Abraham Lincoln left the White House and went towards his favorite place when he wasn’t at the “People’s house. He traveled by carriage north a few miles to a location that overlooked the scenic view of Washington, D.C, and the surrounding countryside. He arrived at the Soldiers’ Home, that also served as the summer retreat for the family. Even though the Civil War ended a few days earlier at Appomattox on April 9th, he relaxed for a few hours on April 13th before heading back to the White House. The next day, President Abraham Lincoln co-signed his last document along with Treasury Secretary Hugh McCulloch, and he then had lunch with Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln in the early afternoon.
Afterward, they went on a carriage ride to the Navy Yards. While there, they witnessed three Monitors in port that were damaged during the Battle of Fort Fisher in North Carolina. Above is a picture of a Monitor that President Abraham Lincoln and Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln may have seen. While riding in the carriage, Mr. Lincoln mentioned that “we must both be more cheerful in the future” after having been miserable since their son Willy died in February 1862.
The blue dot (house) is the location of the White House. The red dot (gun) is the location of Ford’s Theatre, and the location of the black dot (bullseye) is the location of the Petersen House.
Between 1863 and 1872
They arrived back to the White House and had dinner and met with other Illinois friends. He read a few chapters of a book and got ready to head out for the evening. Around 8 to 8:30 p.m., President Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, Major Henry Rathbone, and his fiancé Clara Harris got into a carriage and left for Ford’s Theatre. They arrived after the play started to a full house that was viewing “Our American Cousin ” and there was a standing ovation to his arrival as they sat down in the presidential box. Things would change only a few hours later for the worst.
