LC-US2C4-2337  Pictures Library of Congress I invite you to visit the finest web site on the Internet about Mr. Abraham Lincoln. This site has had over 12 million visitors. Abraham Lincoln Research site by Roger Norton  Thank you Roger for being a light to the world about such a great Hero.  Train pages    Lincolns Farewell from Springfield.  Deeply moved by the well-wishing of Springfield friends and neighbors of 25 years, president-elect Abraham Lincoln delivered this short, impromptu speech from the steps of his private railroad car as he began his trip to Washington. Words of proclaiming God, and his help.. that echo from this short speech as he departed " without that assistance of the divine being" ..with that assistance I can not fail", was part of his words in his speech.  Now the same words which echoed his from railroad tracks would bring him back home to be laid to rest. A   Real HERO  looking to God for divine help! From  my early childhood, Abraham Lincoln was my all time hero. Not only as President but from the journey in life he walked, from the backwoods of a log cabin, the loss of his mother, his sister, teaching himself through reading of books, and determination to make a difference. He was and has been my influenice upon my lives journey. I was to play a concert in Springfield at the State Fair.  On a early morning I drove to His Tomb. In all my travels, there has been three places now that has touched my soul deeply. The Muir Woods, The Loretto Chapel in New Mexico, and The Lincoln Tomb. Mr. Lincoln was to me a real Hero. I have studied Lincoln as a my favorite, his writtings, his character, his life. Lincolns First Train Ride [His Presidental Train Engine and Car] The paragraphs below are word for word from their original authors used with permission. Abraham Lincoln died from his wounds at 7:22 P.M. on Saturday, April 15, 1865. Teenager Henry B. Stanton, who had frequently visited the President with his father, made his way to the Petersen House before the body of Abraham Lincoln was removed to the Executive Mansion. “I stood very close to those steps until finally there came out that little band of mourners and gently placed the body of the murdered President in the hearse.” There were few other people around so Stanton was able to follow the hearse. “At the east gate of the White House, there were soldiers and no one was admitted to the grounds. I had gone a little ahead and stood on the pavement close to the gate. This absence of a great crowd on such an occasion was not due to any want of interest or sympathy, but was rather caused, as it seemed to me, by the terrible shock that had passed over the city, and because every one was so depressed that few had the desire to rush forward to form or join a crowd.”[Herbert Mitgang, editor, Washington, D.C., in Lincoln’s Time: A Memoir of the Civil War Era by the Newspaperman Who Knew Lincoln Best, Noah Brooks, p. 234. ]Preparation for President Lincoln’s funeral on April 19 took four days. Journalist Noah Brooks described the transformation of the White House for the ceremony: “The great East room was draped with crape and black cloth, relieved only here and there by white flowers and green leaves. The catafalque upon which the casket lay was about fifteen feet high, and consisted of an elevated platform resting on a dais and covered with a domed canopy of black cloth which was supported by four pillars, and was lined beneath with fluted white silk. In those days the custom of sending ‘floral tributes’ on funeral occasions was not common, but the funeral of Lincoln was remarkable for the unusual abundance and beauty of the devices in flowers that were sent by individuals and public bodies. From the time the body had been made ready for burial until the last services in the house, it was watched night and day by a guard of honor, the members of which were one major-general, one brigadier-general, two field officers, and four line officers of the army and four of the navy. Before the public were admitted to view the face of the dead, the scene in the darkened room — a sort of chapelle ardente — was most impressive. At the head and foot and on each side of the casket of their dead chief stood the motionless figures of his armed warriors[J. C. Power, Abraham Lincoln: His Great Funeral Cortege, from Washington City to Springfield, Illinois with a History and Description of the National Lincoln Monument (Report of Messrs. Brough and Garrett to Secretary Stanton, April 18, 1865), p. 28.]   What to know more about Abe Lincoln his life, where he was born, his family? click here  Train Ride to Washington departure for Washington in 1861....Last train ride in 1865 The Last Train Ride   A Legacy  Abraham Lincoln The Journey Home: The 1,700 mile journey and national funeral for Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Conducted over the railroads, this text details preparations, the eleven national funerals en route, and many trackside ceremonies. The logistics included passage over 22 railroads and two street railways involving 42 locomotives,[Steam engine pictures of the time] approximately 80 pieces of passenger equipment and ferry moves. Millions of mourners gathered along the margins of the railroad tracks. In raw, cold, chilly winds, and rain, in the dark of night, millions of people witnessed the Lincoln Funeral Train. The route that was followed home is almost the same route Lincoln followed 1861 inaugural journey to become the President. Along the way home there were eleven planned memorial services conducted en route. Elaborate preparations and massive processional displays were conducted at the principal cities of Baltimore, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, New York City, Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Chicago and burial at Springfield, Illinois. Citizens seeking a glimpse of the slain president came in throngs and filled miles of city streets. Near riots ensued at some locations in the effort to honor the remains. There were twelve different funeral services for Lincoln within seventeen hundred miles.    The locomotive Nashville of the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad pulled the Lincoln funeral train for part of the nearly 1,700-mile distance from Washington to Springfield, Illinois. It was bedecked with bunting, special black fringed presidential flags and a portrait of Lincoln hanging from the front of the engine.   Day by Day discription of the Journey from state to state. The preparations of the Funeral Train: They proposed “the following regulations” Arrangements for the Lincoln funeral train were directed by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton who designated General Edward D. Townsend as his point man for logistics.o Stanton: 1. That the time of the departure and arrival be observed as closely as possible. 2. That material detentions at way points be guarded against as much as practicable, so as not to increase the speed of trains. 3. That a pilot engine be kept ten minutes in advance of the train.[ it is believed the pilot engine was named the Constitution] What is a pilot engine? A pilot engine, tender, and passenger car preceded the funeral train. This was a precaution in case of track, telegraph, or sabotage problems. 4. That the special train, in all cases, have the right of road, and that all other trains be kept out of its way. 5. That the several railroad companies provide a sufficient number of coaches for the comfortable accommodation of the escort, and a special car for the remains; and that all these, together with the engines, be appropriately draped in mourning. 6. That where the running time of any train extends beyond or commences at midnight, not less than two sleeping-cars be added, and a greater number if the road can command them, sufficient for the accommodation of the escort. 7. That two officers of the United States Military Railway Service be detailed by you, and despatched at once over the route to confer with the several railway officers, and make all necessary preparations for carrying out these arrangements promptly and satisfactorily. The Right away: This train has the right of track over all other trains bound in either direction, and trains must reach stations at which they are to meet, or let special pass, at least ten minutes before special is due.  “pilot engine” will leave New York ten minutes in advance of special train, running ten minutes ahead of published time to East Albany. Pilot engine has same rights as special, and at stations where trains meet or pass it, they must wait for special. The train will run at a slow rate of speed through all towns and villages. All station masters, trackmen, drawbridge tenders, switchmen, and flagmen, will be governed by the general rules and regulations of the company.     The Funeral Train:The funeral train consisted of 9 cars (passenger and baggage) plus the locomotive. Total passengers - 300.  Above left is the inside of the pullman funeral car which Mr. Lincolns casket [Right] was placed on as it traveled from state to state. Credits and resources: United States Library of Congress and The National Park Service The Lincoln Funeral Train: The Final Journey and National Funeral for Abraham Lincoln (Paperback)by Scott D. Trostel (Author) PA Historical Society/Ohio Historical SocietyDavid Herbert Donald and Harold Holzer, editors, Lincoln in the Times; The Life of Abraham Lincoln as Originally Reported in The New York Times (New York Times, April 27, 1861), p. 340. David T. Valentine, Obsequies of Abraham Lincoln, in the City of New York, Under the Auspices of the Common Council, p. 148.J. C. Power, Abraham Lincoln: His Great Funeral Cortege, from Washington City to Springfield, Illinois with a History and Description of the National Lincoln Monument, p. 45. David Herbert Donald and Harold Holzer, editors, Lincoln in the Times; William Turner Coggeshall, Lincoln Memorial, p. 218. Josiah G. Holland, Holland’s Life of Abraham Lincoln, p. 531-532. J. C. Power, Abraham Lincoln: His Great Funeral Cortege, from Washington City to Springfield, Illinois with a History and Description of the National Lincoln Monument, p. 93. J. C. Power, Abraham Lincoln: His Great Funeral Cortege, from Washington City to Springfield, Illinois with a History and Description of the National Lincoln Monument, p. 95. W. Emerson Reck, When the Nation Said Farewell to Lincoln, p. 10. J. C. Power, Abraham Lincoln: His Great Funeral Cortege, from Washington City to Springfield, Illinois with a History and Description of the National Lincoln Monument, pp. 38-39. J. C. Power, Abraham Lincoln: His Great Funeral Cortege, from Washington City to Springfield, Illinois with a History and Description of the National Lincoln Monument, p. 99. J. C. Power, Abraham Lincoln: His Great Funeral Cortege, from Washington City to Springfield, Illinois with a History and Description of the National Lincoln Monument, p. 105. J.W. Becker, “The Lincoln Funeral,” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, October 1916, p. 316-319. J. C. Power, Abraham Lincoln: His Great Funeral Cortege, from Washington City to Springfield, Illinois with a History and Description of the National Lincoln Monument, p. 22. J. C. Power, Abraham Lincoln: His Great Funeral Cortege, from Washington City to Springfield, Illinois with a History and Description of the National Lincoln Monument, p. 24.The Life of Abraham Lincoln as Originally Reported in The New York Times (New York Times, April 25, 1861), p. 320. J. C. Power, Abraham Lincoln: His Great Funeral Cortege, from Washington City to Springfield, Illinois with a History and Description of the National Lincoln Monument, p. 46. David T. Valentine, Obsequies of Abraham Lincoln, in the City of New York, Under the Auspices of the Common Council, pp. 60-99. Noah Brooks, Washington, D.C., in Lincoln’s Time, p. 232. Noah Brooks, Washington, D.C., in Lincoln’s Time, pp. 232-233. “A Solemn Day in the City,” www.buffalohistoryworks.com/Lincoln/funeral-train-.htm, Josiah G. Holland, Holland’s Life of Abraham Lincoln, p. 531. Carl Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln: The War Years, Volume IV, p. 406.  GNU Free Documentation LicenseWikimedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Research materials obtains through permission Wikimedia Free Encyclopedia