably the Sangamon Journal, a paper of influence in early Illinois history. Finally, on Jan- uary 18, 1836, a year before the notorious internal improvement legislature passed its budget, the Central Railroad Company was incorporated to construct a railroad from "the mouth of the Ohio to a point on the Illinois River at or near the termination of the Illinois- Michigan Canal." However, as nothing of a permanent nature was done before the session of the legislature, it was certain that nothing could be done after it for some time to come. The attendant financial break-down did not, however, 40 THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD 41 dishearten the progressive citizens of the state, and we learn that on March 6, 1843, the Great Western Rail- way Company, commonly called the Holbrook Com- pany after the head of the enterprise, was incorporated. Meeting many difficulties of a financial nature, this project also failed, and two years later the charter was repealed. This road should not be confused with the Great Western Railroad Company, one of the suc- cessors of the Northern Cross. Sidney Breese, having been elected to the United States Senate, tried to get the Government interested in a railroad through central Illinois, but it was not until the election of Stephen A. Douglas to the same body in 1847 that the proposition looked favorable. In September, 1850, a bill introduced by the latter in be- half of a land grant was ratified by both Houses of Congress and signed by President Fillmore. Under its terms the Federal Government granted to the state of Illinois alternate sections of public land for six miles on each side of a proposed railroad from Cairo to Galena, and from Chicago to a junction with the main line. When the Illinois legislature met, on January 1, 1851, the members were confronted with the problem as to how to utilize the Federal Land Grant. There were four methods open : First, state construction of the road by means of the grant, along the line of the internal improvement plan of 1837. Second, the surrendering of the grant to bondhold- ers and the consequent construction by them on terms similar to those holding canal bonds in 1840. 42 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS Third, the completion of the road under the charter of 1849 by the Great Western Railway Company, which included the retention of all state lands. Fourth, the creating of an entirely new private cor- poration and the transfer to it of the land grant under certain restrictions and with certain payments to the state. Under this plan the company formed would as- sume entire responsibility for the completion of the road. Many bills were presented in both Senate and House, but no agreement could be reached. At this stage of the game a Massachusetts promoter, Robert Rantoul, pre- sented a memorial to the legislature suggesting that it create a corporation and surrender to it the Federal Land Grant. He was acting in the interest of a group of eastern capitalists who would form such a corpora- tion, and would agree to build a railroad "equal in all respects to the railroad running between Boston and Albany, with such improvements thereon as experience has shown to be desirable and expedient." There is evidence that Abraham Lincoln appeared before the legislature in the capacity of lobbyist for one or the other of the contending interests, but just which one is a matter of dispute. From a statement issued by the Illinois Central Railroad Company in 19^2, on the authority of J. G. Drennan, we quote the follow- ing: Lincoln "appeared before the committee of the legislature of Illinois at the time it reported favorably the charter creating the Illinois Central Railroad Com- pany, which charter as reported by the committee was passed by the Legislature, February 11, 1851. In 1904 we were able to establish Mr. Lincoln's connection with THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD 43 the granting of the charter of the Illinois Central through a statement obtained from Judge Anthony Thornton, who at that time was the only living member of the legislature of Illinois which granted the charter. His statement declared that he had a distinct recol- lection that Mr. Lincoln was associated with Robert Rantoul, Jr., one of the members of the first board of directors of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, to obtain the company's charter. Severe opposition was encountered, for there were many legislators who looked with distinct disfavor upon chartering a concern of such debatable value as a railway company. But Mr. Lincoln's eloquence prevailed." A former publication of the road gives these "ex- cerpts" from the statement as dictated by Judge Thornton, in August, 1904: "Judge Anthony Thorn- ton, at the request of Mr. John G. Drennan, Attorney for the Illinois Central Railroad, makes the following statement to Julia Embry, stenographer and notary public, in and for Shelby County, Illinois: 'From in- vestigation I think I am the only living member of the legislature of Illinois that granted the charter of the Illinois Central Railroad Company in 1851. I have a distinct recollection that Mr. Lincoln and several mem- bers of the Legislature were engaged by the Illinois Central Railroad Company to obtain the charter for the company. A right of way of two hundred feet was asked for to avoid somewhat the danger of fire. The charter was granted at that legislature as amended, and, as I understand, it now exists.' " Turning to the other evidence, we have on record a statement made before the Massachusetts Historical So- 44 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS ciety in 1909, by a son of Robert Rantoul, to the effect that Abraham Lincoln opposed the proposition of Ran- toul, and that his lobbying was done for western pro- moters. Mr. Rantoul says : "I was visiting Washington in January, 1863, and saw Mr. Lincoln for the first time at a public reception in the East Room of the White House. When he got my card from the officer in attendance, he repeated the name to himself several times and then said: 'I wonder if you are connected with a lawyer of that name who came to Illinois about 1850, to secure from our legislature the charter of the Illinois Central Railroad?' I told him that was my father. Upon which he burst forth with a great roar of laughter and much gesticulation, and said that he did all he could to stop it, but was not successful. He said he was retained by local capitalists who, although they could not then build the road as they had already been intending, were very unwilling that eastern capi- talists should step in and secure a grant which would make it forever impossible for them to build a road. But they were defeated. He favored me with some minutes of interesting conversation on this theme, and spoke with such amused good humor of the incident that my reception whetted rather than allayed my curiosity to see more of this extraordinary man." Both Robert Rantoul and his son have since departed this life, but a daughter of the latter in a communi- cation to the writer says: "My grandfather, Robert Rantoul, Jr., was sent to Illinois to get the charter through the Illinois legislature for the Illinois Central Railroad. He succeeded in getting it through. Mr. Lin- coln told my father that they all opposed it as hard as THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD 45 they could, because they did not want eastern capital to come out there and own the road. But Mr. Lincoln said, 'Your father beat me, he beat me,' and then roared with laughter." In the face of this conflicting testimony, it would appear that no final conclusion can be reached, al- though to our mind it seems more plausible that Lincoln had been retained by local capitalists, rather than by those from the East. We have taken pains to have contemporary files of the early Illinois newspapers searched for anything connecting him as a lobbyist with this session of the General Assembly, but they are all silent. In fact, the names of no lobbyists appear, nor are any of their activities chronicled. History records that after considerable discussion and opposition, the proposition of Rantoul was accepted by the legislature and the bill signed by Governor French. CHAPTER VII FIRST JOURNEYS TO THE EAST For several years after the coming of the railroads to Illinois, Lincoln's sole acquaintance with this new method of traveling was in his own state, and he prob- ably used the stage-coach or a horse far more fre- quently. But as the lines of steel began to reach ten- tatively here and there across the country, linking up one important center after another, travelers came to depend upon them more and more. We have already noted the curious analogy between Lincoln's political career and the railroads. As they reached here and there in the Midwest, his own name began to be bruited abroad. It was in the budding forties, that time of such rapid development of this section of the United States. It was a time that tended to the building of men. Lincoln made at least six pilgrimages to the eastern seaboard before he took up his duties as President — five of which had some bearing upon his political career. Two were made as a member of Congress from Illinois. One took him to Washington as an applicant for a Federal office. Then came a trip to the New Jersey coast, in the nature of a pleasure excursion — one of the few such jaunts in his busy life. The next was the famous journey into the heart of an unknown and critical country to deliver his address at the Cooper Institute in New York. Then came the eventful journey 46 FIRST JOURNEYS TO THE EAST ¥1 of a year later, with its attendant triumphs and perils, to take his seat as President of the United States. Let us turn the pages of history back to the time, in 1847, when he talked about and planned his first long pilgrimage away from home to that mysterious land, the East. What did it have in store for him? — he must have pondered when he had attained the next rung on his political ladder, a seat in Congress. But the more immediate question was, How best to go? What route presented the fewest discomforts? A journey from Illinois to the Atlantic Coast was still a matter of many days, if not weeks, and the transcontinental traveler a rara avis. When he left his home in Springfield, in October, 1847, to take his seat in the House of Representatives at Washington, Lincoln was eagerly looking forward to the journey, for it would be the first time in his life that he had been east of Ohio and Kentucky. He went by way of his native state, desiring to stop at Louisville to see his erstwhile Springfield friend, Joshua Speed. At that period of American history his passage from Springfield to Washington would necessarily have been made chiefly by other means than rail transportation. He would have gone by stage as far as Louisville, by way of Terre Haute and Vincennes, Indiana. After leaving Speed the stage would again be made use of into Frankfort, where a short rail line operating be- tween Frankfort and Lexington could have been used to the latter point. The present Louisville and Nash- ville Railroad had its inception in this early Kentucky road, incorporated by the state in 1830 as the Lexing- ton and Ohio Railroad, and in operation since 1834. 48 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS From Lexington to Covington, Virginia, over what is known as the Boone Trail, the stage would again be used, as also from the latter point into Winchester, Virginia, by way of Staunton. Thence to Washington he must have gone by rail over what is now known as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, but which then fol- lowed a more roundabout route than that of to-day. When Lincoln went over it, the line running from Winchester to Harper's Ferry was called the Win- chester and Potomac Railroad. Thence to Relay Sta- tion it was known as the Baltimore and Ohio ; and from Relay Station into Washington, it was known as the Washington Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio, having been built under a separate charter. Lincoln reached Washington, a tall, lank Westerner carrying his carpet-bag and looking uncertainly about him, on December 2. We find his name registered on that day, at Brown's Hotel. As he had left his home in October, the trip, counting his visit with his friend, Speed, must have taken over six weeks. He must have felt as if he had come from the other side of the world. The following June he absented himself from the first session of the Thirtieth Congress long enough to attend the Whig National Convention which nominated General Zachary Taylor for the presidency. To do this he necessarily used the Washington Branch of the Bal- timore and Ohio road as far as Baltimore, and from thence into Philadelphia, where the convention was held, the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Rail- road, now a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. This was his first glimpse of the Quaker City and FIRST JOURNEYS TO THE EAST 49 here he met for the first time that great Pennsylvania Commoner, Thaddeus Stevens, who undoubtedly made an impression upon the Illinois Congressman, as the following letter, hitherto unpublished, testifies : Washington, Sept. 3, 1848. Hon. Thaddeus Stevens Dear Sir: You may possibly remember seeing me at the Phila- delphia convention — introduced to you as the lone Whig star of Illinois. Since the adjournment, I have re- mained here, so long, in the Whig document room — I am now about to start for home ; and I desire the undis- guised opinion of some experienced and sagacious Pennsylvania politician, as to how the vote of that state, for governor, and president, is likely to go. In casting about for such a man, I have settled upon you; and I shall be much obliged if you will write me at Springfield, Illinois. The news we are receiving here now, by letters from all quarters is steadily on the rise ; we have none lately of a discouraging character. This is the sum, without giving particulars. Yours truly, A. Lincoln The course which Lincoln had pursued in Congress had attracted the attention of prominent Whigs, and he was invited to deliver several campaign speeches in Massachusetts after the adjournment of Congress. Early in September he left Washington, using the same route previously traversed into Philadelphia. In going from Philadelphia to New York three different rail lines would have to be traversed as far as Jersey U\ 50 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS City, at which point he crossed the river by ferry. These three roads form the present main line of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad, and were incorporated as follows : The Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad from Philadelphia to Trenton; the Camden and Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company from Trenton to New Bruns- wick, New Jersey; and the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company from New Brunswick to Jer- sey City. Lincoln must have been much interested in the vari- ous lines he was to observe and traverse in his journey to New England, for he had heard much concerning them while the early rail legislation in Illinois was being agitated. The heavier roadbeds and more comfortable coaches were also a source of pleasure. As Worcester, Masachusetts, was his first objective, two routes were open from New York, both of which necessitated a water-and-rail combination. His itinerary is thus outlined by President Pearson of the present New Haven system : "We believe he must have traveled via the old Nor- wich Line of steamers from New York to Norwich, Connecticut, and thence by the Norwich and Worcester Railroad from Norwich to Worcester. This at that time was the most direct line of communication between the two cities. There is a possibility he might have taken the steamboat from New York to New Haven, the Hart- ford and New Haven Railroad from New Haven to Springfield, and the Western Railroad from Spring- field to Worcester, although this line would be less direct than the line via Norwich which, according to our records, was the favored line to Worcester at that FIRST JOURNEYS TO THE EAST 51 period. The Norwich and Worcester Railroad is now leased to and operated by this company, and the Nor- wich Line steamers are owned and operated by the New England Steamship Company, our principal steam- ship line. Our present rail line between New York and New Haven was not opened until December 27, 1848." On the evening of September 12, Abraham Lincoln spoke before a large audience in the City Hall at Worcester, making a very favorable impression. Three days later he delivered an address in Washingtonian Hall, Boston, reaching that point by the Boston and Worcester Railroad, now a part of the Boston and Albany. The next day he spoke at Lowell, in all likeli- hood traveling over the Boston and Lowell Railroad Corporation's tracks, which are now a part of the Boston and Maine system. The next speech of which we have record was de- livered on the 18th, at what was then called Lower Mills, Dorchester, now a part of Boston. This was reached by team, as there was then no other direct means of communication between those suburban points, which statement also applies to Chelsea, where he spoke the following day, and to Dedham, where an address was delivered in the afternoon of the 20th. That evening he spoke at Cambridge, reaching the latter place by way of the Fitchburg Railroad, now a part of the Boston and Maine. Friday, September 22, was the outstanding day of his Massachusetts itinerary, for upon that evening he and William H. Seward of New York were the rival at- tractions at an immense Whig rally held at Tremont Temple in Boston. 52 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS The following morning Lincoln left Boston, intend- ing to return home by way of Albany, Niagara Falls, and Lake Erie. In order to get to Albany he must have used the Boston and Worcester Railroad to Worcester ; thence the Western Railroad to State Line; and from there into Albany, the Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad. These three roads now form the main line of the Boston and Albany Railroad. While in Albany Lincoln called on Thurlow Weed and Millard Fillmore, Taylor's running mate. Who shall not say that this visit to Weed, the power in New York State politics, was not inspired by Seward, for Weed was Seward's political mentor? Niagara Falls as the next objective, the returning Congressman could go by rail as far as Buffalo on a through schedule over a line consisting of seven differ- ent railroads, all now a part of the New York Central Railroad. At Buffalo a change of cars would be made to the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad, likewise now a part of the New York Central system. Herndon, his law partner, states that from Buffalo Lincoln came down Lake Erie to either Toledo or Detroit by boat. From information in possession of the writer, it seems likely that the Detroit route was used. It must have been late in September when Detroit was reached, and at that time the normal route would have been the Michigan Central Railroad as far as Kalamazoo. From this point he could go to New Buf- falo, on Lake Michigan, by stage, a distance of seventy- five miles, thence by steamer to Chicago. An alter- native would have been to use the stage to Niles, thence a river-boat up the St. Joseph River to St. Joseph, FIRST JOURNEYS TO THE EAST 53 also on Lake Michigan, and a steamer across the lake to Chicago. A local Benton Harbor historian, versed in the lore of the period, says of the latter route that "palatial river boats were running up and down the St. Joseph River in 1848. . . . This was a very noted and picturesque trip in those days, and it is possible that Lincoln followed this route." The last leg of the journey home from Chicago can only be surmised. At that time the Chicago and Alton, the direct route to Springfield, had not been built. Lin- coln may have come back — after all his wandering — by the stage-coach. However, enough has been given in the above rapid survey of his travels in 1848 to show the condition of the railroads at that time. It undoubtedly brought Lincoln back home with a wide and thorough first-hand knowledge of traffic conditions, which he was to put to excellent use in his later public life, as well as in the practice of law. He was no longer a provincial ; he was a man of the world. On February 13, 1849, on his return to Congress, we observe our "Lone Star" addressing the House "On the Bill Granting Lands to the States to Make Railroads and Canals." He favored the bill and sought earnestly to meet and combat the objections of those who op- posed it. "What motive," he asked, "would tempt any set of men to go into an extensive survey of a railroad which they did not intend to make? What good would it do? Do men act without motive ? Do business men commonly go into an expenditure of money which could be of no account to them?" This is the last speech that Lincoln made in Congress, 54 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS of which there is any record, and its specious reason- ing sounds strange to-day only by virtue of the fact that we are all familiar with a certain class of Ameri- can promoters. A month or two later Lincoln left Washington for home again, but by what route we know not. However, he was not done with the capital city. In June he re- turned, seeking an appointment as Commissioner of the General Land Office, located there. But despite the fact that the new administration felt that some reward was due Lincoln for his efforts in the campaign, the plum was given to a rival aspirant. In the latter part of July he again journeyed east, with his wife, likely reaching Philadelphia by the Pennsylvania Railroad route. This passage has been unnoticed by all biographers and other writers, and our knowledge comes from the fact that on July 31 he registered at the famous summer resort, Cape May, as having arrived from Philadelphia. Cape May, New Jersey, at that time boasted the largest hotel in the United States, the Mount Vernon, which was, however, burned down six years later. In addition there were the Philadelphia House, Cape May House, Arctic Hotel, Congress Hall, and the Mansion House, which latter hostelry Lincoln and his wife pat- ronized. It was run by William S. Hooper, grand- father of State Senator Lewis T. Stevens, of Cape May County, the writer's informant as to this visit of Lin- coln. Cape May, we are told, had been a summer resort, and advertised as such in the Philadelphia newspapers, since 1804, and had contained large hotels since 1816. FIRST JOURNEYS TO THE EAST 55 At the time of Lincoln's sojourn it had a residential population of about fifteen hundred, but during the summer season those within its borders numbered from five to ten thousand. The Mansion House was a famous hotel in its day, and the register wherein appears the words "A. Lincoln & wife 24< Phila." is still intact. Senator Stevens says by way of explanation that the Lincolns evidently occupied Room No. 24 in the hotel and that it was the custom for many of the tourists to register from the place where they last happened to be. He has made an examination of contemporary Philadelphia news- papers and finds no mention made of Lincoln as going through the city or stopping at any hotel there, ex- plaining it on the ground that Lincoln being "only an Ex-Congressman," and not yet a national figure was probably the true reason. Among the others registering at the Mansion House that day, were John S. Irick and wife, accompanied by their son, then a lad of twelve, from Vincentown, New Jersey. Irick was an acquaintance of Lincoln, the two families making the trip from Philadelphia to- gether, and it is of interest to note that he later be- came a Union general during the War. Other arrivals for July 31 included residents of Philadelphia, New York City, Charleston, S. C, and Dublin, Ireland. The third name registered below Lin- coln's was that of Louis Davis, captain of the Ohio, and the fifth below Davis's was Captain Clark of the Traveler, the two river steamers having arrived at Cape May that day from Philadelphia. It is impossible to find out on which one of them Lincoln came. 56 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS There were four steamers running at that time, two going each way every day in the week, except Sunday, when there was no traveling done. Each boat would come down the Delaware one day and return the next, the scheduled leaving time at each end of the run being 7 a. m. and the arriving time 4< p. m. At Cape May they landed at what was called Steamboat Landing, now Cape May Point, three miles from the town, and the passengers were conveyed in hacks from the landing to the hotels and cottages. The fare from Philadelphia to Cape May and return was $3.50, according to con- temporary Philadelphia newspapers. There is no record of how long the Lincolns re- mained at Cape May. It must have been a purely rec- reational visit, and as play spells were rare in this man who had struggled up from poverty, as a boy, and throughout life had tasks of constantly increasing mag- nitude set before him, his biographers have overlooked the incident. But we like to think of him here on the beach spending one sunny day after another, boating, fishing, bathing, idling on the sand, and enjoying the carefree hours which were denied him in his boyhood, as in the stormy days to come. CHAPTER VIII LINCOLN AS ATTORNEY FOR THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL Lincoln's term in Congress was limited to two years, and he was not reelected. He had not made himself popular with his constituents by his outspoken stand against the Mexican War, and by fighting the admis- sion of Texas as a slave-holding state. Thus early in his political life he became recognized as an opponent of slavery, and it made him unpopular with a faction even in his home state. He returned home to take up the practice of law again, and for the next few years we find him appear- ing in various cases affecting the railroads, as was but natural. He was not known, however, as a railroad at- torney, although he accepted a retainer from the Il- linois Central. There is a difference of opinion as to whether this connection was continuous, or not. Henry C. Whitney, who was an associate attorney with Lin- coln in this railroad litigation, affirms that it was not; while present-day officials of the Illinois Central believe that it was. Mr. J. G. Drennan, connected with the legal depart- ment of the corporation, and an authority on the sub- ject of Lincoln's relations to it, says in a communica- tion to the writer: "My understanding is that Mr. Lincoln was continuously one of the attorneys for the Illinois Central Railroad Company from its organiza- 57 58 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS tion until he was elected President. He was not a salaried attorney, but his employment, no doubt, was similar to that of our present local attorneys, say at Springfield, Illinois. An annual pass is given them as a retainer. All of our business is referred to them in that vicinity, and when the services are performed, the usual fee is paid." Colonel Anderson, in his series of articles running in the Illinois Central Magazine, in 1913, says: "The Hon. Jiames F. Joy, the leading railroad lawyer at that time, became in 1852 the chief counsel for the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad Company, when ... he retained Abra- ham Lincoln as local attorney at Springfield, to which, by Lincoln's influence, the state capital had been moved from Vandalia. As the local attorney for the road under those formative conditions, Lincoln had plenty to do." In an article in the same magazine for February, 1922, Mr. Drennan says in referring to Lincoln's re- tention: "In 1852 he was employed by James F. Joy, then general counsel, to represent the company in liti- gation at Springfield, the state capital, and generally in central Illinois. He continued to serve the Illinois Central as one of its lawyers until his election to the presidency. Records still in existence disclose that he was consulted frequently and that his opinions were highly respected." On the other hand, Mr. Jesse W. Weik, inheritor of the Herndon manuscripts and a Lincoln authority, writes: "Mr. Lincoln, as I understand, had no regular employment as attorney. . . . According to Mr. Whit- ney, who for many years represented the Illinois Cen- ATTORNEY FOR ILLINOIS CENTRAL 59 tral in the courts of Champaign, McLean, and other counties in that region, Mr. Lincoln frequently as- sisted him in caring for the interests of that road. But the connection was not continuous." In his "Real Lincoln," Mr. Weik quotes from a lengthy conversation he once had with Whitney as to his estimate of Lincoln as a lawyer, in which he said that "as attorney for the Illinois Central Railroad I had authority to employ additional counsel whenever I chose to do so, and in Judge Davis' circuit I fre- quently applied to Lincoln when I needed aid. I never found him unwilling to appear in behalf of a great 'soulless corporation.' In such cases he always stood by me, and I always, of course, tried to win." The writer is of the opinion that after a certain period Lincoln was carried on the rolls as an employee, certainly on no salaried or "regular employment" basis, as Mr. Weik expresses it, but on a pecuniary arrange- ment, as Mr. Drennan explains, similar to the one now in force with their local attorneys. We know that he carried an annual pass over their line, and that he never appeared against this road in any cases carried to the Supreme Court of the State, as he did in the case of several other roads, mention of which is made in another chapter. But the continuity of his service did not extend as far back in the road's formative period as the officials claim, as the following correspondence written in the latter part of 1853 proves. Under date of September 12, Lincoln addressed a communication to Thompson R. Webber, Clerk of the Court of Champaign County, which is self-explanatory. It ran as follows : 60 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS "On my arrival here to court I find that McLean County has assessed the land and other property of the Central Railroad, for the purpose of county taxation. An effort is about to be made to get the question of the right to so tax the Co. before the court, and ultimately before the Supreme Court, and the Co. are offering to engage me for them. As this will be the same question I have had under consideration for you, I am somewhat trammelled by what has passed between you and me, feeling that you have the prior right to my services, if you choose to secure me a fee something near such as I can get from the other side. The question in its magni- tude to the Co. on the one hand, and the counties in which the Co. has land, on the other, is the largest law question that can now be got up in the State ; and there- fore, in justice to myself, I cannot afford, if I can help it, to miss a fee altogether. If you choose to release me, say so by return mail, and then an end. If you wish to retain me, you better get authority from your court, come directly over in the Stage, and make common cause with the county." Three days later John B. Thomas, Judge of Cham- paign County, wrote Webber at some length, referring to the anticipated lawsuit. He also seems to have re- alized early the importance of the case and the neces- sity for securing good legal talent. The Mr. Jaquith mentioned in his communication was the County Asso- ciate Judge, Jesse W. Jaquith. At Home, Sept. 15th, 1853. Mr. T. R. Webber Dear Sir: — I did not get home until late last night and in order to communicate with you certainly this morning I send tfx^cZCtfin £&*>*> ^^c-e-w £*j~c~£<+-, 4^&-^£& Courtesy, Illinois Central Railroad LEGAL PAPERS WRITTEN BY LINCOLN Facsimile of an opinion furnished by Lincoln concerning the con- traction of the charter of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, iven at the request of the company in 1858. (/Uav&T £t &L~*Z&i~^ JZa^***? />*a-«_*--^/ (>*~+^jCZ^Z- 4»s^. ^x^^C sj* £&, &*cX~ t^<£o s£k^, rt^rU /0-eJZ^Z^> ^^^*yiL, x - — "JL ZZ+^j; £L~~~ /3^C"CZZU, Z^&Z^-J \7 /LZZa^jfcr^j /~/?v-0» A~*~e^t~*fSC^ ^£—» '>—#—*»/ C*-* ,&--e~^+ /^*z+s -vy^ **tyC^ J. MSI <^L^rtL 0-0 . ATTORNEY FOR ILLINOIS CENTRAL 61 my little boy up with a line. I fully concur with your opinion that no time is to be lost in securing the services of Mr. Lincoln and hope you or Mr. Jaquith will leave immediately for Bloomington, confer with the authori- ties of McLean and take such measures as the circum- stances may suggest as to the fee to be offered Mr. Lin- coln. I have only this to say that we have no right to expect his services for a trifle and in this respect have no hesitation in giving you full authority to contract for a fee in proportion to the importance of the claim. I would however suggest that you draw from the Treas- ury the sum of fifty dollars and take it with you as a retaining fee (you need not give it all if less will do) and contract for an additional contingent fee such as may be necessary even to $500. I would further recom- mend if Mr. Jaquith agrees that an order be entered on the record of the County Court authorizing you to make contract with Mr. Lincoln or any other lawyer that may be necessary to carry out the object in view. . . . I do not know but we had best get the assistance of some other able counsel as well as Mr. Lincoln. Say Judge Breese, Archibald Williams, Logan or J. T. Stuart. . . . Yours as ever John B. Thomas. Under date of October 3, Lincoln wrote to Mason Brayman, the Illinois Central attorney located at Chi- cago, this brief note : "Neither the county of McLean nor any one on its behalf has yet made any engagement with me in rela- tion to its suit with the Illinois Central Railroad on the subject of taxation. I am now free to make an engage- 62 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS ment for the road, and if you think of it you may 'count me in.' Please write me on receipt of this. I shall be here at least ten days." Now what are we to gather from this correspond- ence? As evidenced by Lincoln's first communication, he had undoubtedly been approached by persons repre- senting the counties involved, as well as by the railroad. There being no question of ethics involved, the attorney at Springfield considered it the proper thing to enlist his services on the side promising the highest remunera- tion — and so we find him appearing for the railroad. This was the first suit on record, in which Lincoln acted for the Illinois Central, it being carried to the Supreme Court of the state on account of its impor- tance. Lincoln and James F. Joy argued the case for the road, in the higher court, and the decision was ren- dered in its favor. Originally brought in McLean County as a suit in chancery to enjoin the collection of the tax which had been assessed by the county assessor, the case had gone against the corporation. Thereupon it was appealed to the state Supreme Court. In handing down an opinion reversing the judgment of the Circuit Court, Chief Justice Scates sustained these points: "It is within the constitutional power of the legisla- ture to exempt property from taxation, or to commute the general rate for a fixed sum. The provisions, in the charter of the Illinois Central Railroad Compan}^ ex- empting its property from taxation, upon the payment of a certain proportion of its earnings, are constitu- tional." ATTORNEY FOR ILLINOIS CENTRAL 63 The Illinois Central people themselves claim that this was probably the most important of the many cases that Abraham Lincoln handled for their road. Its ef- fects were far-reaching. "The case," says Mr. Drennan, "involved an inter- pretation of the charter of the company. The charter provides that the company, in lieu of all other taxes, shall pay into the state treasury annually an amount equal, at least, to seven per cent of the gross revenue derived from its charter lines in Illinois. McLean County took the position that the exemption from all other taxes applied only to state taxes, and sought to levy county taxes against the property of the company in McLean County. . . . The importance of the Mc- Lean County suit can be realized when it is reflected that, if the company had lost, every county, city and school district in Illinois through which the road ran or which contained property of the company would have had the right to assess and collect local taxes, add- ing to the considerable burden imposed upon the rev- enues of the company by the seven per cent contract." For his services in this suit, Lincoln received the largest fee by far of any that he acquired during his entire legal career. To insure its collection, he himself had to resort to litigation, whether friendly or other- wise, and it has been deemed appropriate that this mat- ter should be separately considered under another chapter. In speaking of this particular time in the career of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Trevor Hill, in his study of "Lincoln the Lawyer," says that "he argued and won the McLean County case for the Illinois Central, pre- 64 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS pared and appeared in the McCormick reaper action, argued no less than thirteen appeals in the court of last resort, and otherwise spent the most active year and a half in his entire professional career." In 1856 Lincoln's services were again brought into requisition on a question concerning the construction of the company's charter, although his name does not appear in the Supreme Court Reports as attorney. The corporation submitted the matter to Lincoln who wrote out his opinion. This the company filed away for future reference in the litigation which followed. The name of the Illinois Central does not appear as party to the suit which was argued before the State Supreme Court in session at Ottawa, during the April term, 1857. Commenting on the opinion furnished by Lincoln and made use of in this litigation "on the rights of set- tlers under the national preemption laws and the rela- tive rights of the railroad company growing out of grants made to the latter," John T. Richards, of the Chicago Bar, says that "the questions were compli- cated, but the opinion was short and concise. It reveals abundant evidence of careful research and a thorough familiarity with the legal questions involved." In the December term of the Supreme Court held at Springfield that year we find Abraham Lincoln repre- senting the Illinois Central in two cases involving dam- age to live stock while in transit, in both of which he was associated with Henry C. Whitney. The major suit which the corporation attorneys handled to a success- ful conclusion, concerned an alleged shrinkage on a shipment of four hundred head of cattle from Urbana to Chicago, the Supreme Court reversing the verdict ATTORNEY FOR ILLINOIS CENTRAL 65 reached by a jury of Coles County which had awarded the live stock shippers damages to the amount of $1,200. The other suit, for $600, went against the rail- road. It may have been in relation to one of the foregoing cases that Whitney told this story : "In a railway case we were trying," he said, "the opposing lawyer tried to score' a point by stating that the plaintiff was a flesh- and-blood man, with a soul like the jurymen had, while our client was a soulless corporation." This was Lincoln's reply with reference to the ac- cusation : "Counsel avers that his client has a soul. This is possible, but from the way he has testified under oath in this case, to gain, or hope to gain, a few paltry dol- lars, he would sell, nay, has already sold, his little soul very low. But our client is but a conventional name for thousands of widows and orphans whose husbands' and parents' hard earnings are represented by this defend- ant, and who possess souls which they would not swear away as the plaintiff has done for ten million times as much as is at stake here." Whitney also gives the following incident as occur- ring during the trial of one of their railroad cases. "Once I had an important railroad suit that I secured Lincoln's aid in, and as the able counsel on the other side was dealing out heavy 'wisdom licks' at us, I got alarmed, and spoke to Lincoln about it. He sat in- flexibly calm and serene, and merely remarked: 'All that is very easily answered,' and when his time came he blew away what seemed to me as almost an unan- swerable argument as easily as a beer-drinker blows off the froth from his foaming tankard." X » 66 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS Lawrence Weldon, a fellow attorney of the circuit, relates that in 1858 or 1859 Lincoln and C. H. Moore were attending to the litigation for the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad in Dewitt County. A case came up, which for some reason or other, the company did not want tried at that term of the court. "We are not ready for trial," attorney Lincoln said. "Why is not the company ready to go on trial?" asked Judge Davis, who was presiding. "We are embarrassed by the absence, or rather want of information from Captain McClellan," "was the reply. "Who is Captain McClellan," Davis asked, "and why is he not here?" "All I know of him," said Lincoln, "is that he is the engineer of the railroad, and why he is not here de- ponent saith not." During the last two or three years of Lincoln's con- nection with the road, George B. McClellan — the later famous general of the Civil War — then following his profession of civil engineering, acquired a leading posi- tion with the railroad and was frequently brought into contact with the Springfield attorney. "Long before the war," says the general in his memoirs, "when Vice- President of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, I knew Mr. Lincoln, for he was one of the counsel of the company. More than once I have been with him in out- of-the-way county-seats where some important case was being tried, and, in the lack of sleeping accommoda- tions, have spent the night in front of a stove listening to the unceasing flow of anecdotes from his lips. He was never at a loss, and I could never quite make up my ATTORNEY FOR ILLINOIS CENTRAL 67 mind how many of them he had really heard before, and how many he invented on the spur of the moment. His stories were seldom refined, but were always to the point." In speaking of the legal standing which Abraham Lincoln had acquired in Illinois in the late fifties, Rich- ards says that while Lincoln was one of the counsel for the Illinois Central, he "in that capacity was recog- nized as a lawyer of no ordinary learning and ability." Hill adds that when he was attorney for the Illinois Central Railroad it was "the greatest corporation in the state, and one which doubtless had its choice of legal talent." Mr. Drennan informs the writer that the length of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, at the time Lincoln was one of its attorneys, was between seven and eight hundred miles. The engines, cars, and equip- ment were of the old type used in that day upon all the railroads. The roadbed was of the same inferior grade. Professor F. I. Herriott, of Des Moines, says: "In the spring of 1859 Mr. Lincoln visited Iowa, — and un- der circumstances that indicate the solid character of Mr. Lincoln's close relations with powerful industrial interests that are always potent and present in political counsels. Some time in April, probably the latter part, he was attending court at Galena. He appeared in some cases affecting the Illinois Central Railroad Company — a corporation that had employed him almost from the time of the incorporation of the company in 1849. He had won an important case for the company, and between it and some later hearings or proceedings he made a visit to Dubuque, nearly opposite Galena, stop- 68 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS ping for a day and a night at the Julien House, a well- known hostelry of that city. "He came with a party of officials of the Illinois Cen- tral Company. He rode in a private car, on his own pass furnished him in his capacity as attorney for the company. The distinction of a private car and the privilege of free transportation greatly impressed some of the young Republican leaders of Dubuque . . . who attended at the Julien House to observe the not- ables. It is not clear whether Mr. Lincoln's visit to Dubuque was primarily in connection with the official party of the railroad company, then greatly interested in securing control of a western terminus in Dubuque and extensions into and through Iowa, or whether it was taken on his own initiative on account of private business or pleasure and happened to coincide with the official party's visit. . . . "The visit in and of itself was not of particular po- litical consequence. The circumstances of the visit, how- ever, in the writer's judgment, bring into view a fact of the greatest significance. They exhibit the close, not to say intimate relations, Mr. Lincoln had as a lawyer with great and powerful industrial corporations: fac- tors of greatest potency in the decisions of political bodies." We now come to the last case which Abraham Lin- coln handled for the Illinois Central Railroad Com- pany, and carried to the state Supreme Court. It like- wise was the last case he ever argued before that tri- bunal. In fact, the final decision was not made until after he was seated in the presidential chair at Wash- ington. ATTORNEY FOR ILLINOIS CENTRAL 69 The case goes back to December, 1857, when we find Lincoln on the 21st of that month writing "as a friend" to Jesse K. Dubois, then serving as State Auditor, as follows : "Dear Dubois : J. M. Douglas of the I. C. R. R. Co. is here and will carry this letter. He says they have a large sum (near $90,000) which they will pay into the treasury now, if they have an assurance that they shall not be sued before January 1859 — otherwise not. I really wish you would consent to this. Douglas says they can not pay more and I believe him. "I do not write this as a lawyer seeking an advantage for a client ; but only as a friend, only urging you to do what I think I would do if I were in your situation. I mean this as private and confidential only, but I feel a good deal of anxiety about it." Richards states that the "docket of the Supreme Court shows that this case was argued orally by Stephen T. Logan on behalf of the State, and by J. M. Douglas and Mr. Lincoln on behalf of the railroad com- pany, on January 12, I860, and that at the conclusion of the arguments the court took the case under advise- ment." It was not finally decided, as we have stated, until later, at the November term, 1861. Concerning it, officials of the railroad say: "This was a case of con- siderable importance and it was largely due to the efforts of Mr. Lincoln that judgment was rendered in favor of the company." A few years later we find the relations of Lincoln and his old client, the Illinois Central, far different. 70 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS Now as Chief Executive of the Nation, he was in a posi- tion to confer favors and at the same time expedite the Government's business. From almost the beginning of the War, the Illinois Central became a potent factor in the moving of sup- plies and troops to the front. The division extending from Centralia to Cairo, over a hundred miles in length, was, as one who had charge of it said, "a thor- oughfare for the armies going South, and funeral trains coming North." Active opposition soon developed at Washington to paying the corporation for such transportation, on the ground that the original Land Grant specifically pro- vided that all supplies and troops of the United States should be carried over the road without charge. Simon Cameron was Secretary of War at this time, and Thomas A. Scott, of the Pennsylvania Railroad, was Assistant Secretary. On August 15, 1861, Cameron addressed a communi- cation to President W. H. Osborne, of the Illinois Cen- tral offering an allowance of two cents per mile for passenger travel less a discount of thirty-three and one third per cent ; and the freight rates allowed other rail- road companies less a similar discount, was made, as "a proper compensation." This did not settle the matter, however, and the con- troversy seems to have dragged on for a couple of years. It was at last brought to the personal attention of President Lincoln. In May, 1863, he wrote the fol- lowing letter exhibiting his usual good judgment to Secretary Stanton, who had succeeded Cameron in the ATTORNEY FOR ILLINOIS CENTRAL 71 War portfolio. This communication has never appeared in print before, and is worth while as showing Abraham Lincoln's tendency to cut red-tape, and substitute therefor a "gentlemen's agreement." Washington, May 23, 1863. Hon. Sec. of War, My dear Sir: In order to continue the Illinois Central Railroad, a large grant of land was made by the United States to the State of Illinois, which land was again given to the Railroad Company by the State, in certain provisions of the Charter. By the U. S. Grant, certain privileges were attempted to be secured from the contemplated Railroad to the U. S. and by the Charter certain per centage of the income of the road was to be from time to time paid to the State of Illinois. At the beginning of the present war the Railroad did certain carrying for the U. S. for which it claims pay, and as I understand, the U. S. claims that at least part of this the road was bound to do without pay. Though attempts have been made to settle the matter, it remains unsettled. Mean- while the Road refuses to pay the percentage to the state. This delay is working badly; and I understand the delay exists because of there being no definite deci- sion whether the U. S. will settle its own accounts with the Railroad, or will allow the state to settle it, and ac- count to the state for it. If I had the leisure which I have not, I believe I could settle it ; but prima facie it appears to me we better settle the account ourselves, be- cause that will save us all questions as to whether the state deals fairly with us in the settlement of our ac- count with a third party — the Railroad. 72 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS I wish you would see Mr. Butler, late our State Treasurer, and see if something definite can not be done in the case. Yours truly, A. Lincoln The result of his efforts at adjustment is seen in the following excerpt of a letter dated eleven days later, written by Quartermaster General M. C. Meigs to General Allen, Chief Quartermaster of the Western Department of the United States Army: "The enclosed copy of a report of the Qr. Master General in relation to the settlement of claims of the Illi- nois Central Rail Road Company for transportation of troops, etc., during the early part of the war, with the approval of the Secretary thereon, is transmitted for your information and guidance. . . . "You will examine the claims of the above named company, when presented, and allow them, for all serv- ice performed prior to March 3d, 1862, their tariff in accordance with the last clause of the circular issued from this office, dated May 1st, 1862, provided it does not exceed the enclosed rates, a deduction of 33% per cent on account of grant of land to be made from the gross amount of the bills thus made out." CHAPTER IX LINCOLN'S LARGEST RAILROAD FEE While Lincoln was acting as attorney for the Illinois Central, in 1853, he represented that road in a highly important case, and won it. Thereupon he sent in his bill for $5,000 — a large fee for those days and the high-water mark for Lincoln, who was still considered a country lawyer. The resulting suit on his own behalf against the railroad, to collect his fee, forms one of the most interesting episodes in his legal career. At this time William H. Herndon was Lincoln's law partner, and his version of the incident is given in his life of Lincoln. While his account is circumstantial, later authorities have controverted various points in it. Herndon says : "Probably the most important law suit Lincoln and I conducted was one in which we defended the Illinois Central Railroad in an action brought in McLean County, Illinois, in August 1853, to recover taxes al- leged to be due the county from the road. The Legisla- ture had granted the road immunity from taxation, and this was a case intended to test the constitutionality of the law. "The road sent a retainer fee of $250. In the lower court the case was decided in favor of the railroad. An appeal to the Supreme Court followed, and there it was argued twice, and finally decided in our favor. This last decision was rendered some time in 1855. 73 74 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS "Mr. Lincoln soon went to Chicago and presented our bill for legal services. We only asked for $2,000 more. The official to whom he was referred, — supposed to have been the Superintendent George B. McClellan who afterwards became the eminent general, — looking at the bill expressed great surprise. " 'Why, sir,' he exclaimed, 'this is as much as Daniel Webster himself would have charged. We cannot allow such a claim.' "Stung by the rebuff, Lincoln withdrew the bill, and started for home. On the way he stopped at Blooming- ton. There he met Grant Goodrich, Archibald Williams, Norman B. Judd, O. H. Browning and other attorneys, who, on learning of his modest charge for such valuable services rendered the railroad, induced him to increase the demand to $5,000, and to bring suit for that sum. "This was done at once. On the trial six lawyers certified that the bill was reasonable, and judgment for that sum went by default. The judgment was promptly paid. Lincoln gave me my half, and much as we de- precated the avarice of great corporations, we both thanked the Lord for letting the Illinois Central Rail- road fall into our hands." Mr. Weik, collaborator with Herndon and himself an indefatigable Lincoln investigator, in his recent "Real Lincoln" puts the concluding sentence in a slightly different setting. "The judgment was finally paid," Herndon told Weik in relating his version of the case, "and Lincoln gave me my half. He brought the money down from Bloomington one evening and sent me word to come (&Cc£fM> erf ' (JLtO^JT^ 4 erf q, /l£jl+j ^/ifty^A^ cr*s X^*J <*£i~<&4S ^vy^ 5 P&C /I^J t ptff^ Aa^^r^^^o s&*^Z£J^t> ^ Courtesy, Illinois Central Railroad papers tn Lincoln's suit against the Illinois central fk^ fsK*> /&*^**J tfU^r^OO^CC^ (jQ^tJ&i~pft •(,(• , fa 4-1, , &0 76 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS United States Army, and it was not until the beginning of 1857 that he became connected with the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad. It seems probable that, if there was any snubbing done at that time, James F. Joy, an influential counsel for the railroad, did it. According to Henry C. Whit- ney, a fellow-attorney of the road, when Lincoln's bill came in and Joy had to audit it, he disallowed it and spoke contemptuously of Lincoln as a "common coun- try lawyer." The latter then brought suit in the McLean Circuit Court. The solicitor of the railroad, John M. Douglas, consulted with Whitney about the matter. "I said that even if the amount was too large," re- marks Whitney, "we could not afford to have Lincoln as our enemy, instead of an ally, on the circuit, and I insisted further that he would beat us anyhow. Douglas paid the fee." A half-century after this memorable controversy, in 1905, the Illinois Central published its own side of the case. It appeared in a handsome, limited brochure en- titled "Abraham Lincoln as Attorney for the Illinois Central Railroad Company." This really worth-while publication was the work of John G. Drennan, one of the road's leading attorneys, who had delegated to Charles L. Capen, of Bloomington, the task of getting at the truth regarding Lincoln's suit against the road. After referring to the issues involved in the original suit, Mr. Drennan goes on to say that when "Mr. Lin- coln presented a bill for his fee . . . for five thousand dollars, the then general counsel of the road advised Mr. Lincoln that while he recognized the value of his LINCOLN'S LARGEST RAILROAD FEE 77 services, still, the payment of so large a fee to a western country lawyer without protest would embarrass the general counsel with the board of directors in New York, who would not understand, as would a lawyer, the importance of the case and the consequent value of Mr. Lincoln's services. "It was intimated to Mr. Lincoln, however, that if he would bring suit for his bill in some court of com- petent jurisdiction, and judgment were rendered in his favor, the judgment would be paid without ap- peal. . . . "When the case was reached for trial on Thursday morning, June 18, 1857, no one appearing for the de- fendant, judgment was taken by default for five thou- sand dollars. That afternoon John M. Douglas, one of the company's general solicitors at that time, arrived from Chicago too late of course to attend the trial. He told Mr. Lincoln that default placed him in an em- barrassing position, that he (Lincoln) ought to have the fee, and asked him to permit the default to be set aside, and the case tried. To this Mr. Lincoln readily consented, and the case was set down for trial on Tues- day, June 23, 1857. On the trial of the case Mr. Doug- las called Mr. Lincoln's attention to the fact that two hundred dollars had already been paid him on account of this fee, which Mr. Lincoln said he had forgotten, and accordingly reduced his demand to four thousand eight hundred dollars. "Mr. Lincoln had taken the depositions of some of the leading lawyers of the State as to what was a rea- sonable fee. . . . He tried his own case, and as he got up to speak to the jury a button on his trousers gave 78 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS way. Saying 'Wait a minute 'til I fix my galluses,' he took a knife, whittled a stick and used that in place of the button. "Mr. David Davis, afterward a Justice of the Su- preme Court of the United States, was the presiding judge. The jury returned a verdict for Mr. Lincoln for the full amount of four thousand eight hundred dollars, which was promptly paid by the company." There are in existence to-day the original legal docu- ments bearing on the case, in the handwriting of Abra- ham Lincoln. These have been reproduced by the Illi- nois Central in their publications, and include the "praecipe," the declaration, the bill rendered for pro- fessional services, the notice to take depositions, and Lincoln's own brief. The latter contains the following pertinent notes as to the important points to be stressed in presenting his case before the court. Retainer. Brayman & Joy's letters, with proof of their signa- tures, and that they were the active agents of the Com- pany— That I did the service, arguing the case twice. What was the question — How decided — & on what point. The record — the final order — & the opinion — That /, and not Joy, made the point & argument on which the case turned — The Company own near two million acres, and their road was through twenty-six counties — That half a million, put at interest, would scarcely pay the taxes — Are or not the amount of labor, the doubtfulness and £Zuut &+**. ° he 22 rn eq ticoln posin a U •>-" CU „ «^ o g « • co < > ^ o3 .2 ^ «+-l 4J Sh O fl 03 . CD — | 'i j_ ^3 o £ a » ^ e3 U ^ » o S fl J «3 o3 THE ROCK ISLAND BRIDGE CASE 107 whose home he was being entertained, he became greatly excited. "Lincoln has lost the case for us," he said. "The ad- missions he made in regard to the currents in the Mis- sissippi at Rock Island and Moline will convince the court that a bridge at that point will always be a serious and constant detriment to navigation on the river." But Judd was not disturbed. He replied that Lincoln's admissions in regard to the currents were facts that could not be denied. They only proved that the bridge should have been built at a different angle to the stream, and that a bridge so built could not in- jure the river as a navigable stream. The argument of Lincoln as preserved to us by Hitt is worth noting in detail. From a careful perusal of it, we observe that the points as recalled by Judge Blodgett were brought out in the first part of his plea, while the latter was devoted to more complicated matters: the river currents, their velocity, the position of the piers, engineering problems of river navigation, and the like, all being handled with mathematical precision. Lincoln started in by saying that it was not his purpose to assail anybody, but that he expected to grow earnest as he proceeded. "There is some conflict of testimony in the case, but one quarter of such a number of witnesses seldom agree, and even if all were on one side, some discrepancy might be expected. We are to try to reconcile them and to be- lieve that they are not intentionally erroneous as long as we can," he went on. He said that he had no prejudice against the steam- 108 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS boats or steamboatmen, nor against St. Louis. Their feelings were only natural. "But," he continued, "there is a travel from east to west whose demands are not less than that of those of the river. It is growing larger and larger, building up new countries with a rapidity never before seen in the history of the world. This cur- rent of travel has its rights as well as that of north and south. If the river had not the advantage in priority and legislation, we could enter into free competition with it and we could surpass it." It was at this point that he dilated upon the growing West, picturing it in glowing colors, as recalled by Blodgett. "This particular railroad line," he went on, "has a great importance and the statement of its business dur- ing a little less than a year shows this importance. It is in evidence that from September 8th, 1856, to August 8th, 1857, 12,586 freight cars and 74,179 passengers passed over this bridge. Navigation was closed four days short of four months last year, and during this time while the river was of no use this road and bridge were valuable. There is, too, a considerable portion of time when floating or thin ice makes the river useless, while the bridge is as useful as ever. This shows that this bridge must be treated with respect in this court, and is not to be kicked about with contempt. . . . The proper mode for all parties in this affair is to 'live and let live,' and then we will find a cessation of this trouble about the bridge. "What mood were the steamboat men in when this bridge was burned? Why, there was a shouting and ringing of bells and whistling on all the boats as it fell. THE ROCK ISLAND BRIDGE CASE 109 It was a jubilee, a greater celebration than follows an exciting election." He then referred rather sarcastically to the decrease in the number of accidents occurring. "From April 19th, 1856, to May 6th— seventeen days — there were twenty accidents, and all the time since then there have been but twenty hits, including seven accidents, so that the dangers of this place are tapering off and as the boatmen get cool, the accidents get less. We may soon expect if this ratio is kept up that there will be no accidents at all." Lincoln then discussed the alleged difference between a "float" and a "boat," and the angular position of the piers, but said that he would not take up the question, "What is a material obstruction?" as he was willing to trust Judge McLean's instructions on that technical point. "What is reasonable skill and care?" was his next point. "This is a thing of which the jury are to judge. I differ from the other side when it says that they are bound to exercise no more care than was taken before the building of the bridge. If we are allowed by the Legislature to build the bridge which will require them to do more than before when a pilot comes along, it is unreasonable for him to dash on heedless of this structure which has been legally put there. The Afton came there on the 5th, and lay at Rock Island until next morning. When a boat lies up the pilot has a holi- day, and would not any of these jurors have then gone around the bridge and gotten acquainted with the place? Pilot Parker has shown here that he does not understand the draw. I heard him say that the fall from 110 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS the head to the foot of the pier was four feet ; he needs information. He could have gone there that day and seen there was no such fall. He should have discarded passion and the chances are that he would have had no disaster at all. He was bound to make himself ac- quainted with the case. "McCammon says that the current and the swell coming from the long pier drove her against the long pier. In other words, drove her toward the very pier from which the current came. It is an absurdity, an im- possibility. The only recollection I can find for this contradiction is in a current which White says strikes out from the long pier and then like a ram's horn turns back, and this might have acted somehow in this man- ner." He then went into a lengthy discussion of the cur- rents of the stream, their velocity, the average speed of the destroyed boat, the absence of cross currents. "Next I shall show," he said, "that she struck first the short pier, then the long pier, then the short one again, and there she stopped." The testimony of eighteen witnesses was then cited. "My next proposition is that after she struck the short and long pier and before she got back to the short pier, the boat got right with her bow up." At this point court adjourned until the following day. On the fourteenth day of the trial, it was observed that Abraham Lincoln had a model of a boat in the court room. After he had resumed his argument it was seen just why he had that model, when he used it in explaining to the jury that the "splash door" on such THE ROCK ISLAND BRIDGE CASE 111 a boat was just behind the wheel. This was necessary for their understanding of his contentions. "The boat struck," he said, "on the lower shoulder of the short pier as she swung around in the splash door, then as she went on around she struck the point or end of the pier where she rested. "Her engineers say," he went on, "that the starboard wheel was then rushing around rapidly. Then the boat must have struck the upper point of the pier so far back as not to disturb the wheel. It is forty feet from the stern of the Aft on to the splash door, and thus it appears that she had but forty feet to go to clear the pier. How was it that the Afton, with all her power, flanked over from the channel to the short pier without moving one foot ahead? Suppose she was in the middle of the draw, her wheel would have been thirty-one feet from the short pier. The reason she went over thus is her starboard wheel was not working. I shall try to establish the fact that the wheel was not running and that after she struck she went ahead strong on this same wheel. Upon the last point the witnesses agree that the starboard wheel was running after she struck, and no witnesses say that it was running while she was out in the draw flanking over." He then cited various witnesses proving that the star- board wheel was not working while the Afton was out in the stream, and that this was not unknown to the captain of the craft. "The fact is undisputed," he stated, "that she did not move one inch ahead while she was moving this thirty-one feet sideways. There is evidence proving that the current there is only five miles an hour, and the 112 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS only explanation is that her power was not all used — that only one wheel was working. The pilot says he ordered the engineers to back her up. The engineers differ from him and said they kept one going ahead. The bow was so swung that the current pressed it over ; the pilot pressed the stern over with the rudder, though not so fast but that the bow gained on it and only one wheel being in motion the boat nearly stood still so far as motion up and down is concerned, and thus she was thrown upon the pier. "The Aft on came into the draw, after she had just passed the Carson, and as the Carson no doubt kept the true course, the Afton going around her got out of the proper way, got across the current into the eddy which is west of a straight line drawn from the long pier, was compelled to resort to these changes of wheels "which she did not do with sufficient adroitness to save her. "Was it not her own fault that she entered wrong, so far wrong that she never* got right? Is the defense to blame for that?" Then he indulged in a little irony. "For several days," he said, "we were entertained with depositions about boats 'smelling a bar.' Why did the Afton then, after she had come up smelling so close to the long pier, sheer off so strangely? When she got to the center of the very nose she was smelling, she seemed suddenly to have lost her sense of smell and to have flanked over to the short pier. "The plaintiffs have to establish," he said in closing, "that the bridge is a material obstruction and that they have managed their boat with reasonable care and skill. THE ROCK ISLAND BRIDGE CASE 113 As to last point, high winds have nothing to do with it, for it was not a windy day. They must show due skill and care. Difficulties going down stream will not do, for they were going up stream. Difficulties with barges in tow have nothing to do with the accident, for they had no barge." With this Lincoln rested his case, saying that he had much more to say and many things yet to suggest to the jury, but would close to save time. The jury failed to agree and was discharged. Carrying the case to a conclusion, we learn that it was not until 1862 that it was finally settled by the Supreme Court of the United States, permitting the bridge to remain and settling the question for all time. For his legal services in this highly important case, Lincoln may have received the modest sum of five hun- dred dollars. This has not been fully established and, we believe, the evidence has never before appeared in print. It is furnished by J. E. Gorman, now president of the Rock Island system, in response to an inquiry by the present writer, who had seen the statement that Lincoln acted as attorney for the Rock Island Railroad, in other cases, implying that he was carried on the rolls of the company, in the same capacity as for the Illinois Central, and Chicago and Alton roads. This appears to be an error, for with reference to these statements Mr. Gorman writes : "We have made a diligent search through such rec- ords as are now available covering the period between 1850 and 1860. Mr. Lincoln's name does not appear on our payrolls for that period. However, we do find in the 114 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS records of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, the name of the corporate company at that time, covering the line as it was then operated between Chicago and Rock Island, a voucher showing that on September 30th, 1857, Abraham Lincoln was paid for legal serv- ices the sum of $500 for the account of the Mississippi River Bridge Company. "We can find no other record of any other payments to the Bridge Company, account legal expenses fur- nished by Mr. Lincoln, and it seems evident that his con- nection with this company at that time was confined to the period during which the Rock Island Bridge case was being tried, and from the fact that his name does not appear on our payrolls, it can also be assumed that he was employed on a fee basis." In a still later letter, however, dated February 16, 1927, Mr. Gorman writes: "Your letter of January 27th, seeking to obtain copy of voucher amounting to five hundred dollars paid Abraham Lincoln on September 30th, 1857, in connec- tion with legal services rendered the Rock Island Bridge Company at the time this bridge was partially de- stroyed, is received. "We have, on a number of occasions, endeavored to locate the voucher referred to in my letter of May 16th, 1922, but without success. One of these occasions was in connection with information desired by former Senator, Albert J. Beveridge ... to whom our Valuation En- gineer wrote as follows : " 'I have personally checked the records of the Chi- cago and Rock Island, and the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad, for some record of payment made Mr. Lin- coln; I have also discussed this feature with Curator ^2 O c3 C i * g 2 Si * c r7 O CO £ Ph JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1861 175 Although the morning was dark and gloomy and the air chilly, a crowd of several hundred of his neighbors gathered early at the little station to bid good-by and God-speed to their fellow-townsman. From the time Lincoln arrived there until almost the time of depar- ture, his friends filed by him in the waiting room in a steady stream, shaking him by the hand, speaking a few words and otherwise demonstrating the affection in which he was held. Some were so overcome by their emotions that they merely pressed his hand silently. At five minutes of eight, Lincoln, preceded by Wood, left the station and passed slowly through the crowd to his special car on the rear of the train. As he gained the rear platform of the coach he paused, and facing the people, removed his hat. Although he had told the newspaper men the day before that nothing of a nature warranting their attendance would transpire at the sta- tion that morning, yet as he looked upon the expectant faces raised towards his, he felt that he must say some- thing, and mastering his emotions, raised his hand. The train was ready to start, the bell had rung, and the conductor had reached up to pull the bell-rope, when Lincoln began to speak. "My friends," he said, "no one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feelings of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when or whether ever I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that Di- 176 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS vine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail. Trusting in Him, who can go with me, and remain with you, and be every- where for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an af- fectionate farewell." During the delivery of this short address, the rain was falling fast ; and yet the assemblage, imitating the speaker, stood with bared heads, scarcely noting the falling drops. As he stopped speaking, the train moved slowly away, and Abraham Lincoln, standing in the doorway of the coach, took his last look as a private citizen at Spring- field. What must have been his thoughts as he was borne away towards a "task greater than that which rested upon Washington"? His friend and law associate, Isaac N. Arnold, once told an aristocratic assemblage of Englanders : "I know of nothing in history more pathetic than the scene when he (Lincoln) bade good-by to his old friends and neighbors." What his neighbors thought of this leave-taking has been most ably described in the contemporary issue of the Springfield Journal, by the editor, Edward L. Baker, who says : "It was a most impressive scene. We have known Mr. Lincoln for many years ; we have heard him speak upon a hundred different occasions ; but we never saw him so profoundly affected, nor did he ever utter an address which seemed to us so full of simple and touching elo- quence, so exactly adapted to the occasion, so worthy of JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1861 177 the man and the hour. Although it was raining fast when he began to speak, every hat was lifted and every head bent forward to catch the last words of the depart- ing chief. When he said, with the earnestness of a sud- den inspiration of feeling, that with God's help he should not fail, there was an uncontrollable burst of ap- plause. At precisely eight o'clock city time the train moved off bearing our honored townsman, our noble chief, Abraham Lincoln, to the scenes of his future labors and, as we firmly believe, of his glorious triumph. God bless honest Abraham Lincoln !" The train bearing the party from Springfield con- sisted of an engine, baggage-car, and passenger coach. This equipment was the property of the Great Western Railroad, which was to carry them to the Indiana- Illinois state line where the Tolono and Wabash Rail- way would then take charge of the party as far as Lafayette, Indiana. This route from Springfield to Lafayette is now operated as part of the main line of the present Wabash system from Toledo to St. Louis, acquired later through various consolidations. The presidential party aboard the train consisted of the following persons: Robert T. Lincoln, his eldest son; Dr. W. S. Wallace, a brother-in-law; Lockwood Todd, a relative of Mrs. Lincoln ; John G. Nicolay and John Hay, private secretaries ; Colonel Elmer E. Ells- worth, a former law student of Lincoln's and later to be one of the first martyrs to the cause; Judge David Davis, life-long friend afterwards appointed to the United States Supreme Court; Major David Hunter, Captain John Pope, and Captain George W. Hazard, of the United States Army ; J. M. Burgess, George C. 178 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS Latham, B. Forbes, and last but not least, W. S. Wood, the managerial master of ceremonies. Mrs. Lincoln and the two younger sons, William and Thomas, did not accompany the special from Springfield, but joined the party the following morn- ing in Indianapolis. Col. E. V. Sumner, also of the United States Army, who was to have reported at Springfield, did not con- nect with the special until at Indianapolis. From this point, these four personages remained with the others until their destination was reached. The train leaving Springfield also had on board, in addition to the presidential party, Lincoln's polit- ical manager, Norman B. Judd, later to receive a for- eign post, who left the party at Harrisburg; Henry Villard, the correspondent, who "sickened" at New York ; Ward Hill Lamon, Lincoln's traveling compan- ion on his secret midnight ride from Harrisburg to Washington by way of Philadelphia, which we will de- scribe later; Orville H. Browning, Senator-elect; Gov- ernor Richard Yates, Ex-Governor John Moore, Jesse K. Dubois, O. M. Hatch, Ebenezer Peck, Robert Irwin, Josiah Allen, and Edward L. Baker, editor of the Springfield Journal. Most of these accompanied Lin- coln only as far as Indianapolis. Newton Bateman, State Superintendent of Schools, who had been among those of Lincoln's friends favored with a special in- vitation to go that far, was not present, declining on the ground of pressing official duties. After the train had left Springfield behind, the news- paper correspondents on board surrounded Abraham Lincoln, requesting him to furnish them with a copy of JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1861 179 the little speech he had made. They reminded him that as he had intimated the day before there would be no speech-making, they were not in readiness to take down his remarks. Lincoln replied that his remarks were impromptu, and he had no manuscript copy, but that he would write them out in full as he recalled them. He asked Nicolay to bring him paper and pencil, and sat down to collect his thoughts. He wrote a few lines, and then handed the paper to Nicolay, asking him to write as he dictated. But this method did not proceed very far before he had the paper returned to him. Penciling a few more lines he again turned the sheet over to his secretary and dictated the remainder of the address, copies of which were given the news- paper men. Thomas Ross, who acted as brakeman on the train as far as the state line, has given his lurid recollections of the journey across Lincoln's home state, as follows: "The enthusiasm all along the line was intense. As we whirled through the country villages, we caught a cheer from the people and a glimpse of waving hand- kerchiefs and of hats tossed high into the air. Wher- ever we stopped there was a great rush to shake hands with Mr. Lincoln, though of course only a few could reach him. The crowds looked as if they included the whole population. There were women and children, there were young men, and there were old men with gray beards. It was soul-stirring to see these white- whiskered old fellows, many of whom had known Lin- coln in his humbler days, join in the cheering, and hear them shout after him, 'Good-by, Abe. Stick to the 180 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS Constitution, and we will stick to you !' It was my good fortune to stand beside Lincoln at each place at which he spoke — at Decatur, Tolono, and Danville. At the state line the train stopped for dinner. There was such a crowd that Lincoln could scarcely reach the dining- room. " 'Gentlemen,' said he, as he surveyed the crowd, 'if you will make me a little path, so that I can get through and get something to eat, I will make you a speech when I get back.' "I never knew where all the people came from. They were not only in the towns and villages, but many were along the track in the country, just to get a glimpse of the President's train. I remember that, after passing Bement, we crossed a trestle, and I was greatly interested to see a man standing there with a shot- gun. As the train passed he presented arms. I have often thought he was there, a volunteer, to see that the President's train got over it in safety. "As I have said, the people everywhere were wild. Everybody wanted to shake hands with Lincoln, and he would have to say : 'My friends, I would like to shake hands with all of you, but I can't do it.' At Danville I well remember seeing him thrust his long arm over several heads to shake hands with George Lawrence. Walter Whitney, the conductor, who went on to Indi- anapolis, told me when he got back that, after Lincoln got into a carriage, men got hold of the hubs and car- ried the vehicle for a whole block. At the state line I left the train, and returned to Springfield, having passed the biggest day in my whole life." Still traveling eastward, the party reached Lafayette, JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1861 181 Indiana, where another change of railroad had to be made. Leaving the tracks of the Toledo and Wabash Railway they entered upon those of the Lafayette and Indianapolis Railroad, which carried them to Indian- apolis. This road now forms a part of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, one of the New York Central Lines as at present constituted. Indianapolis was reached late in the afternoon of the same day, about five o'clock. At the Union Station Lin- coln was welcomed by a delegation headed by Governor Morgan, to whose remarks he made formal reply. The Lincoln party stayed at the Bates House over night, the President-elect addressing the Legislature the next morning. Following this the party boarded the special provided to take them to Cincinnati, where the second scheduled stop was to be made. From Indianapolis to Cincinnati, the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Railroad was used, this corporation owning the line as far as Lawrenceburg, and having trackage rights from this point into Cincinnati over the roadbed of the old Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, now a part of the Baltimore and Ohio. Leaving Indianapolis at ten o'clock, but few stops were made. At Shelbyville, Greensburg and Lawrence- burg, where large crowds had assembled, Lincoln ap- peared and bowed to the people, with a few brief re- marks. Late that afternoon the special reached Cincinnati, where two addresses were made, one directly to the Mayor and citizens assembled, and one to a procession of German Free Workingmen which called on the President-elect that evening at the Burnet House. 182 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS At nine o'clock the following morning the party left Cincinnati over the Little Miami Railroad for Xenia, from which point the Columbus and Xenia Railroad would be used to Columbus, their next objective. Both of these roads are now incorporated in the great Penn- sylvania system. They reached Columbus at two o'clock that after- noon, after having encountered the usual throngs gath- ered along the route. Shortly after arrival, Lincoln addressed the State Legislature, and in the evening a largely attended reception was held at the residence of Governor Dennison, by whom he was entertained. It was while in this city that Lincoln received the of- ficial notice of his election from Washington in the form of a telegram notifying him that the votes had been counted, and he was declared President. The delay in this official notification, coming weeks and months after election and while actually on his way to take office, speaks volumes for the lack of com- munication which yet prevailed over the United States. The morning following the levee the party left Co- lumbus at eight o'clock, using a train furnished by the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad, as far as Steu- benville. However, from Columbus to Newark the road had trackage rights only over the Central Ohio Rail- road. From Steubenville to Rochester, Pennsylvania, the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad was used, and from the latter point to Pittsburgh, the Ohio and Penn- sylvania Railroad. All these roads from Columbus to Pittsburgh are now operated by, and a part of, the Pennsylvania Railroad system. At Cadiz Junction the entire party was treated to JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1861 18S an elaborate dinner, prepared by Mrs. T. L. Jewett, wife of the president of the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad, over whose tracks the train was passing. At Steubenville, where a short stop was made, it was found that the rainfall which had commenced be- fore leaving Columbus had ceased, and Lincoln made a brief address to the populace awaiting the special. At either Rochester or the next station, Freedom by name, a delay of two hours occurred, occasioned by the wreck of a freight train a short distance ahead. Allegheny City was reached late that evening, about eight o'clock. Here the rain was again coming down in torrents, serving to diminish somewhat the size of the crowd assembled to greet the distinguished guest. The young man who was both railroad agent and telegraph operator at Allegheny at the time, in later years related how he was among the privileged few who entered the private car of Lincoln and his family, and says that "I shall never forget the deep impression which his towering form and his already sad and al- ways kindly face made on me as he took my hand." Lincoln stopped at the Monongahela House in Pitts- burgh. Here two addresses were made, one on the eve- ning of his arrival to the throng of people which had turned out to see him, and one the next morning to the Mayor of the city and its citizens. Following the latter speech, the party resumed their journey, leaving Pittsburgh in a dense downpour of rain. The next objective was Cleveland, Ohio. From Pittsburgh to Alliance, Ohio, the Ohio and Pennsyl- vania Railroad was again made use of, and from the latter point to Cleveland, the Cleveland and Pittsburgh 184 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS Railroad, both now a part of the Pennsylvania system. Along the way the usual concourses of people were en- countered, and at Alliance a dinner was served. Cleve- land was reached at four-twenty in the afternoon. Proceeding to the Weddell House, where he was to stay, Lincoln was formally welcomed to the city, and responded in a speech addressed to the chairman of proceedings and his fellow-citizens. Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, and as the presidential party was scheduled to leave at nine o'clock, the early dawn found many people assembled at the station for a last glimpse of the President-elect. It is estimated that at about forty stations along the route from Cleveland to Buffalo crowds of people were gathered. From Girard, Ohio, to Erie, Pennsyl- vania, where the party dined, Lincoln was accompanied by Horace Greeley. From Cleveland to Erie, the special traveled over the tracks of the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad ; from Erie to the New York- Pennsylvania state line, those of the Erie and North East Railroad; and from the latter point into Buffalo those of the Buffalo and State Line Railroad. The Erie and North East Railroad Company operated the en- tire trackage of the last two lines. All these roads are now a part of the New York Central system. At Westfield, Chautauqua County, New York, Lin- coln's kindliness was displayed in an incident which has been told more than once by the little participant, who is still living in Kansas, and to whom we are indebted for the following account. It seems that during the presidential campaign, an eleven year old girl by the name of Grace Bedell, liv- JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1861 185 ing at Westfield, was given a portrait of the Repub- lican candidate. Staunch little Republican though she was, she was disappointed in her hero's looks, and in her childish mind arose the thought that if he were to raise whiskers, his appearance would be improved. She thereupon wrote him a letter to this effect, to which a few days later she received a reply from Lincoln him- self. It was signed "your sincere well-wisher, A. Lin- coln," and in it, referring to her suggestion he said that "having never worn any, do you not think people would call it a piece of silly affectation if I were to be- gin wearing them now?" However, her suggestion was to bear fruit. As the train stopped at Westfield for a few moments, Lincoln appeared on the platform, made a short speech, and then said: "I have a correspondent in this place, a little girl whose name is Grace Bedell, and I would like to see her." Grace was discovered on the outskirts of the crowd, and conveyed to the President-elect, who stepped down from his coach, and extended his hand. "You see, I have let these whiskers grow for you, Grace," he said. Then reaching out his long arms, he lifted the little girl up and kissed her in his fatherly way, stepped on board the train and was gone. In referring to this in the White House, Lincoln once remarked to his marshal, "How small a thing will sometimes change the whole aspect of our lives." That afternoon the party reached Buffalo, where they found a vast throng of people, headed by Ex- President Fillmore, and the party proceeded to the American Hotel. The jam was so great that Major 186 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS Hunter had his shoulder dislocated. Arriving at the hotel, Lincoln was formally welcomed by the mayor, to whose remarks an appropriate response was given. It will be recalled that this was now Saturday, the 16th, and it had been decided that the party were to remain at Buffalo over Sunday, resting quietly. On Sunday morning Abraham Lincoln attended church with Mr. Fillmore and later was dined by him. The following morning the Lincoln party left Buf- falo at an early hour, but the usual throng was in evidence. The train pulled out from the station at five-forty-five. The next regular stop was Albany, reached by the New York Central Railroad, but we observe the dis- tinguished traveler speaking to assemblages at Roches- ter, Syracuse, and Utica enroute, while many other places had to be content with his appearance on the car platform as he bowed in acknowledgment to the homage paid him. Albany was reached between two and three o'clock that afternoon. Here Lincoln was met by both munic- ipal and state authorities in formal welcome, and we find him that afternoon addressing the mayor of the city, the governor of the state, and both Houses of the Legislature in joint assembly. During his stay here Lincoln stopped at the Delavan House, and at eight o'clock on the morning after his arrival left for New York. At that time there was no railroad bridge crossing the Hudson River at Albany. The usual mode of travel was for passengers to cross by ferry to the town of East Albany. Here they took a train over the Hudson Courtesy, Delaware & Hudson Railroad Locomotive which hauled Lincoln's train from Albany to Troy on its triumphant progress East, in 1861. JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1861 187 River Railroad following the lordly stream down to the metropolis. As we have previously stated, this road, then a separate line, is now a part of the Central system. The usual route as above outlined was not followed by Lincoln's party, however, because of unusually high water prevailing at Albany. Arrangements were made to detour by way of Troy. This necessitated the passing of the special train over three different roads in a short distance. The cars of the New York Central used in traveling from Buf- falo to Albany were requisitioned for this purpose. The train passed up the west side of the river over the tracks of the Albany and Vermont Railroad, leased to and operated by the Rensselaer and Saratoga Rail- road Company, to Waterford Junction. Thence to Green Island, on the west bank of the river, the tracks of the Rensselaer and Saratoga proper were used. From Green Island to the east bank of the river a rail- road bridge owned by the latter company over which the Troy Union Railroad Company had running rights was traversed, the Troy Union proper operating within the limits of the city of Troy only, and it was over this latter road that Abraham Lincoln and party arrived in the Union Station at Troy. These roads are now a part of the Delaware and Hudson Company. Troy was reached a few minutes after nine o'clock, a crowd of about thirty thousand people awaiting the special. After a brief address by Lincoln the party boarded the train of the Hudson River Railroad await- ing, and left after a stop of thirty minutes. Crowds were assembled all along the route of the 188 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS Hudson River road, brief addresses being made by the President-elect at Poughkeepsie, Hudson, and Peek- skill. New York was reached about three o'clock that after- noon. The reception here was most imposing and on a large scale, as befitted the leading city of the New World. Business houses were closed generally, flags displayed, and the streets seemed overflowing with hu- manity. Lincoln stopped at the old Astor House, the same hotel of his former visit, from the balcony of which he was compelled to address the cheering crowds wedged tightly in the street below. In the evening a more or less private reception was tendered him by a delegation of politicians who had participated actively in the presidential campaign, headed by E. D. Smith. The following morning, Wednesday the 20th, the President-elect was escorted to City Hall, where he was formally welcomed by Mayor Wood, to whose address a fitting response was given. In the afternoon Barnum's Museum was visited, and that evening the distinguished guest was given an opportunity to gratify another side of his complex nature, when he attended Verdi's opera "The Masked Ball," at the Academy of Music. At eight o'clock the next morning the Hudson River was crossed by ferry-boat, and upon reaching the Jer- sey City shore a large throng was found waiting to catch a glimpse of the man who was to rule over the destinies of the nation. After a few remarks in reply to W. L. Dayton who had welcomed him to the state of New Jersey, Lincoln and his party boarded the train provided for them. JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1861 189 Philadelphia, the next objective, although only ninety miles away, required the use of three roads, all now a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. The status of these roads was the same then as in 1848 when Lincoln the Congressman had made use of them. At Newark he was called upon to say something in re- sponse to the words of welcome from the mayor, and at Trenton he was met by a committee from the Legisla- ture which escorted him to the State House. Here he addressed both Senate and Assembly separately, and afterwards spoke to a crowd from the Trenton House, where the party lunched. Following this, they boarded the special provided by the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad, reaching Kensington depot in Philadelphia at four o'clock in the afternoon. From the balcony of the Continental Hotel, where Lincoln remained overnight, Mayor Henry made an address of welcome, to which Lincoln replied with a brief speech. As in New York, the crowds encountered in Philadelphia were tremendous, and enthusiasm ran high. The following morning the party made its way through the streets with difficulty to Independence Hall, where Lincoln made two speeches. Thence they proceeded directly to the depot to take train for Har- risburg, the state capital. As far as Lancaster the Pennsylvania road followed practically the same route as used to-day, by way of Downington. It had leased another short line known as the Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mount Joy and Lan- caster, and operated the two lines as one, to Harris- burg. 190 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS The capital was reached about two o'clock that after- noon. After replying to an address of welcome by Gov- ernor Curtin, Lincoln was escorted to the Legislature, before both branches of which in joint session he de- livered a short speech. While in Harrisburg the party stopped at the Jones House. Up to this point the journey, now so nearly com- pleted, had been in the nature of a triumphal progress. No discordant note had been struck, no outward threat made. Had an assassin lurked, he must have had fre- quent opportunities to strike a blow, as the tall form of the man of destiny made its way through the dense throngs. The constant change from road to road like- wise offered chances for the desperate train-wrecker or bomb-thrower. The railroad and secret service of- ficials were constantly alert, and doubtless each com- pany heaved a sigh of relief when the presidential party had passed safely over its lines. At Harrisburg disturbing rumors came to those who guarded the safety of Lincoln. Baltimore, which was to be visited on the way to Washington, was a doubtful quantity. It was said that a plot had been hatched to assassinate the President-elect as he passed through there. Definite intelligence had reached the ears of the secret service, who also knew the uncertain temper of this semi-Southern city — later shown by its treatment of some of the first Northern troops to march through a few months later. Under the circumstances the per- sons charged with safeguarding Lincoln wisely de- cided to take no chances. It had been the intention of the party to leave Har- risburg for Baltimore over the Northern Central Rail- JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1861 191 way, at nine o'clock the next morning. It will be observed that on all the route up to this point the presi- dential train had traveled in the daytime, and avoided night runs. This was due to at least three reasons: the greater safety of day travel; the lack of sleeping- cars worthy of the name ; and the opportunity given the waiting throngs to greet Lincoln. However, under the new plan, while the majority of the party carried out the original schedule and pro- ceeded on to Baltimore, Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by Ward H. Lamon and Allan Pinkerton the detective, that night traveled in a special train consisting of an engine and one car over the Pennsylvania Railroad back to Philadelphia. Here a change was secretly made to the sleeping-car of the regular midnight Philadel- phia, Wilmington and Baltimore express, which con- nected with the Baltimore and Ohio running into Washington at Baltimore. By this arrangement the President-elect and his two companions reached the capital city at six o'clock on the morning of the 23rd. A striking contrast this to the beginning and progress of his journey! Here at the end a deserted platform along which three figures hurried to a waiting carriage. Thus it was that President Lincoln reached Washing- ton. As for the journey itself, which we have hurriedly sketched from its transportation side, "a proper de- scription," say his secretaries, "would fill a volume. It embraced two weeks of official receptions by com- mittees, mayors, governors and legislatures ; of crowded evening receptions and interminable hand-shakings ; of impromptu or formal addresses at every ceremony; 192 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS of cheers, salutes, bonfires, military parades, and im- posing processions amid miles of spectators. Political discussion was for the moment hushed in the general curiosity to see and hear the man, who by free and law- ful choice of the nation had been called to exercise the duties of the presidential office." Villard, one of the correspondents accompanying the party, says: "Everywhere there were formal welcomes by the state or municipal authorities and by great crowds of people, with brass bands, and public and pri- vate receptions. In different localities pleasant varia- tions were offered in the way of serenades, torchlight processions, and gala theatrical performances. Alto- gether, the President had every reason to feel flattered and encouraged by the demonstrations in his honor. But the journey was a very great strain upon his physical and mental strength, and he was well-nigh worn out when he reached Buffalo. He must have spoken at least fifty times during the week. In the kindness of his heart — not from any love of adulation, for he really felt very awkward about it — he never refused to re- spond to a call for his appearance wherever the train stopped." One other phase of this momentous journey should be discussed for the purposes of the present study. This is in regard to the expenses of the trip, and by whom borne. At this late day it is seemingly impossible to get at the facts regarding these expenses. Mr. Henry B. Ran- kin, yet living at an advanced age, was a student in the law office of Lincoln and Herndon at the time. In a communication referring to this Mr. Rankin says: JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1861 193 "Memory impressions of my own as to who met the ex- penses I am not disposed to rely on. I am — in mem- ory — quite sure Lincoln and his family met their expenses, in part, but that the railways gave passes to the Lincoln household and secretaries. But I will not be positive I am correct." Lincoln's secretaries and biographers, Nicolay and Hay, refer to the tendering of special trains to the party by different roads, but make no further comment upon the details. We do not know, therefore, whether this applied to all roads or not, or what arrangement was made to defray other necessary transportation ex- penses. CHAPTER XIX LINCOLN AND THE UNION PACIFIC The most important railway measure with which Lin- coln as President was associated was the projection of the Union Pacific, the first railway line to link up the East with the far West. Although this road be- came a reality some years after his death, it was a pro- ject which had profoundly interested him even before he became President, and it is undoubtedly true that his aid while in the White House hastened its reality. Lincoln had lived all his life on the border of the great West, and must have visioned the tremendous fu- ture of this country when the Plains over which the buffalo roamed were converted into wheat and corn fields, and when the Pacific Slope had been brought into communication with the rest of the Union. Staunch Unionist that he was, he early realized the necessity of making that Union a physical possibility. A year prior to his nomination to the presidency — to be exact, in August, 1859, — he had visited Council Bluffs, Iowa, to look after his real estate holdings there and incidentally see the country. A contemplated railroad to extend westward from the Missouri River to the Pacific Coast was a live but no new topic. For years such a possibility had been discussed, and in the first national campaign conducted by the Republican party in 1856, a Pacific railroad was made a rather 194 LINCOLN AND THE UNION PACIFIC 195 prominent issue. The party's presidential nominee, John C. Fremont, the "Pathfinder," on account of his Western explorations, was thought to be the right man to push such a project. The Democrats, also, deemed it necessary to en- dorse the plan; however, they could not favor it too strongly, because of the influence of the Southern mem- bers, who believed that the extension of slavery would necessarily be retarded by the construction of such a road. There was much interest shown throughout the coun- try in the proposition. But with the election of Buchanan, the project was not promoted very vigor- ously, although several desultory attempts were made to pass legislation relating thereto. In fact, to precede our story, in December, 1860, a bill introduced in the House by Representative Samuel R. Curtis, of Iowa, sponsoring a Union Pacific Railroad, was passed by that body, but allowed to go no further. Shortly before his trip to Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln had purchased several town lots from his fel- low railroad attorney, Norman B. Judd, who had ac- quired them from the Chicago and Rock Island Rail- road. Council Bluffs at this time was a frontier town, containing about fifteen hundred people. Accompanied by O. M. Hatch, Secretary of the State of Illinois, Lincoln had come from Saint Joseph, Mis- souri, up the Missouri River by steamboat. They put up at the Pacific Hotel. This was on August 12. The following night, Lincoln, at the request of the citizens of the community, who thought favorably of him on account of the manner in which he had conducted his 196 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS debates with Douglas, delivered a speech in Concert Hall. Almost simultaneously with Lincoln's arrival, Gren- ville M. Dodge, then a young engineer in the employ of several railroad promoters, had returned from a sur- veying trip for a proposed Pacific Railroad, and had camped with his party in a ravine north of the town. He attended the meeting in Concert Hall and listened with much interest to the speech of the Illinoisan, which impressed him favorably on the slavery question. Lincoln, having heard of the arrival of the engineer- ing party, desired some first-hand information. Gen- eral Dodge, many years afterward, gave the following account of the interview, which lasted about two hours, and which took place on the porch of the Pacific Hotel. "After dinner at the hotel," said the general, "Mr. Lincoln sought me out, and engaged me in conversa- tion about what I knew of the country west of the Missouri River. He greatly impressed me by the marked interest he displayed in the work in which I was en- gaged, and he expressed himself as believing that there was nothing more important before the nation at that time than the building of a railroad to the Pacific Coast. He ingeniously extracted a great deal of in- formation from me about the country beyond the river, the climate, the character of the soil, the resources, the rivers and the route. When the long conversation was ended, I realized that most of the things that I had been holding as secrets for my employers in the East, had been given to him without reserve." General Dodge also relates that "during Lincoln's visit, some of the citizens of Council Bluffs took him LINCOLN AND THE UNION PACIFIC 197 to a high bluff known as Cemetery Hill, just north of the town. From this point could be had a view of the country ten miles north and ten miles south, up and down the great Missouri River valley, and across the Missouri River five miles west. He was greatly im- pressed with the outlook ; and the bluff from that time has been known as Lincoln's Hill. . . . From here he looked down upon the place, where by his order, four years later, the terminus of the first trans-continental railway was established." The platform of the Republican National Conven- tion, that nominated Abraham Lincoln for President in May, 1860, at Chicago, declared in the sixteenth plank : "That a railroad to the Pacific Ocean is impera- tively demanded by the interests of the whole country ; that the Federal Government ought to render imme- diate and efficient aid in its construction ; and that, as preliminary thereto, a daily overland mail should be promptly established." Lincoln, as nominee, in his letter of acceptance, re- ferring to the platform in general, said "the declara- tion of principles and sentiments . . . meets my approval : and it shall be my care not to violate or dis- regard it in any part." He later was to be given opportunity to put into practical effect the declaration regarding the Pacific Railroad. At the extra session of Congress convened by him as President in July, 1861, Representative Curtis reintroduced his bill for a road to be known as the Union Pacific. Action was retarded by the outbreak of war, and Curtis shortly afterwards resigned his own seat for a commission in the Federal army. 198 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS In the Senate, James Harlan, of Iowa, later a mem- ber of President Lincoln's Cabinet, became a strong advocate of the measure. But probably there was no firmer friend of the Union Pacific bill than the Presi- dent himself, who advocated its passage and the con- struction of the road, "not only as a military necessity, but as a means of holding the Pacific Coast to the Union," as General Dodge has said. Finally, in 1862, a law was passed chartering "The Union Pacific Railroad Company." This was entitled "An Act to aid in the construction of a railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean, and to secure to the government the use of the same for postal, military, and other purposes." The Act was approved by President Lincoln on July 1. Under the provisions of this Act, to the President of the United States was delegated specific authority as to the appointment of directors and commissioners. He was also authorized to fix the point of commencement in the territory of Nebraska; approve the route in Kansas; decide which were the three hundred miles most mountainous and difficult of construction (this having to do with the number of bonds issued to cover) ; determine the uniform width of track upon the entire line, including its branches; fix the point on the west- ern boundary of the State of Iowa from which the road was to be constructed, and fix certain other points and junctions in connection with the Union Pacific and other roads mentioned and sponsored in the Act. It will thus be seen how Lincoln was inextricably con- nected with the active construction of the road, and that LINCOLN AND THE UNION PACIFIC 199 upon him would necessarily devolve the settlement of many important questions. This Act, in addition to chartering the Union Pa- cific, authorized the Central Pacific Railroad of Cal- ifornia, chartered under the laws of that state, to construct a road and telegraph line eastward from the Pacific Coast, to the eastern boundary of California, there to meet and join with the Union Pacific; or in the event of the California Company arriving there first, continue construction eastward until they should meet at a point nearer the Missouri River. On September £ an organization was perfected and a set of officers elected. Samuel R. Curtis, now a Major- General, was elected chairman of the board of com- missioners. Peter A. Dey, under whom Grenville M. Dodge had done his first surveying west of the Mis- souri River, was selected to make a survey from the Missouri to Salt Lake, and to have a report ready for the next meeting of the board. The writer's investigations into the relations of Pres- ident Lincoln to the Union Pacific during the formative period of the road, led to the Governmental depart- ments at Washington. Through the courtesy of Mr. F. M. Goodwin, Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior, all the records in relation thereto, on file in the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads, were placed at his disposal. There, among other data, seven orders, appointments and endorsements of President Lincoln, hitherto unpublished, were discovered, all of which are incorporated in this chapter. Mr. L. O. Leonard, present historian of the Union Pacific system, engaged in compiling data for an offi- 200 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS cial history of the road, informs the writer that in his researches he formed the opinion "that no statesman that ever lived had a keener interest in the Union Pa- cific than Abraham Lincoln. His clear vision of the future and what transportation really meant to the country he loved so well, and for which he gave his life, is most clearly shown in the close scrutiny it is quite evident he gave to all those papers which were presented to him for his signature." We must also remember that this was during the stress and strain of the Civil War, when the Chief Ex- ecutive's mind was burdened with a thousand military details. In the spring of 1863 General Dodge relates that he received orders from his superior officer, General Grant, to report to the President at Washington. His thought was that he was about to be taken to task for some military offense. Entering the service early in the war, Dodge had risen to the rank of Brigadier-General of volunteers, and was then stationed at Corinth. But he was soon disabused, although Lincoln was aware of his so-called "offense." He found that Presi- dent Lincoln, with his marvelous memory and keen judgment, wanted to discuss with him the proper place where the initial point of the Union Pacific should be located. This, it will be remembered, was one of the pro- visions of the Act of 1862, which the President should determine. He had recalled the conversation with the young engineer on the hotel porch in Council Bluffs four years before. General Dodge, in narrating his account of this in- LINCOLN AND THE UNION PACIFIC 201 terview, says: "There was great competition from all the towns on both sides of the Missouri River for fifty miles above and below Council Bluffs, Iowa, for the dis- tinction of being selected as this initial point. I found Mr. Lincoln well posted in all the controlling reasons covering such a selection, and we went into the matter at length and discussed the arguments presented by the different competing localities. I detailed to him, in so far as I could without having my maps or data at hand, where, from an engineering and commercial point of view, the Union Pacific Railroad should make its start- ing point from the western boundary of Iowa. "The physical conditions of the country both east and west of the Missouri River controlled this selection. Directly west of Council Bluffs was the great Platte valley, extending from the base of the Rocky Moun- tains in one continuous valley six hundred miles east to the Missouri River. The survey we had made for the Union Pacific followed this valley the entire distance and crossed the divide of the continent through an open county, not exceeding 8,000 feet in elevation, while to the north and south the Rocky Mountains towered from ten to thirteen thousand feet high. "It is a singular fact, that while the United States had spent a great deal of money in exploration for a feasible line for the Pacific Railroad, the Government never had examined the natural route along the forty- second parallel of latitude. All the surveys had been made and all the data obtained by private citizens connected with the Rock Island Railroad, at the head of which was Henry Farnam, of Connecticut. President 202 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS Lincoln, after going over all the facts that could be presented to him, and from his own knowledge, finally fixed the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific Rail- road where our surveys determined the proper locality — at Council Bluffs, Iowa. "After this discussion of the location, he took up with me the question of building the road. The law of 1862 had failed to bring any capital or men to undertake the work, and I said to him that in my opinion private enterprise could not build the road. "Mr. Lincoln said that the Government had its hands full, and could not assume the task, but was ready to support any company to the fullest legal extent, and amend the law so as to enable such a company to issue securities that would furnish the necessary funds." When General Dodge left Washington, he went to New York and there met the parties who were con- nected with the Union Pacific Railroad as it was then constituted, John A. Dix, Henry Farnam, T. S. Du- rant, George Francis Train, and others. In an execu- tive session he narrated to them an account of his inter- view with President Lincoln and what he had said concerning the part the Government would play in any further developments. Thus encouraged, the officials went to work on a new measure to be presented to the next Congress for action. One of the results of General Dodge's call upon Lin- coln was the issuance of an official order, several months later, written by the President, locating the starting point of the Union Pacific Railroad on the western boundary of Iowa. It reads as follows: Courtesy, Union Pacific Railroad GENERAL GREXVILLE M. DODGE The man with whom Lincoln consulted about the projected road across to the Pacific, both before and after he became President. Dodge was a young civil engineer when Lincoln first met him, and after the Civil War was long connected with the Union Pacific. LINCOLN AND THE UNION PACIFIC 203 Executive Mansion, Washington, November 17, 1863. In pursuance of the fourteenth section of the Act of Congress, entitled "An Act to aid in the construction of a Pacific Railroad and Telegraph line from the Mis- souri River to the Pacific Ocean, and to secure to the Government the use of the same for postal, military and other purposes," approved July 1, 1862; I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby fix so much of the western boundary of the State of Iowa as lies between the north and south bound- aries of the United States Township, within which the City of Omaha is situated, as the point from which the line of railroad and telegraph in that section shall be onstructed. Abraham Lincoln. In answer to a communication received from John A. Dix, then president of the Union Pacific, President Lincoln directed one of his secretaries to send the fol- lowing reply: Executive Mansion, December 1, 1863. Major-General John A. Dix, President of the Union Pacific Railroad Company, New York. Dear Sir: I have not been permitted until to-day to present to the President your communication of November 23. He directs me to express his deep regret that his illness will prevent him from giving on this occasion expression to the profound interest he feels in the success of a work 204 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS so vast and so beneficent as that which you are about to inaugurate. Respectfully, your obedient servant, John Hay, Assistant Private Secretary. The illness referred to was a mild attack of varioloid, contracted shortly after his journey to the battlefield of Gettysburg to take part in the dedicatory exercises. In December, 1863, the Thirty-eighth Congress as- sembled. An amendatory act in connection with the one passed by the preceding Congress was early agi- tated. In his Annual Message to Congress, December 8, the President, in referring to a proposition for enlarging the water communication between the Mississippi River and the northeastern seaboard, said that "augmented interest is given to this subject by the actual commence- ment of work upon the Pacific Railroad, under auspices so favorable to rapid progress and completion. The enlarged navigation becomes a palpable need to the great road." On March 1, 1864, the Senate passed a resolution of inquiry as to whether the President had fixed the point of commencement of the Pacific railroad, as authorized by the 8th and 14th sections of the act incorporating the road. Six days later President Lin- coln issued the following: In pursuance of the provisions of section 14, of the act of Congress entitled "An Act to aid in the construc- tion of a Railroad and Telegraph Line from the Mis- souri River to the Pacific Ocean, and to secure to the Government the use of the same for Postal, Military, LINCOLN AND THE UNION PACIFIC 205 and other purposes" approved July 1st, 1862, authoriz- ing and directing the President of the United States, to fix the point on the Western boundary of the State of Iowa, from which the Union Pacific Railroad Company is by said section authorized and required to construct a single line of Railroad and telegraph, upon the most direct and practicable route, subject to the approval of the President of the United States, so as to form a con- nection with the lines of said Company at some point on the one hundredth meridian of longitude in said section named : I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do, upon the application of the said Company, designate and establish such first above named point, on the West- ern boundary of the State of Iowa, East of, and op- posite to the East line of Section 10, in Township 15, North of Range IS, East of the Sixth principal merid- ian, in the Territory of Nebraska. Done at the City of Washington, this seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hun- dred and sixty-four. Abraham Lincoln. This was followed by a special Message to the Senate, still further clarifying the matter and revealing Lin- coln's keen interest in the project. March 9, 1864. To the Senate of the United States : In compliance with the resolution of the Senate, of the first instant, respecting the points of commence- ment of the Union Pacific Railroad; on the one hun- dredth degree of west longitude, and of the branch road from the western boundary of Iowa to the said one hun- dredth degree of longitude, I transmit the accompany- 206 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS ing report from the Secretary of the Interior, contain- ing the information called for. I deem it proper to add, that on the seventeenth day of November last an executive order was made upon this subject and delivered to the vice-president of the Union Pacific Railroad Company, which fixed the point on the western boundary of the State of Iowa, from which the company should construct their branch road to the one hundredth degree of west longitude, and declared it to be within the limits of the township, in Iowa, opposite the town of Omaha, in Nebraska. Since then the com- pany has represented to me that, upon actual surveys made, it has determined upon the precise point of de- parture of their said branch road from the Missouri River, and located the same as described in the accom- panying report of the Secretary of the Interior, which point is within the limits designated in the order of November last ; and in as much as that order is not of record in any of the executive departments, and the company having desired a more definite one, I have made the order of which a copy is herewith (trans- mitted) and caused the same to be filed in the Depart- ment of the Interior. Abraham Lincoln. The latter order referred to is the one issued two days before. The platform of the Republican National Conven- tion held in Baltimore, June 7 and 8 of the same year, would necessarily be supposed to contain some refer- ence to the Pacific road, as it had been sponsored by the Republican administration. Other matters, chiefly the War itself pressed for attention. However, this measure LINCOLN AND THE UNION PACIFIC 807 could not be ignored. The ninth plank, in a total of eleven, read : "Resolved, That we are in favor of the speedy con- struction of the railroad to the Pacific Coast." The long-looked-for amendatory act was finally passed by both Houses of Congress, and signed by the President, July 2, 1864. Under the provisions of this law, the President of the United States was authorized to do the following: Designate places in each of several cities named in addition to the general office of the company in New York City, as well as other localities selected by him, at which subscriptions to the capital stock of the Union Pacific Railroad Company were to be received. Appoint for each and every one of the roads pro- vided for in the original act, three commissioners to ex- amine the first twenty miles of railroad and telegraph line completed, instead of three commissioners for the Union Pacific alone when forty miles had been finished. Appoint three directors to serve until the next regu- lar election, in addition to those elected by the stock- holders, which were to be fifteen in number ; and there- after appoint five directors. Several members of the Thirty-eighth Congress have left their impressions of the law as finally passed, with reference to the financial aid extended by the United States Government. James G. Blaine, then serving in the House, says that "the necessity of communication with our Pacific possessions was so generally recognized that Congress 208 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS was willing to extend generous aid to any company which was ready to complete the enterprise. The as- sociation of gentlemen who had organized under the provisions of the (original) Act, were unable, as they reported, to construct the road upon the conditions pre- scribed and the aid tendered. It was impossible to re- alize money from the lands under the grant, as they were too remote for settlement, and $16,000 per mile was declared insufficient to secure the means requisite for the construction of the road across trackless plains, and through rugged passes of the Rocky Mountains. "The corporators had accordingly returned to Con- gress in 1864 for further help, and such was the anx- iety in the public mind to promote the connection with the Pacific that enlarged and most generous provision was made for the completion of the road. The land grant was doubled in amount ; the Government for cer- tain difficult portions of the road allowed $32,000 per mile, and for certain mountainous sections $48,000 per mile. The whole of this munificent grant was then sub- ordinated as a second mortgage upon the road and its franchise, and the company was empowered to issue a first mortgage for the same amount for each mile — for $16,000, $32,000 and $48,000, according to the character of the country through which the road was to pass. "The terrible struggle to retain the Southern States in the Union had persuaded the Administration and the Government that no pains should be spared and no expenditures stinted to insure the connection which might quicken the sympathy and more directly combine the interests of the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts." He LINCOLN AND THE UNION PACIFIC 209 adds, however, that "a more careful circumspection might perhaps have secured the work with less expendi- ture." On the other hand, John Sherman, then representing Ohio in the House, says that such bills prove "that it is not wise during war to provide measures for a time of peace. "Under this Act, the first lien of the United States for bonds advanced to the company, provided for by the Act of 1862, was made subordinate to the lien of the bonds of the company sold in market — a fatal er- ror, which lent to all the serious complications which followed. The proceeds of the sale of the first mortgage bonds of the company, with a portion of those issued by the United States in aid of the company, built both the Union and Central Pacific, so that the constructors of these roads, who were mainly directors and managers of the company, practically received as profit a large portion of the bonds of the United States issued in aid of the work, and almost the entire capital stock of the company. "If the Act had been delayed until after the War, when the securities of the United States rapidly ad- vanced in value, it could not have passed in the form it did. The construction of the road was practically not commenced until the War was over. The con- structors had the benefit of the advancing value of the bonds and of the increasing purchasing power of United States notes." Cornelius Cole, member from California, naturally interested in the construction of such a transporta- tion system which should link his section with the East, 210 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS as one of the Committee on the Pacific Railroad, and having several times crossed the Plains, was much in consultation with President Lincoln, Thaddeus Stevens, Chairman of the Committee, and others. "The work of building the roads," says Mr. Cole, "had devolved upon the Republican party. The War, instead of impeding, added arguments in favor of its early completion, as the railroad was now deemed de- sirable from a military point of view, and not less so, to unite more firmly our Pacific Coast possessions with the Atlantic States. . . . Better overland com- munication, by reason of the war, being rendered ex- tremely desirable, everybody was clamorous for the railroad; consequently it was deemed advisable for Congress to encourage its builders by doubling the land grants to the companies, and to allow them to issue their own first mortgage bonds to an amount equal to the Government bonds, such bonds to take precedence of the Government bonds and to constitute a first lien upon the roads. These, and some twenty other amend- ments and provisions, were added to the original law, rendering it eminently practical and as free from ob- structions as the builders of the road could desire. After this the work was prosecuted with unexampled energy." After the passage of the Act, many communications recommending that General Dodge be appointed one of the Government Commissioners began to be received by the Department of the Interior, and are on file there to-day. The appointment, however, was not made. The following order appointing the three directors on the part of the Government was issued by the President: *M^$c&J£ , \«bf 3o fcb> cr1^ a; O »H a) ^3 ^ r^ 13 T3 > fl ej 03 ^ ■+-> ^ r o co a CO C3 „^3 -jT ■ + - > < O nj g GO "§ S .5 lUi O g 3 2 S 'a; ►j •5 bC g 1 - JL ^ M £ a ^ c/} o cS h' , lJ»<3.0 4..-, 58.0 4.8 01.4 3.5 65.0 ' 3.8 74.0 0.0 82.0 8.0 87.4 5.2 *)•"> 3 • 5.0 :;"iS 11:18 11:33 ri^K I2.KJ 12:31 1:10 1:3S The following instructions are to \h: observed for the ahov« trnirt : 1. All other Trains on this Road must he kept thirty minute* out of the way of the time of this Train. 2. All Telegraph Stations must be kept open daring the passage <«f this Train. 3. A Guard with one red and one white light will la; stationed at all road <-r.,-~in-s Ly night; and witha white flag draped by day, or after daylight, on \V< - (J. M< Ci r.i.i m, 2d l>iv., in charge of Military' Railroads. ROBERT HALE, U^^^iU^^— - Courtesy, Chicago <& Alton Railroad THE TIME TABLE OF THE "FUNERAL TRAIN 5 " On its run from Chicago to Springfield, May 2, 1865. The slow time and extraordinary precautions taken may be noted on the above card. THE LAST JOURNEY 275 Gobright, a Washington newspaper correspondent who accompanied the party, says : "Much of our trav- eling was at night, throughout which, no matter at what hour, crowds gathered on the roads to see the train on its onward progress ; and whenever we halted, flowers were brought into the funeral car, and placed upon the coffin by the delicate hands which had culled them for this purpose. It would have been impossible to render greater honors to any mortal remains. The funeral was continuous from Washington to Oak Ridge Cemetery, near Springfield, Illinois." Concerning the funeral car many mistaken ideas have been widely circulated. The following excerpt, taken from Success Magazine, June, 1900, summarizes the popular and mistaken notion: "In the city of Omaha, in the yards of the Union Pacific Railroad Company, is lying a relic which should be dear to the heart of every American, even as 'Old Ironsides' itself. - "This is nothing less than the remains of the car designed by himself, in which President Lincoln used to go to the front during the latter part of the Civil War, and which was afterwards used as a funeral coach for his murdered remains. Though now but a mass of decayed wood and rusted iron, when constructed by the military shops at Alexandria, Va., in 1864, it was the marvel of the railroad, and the most elaborate piece of workmanship on wheels. "To make the mahogany framework proof against the bullets of the Confederates, or assassins, the car was iron-clad, armored plate being set beneath its up- holstered sides. One of its largest compartments, the 276 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS President's study, contained a sofa fifteen feet long, on which he rested and slept on his journeys to and fro. "To Booker T. Washington belongs the honor of starting a project for the restoration and preservation to the nation of this most interesting relic of the last chapter of the life of the great martyred President. Mr. Washington heard of the car when in Omaha, and, with Dr. O. M. Ricketts, set the ball rolling. "Just what terms can be made for its purchase from the railroad company has not yet been ascertained, but it is thought that it will donate the car to the city, provided an agreement is made to have it preserved and a building furnished for that purpose." Miss Antoinette L. King, Librarian of the Public Library at Pittston, Pennsylvania, has furnished the writer with the following subjoined statement signed by her father, Sidney D. King, in 1903, three years before his death, which is self-explanatory : "An item has been going the rounds of the news- papers lately to the effect that what was called 'Presi- dent Lincoln's coach' is lying in a state of dilapidation in the yards of the Union Pacific Railroad at Omaha, Nebraska, and that Booker T. Washington has started a plan for its restoration and preservation as a relic of the Civil War. It is described as a car 'designed by himself, in which President Lincoln used to go to the front the latter part of the war,' and that it was 'iron- clad — armored plate being set beneath its upholstered sides.' "This is a mistake. The car was built by the author- ities of the United States Military Railroad — a name which covered parts of the 'Manassas Gap,' the 'Loudon THE LAST JOURNEY 277 and Hampshire,' and the 'Orange and Alexandria' Rail- roads, which were confiscated by the Government. The headquarters, roundhouse, car shops and machine shops were inside the stockade at Alexandria, Virginia, and under charge of Colonel D. C. McCallum. "I was Assistant Master Car Builder at that time, was in the shops constantly while the car was being built, and am certain that no armor was used in its construction. Any one who knew the habits of Mr. Lincoln would scout the idea of his designing an ar- mored car of such luxurious appointments for his own use in going to the front. Just when the fact of its being built came to his knowledge I do not know, but as I recollect it, some of the New York newspapers opposed to his administration took up the matter and presented it in a very unfavorable light. How much this influenced him is, of course, conjectural, but in point of fact he utterly refused to accept the car or ride in it during his lifetime. It stood- in the shops for some months at least, after making one trial trip. It was really magnificent for those days, and every avail- able convenience was used, but present-day travelers would consider it very common. The woodwork was of black walnut, the upholstery dark green plush, with curtains of light green silk ; the ceiling was paneled with crimson silk, gathered into a rosette in the center of each panel. The American eagle with the national col- ors appeared in a large medallion on each side of the exterior. As first built it was mounted on four trucks, but later two were taken out. "When the car made its first real journey, that from Washington to Springfield, Illinois, bearing the dead 278 LINCOLN AND THE RAILROADS body of the President to its final resting place, it was elaborately draped in black cloth, with silver bullion fringe, silver spangled stars and large silver tassels about nine inches long and three inches in diameter. There were also many black tassels used about the biers on which rested the two coffins — that of the President and his son. "These 'funeral trappings' were removed on the re- turn of the car to Alexandria and divided up as relics. I got one of the large tassels, and some of each of the other decorations and put them in a case made of the same materials as the trimming of the car. "What disposal was made of the car when the con- fiscated roads were given back and the U. S. Military Railroad was only a name, I do not know, for, of course, we Northern men were 'out of a job' and came home.. "It is to be hoped the plan for preserving the car may be carried out, for it is a genuine relic of war times, even if it did not go to the front, and it seems to me the resolute self-denial of the President, in not using it during his lifetime, and his one journey in it, when his wearied body was past the need of earthly lux- ury, are striking incidents in even such a notable career as that of Lincoln." Let us conclude this review of Lincoln the traveler with a glimpse of the final scene at Springfield. He is at home again among his own folks, the neighbors who were wont to hail him familiarly with "Howdy, Abe!" Now as the casket lies in state in the Capitol, the ones who pass by are the most sincere mourners of all. They look for a last time at the homely features, and more THE LAST JOURNEY 279 than one mutters, "Good j by, Abe!" under his breath. Then the coffin-lid is screwed down for the last time. A simple funeral service is held, and the minister chooses as part of his eulogy the reading of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. The President is viewing the War as a fait accomplit. The struggle is at an end. But there is no hatred of the vanquished in his soul. He views a reunited country — the Union that he loved. "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in ; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and for his orphan ; to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." NOTES NOTES CHAPTER I Compiled in the main from accounts of hungerford, 3- 12; meyer, 308-318; ridpath n, 1571, and m, 2143-2144; and data furnished by Mr. E. L. Bangs, Historian of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. CHAPTER IV Account of the Tenth General Assembly of the Illinois Legislature and Abraham Lincoln's relations thereto com- piled from nicolay and hay i, 131-139; linder, 55-64; tarbell I, 132-146; lamon's "life," 193-201; rothschild, 211-222; herndon's "lincoln" i, 172-177; Arnold's "life," 50-51; and Whitney's "citizen," 129-140. For preliminaries leading up thereto as well as attendant results, we have drawn upon million, 8-26; meyer, 509; and pease, 191-203, and 212-229. Edward D. Baker, later United States Representative from Illinois and Senator from Oregon, losing his life in 1861 at the battle of Ball's Bluff, has sometimes been mentioned as among the celebrities present at this notorious session of the state legislature. This is an error. At a special election held July 1, 1837, he was chosen to represent the County of Sangamon in place of Daniel Stone, resigned, and took his seat at the special session called by the Governor shortly thereafter. chapter v Facts in connection with the history, projection and opera- tion of road compiled from McConnel; also hungerford, 26- 283 284 NOTES 27, and memoranda furnished by President J. E. Taussig, of the Wabash Railway Company. CHAPTER VI For history of road see meyer, 518-547; Lincoln's activi- ties before legislature quoted from drennan; Anderson; and rantoul. CHAPTER VII Rail and water transportation data compiled from infor- mation furnished by: President W. L. Mapother, of the Louisville and Nash- ville Railroad Company. Secretary C. W. Woolford, of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. Chief Engineer A. C. Shand, of the Pennsylvania Rail- road System. President J. E. Pearson, of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company. President J. H. Hustis, of the Boston and Maine Rail- road Company. Treasurer F. H. Ratcliffe, of the Boston and Albany Rail- road Company. Mr. C. F. Smith, General Superintendent Passenger Trans- portation, and Secretary E. F. Stephenson, of the New York Central Railroad Company. Itinerary and probable route used by Lincoln in attending iirst session of the Thirtieth Congress furnished by Dr. L. D. Carman, of Washington, D. C. Itinerary of Lincoln's speechmaking tour in Massachu- setts as given by herndon and weik i, 281-294*; and SCHOULER. NOTES 285 Original letter from Lincoln to Thaddeus Stevens on file in Library of Congress. Facts in connection with Lincoln's visit to Cape May in 1849 given the writer by Senator Lewis T. Stevens, of Cape May, New Jersey. Senator Stevens says that "about twenty- five years ago as I was going over some old account books, in order to make room for more apparent valuable present things, I found the register of the Mansion House, kept by my grandfather from 1835 to 1851; and one day about twenty years ago ran across the name of Lincoln. ... I met Senator Irick in 1908 in Trenton, and told him about the hotel regis- ter, and he said it was the real Lincoln, who was a friend of his father, and that he was twelve years old at the time and remembered it very well/' CHAPTER VIII The cases cited in the order of their appearance before the Illinois Supreme Court reported in Illinois supreme court xvn, 291-299; xvm, 570-577; xix, 136-141, and 166-167; and xxvii, 64-70. For Illinois Central official publications see drennanj ANDERSON; ILLINOIS CENTRAL. Copies of letters from Lincoln and Judge Thomas to T. R. Webber furnished by Mrs. Mary E. Webber, daughter-in-law of Mr. Webber. Lincoln's letter also found in uncollected letters, 47. Pages 67-68, quotation from Herriott in herriott's "iowa," 91-92. Acount of President Lincoln's attitude towards Illinois Central gathered from data furnished by Generals H. L. Rogers and E. H. Agnew, of the Quartermaster General's Department, U. S. Army; and Mr. Marvin Hughitt, of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway, then holding position of 286 NOTES Master of Transportation of the Illinois Central, with head- quarters at Centralia. CHAPTER IX For various accounts of this case see herndon's "lincoln" ii, 351-353; herndon and weik ii, 20-22; weik, 152-155; lamon's "life," 331-332; curtis, 72; tarbell i, 259-260; barrett i, 118; Whitney's "citizen," 184-185; roths- child, 166-171; Richards, 70-72; hill, 252-254, and 316- 319; ILLINOIS CENTRAL, DRENNAN ; ANDERSON; BARTON'S "life" i, 308. For a very able recent discussion see town- chapter x For the information used in this chapter dealing with Lincoln and the predecessors of the Chicago and Alton road, we are indebted to President W. G. Bierd, of the Chicago and Alton Railroad Company, and Vice-President Dwight C. Morgan of the Pittsburgh and Shawmut Railroad Company; cases cited reported in Illinois supreme court xiii, 504— 514, 514-516; xiv, 190-193, 211-213; and xxi, 96-98. Data in connection with Ohio and Mississippi Railroad case furnished by the following officials of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company: Secretary C. W. Woolford, Mr. Morison R. Waite, General Solicitor Western Lines, and Hon. James M. Graham, District Attorney at Springfield, Illinois; and Mr. S. T. Burnett, Clerk of the United States District Court at Springfield. Letter from Lincoln to Koerner, page 90, found in uncollected letters, 77. CHAPTER XI For recital of events leading up to case, as well as the trial itself, the writer has drawn upon meese, 46-49; Richards, NOTES 287 30-38; herriott's "iowa," 89-90; tarbell i, 275-277; hill 259-261; rock island, 16-18; palimpsest; wharton, 3; and SALTONSTALL. Hitt's report of Lincoln's argument found in tarbell n, 324-330; complete works II, 340-354; palimpsest: copy- also furnished by General Solicitor W. F. Dickinson, of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company. For Mrs. Judd's recollections, see oldroyd, 520-523; and more briefly weik, 73-75. Closing paragraph, pages 115-116, quoted from "people of ILLINOIS," 606. chapter xii For data in connection with two suits against predecessors of Wabash Railway, pages 117-121, we are indebted to Mr. Jesse W. Weik, of Greencastle, Indiana. The four cases cited carried before the state's highest tri- bunal reported in Illinois supreme court xvii, 123-131; xix, 174-183, and 353-376; and xxi, 292-294; additional data received from Mr. O. M. Spencer, General Counsel of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company; and Mr. H. A. Worcester, Vice President, and Mr. Alan Rogers, Publicity Manager, of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company. chapter xiii Account of Coming's offer transcribed from merwin. Mr. Jesse W. Weik informs the writer that he is of the opinion that he heard the story long ago, but his recollection of it is vague. He adds, however, that he did not hear of it from Herndon nor other Springfield residents. This would not be surprising, for evidently Lincoln had no confidants in the 288 NOTES matter, as was his custom, and referred to it to Merwin only on account of the latter's knowledge of the offer. CHAPTER XIV Carl Schurz's description of Lincoln as a passenger, pages 137-139, as given in schurz's "reminiscences" and schurz's "debate." Howard White's reminiscence of his fellow-passenger, pages 139-141, found in white, 24-25; and White in hern- don and WEIK II, 111-112. Henry Villard's interview in a box car, pages 141-143, quoted from villard. The account of B. F. Smith's impressions of the rival as- pirants, pages 143—144, appears in stevens, 26. The Chicago and Alton conductor's recollections of his dis- tinguished passengers, pages 144-145, are to be found in collier's. The reminiscences of the young and impressionable secre- tary of the Champaign County Republican Committee in 1858, pages 145-149, are taken from Browne's "lincoln" ii, 170-196. chapter xv Page 151: for Whitney's account of the circuit riding, see Whitney's "citizen," 192-193; and Whitney's "circuit," 41. Page 151: for account of Michigan trip, see brown, 487- 488; campbell, 287-288; banyon, 37; and Banyon to the writer. Concerning the alleged stop-off at Niles, Mr. Banyon writes: "All trains over the Michigan Central stopped at Niles, and Lincoln would want to get out and stretch his legs a bit while the train was taking on wood and water. Kala- mazoo is only about forty miles from Niles, and Lincoln would NOTES 289 want to get a view of the place as the Carey Mission was close by and had brought Niles a more than state-wide fame and reputation/' Page 152: for Lincoln's invasion of Iowa see herriott's "iowa," 19-21; also communications to the writer from Dr. Russell H. Conwell and Prof. Herriott. Page 152; see McCulloch in rice, 414; herriott's "iowa," 91-96; ryan, 35-101; and jackson, 134-135, for visits to Indiana, Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin in proper sequence. Page 153: for an extended account of Lincoln's trip to Kansas in November, 1859, see Kansas, 536-552. Page 153: see barton's "influence" for an admirable ac- count of Chicago's influence upon Lincoln. Page 154: for the statement concerning Lincoln's appear- ance before the St. Louis Courts, we are indebted to the late Mr. Charles W. Moores, of the Indianapolis Bar. Page 155-156: story of Lincoln as a "hackman" given in tarbell i, 235; and more briefly in pickett. Pr.ges 156-157: see emerson, 9, for Lincoln's bit of philoso- phy to his fellow-attorney in Cincinnati. Pages 157-158: for Lincoln's visit to Evanston, see currey, 10-11. Pages 158-159: see cannon's "reminiscence," and can- non's "home state," for account of "Uncle Joe's" first meet- ing with Lincoln. Cannon gives the time as June, 1860. In this he is in error: the convention opened May 10th. CHAPTER XVII Compiled from Whitney's "circuit," 494-496; Whitney's "citizen," 294; cannon's "reminiscence"; cannon's "home state"; cannon's "lincoln"; lamon's "life," 462-465; and weik, 293-297: railroad data from information in posses- sion of the writer. 290 NOTES CHAPTER XVIII Itinerary, dates, etc., based on contemporary newspaper accounts as found in file of the Philadelphia Public Ledger for February, 1861, in Pennsylvania State Library at Harris- burg, Pa.; coggeshall, 24-80; power, 40-53, and map fac- ing page 112; and Raymond, 131-158. The railroad itinerary as reconstructed back to that period compiled from data fur- nished by Dr. Carman and the following officials of the var- ious lines under investigation: Secretary C. W. Woolford, of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. Mr. Alan Rogers, Publicity Manager of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company. President L. F. Loree, of the Delaware and Hudson Com- pany. Mr. C. F. Smith, General Superintendent Passenger Trans- portation, of the New York Central Railroad Company. Mr. A. C. Shand, Chief Engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad System. President J. E. Taussig, of the Wabash Railway Company. Pages 176—177: excerpt from contemporary issue of Spring- field Journal as preserved by weik, 314; and in part by tar- bell i, 410-411. Pages 179-180: for reminiscences of brakeman Ross, see TARBELL I, 411-412. Concerning the farewell address, we have used the version as given in nicolay and hay hi, 291, written shortly after the train left Springfield, partly by Lincoln himself and partly by Nicolay at Lincoln's dictation. This we have from Mr. Weik, who in his "Real Lincoln" quotes at length from a conversation he once had with Nicolay, and it is this ac- count which we have used in narrating the circumstances of the writing of the address. Aside from this fact, the version NOTES 291 rings more true to form than any of the others which bear the marks of reliability. There seem to have been three authentic versions published, all of which claims must be recognized: the Nicolay and Hay version, accepted by Miss Tarbell, Rankin, Roberts, etc.; the version published in the current Springfield papers as given by Herndon, Weik, Lamon, Barrett, Stoddard, etc.; and the version which Henry Villard, the correspondent on the special train, wired from the first telegraph station he could reach east of Springfield, which is practically the same that Bate- man claims to have noted down in the privacy of his own office from memory after the departure of the train, and ac- cepted by Holland, Birch, etc. A careful study of the scenes attending the departure of the President-elect at this time is profitable. See bateman, 34-38; villard; lamon 's "recollections," 30-32; lamon's "life," 505-507; nicolay and hay hi, 290-291; Birch in ward, 232-233; rankin's "recollections," 221-224; rankin and clark; and Springfield Journal as given in weik, 309—314, all narrators present on the occasion; also stoddard, 198-199; herndon's "lincoln" hi, 485— 487; barrett i, 260-261 ; Arnold's "life," 183; Whitney's "citizen," 294-295; Holland, 253-255; tarbell i, 410- 411; Roberts, 104-107. Several minor discrepancies have been noted, such as the condition of the weather. Nicolay and Hay, who were atten- tive spectators, say that during the course of the address "the bystanders bared their heads to the falling snow-flakes"; while correspondent Villard says that "it was a clear, crisp winter day"; whereas the preponderance of evidence, includ- ing the current newspaper accounts, clearly shows that a heavy rain was falling while Lincoln was speaking. The size of the crowd has been variously estimated. Ob- serve what those present had to say in later years. Bateman 292 NOTES speaks of the "immense crowd assembled/' while Villard, with one of his memory lapses, says that "only about one hun- dred people, mostly personal friends/' were there. On the other hand, Nicolay and Hay state that a "throng of at least a thousand of his neighbors . . . had come to bid him good- bye"; Lamon narrates that "long before eight o'clock a great mass of people had collected"; while Rankin says that "there were, I suppose, some two hundred people present." Lincoln's partner, who was not there himself, speaks of a "goodly throng," a safe statement to be accepted, for again turning to the local Journal we learn that "hundreds of his fellow-citizens" were there to tender him their respects. CHAPTER XIX Abraham Lincoln's relations with General Dodge and the projection of the Union Pacific are compiled chiefly from dodge's "recollections"; dodge's "Lincoln"; dodge's "union pacific"; dodge's "personal recollections": Dodge in herriott's "memories," 21-24; herriott's "iowa," 93-96 ; and Union Pacific Magazine. See acts of congress for legislation relating thereto, with the exception of the law establishing the gauge of the road. Copy of the latter furnished by Mr. George Wickham, Assis- tant Commissioner, General Land Office, Department of the Interior; data dealing with the introduction, progress and final passage of this act furnished by Dr. Carman, from re- searches in the files of the Congressional Record in the Li- brary of Congress. For opinions of contemporary legislators quoted concern- ing act of 1864 see blaine i, 507-509; Sherman's "recol- lections" i, 334-335; and cole, 178-179. All presidential papers given in chapter on file in Office of NOTES 293 Commissioner of Railroads, Washington, and here published for first time, except the following: Page 203: Order fixing eastern terminus, dated November 17, 1863, in dodge's "recollections," 8; and extract from same in dodge's "union pacific"; but not found in com- plete works, nor supplementary uncollected letters, dodge's "recollections" incorrectly give this as the second order. Pages 203-204: Letter to General Dix, dated December 1, 1863; in complete works ix, 214-215. Pages 204-205; Order elaborating on eastern terminus, dated March 7, 1864; on file at Washington. Extract from same, in garbled form, in dodge's "union pacific," 10 and 51. Pages 205-206: Message to Senate, March 9, 1864; in complete works x, 32-33. In connection with the alleged incident of President Lin- coln determining upon a certain western location, in accord- ance with the provisions of the original act, pages 214-216, we quote below from the latter part of section 9 of the Act of July 1, 1862: "The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of California, are hereby authorized to construct a railroad and telegraph line from the Pacific Coast, at or near San Francisco, or the navigable waters of the Sacramento River," etc. CHAPTER xx In the preparation of this chapter many authorities have been consulted for data concernng the journeyings of Presi- dent Lincoln: viele; nicolay and hay; mcclellan; haupt; nicolay's "short life"; mcclure; tarbell; Howard in 294 NOTES ward; welles; brooks' "Washington"; brooks' "reminis- cences"; bates; complete works; porter's "campaigning"; livermore. The incident at Annapolis, pages 234-235, is quoted from bates, 340-312. In account of the "vacation trip" we have quoted freely from welles; porter's "lincoln"; porter's "campaigning"; barnes; Sherman's "memoirs"; Coffin in rice; and de cham- brun. The latter, although an entertaining writer, cannot be accused of undue accuracy. For the railroad data we are indebted to President Eppa Hunton, Jr., of the Richmond, Fredricksburg and Potomac Railroad Company; Vice President J. J. Doyle of the Wash- ington, Baltimore, and Annapolis Electric Railroad Com- pany; President N. D. Maher, of the Norfolk and Western Railway Company; Assistant Secretary Guy E. Mauldin, of the Southern Railway Company; and President William A. Winburn, of the Central of Georgia Railway Company. CHAPTER XXI Chapter recast in proper sequence from accounts in nico- lay; MacvEAGH; Cochrane; carmichael; Fry and Andrews in rice; jacobs; burrage; Scully in Atlanta; Stahel in markens; and Hay in thayer. See also wilson; and the admirable treatises of lambert, and barton's "life" ii, 185— 226, and 485-493. CHAPTER XXII Itinerary, dates, etc., compiled in the main from contem- porary accounts of coggeshall, 136-288; morris, 155-219; and shea, 163-225; also power, 120-206, and map facing page 112. Railroad data gathered from memoranda furnished by NOTES 295 President Bierd of the Chicago and Alton Railroad Company, and President H. R. Currie, of the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway, in addition to the following officials to whom we are indebted for material used in the preparation of chapter xviii : Secretary Woolford of the Baltimore and Ohio; Publicity Manager Rogers of the "Big Four"; General Superintendent Smith of the New York Central; and Chief Engineer Shand of the Pennsylvania. Mention should also be made of Dr. Carman. Mr. William E. Stevenson, of Philadelphia, is our authority for the reminiscences, page 268-269, of his uncle, John E. Miller, who as engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad hauled the Lincoln funeral special on its memorable run from Harrisburg to Philadelphia. Page 271 : quotation from Chauncey M. Depew found in MaCCHESNEY, 310. Page 273: quotation from Chicago and Alton management taken from Chicago and alton. Page 274: excerpt from Miss Tarbell's account as given in TARBELL II, 258. Page 275: for Gobright's reminiscences, see gobright, 361- 362. BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH ABBREVIATIONS USED IN NOTES In addition to the authorities listed here, many maps deal- ing with the early and present-day American railroads, as well as files of contemporary newspapers and Congressional Records, have been consulted. acts of congress: Acts and Joint Resolutions of Congress and Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States Relating to the Union Pacific, Central Pacific, and West- ern Pacific Railroads. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1897. anberson: The Part Played by the Illinois Central and Its Employees in the Civil War. First article: "Abraham Lincoln" (by Col. H. L. Anderson). In Illinois Central Magazine, February to May, 1913. Arnold's "life": The Life of Abraham Lincoln. By Isaac N. Arnold, etc. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co. 1901. Arnold's "slavery": The History of Abraham Lincoln and the Overthrow of Slavery. By Isaac N. Arnold, etc. Chicago: Clarke & Co. 1866. Atlanta: Services in Commemoration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth of Abraham Lincoln. Arranged by Union and Confederate Veterans, Atlanta, Georgia, Sunday Evening, February 14th, 1909. Published by "Blue" and "Gray" Veterans. 1909. banyon: Letter of Walter Banyon as given in Notes and Comments, in Michigan History Magazine, January- April 1921. 299 300 BIBLIOGRAPHY barnes: With Lincoln from Washington to Richmond in 1865. By John S. Barnes, Late U.S.N. In Appleton's Maga- zine, May and June, 1907. barrett: Abraham Lincoln and His Presidency. By Joseph H. Barrett, LL.D. Two volumes. Cincinnati: The Robert Clarke Co. 1904. barton's "influence": The Influence of Chicago Upon Abraham Lincoln. An address delivered before the Chi- cago Historical Society on February 10, 1922. By Wil- liam E. Barton, etc. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 1923. barton's "life": The Life of Abraham Lincoln. By William E. Barton, etc. Two volumes. Indianapolis: The Bobbs- Merrill Co. 1925. bateman: Abraham Lincoln. An Address by Hon. Newton Bateman, LL.D. Galesburg, 111.: Published by the Cad- mus Club. 1899. bates: Lincoln in the Telegraph Office. By David Homer Bates, etc. New York: The Century Co. 1907. blaine : Twenty Years of Congress; From Lincoln to Gar- field, etc. By James G. Blaine. Two volumes. Norwich, Conn.: The Henry Hill Publishing Co. 1884. brooks' "reminiscences": Personal Reminiscences of Lin- coln. By Noah Brooks. (First paper). In Scribner's Monthly, February, 1878. brooks' "Washington": Washington in Lincoln's Time. By Noah Brooks, etc. New York: The Century Co. 1896. brown: Autobiographical Notes. By E. Lakin Brown. Edited by his Daughter, A. Ada Brown. In Historical Collec- tions: Collections and Researches made by the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society. Vol. XXX. Lansing, Mich.: Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Company, State Printers. 1906. Browne's "lincoln": Abraham Lincoln and the Men of His BIBLIOGRAPHY 301 Time. By Robert H. Browne, M'.D. Two volumes. Cin- cinnati: Jennings and Pye; New York: Eaton and Mains. 1901. burrage: Gettysburg and Lincoln: The Battle, the Cemetery, and the National Park. By Henry Sweetser Burrage, Brevet Major, U.S. Vols. New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1906. campbell: (Lincoln in Michigan). Contributed by Mrs. Caro- line P. Campbell in Notes and Comments. In Michigan History Magazine, July— October, 1921. cannon's "home state": Lincoln in His Home State. By Joseph G. Cannon. In Leslie's Weekly, February 4, 1909. cannon's "lincoln": Abraham Lincoln, etc. Speech of Hon. Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois, before the Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh, Pa., February 12, 1910. Washing- ton: Government Printing Office. 1910. cannon's "reminiscence": A Reminiscence of Abraham Lin- coln. A Conversation with Speaker Cannon. By Jewell H. Aubere. In The World's Work, February 1907. carmichael: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. By Orton H. Carmichael. New York and Cincinnati: The Abington Press. 1917. Chicago and alton: "Always on the Square" Chicago and Alton "The Only Way." (Descriptive circular issued by the Chicago and Alton Railroad, Chicago, 111.) Cochrane: Abraham Lincoln. Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, Commandery of the State of Pennsylvania. Memorial Meeting, February 13, 1907. Pages 9-12 "With Lincoln to Gettysburg, 1863." Ad- dress of Henry Clay Cochrane. coggeshall: Lincoln Memorial. The Journeys of Abraham Lincoln from Springfield to Washington, 1861, as Presi- dent-elect; and from Washington to Springfield, 1865, 302 BIBLIOGRAPHY as President Martyred, etc. By William T. Coggeshall. Columbus: Ohio State Journal. 1865. cole: Memoirs of Cornelius Cole, ex-Senator of the United States from California. New York: McLoughlin Brothers. 1908. collier's: The Sad Humorist. Anecdotes That Illustrate the man Whose Enemies Loved Him. In Collier's Weekly, February 13, 1909. complete works: Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln. Ed- ited by John G. Nicolay and John Hay, etc. Twelve volumes. New York: Francis D. Tandy Co. 1905. currey: Abraham Lincoln's Visit to Evanston in 1860. By J. Seymour Currey, etc. Evanston, 111.: City National Bank. 1914. curtis: The True Abraham Lincoln. By William Eleroy Cur- tis, etc. Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippincott Co. 1907. de chambrun: Personal Recollections of Mr. Lincoln. By the Marquis de Chambrun. In Scribner's Magazine, January 1893. dodge's "lincoln": What I Saw of Lincoln. By Major- General Grenville M. Dodge. In Appleton's Magazine, February 1909. dodge's "personal recollections": Personal Recollections of Lincoln. By Maj or-General Grenville M. Dodge. An Address Before the Y.M.C.A. of Council Bluffs, Iowa, on February 12th, 1911. Council Bluffs: Monarch Print- ing Co. 1911. dodge's "recollections": Abraham Lincoln. Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, Commandery of the State of Pennsylvania. Memorial Meeting, Feb- ruary 12, 1908. "My Personal Recollections of President Abraham Lincoln." Address of Maj or-General Grenville M. Dodge. BIBLIOGRAPHY 303 dodge's "union pacific": How We Built the Union Pacific Railway, and other Railway Papers and Addresses. By Major-General Grenville M. Dodge, Chief Engineer Union Pacific Railway, 1866—1870, etc. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1910. drennan: A. Lincoln, Once Illinois Central Attorney. By John G. Drennan, District Attorney, Chicago. In Illi- nois Central Magazine, February 1922. emerson: Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Emerson's Personal Recol- lections of Abraham Lincoln. Rockford, Illinois. 1909. gobright: Recollections of Men and Things at Washington During the Third of a Century. By L. A. Gobright. Second Edition. Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen & Haf- felnnger; Washington: W. H. & O. H. Morrison. 1869. haupt: Reminiscences of General Haupt, etc. (Written by Himself). With notes and a personal sketch by Frank Abial Flower. Milwaukee. Wis. : Wright & Joys Co. 1901. herndon and weik : Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life. By William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Weik. With an Introduction by Horace White. Two volumes. New York: D. Appleton and Co. 1906. herndon's "lincoln": Herndon's Lincoln. The True Story of a Great Life, etc. By William H. Herndon and Jesse William Weik, A.M. Three volumes. Chicago, New York and San Francisco: Belford, Clarke & Co. London: Henry J. Drane. 1889. herriott's "iowa" : Iowa and Abraham Lincoln, etc. By F. I. Herriott, Professor Economics and Political Science, Drake University. Des Moines, Iowa. 1911. herriott's "memories": Memories of the Chicago Convention of 1860. Being interviews, etc., by F. I. Herriott, Pro- fessor in Drake University. Reprinted from the Annals of Iowa for October, 1920. 304 BIBLIOGRAPHY hill : Lincoln the Lawyer. By Frederick Trevor Hill, etc. New York: The Century Co. 1906. Holland: The Life of Abraham Lincoln. By J. G. Holland, etc. Springfield, Mass.: Gurdon Bill. 1866. hungerford i The Modern Railroad. By Edward Hungerford, etc. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co. 1911. Illinois central: Abraham Lincoln as Attorney for the Illi- nois Central Railroad Company. Compliments of the Illi- nois Central Railroad Company. 1905. Illinois supreme court xin : Reports of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois from No- vember Term, 1851, to June Term, 1852, both Inclusive. By E. Peck, Counselor at Law. Volume XIII. Boston: Little Brown and Company. 1852. Illinois supreme court xiv : Reports of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, from No- vember Term, 1852, to June Term, 1853, both Inclusive. By E. Peck, Counselor at Law. Volume XIV. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1854. Illinois supreme court xvii : Reports of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, from No- vember Term, 1855, to June Term, 1856, both Inclusive. By E. Peck, Counselor at Law. Volume XVII. Chicago: Published by D. B., Cooke and Company. 1857. Illinois supreme court xvin : Reports of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, from No- vember Term, 1856, to April Term, 1857, both Inclusive. By E. Peck, Counselor at Law. Volume XVII. Chicago: Published by D. B. Cooke and Company. 1858. Illinois supreme court xix : Reports of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, at Novem- ber Term, 1857, January Term and Part of April Term, 1858. By E. Peck, Counselor at Law. Volume XIX. BIBLIOGRAPHY 305 Chicago: Published by D. B. Cooke and Company. 1858. Illinois supreme court xxii Reports of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, at Novem- ber Term, 1858, January Term and Part of April Term, 1859. By E. Peck, Counselor at Law. Volume XXI. Chicago: Published by D. B. Cooke and Company. 1860. Illinois supreme court xxvn : Reports of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, During the Years 1861 and 1862. By E. Peck, Counselor at Law. Volume XXVII. Chicago: E. B. Myers, Law Bookseller and Publisher, No. Ill Lake Street. 1863. jackson : Abraham Lincoln in the Black Hawk War. By Alfred Augustus Jackson. In "Army Life in Wisconsin Territory." From Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. XIV. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin. 1898. Jacobs: Lincoln's Gettysburg World-Message. By Henry Eyster Jacobs. Philadelphia: The United Lutheran Publication House. 1917. Kansas: Lincoln in Kansas. In Transactions of the Kansas State Historical Society, 1901-1902, etc. Vol. VII. To- peka: W. Y. Morgan, State Printer. 1902. koerner: Memories of Gustave Koerner 1809-1896, etc. Edited by Thomas J. McCormack. Two volumes. Cedar Rapids, Iowa: The Torch Press. 1909. lambert: The Gettysburg Address: When Written, How Re- ceived, Its True Form. By Major William H. Lambert. Reprinted from the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography for October, 1909. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co. 1909. lamon's "life" : The Life of Abraham Lincoln, etc. By Ward H. Lamon, etc. Boston: James R. Osgood and Co. (late Ticknor & Fields, and Fields, Osgood & Co.) 1872. 806 BIBLIOGRAPHY lamon's "recollections": Recollections of Abraham Lincoln. 1847-1865. By Ward Hill Lamon, Edited by Dorothy Lamon. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co. 1895. under: Reminiscences of the Early Bench and Bar of Illi- nois. By General Usher F. Linder. With an Introduction and Appendix by the Hon. Joseph Gillespie. Second Edi- tion. Chicago: The Chicago Legal News Co. 1879. livermore : My Story of the War : A Woman's Narrative, etc. By Mary A. Livermore, etc. Hartford, Conn.: A. D. Worthington & Co. 1889. markens: Lincoln's Masterpiece. A Review of the Gettys- burg Address, etc. By Isaac Markens, etc. New York: 274 West 140th Street. MaccHESNEY: Abraham Lincoln. The Tribute of a Century, etc. Edited by Nathan William MacChesney. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co. 1910. MacvEAGH: Lincoln at Gettysburg. By Wayne MacVeagh. In Century Magazine, November 1909. mcclellan: McClellan's Own Story, etc. By George B. McClellan, late Major-General Commanding the Ar- mies. New York: Charles L. Webster & Co. 1887. mcclure: Abraham Lincoln and Men of War Times, etc. By A. K. McClure, LL.D. With Introduction by Dr. A. C. Lamdin. Second Edition. Philadelphia: The Times Pub- lishing Co. 1892. mcconnel: Recollections of the Northern Cross Railroad. By George M. McConnel. In Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society for the Year 1908, etc. Spring- field: Illinois State Journal Co. 1909. meese: Abraham Lincoln: Incidents in His Life Relating to Waterways. By William A. Meese. 1908. merwin: Lincoln in 1860 Declined to Come to New York. Might Have Been Counsel for the New York Central Railroad at $10,000 a Year — A Great and Fateful De- BIBLIOGRAPHY 307 cision. By Major J. B. Merwin. In the Evening Sun, New York, February 12, 1917. meyer: History of Transportation in the United States be- fore 1860. Prepared under the Direction of Balthasar Henry Meyer. By Caroline E. MacGill and a Staff of Collaborators. Published by the Carnegie Institution of Washington. 1917. million: State Aid to Railways in Missouri. By John W. Million, A.M., etc. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 1896. morris: Memorial Record of the Nation's Tribute to Abra- ham Lincoln, etc. Compiled by B. F. Morris. Washington, D. C: W. H. & O. H. Morrison. 1865. nicolay: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Reprinted from the Century Magazine for February, 1894. By John G. Nico- lay. nicolay's "short life": A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln. Condensed from Nicolay and Hay's Abraham Lincoln: A History. By John G. Nicolay. New York: The Cen- tury Co. 1906. nicolay and hay: Abraham Lincoln. A History. By John G. Nicolay and John Hay. Ten volumes. New York: The Century Co. 1904. oldroyd: The Lincoln Memorial: Album Immortelles, etc. Collected and Edited by Osborn H. Oldroyd, etc. Chi- cago: Gem Publishing House. 1883. palimpsest: The Palimpsest, May 1922. Containing "The First Mississippi Bridge" by John C. Parish, and "Lin- coln and the Bridge Case." (The latter being Lincoln's argument in Hurd et al. v. the Railroad Bridge Co.) pease: The Centennial History of Illinois. Volume Two. The Frontier State 1818-1848. By Theodore Calvin Pease, University of Illinois. Springfield: Published by the Illinois Centennial Commission. 1918. 308 BIBLIOGRAPHY people of Illinois: No. 6242. In the Supreme Court of Illi- nois. February Term, a. d. 1909. People of the State of Illinois, ex rel. Charles S. Deneen, Governor, and William H. Stead, Attorney General, Appellant, vs. Economy Light and Power Company, Appellee. Chancery. Appeal from Circuit Court, Grundy County. Honorable Julian W. Mack, etc., Judge Presiding. Statement of the Case, Brief of Points and Authorities, Argument for Appellant, etc., William H. Stead, Attorney General. Walter Reeves, Merritt Starr, Special Counsel for Appellant, etc. Chi- cago: Gunthorp-Warren Printing Co. 1909. pickett: President Lincoln: Intimate Personal Recollections. By Mrs. General Pickett. In Lippincott's Magazine, May, 1906. porter's "campaigning": Campaigning With Grant. By Hor- ace Porter. In Century Magazine, November, 1896, to Oc- tober, 1897. porter's "lincoln": Lincoln and Grant. By Gen. Horace Porter. In Century Magazine, October, 1885. power: Abraham Lincoln. His Life and Public Services, Death and Great Funeral Cortege, etc. By John Carroll Power. Chicago and Springfield, 111.: H. W. Rokker. 1889. rankin and clark: Intimate Recollections of Abraham Lin- coln. By Henry B. Rankin in collaboration with Neil M. Clark. In McClure's Magazine, March, 1923. rankin's "recollections": Personal Recollections of Abra- ham Lincoln. By Henry B. Rankin. With an Introduc- tion by Joseph Fort Newton, etc. New York and Lon- don: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1916. rantoul: Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln. Remarks of Mr. Rantoul in Proceedings of the Massachusetts His- torical Society, January-February 1909. Raymond: The Life and Public Services of Abraham Lin- BIBLIOGRAPHY 309 coin, Sixteenth President of the United States, etc. By Henry J. Raymond, etc. New York: Derby and Miller. 1865. rice: Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln. By Distinguished Men of His Time. Collected and Edited by Allen Thorn- dyke Rice, etc. New York: North American Review, 1888. Richards: Abraham Lincoln, the Lawyer-Statesman. By John T. Richards, etc. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mif- flin Co. 1916. ridpath: The New National Encyclopedia, etc. Prepared Un- der the Supervision of John Clark Ridpath, LL.D., etc. Four volumes. New York: The National Encyclopedia Co. 1896. Roberts: Lincoln in Illinois. By Octavia Roberts, etc. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin Co. 1918. rock island: Seventy Years of Service: From Grant to Gor- man. By F. J. Nevins, Valuation Engineer (Rock Is- land Lines). 1922. Rothschild: "Honest Abe/' A Study in Integrity Based on the Early Life of Abraham Lincoln. By Alonzo Roths- child, etc. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin Co. 1917. ryan: Lincoln and Ohio. By Daniel J. Ryan. Columbus: Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society. 1923. saltonstall: A Recollection of Lincoln in Court. By F. G. Saltonstall. In Century Magazine, February, 1897. schouler: Abraham Lincoln at Tremont Temple in 1848. By James Schouler. In Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, January-February, 1909. schurz's "debate": A Lincoln-Douglas Debate. By Hon. Carl Schurz. In Youth's Companion, 1900. schurz's "reminiscences": Reminiscences of a Long Life. By Carl Schurz. The Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Quincy, Illi- 310 BIBLIOGRAPHY nois, etc. In McClure's Magazine, January, 1907. shea: The Lincoln Memorial: A Record of the Life, Assas- sination and Obsequies of the Martyred President. Ed- ited by John Gilmary Shea. New York: Bunce & Hunt- ington. 1865. Sherman's "memoirs": Memoirs of General William T. Sher- man. By Himself. Two volumes. New York: D. Apple- ton and Co. 1875. Sherman's "recollections": John Sherman's Recollections of Forty Years in the House, Senate and Cabinet. An Auto- biography, etc. Two volumes. Chicago, New York, Lon- don, Berlin: The Werner Co. 1895. stevens: A Reporter's Lincoln. By Walter B. Stevens. St. Louis: Missouri Historical Society. 1916. stoddard: Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life. Revised Edition, etc. By William O. Stoddard, etc. New York: Fords, Howard & Hurlburt. 1896. tarbell: The Life of Abraham Lincoln. Drawn from Orig- inal Sources, etc. By Ida M. Tarbell. Two volumes. New York: McClure, Phillips & Co. 1904. thayer : The Life and Letters of John Hay. By William Ros- coe Thayer. Two volumes. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin Co. 1915. townsend: Lincoln the Litigant. By William H. Townsend, etc. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin Co. 1925. uncollected letters: Uncollected Letters of Abraham Lin- coln. Now First Brought Together by Gilbert A. Tracy, with an Introduction by Ida M. Tarbell. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin Co. 1917. union pacific magazine: Abraham Lincoln and the Union Pacific. In Union Pacific Magazine, February, 1922. viele: A Trip With Lincoln, Chase and Stanton. By Egbert L. Viele. In Scribner's Monthly, October, 1878. BIBLIOGRAPHY 311 villard: Recollections of Lincoln. By Henry Villard. In At- lantic Monthly, February, 1904. ward: Abraham Lincoln: Tributes from His Associates, etc. With Introduction by the Rev. William Hayes Ward, D.D. New York & Boston: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. 1909. weik: The Real Lincoln: a Portrait. By Jesse W. Weik, etc. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin Co. 1922. welles : Diary of Gideon Welles, etc. With an Introduction by John T. Morse, Jr., etc. Three volumes. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin Co. 1911. wharton: Lincoln and the Beginning of the Republican Party in Illinois. By O. P. Wharton, etc. Springfield, 111.: Illinois State Journal Co. 1912. white: The Lincoln and Douglas Debates, etc. By Horace White. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 1914. Whitney's "circuit": Life on the Circuit with Lincoln, etc. By Henry C. Whitney, etc. Boston: Estes and Lauriat. 1892. Whitney's "citizen": Lincoln the Citizen. Volume One of a Life of Lincoln. By Henry C. Whitney, etc. Edited by Marion Mills Miller, Litt.D., etc. New York: The Baker & Taylor Co. 1908. wilson: Recollections of Lincoln. (Part One.) By James Grant Wilson. In Putman's Magazine, February, 1909. INDEX Note. — Sub-topics in this index are arranged chronologically wherever possible. Albany and Vermont R. R., now part of Delaware and Hudson, 187 Allen, Horatio, sent to investi- gate English railroads, 3 Alton and Sangamon R. R., in- corporation, 80 succeeded by Chicago and Mississippi, 82 Anderson, Colonel, statement about Lincoln's connection with Illinois Central, 58 Aquia Creek R. R., location, 230 Arnold, Isaac N., statement about Lincoln's preparation of Gettysburg Address, 249 Bacon, Henry D., case vs. Ohio and Mississippi R. R., 85 Lincoln's letter about case, 90 Baker, Edward L., description of Lincoln's leave-taking at Springfield station, 176 Baldwin locomotives, "Old Iron- sides," 2 second in Illinois, 34 Baltimore, cause of President's secret journey, 190 contrast when he passed through on way to Gettys- burg, 255 Baltimore and Ohio R. R., early route, 48 one of early roads, 85, 91 opinion of officials about case of Bacon vs. Ohio and Mis- sissippi, 89 funeral train, 266 Barnes, Captain, description of Lincoln's visit to the front, 237 Bedell, grace, kindliness from Lincoln, 184 Bible, Lincoln's knowledge of in- ventions mentioned, 103 "Big Four." See Cleveland, Cin- cinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Ry. Blaine, James G., comment on Union Pacific Act, 207 Blodgett, Judge, impression of Lincoln's conduct of Rock Island case, 105 Boston and Albany R. R., early lines, 51, 52 Boston and Maine R. R., early lines, 51 Breese, Sidney, "Father of Il- linois Central," 40, 41 Brooks Noah, statement of Lin- coln's preparation of Gettys- burg Address, 248 Brough John, member of com- mittee on transportation of funeral train, 266 Browne, Robert H., impression of Lincoln, 145 Browning, Orville H., member of Legislature with Lincoln, 25 Bryant, Gridley, operator of horse-power tramway, 3 313 su INDEX Bucklin, James M., advocated railroad for Illinois, 19 chief engineer of Northern Cross R. R., 32 Buffalo and State Line R. R., now part of New York Central, 184 Burnside, General, consultation with Lincoln, 228 Cannon, Joseph B., anecdote about Lincoln, 158 second meeting with Lincoln, 168 Cape May visited by Lincoln, 54 Capen, Charles L., investigator of truth about Lincoln's suit against Illinois Central R. R., 76, 79 Central Pacific R. R., authorized to construct from coast to meet Union Pacific, 199 Central R. R. and Banking! Co. of Georgia, now part of Central of Georgia, de- stroyed by Sherman, 241, 242 "Chalked hat," meaning of term, 82 Chapman, A. H., entertained Lin- coln and accompanied him to stepmother's home, 170 Chase, Secretary, with Lincoln on trip to Fort Monroe, 226 note from Lincoln about trip to Gettysburg, 251 Chicago, special demonstration while Lincoln's body lay in state, 273 Chicago, Burlington and Quincy R. R., Lincoln opposing counsel, 122 Chicago and Alton R. R., used first Pullman cars, 154 funeral train, 273 Chicago and Milwaukee, now part of Chicago and North- western, 158 Chicago and Mississippi R. R., successor to Alton and San- gamon, 82 succeeded by St. Louis, Alton and Chicago, 83 Chicago Convention at which Lincoln was nominated, 162 favored Union Pacific, 197 Chicago, Rock Island and Pa- cific R. R., includes former Rock Island Company, 92 Circuit riding, 150, 151 City Point Branch of Norfolk and Western Ry., extent, 244 Civil War, Illinois Central con- troversy, 70 Lincoln's visits to the front, 226 et seq. famous conference in cabin of River Queen, 240 railroads destroyed by Sher- man, 241 United States Military R. R., 276 Cleveland and Pittsburg R. R., now part of Pennsylvania system, 182, 184 Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Ry., known as Big Four, 165 now part of New York Cen- tral system, 181 Cleveland, Columbus and Cin- cinnati R. R., funeral train, 272 now part of Big Four, 272 Cleveland, Painesville and Ash- tabula R. R., now part of New York Central, 184 Cochrane, Lieutenant, contact with Lincoln on way to Get- tysburg, 254 INDEX 315 statement about Lincoln's prep- aration of Gettysburg Ad- dress, 258 Coffin, Charles C, statement about Lincoln's preparation of Gettysburg Address, 250 Cole, Cornelius, comment on Union Pacific Act, 209 statement about Lincoln's part in fixing track gauge of Union Pacific, 219 statement about Lincoln's prep- aration of Gettysburg Ad- dress, 260 statement about military trains claiming right of way, 261 Columbus and Indianapolis Cen- tral Ry., funeral train, 272 now part of Pennsylvania sys- tem, 272 Columbus and Xenia R. R., now part of Pennsylvania system, 182 Connolly, James A., description of Lincoln, 169 Cooper, Peter, builder of "Tom Thumb" locomotive, 2 Cooper Union speech, Lincoln's, 126, 127, 160, 161 Corning, Erastus, president of New York Central said to have offered Lincoln position as General Counsel, 12.6, 127, 128 reference to letter received from Lincoln, 131 Curtin, Governor, part in Gettys- burg dedication, 247 Curtis, Samuel R., chairman board of commissioners Union Pacific, 199 Curtis, William E., statement about Lincoln's largest fee, 75 Danville R. R. See Richmond Dalby case, Lincoln's connection, 83, 84, 123 Davis, C. H., representative of Secretary of Navy in funeral train, 267 Davis, David, statement about Lincoln's largest fee, 79 with funeral train, 267 Delaware and Hudson Co., im- portation of locomotives from England, 3 Depew, Chauncey M., description of passing of Lincoln's funeral train through New York state, 271 Dey, Peter A., comment on Lin- coln's conduct of Rock Is- land case, 99, 104 selected to survey for Union Pacific, 199 Dodge, Grenville M., made sur- vey for proposed Pacific R. R., 196, 200 et seq. interview with Lincoln about Pacific railroad, 196, 200 visit to Union Pacific officials in New York, 202 recommended for Government Commissioner, but not ap- pointed, 210 Douglas, John M., solicitor who paid Lincoln's largest fee, 76, 77 Douglas, Stephen A., member of Legislature with Lincoln, 24 his land grant bill ratified and signed, 41 campaign for presidency 163 contrasted with Lincoln, 132, 143, 145 Douglas-Lincoln debates. See Lincoln-Douglas debates Drennan, J. G., statement about Lincoln's connection with charter of Illinois Central, 42 316 INDEX statement about Lincoln's at- torneyship for Illinois Cen- tral, 57, 58, 63 statement about Lincoln's larg- est fee, 76 Eckert, T. T., anecdote about Lincoln, 234- Erie and North East R. R., now part of New York Central, 184 Evans, Oliver, inventor of steam carriage, 2 Everett, Edward, speaker of day at Gettysburg, 247, 262 comment on Lincoln's address, 263 Federal Land Grant, Illinois, problems, 41 advocated by Lincoln, 53 Fee, Lincoln's largest, 73 Lincoln's in Rock Island case, 113 Fremont, John C, recommended to push project of Pacific railroad, 194, 195 French, Augustus C, member of Legislature with Lincoln, 25 Fry, James B., special escort for Lincoln on Gettysburg trip, 253 Funeral car, mistaken ideas, 275 correction of mistakes, 276 description, 277 Funeral train, 265 details of trip from Washing- ton to Illinois, 266 et seq. general demonstration along route, 274, 275 final scene at Springfield, 278 Garrett, John W., member of committee to regulate trans- portation of funeral train, 266 Gettysburg Battle, news of vic- tory carried to Lincoln, 246 Gettysburg Address, claims re- garding its preparation, 248 et seq. 258 et seq. delivery, 262, 263 Goodrich, Grant, engaged with Lincoln against a railroad, 121 Goodwin, F. M., assistance in making Lincoln papers avail- able, 199 Gorman, J. E., statement about Lincoln's fee in Rock Island case, 113 Graham, James M., statement that certain papers are in Lincoln's handwriting, 88, 89 Grant, Ulysses S., visited by Lin- coln at the front, 232, 233, 236 removal of headquarters and later visit by Lincoln, 242, 243, 244 placed in command of Union forces, 247 Great Western R. R., declaration written by Lincoln in suit against the road, 118 successor to Sangamon and Morgan, 38 Great Western Ry., incorpora- tion and failure, 41 Greeley, Horace, with Lincoln during part of journey to Washington, 184 Hannibal and St. Joseph R. R., an early line of Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, 153 Harlan, James, advocate of INDEX 317 Union Pacific R. R., 198 moved to debate track gauge bill, 222 defense of track gauge bill, 223, 224 Hay, John, statement about Lin- coln's talk with MacVeagh. See Also Nicolay and Hay, 262 Herndon, William H., Lincoln's law partner, comment on Legislature of which Lincoln was member, 27 account of suit for which Lin- coln received largest fee, 73 et seq. received half Lincoln's largest fee, 74, 75, 79 signature on declaration in Lincoln's handwriting, 88 Herriott, F. I., statement about Lincoln's visit to Iowa in private car, 67 Hill, Frederick Trevor, comment on Lincoln's conduct of Rock Island case, 104 statement that Douglas paid for railroad privileges, 137 Hitt, Robert R., report of Lin- coln's argument in Rock Island case, 104, 107 Holbrook Company, popular name for Great Western Ry., 41 Holland, J. G., statement about Lincoln's preparation of Gettysburg Address, 249 Hooker, General, visited by Lin- coln, 229 Horse-power railways, 3 Howard, O. O., anecdote of Lin- coln, 228 Hudson River R. R., funeral train, 269 now part of New York Central, 186 Hunter, David, with funeral train, 267 Hurd, Harvey B., impression of Lincoln, 158 Illinois, agitation to remove capi- tal, 20 Lincoln's part in agitation, 23 building of Northern Cross R. R., 32 Federal Land Grant problems, 41 first railroad, 32 internal improvements, 25, 30, 40 Illinois and Michigan canal, pro- posed, 18 appropriation for building, 26 Illinois Central R. R., history, 40 initial appropriation, 25 Sidney Breese instigator, 40, 41 route proposed, 25 Lincoln's part in establishing, 40, 42 Lincoln's attorneyship, 57 et seq. McLean County litigation, 59 Lincoln's last case, 68 Lincoln's largest fee, 73, 76 service during Civil War, 70 Illinois River R. R., Lincoln op- posing counsel, 122 Illinois State Legislature, Lin- coln elected, 16 members with Lincoln, 24 bill authorizing internal im- provements, 25 Lincoln's support of railroad legislation, 14, 18 et seq. problem of utilizing land grant, 41 Lincoln as lobbyist, 42 Illinois Supreme Court, Lincoln's 318 INDEX suits for Illinois Central, 62, 64, 68 et seq. Lincoln's suits for other rail- roads, 81 Lincoln opposing counsel to railroads, 117, 121-124 Inauguration, reason for delay after election of president, 172 Indianapolis and Cincinnati R. R., length in 1861, 181 Internal improvement follies of Illinois State Legislature, 18 et seq. Irick, John S., at Cape May with Lincoln, 55 Jenkins, A. M., projection of Illinois Central R. R., 40 Joy, James F., said to have re- fused to pay Lincoln's larg- est fee, 76 opposing counsel to Lincoln in railroad case, 121 Judd, Mrs. Norman B., account of Lincoln's visit at her home, 100 Koerner, Gustave, engaged with Lincoln against a railroad, 121 King, Sidney D., statement about Lincoln's funeral car, 276 Lafayette and Indianapolis R. R., funeral train, 273 now part of New York Central, 181, 273 Lamon, Ward H. comment on railroad's treatment of Lin- coln and Douglas, 135 reference to Lincoln's largest fee, 75 companion in Lincoln's secret journey from Harrisburg to Washington, 191 statement about Lincoln's fair- ness and honesty, 121 statement about Lincoln's preparation of Gettysburg Address, 248 with funeral train, 267 Land grant. See Federal Latham, Milton S., opposition to Union Pacific track gauge bill, 223, 224 Leonard, L. O., statement about Lincoln's interest in Union Pacific, 199 Lexington and Ohio R. R., in- corporated in Kentucky, 47 Lincoln, birthplace, 1 move to Illinois, 7 first impressions of steam power, 5 first direct contact with steam, 8 ferryman on the Ohio, 8 move to Macon County, 111., 9 first trip on steamboat, 9 trips to New Orleans, 8, 10 impression of slave market, 11 clerking at New Salem, 11, 12 advocate of clearing water- ways, 12, 14 address on transportation, 13 elected to Legislature, 16 admitted to bar, 16 part in legislation for Illinois internal improvements, 14, 18 et seq., 27, 28, 30 connection with Northern Cross R. R., 38, 39 part in establishing Illinois Central R. R., 40, 42 at Whig convention, 48 lobbyist for railroad interests, 42-45 journeys to the East, 46 et seq., 160 political career grew with spread of railroads, 1, 46 INDEX 319 trips as Member of Congress, 47, 53 advocate of land grants, 53 last speech in Congress, 53 refused appointment as Fed- eral Commissioner of Land Office, 54 Cape May visit, 54 attorney for Illinois Central, 57 et seq. largest fee, 63, 73, 74, 75, 79 opinion on charter of Illinois Central, 64 legal standing in late fifties, 67 attorney for Chicago and Alton R. R. and Rock Is- land, 80 attorney for Alton, and Sang- amon R. R., 81 attorney for Chicago and Mis- sissippi R. R., 82 investment in stock, 84 attorney for Ohio and Mis- sissippi R. R., 80, 85, 88, 90 leading counsel in Rock Island Bridge case. See Rock Is- land Bridge Case counsel in suits against rail- roads, 117, 118 New York Central offer, 126 et seq. contrasted with Douglas, 132, 143, 145 riding the circuit, 150 journeys during the fifties, 150 et seq. address at Kalamazoo, 151 trips to Chicago, 153 free passes on railroads, 67, 82, 155 journey to East in 1860, 160 Cooper Union address, 126, 127, 160, 161 campaign for presidency, 163 visit to his stepmother, 164 journey to Washington, 172 et seq. official notification of election to presidency, 182 entertainment in New York, 188 secret journey from Harris- burg to Washington, 190, 191 visits to Army, 226-230, 242- 244 visit to Weitzel at Richmond, 244, 245 reception of news of Gettys- burg victory, 246 journey to Gettysburg, 253 et seq. assassination, 265 funeral services, 266 burial at Springfield, 278 various impressions and anec- dotes of Lincoln : Linder, 22 ; Wilson, 22, 23; Henderson, 23, 24; Herriott, 67; Mrs. Judd, 100; Schurz, 137; White, 139; Villard, 141; brakeman ; 143 ; conductor, 144, Browne, 145; anony- mous, 155, 156; Hurd, 158; Cannon, 158, 168; Whitney, 165; Connolly, 169, 170; brakeman, 179 ; anonymous, 183; Dodge, 196; Eckert, 234; French marquis, 243 Lincoln, Mrs. Abraham, with presidential party on way to Washington, 178 request that body of Willie accompany funeral train, 265 with funeral train, 267 Lincoln, Robert with his father on presidential trip to Wash- ington, 173, 177 Lincoln, Sarah Bush, last visit from Lincoln, 170 320 INDEX Lincoln-Douglas debates, cause and subject, 133, 134 result, 150 treatment of protagonists by Illinois Central, 135 Douglas said to have paid for railroad privileges, 137 Linder, Usher F., impression of Lincoln, 22 statement about Illinois in- ternal improvements, 21 Little Miami R. R., now part of Pennsylvania system, 182 Locomotives, earliest in service in America, 3 Baldwin, 2, 34 early types, 2, 3, 33, 34, 36 early types short-lived, 38 first in Mississippi Valley, 33 Logan, Stephen T., Lincoln's com- ment on, 123 Long Nine in Illinois Legislature, 19, 22 Louisville and Nashville R. R„ successor to Lexington and Ohio, 47 Louisville, New Albany and Chi- cago R. R., funeral train, 273 now part of Chicago, Indian- apolis and Louisville Ry., 273 Macon and Western R. R., now part of Central of Georgia, destroyed by Sherman, 241 MacVeagh, Wayne, with Lin- coln's party for Gettysburg dedication, 252 conversation with Lincoln on train, 262, 264 comment on Gettysburg Ad- dress, 264 Matteson, Joel A., letter from Lincoln about latter's connec- tion with St. Louis, Alton and Chicago R. R., 83 McCallum, D. C, oversight of transportation facilities for funeral train, 267 McClellan, George B., comment on Lincoln and his anecdotes, 66 said to have refused to pay Lincoln's largest fee, 74 said not to be official who re- fused to pay fee, 75 said to have influenced Illinois Central's treatment of Lin- coln and Douglas, 135, 136 visit during the war by Lincoln, 227 McClernand, John A., member of Legislature with Lincoln, 24 McConnel, Murray, connection with Northern Cross R. R., 32 McDougall, James A., opposition to Union Pacific track gauge bill, 223 McLean, John, presiding judge in Rock Island case, 99 Meade, General, Gettysburg vic- tory, 246-247 visited by Lincoln at the front, 237 Merwin, James B., introduced Corning to Lincoln, 127 accompanied Lincoln on trip, 128 description of Lincoln when he refused New York Central offer, 129, 130 his story of New York Cen- tral offer upheld, 131 Michigan Central R. R., funeral train, 273 Missouri Compromise Act and Lincoln-Douglas debates, 133 INDEX 321 Mississippi River, navigation on, 8, 9, 92 et seq. Rock Island Bridge, 92 et seq. New England, Lincoln's visits, 50 et seq., 161 New Orleans, Lincoln's visits, 8, 10 New York Central R. R., early lines, 52 offer to Lincoln, 126, 130, 131 funeral train, 271 Nicolay and Hay, comment on acts of Illinois Legislature of which Lincoln was a mem- ber, 26, 28 Northern Central Ry., funeral train, 268 Northern Cross R. R., first in Illinois, 32 Bucklin chief engineer, 32 construction of roadbed, 34 succeeded by Sangamon and Morgan, then by Great Western, 37 Ohio and Mississippi R. R., Lincoln as attorney, 85 Lincoln's letter about case vs. Bacon, 90 Lincoln opposing counsel, 121 now part of B. & O. system, 91 Ohio and Pennsylvania R. R., now part of Pennsylvania system, 182, 183 "Old Ironsides," Baldwin engine, 2 Pacific R. R. See Union Pacific Passenger coaches, early types, 35 Passes, on railroads, Lincoln's, 67, 82, 155 Patton, William L., statement about Lincoln's connection with Alton and Sangamon, R. R., 80 Pennsylvania R. R., lines in 1848, 50 1861, 189 funeral train 1861, 268 Pinkerton, Allan, accompanied Lincoln on secret journey, 191 Pomeroy, Samuel C, opposition to Union Pacific track gauge bill, 223 Presidential journey to Wash- ington, train and route, 174, 177 et seq. party on train, 177 Villard's description, 192 expenses, 192 Pullman cars, first used on Chi- cago and Alton R. R., 154 Lincoln's couch, 154 Railroads, development in United States, 1 early opposition, 3, 4, 5 first in England, 2 authorized in 1837 in Illinois, 25 begun in Illinois, 31 building of Northern Cross, 32 first in Illinois, 32 inconveniences of early lines, 35-37, 38 beginnings of comfort, 154 lines used by Lincoln in jour- neys to East, 47-56 number and extent in 1848, 46- 53 condition in 1860, 162 passenger coaches, first in Ill- inois, 35 roadbed of first in Illinois, 34 destroyed by Sherman, 241 322 INDEX roads that furnished presiden- tial train in 1861, 174, 177, 182, 187, 189, 191, 193 roads that provided funeral train, 266, 268-273 United States Military R. R., 276 See also names of railroads "Rail-splitter," origin of Lin- coln's nickname, 162 Rankin, Henry B., statement re- garding expenses of Lincoln's trip to Washington, 193 Rantoul, Robert, Jr., suggestion to Illinois Legislature about land grant, 42 suggestion accepted, 45 statement of his son about con- nection with Lincoln, 44 Rensselaer and Saratoga R. R., now part of Delaware and Hudson, 187 Republican Party, organized, 134, 153 State and National Conventions in 1860, 162 advocated Union Pacific R. R., 197, 206 Richards, John T., comment on Lincoln's conduct of Rock Island case, 103 statement of situation in Rock Island Bridge case, 98 Richardson, William A., member of Legislature with Lincoln, 25 Richmond and Danville R. R., extent, 241 now part of Southern Ry. system, 241 Roadbed, early type, 34 Rock Island Bridge, construction, 92 opposition to, 92 Rock Island Bridge case, 93-115 Rock Island R. R., now part of Chicago, Rock Island and Pa- cific R. R., 92 Rogers engine, first in Illinois, 33, 34 Ross, Thomas, brakeman, recol- lections of Lincoln's journey across Illinois after election to presidency, 179 St. Louis, Alton and Chicago R. R., Lincoln opposing counsel in Dalby suit, 123 successor to Chicago and Mis- sissippi, 83 Sangamon and Morgan R. R., Lincoln opposing counsel in suit, 118 operated for months without locomotive, 38 successor to Northern Cross, 37 Sanitary Fair, Lincoln's experi- ence, 231 Sargent, Aaron A., alleged con- nection with Union Pacific, 215 Schurz, Carl, impression of Lin- coln, 137 Scott, Winfield, visited by Lin- coln at West Point, 227 viewed Lincoln's body at New York, 269 Scully, Lieutenant-Colonel, state- ment about Lincoln's prepa- ration of Gettysburg Ad- dress, 258, 259, 260 Semple, James, member of Legis- lature with Lincoln, 25 Seward, William H., on program with Lincoln at Whig rally, 51 Sherman, John, comment on Union Pacific Act, 209 Sherman, General, destruction of Southern railroads, 241 Shields, James, member of Legis- lature with Lincoln, 24 INDEX 323 Slavery, Lincoln-Douglas de- bates, 133 et seq. impression of New Orleans market on Lincoln, 11 Lincoln's statements in 1854, 134 Lincoln's story of its effect on white men, 157 Smith, B. F., brakeman, impres- sions of Lincoln and Doug- las, 143 South Side R. R., now merged with Norfolk and Western, 240 Sprague, Charles, Lincoln his counsel against railroad, 122 Stahel, J. H., statement about Lincoln's preparation of Gettysburg Address, 259 Stanton, Edwin M., Secretary of War, alleged snub of Lin- coln, 151 with Lincoln on trip to Fort Monroe, 226 despatch to Lincoln at the front and remark at Wash- ington, 238 protest against Lincoln's visits to battlefields answered, 244 Lincoln's telegram about rail- road stock at Richmond, 244 delivery of news of Gettysburg victory to Lincoln, 246 note to Lincoln about arrange- ments for Gettysburg trip with Lincoln's reply, 251 represented by his son on Get- tysburg trip, 253 arrangements for funeral train, 265, 267 Steam, first experiments, 1 Steamboats, beginning on Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, 8 Philadelphia to Cape May in 1849, 55 Stephenson, George, maker of first locomotives, 2, 3 Steubenville and Indiana R. R., now part of Pennsylvania system, 182 Stevens, John, constructor of locomotive, 2 Stevens, Thaddeus, letter from Lincoln, 49 Stevens, Walter B., statement about Lincoln's part in fix- ing Union Pacific track gauge, 220 Stoddard, William O., statement about Lincoln's preparation of Gettysburg Address, 249 Supreme Court. See Illinois and United States Terre Haute and Alton R. R., incorporation and opening, 124 Lincoln opposing counsel in suit, 124 now part of Big Four, 165 Thompson, Richard W., ap- pointed Commissioner for Union Pacific R. R., 211 Thornton, Anthony, statement about Lincoln's connection with Illinois Central charter, 43 Tonica and Petersburg R. R., Lincoln as attorney, 84 Townsend, E. D., representative of Secretary of War on funeral train, 267 Track gauge. See Union Pacific Transportation, Lincoln's first speech and handbill, 12, 13 Troy Union R. R., now part of Delaware and Hudson, 187 Union Pacific R. R., Lincoln's interest aroused, 152, 196 324 INDEX Lincoln's interview with Dodge in regard to, 196, 200 advocated by Lincoln, 194, 200, 203 conditions controlling selection of route, 201 bill introduced in House of Representatives, 195, 197 endorsed by Republican Party, 197, 206 chartered, 198, 199 Dey appointed to make partial survey, 199 Dodge survey for proposed Pacific road, 196, 200 et seq. Dodge's visit to officials in New York, 202 officers elected, 199 authority given to Lincoln, 198 Lincoln's order locating start- ing point, 202, 203, 204 Lincoln's message to Senate, 205 Thompson appointed Commis- sioner, 211 directors appointed by Lincoln, 211, 212 Lincoln's order regarding stock sales, 216 track- gauge controversy, 217 et seq. track gauge bill, 222-225 United States Military R. R., ex- tent and location, 276 United States Supreme Court, Rock Island Bridge Case, 97, 99, 105, 113 Villard, description of Lincoln's journey to Washington, 192 impression of Lincoln, 141 Waite, Morrison R., opinion re- garding case of Bacon vs. Ohio and Mississippi R. R., 89 Washington, Booker T., said to have started project for preservation of funeral car, 276 Watson, John B., Lincoln his counsel in suit against rail- road, 118 Watt, James, discoverer of mo- tive power of steam, 2 Weik, Jesse W., statement about Lincoln's connection with Il- linois Central, 58 statement of Lincoln's payment of half fee to Herndon, 74 statement regarding Lincoln's investment in stock, 84 comment on declaration writ- ten by Lincoln, 118 description of Lincoln on morn- ing he left home for Wash- ington, 174 Weitzel, General, telegram about railroad stock at Richmond, 244 visited by Lincoln at Rich- mond, 245 Weldon, Lawrence, story of Lin- coln's reply to judge's ques- tion about McClellan, 66 Welles, Gideon, Secretary of the Navy, note about Union Pa- cific track gauge, 221 opinion of Lincoln's visits to the front, 233, 239 note about Lincoln's health after visit to battlefields, 245 Wharton, O. P., comment on Lin- coln's conduct of Rock Is- land case, 104 Whig Party, divided over slavery, 134 National Convention in 1848 induced Lincoln's first visit to Philadelphia, 48 White, Charles T., upholds Mer- win's story of New York INDEX 325 Central offer to Lincoln, 131 White, Horace, anecdote about Lincoln, 139 White, Julius, entertained Lin- coln at Evanston, 157 Whitney, Henry C, comment on Legislature of which Lin- coln was member, 29 opinion as to Lincoln's connec- tion with Illinois Central, 57 stories of Lincoln in railroad suits, 65 statement about Lincoln's larg- est fee, 76 comments on railroad's treat- ment of Lincoln and Doug- las, 136 description of Lincoln, 165 Wills, David, Lincoln's host at Gettysburg, 248, 262 part in dedication of Gettys- burg battlefield, 247 Wilson, Robert L., bill regard- ing track gauge of Union Pacific, 222 description of Lincoln, 22 Wood, W. S., in charge of Lin- coln's trip to Washington, 173