The Lincoln Cottage

Our visitors from Milwaukee were not able to make the trip to DC this week. We already purchased four tickets to see the Lincoln Cottage. So as not to lose out completely, we decided to take the four mile ride to see what it's all about. I was a member of the Milwaukke Civil War round table, and over the years we have seen most civil war sites - but not this one. At one time, the ride from the White House to the cottage was thirty minutes by horse or buggy. On a Friday afternoon in typical DC traffic it took much longer. The cottage sits on a veterans cemetery and old soldiers/veterans home - still active today. The cottage itself was renovated a few years back. It has no furnishings, and inside photos are not allowed. Our guide was charming, and iPad technology was used throughout. I could imagine spending time in the sitting room on a sunny day with a view of the Capitol to the south. The life size statue of Lincoln and his horse gave it perspective, with lovely spring flowers in bloom. It was said Lincoln loved being here, and in fact was the day before he was assassinated. It was worth the trip, and I'm sorry our friends weren't with us. Maybe next time? 

An Abraham Lincoln Anniversary

Although not as striking as the personal artifacts of Abraham Lincoln, the items on display at the Library of Congress commemorating the 150th anniversary of the assassination are interesting. They include a telegram and a hand drawn map of Ford's Theatre, and several interesting handwritten documents that report on the events of that evening and the days that followed. The doctor's reflection if what he did is perhaps most unusual. When we lived in Milwaukee, we visited all the Lincoln hot spots in Springfield. I first visited Ford's Theatre in the 1970's while on a high school visit, and a few times after that. Just last week we attended the musical "Freedom's Song" and explored the theatre before the show started. It has changed quite a bit, but I still got the same feeling I had the first time there. What a sad occasion to remember 150 years later, and one that is not easily forgettable. 

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address at the Library of Congress

Looking out the third story window of the Library of Congress Jefferson Building Great Hall yesterday I was transported back in time to 150 years ago. There on the east steps of the Capitol Building Abraham Lincoln gave his second inaugural address. I am certainly no expert on this subject, but always liked history. So whenever there is an opportunity to actually see items related to this and any other time period, I walk over to the Jefferson Building to see it. Working at the Library of Congress affords some very interesting opportunities. March 4th was the actual anniversary of Lincoln's second inaugural address - "with malice towards nine...." A complete copy of it was on display, as well as one from the printing office. Someone from California was waiting in line behind me. I was thinking how lucky I was to be able to just run over on my afternoon break to see the exhibit. What makes it more interesting is that I have a friend who actually "conserved" and restored this piece of work. It had to be one of the highlights of her career, but what makes it even more interesting is that there are only three degrees of separation from Lincoln, to her, to me! Living in Washington DC can oftentimes be a challenge and a frustration. But yesterday it was not. 

The Real Fort Stevens - "Get DownYou Fool!"

It is only six miles away from where we live. Fort Stevens is located just off Georgia Avenue in NW DC. Yesterday we visited Fort Ward in Alexandria, Virginia to watch a reenactment of the Battle of Fort Stevens - complete with muskets and cannon fire. Today I wanted to see the real location. There are no actual remains of the Fort, it is reconstructed. But it gives you an idea how close all this action was just outside the Capitol. And it is the only time a sitting president was directly in the line of enemy fire while standing on a parapet. Luckily someone told him to duck. Because it is the 150th anniversary of this particular event and the Civil War in general, there have been a lot of activities centered around the Civil War over the last few years, including a Library of Congress exhibit and many major battlefield reenactments. We have visited most of the battlefields over the years up and down the eastern seaboard starting as a child with my family until now, but at a much slower pace. Since we moved to DC from Wisconsin, we have only driven to Bull Run a couple times, and we visited a high school friend who lives in Gettysburg. I belonged to the Milwaukee Civil War Round Table for many years, went to many dress balls, and thought about finding one here to join but never did. It's funny that when you live away from all if this you want to visit the historic sites.  But when you live in the same place, it doesn't seem as interesting. We made a couple exceptions this weekend, and it was worth the trip. 

The Battle of Fort Stevens Reenactment at Fort Ward in Alexandria

I was a member of the Milwaukee Civil War Round Table for many years. Since we moved to DC we haven't gone to a lot of Civil War sites - we visited most of them long before that. Yesterday I read in the Washington Post that there was going to be a reenactment in Alexandria today. So after lunch we decided to check it out. I can't imagine wearing a wool uniform in the 90 degree heat, but that was the least of the inconvenience of camp life. My interest in the time period was more of a social nature and not the battles - in particular the nursing and the medical care, as well as how people lived. We visited the union encampment but somehow missed the Confederate side! I thought the civilian looking "soldiers" were confederates but they were union townspeople recruited to defend Washington. Mr. Lincoln was with Mary Todd and he gave a pep talk to the troops. The reenactors are oh so serious. I really liked the artist sketching the events for the local paper. By the time the "battle" began the crowd had grown to a reasonable size. We haven't been to one of these since the Wade House reenactment in Wisconsin. That one was quite impressive with cavalry, many more cannon, and many more participants. Nevertheless it was an interesting way to spend the afternoon in spite of the heat. I was going to major in history - this is a great way to experience it.