HI

Mil

Stirafjam Htncofate #fett to Ctemsfon in I860

presentee toitf) tfje compliment of

Citp Rational pank

Cbanfiton, SUinofe :: 1914

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2010 with funding from

The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

http://www.archive.org/details/abrahamlincolnsv3670curr

Abraham Lincoln's Visit to Evanston in 1860

}

By

J. Seymour Currey

President of the Evanston Historical Societv

EVANSTON

City National Bank

1914

Courtesy of the Illinois State Historical Society

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

From a photograph taken in New York by Brady, at the time of the speech at Cooper Institute, in 1860.

gforafjam Htncoln's Vixit to Cuanstott

tn I860

The purpose of this sketch is to describe the visit made by Abraham Lincoln to Evanston in 1860, including such particulars as appear to be worthy of permanent record. This visit, brief as it was, forms one of the most cherished episodes of our history.

Many of the particulars have been obtained from those who were living in Evanston at the time, and who were present at the informal reception given to Mr. Lincoln on the evening of his one night's stay in our town. Some of these recollections have already appeared in print at different times, but with additions derived from recent interviews and correspondence with those wdio were participants in the events re- ferred to, are here brought together and formed into a connected account.

In order to provide a proper perspective and background to the in- cidents related in this account, it seems desirable to describe briefly the state of the country at the period in which they occurred and of Mr. Lincoln's connection with the events of that time, as well as some ac- count of Evanston as it was in the year mentioned.

Stirring Events of the Time

During the early months of 1860, the Republican party, which some three years before had suffered defeat in its first presidential campaign under the leadership of John C. Fremont, was anxiously considering who should be selected as the standard bearer in the approaching cam- paign. It was generally thought that the convention to be held in the following May would name William H. Seward as the candidate. The famous Lincoln and Douglas debates had taken place in the summer and fall of 1858, and had given a national reputation to Lincoln, whose fame had heretofore been confined to his own state. The speech he made at Cooper Institute in New York, February 27, 1860, had caused his name to be frequently mentioned as a possible presidential candidate. Under Buchanan's weak and vacillating administration the arrogance and hos- tility of the southern states had become more pronounced, and the peo- ple of the north found in Mr. Lincoln's clear cut statements the best expression of the burning issues of the day.

The "Sand Bar" Case

It was soon after Mr. Lincoln's return from the East that he spent a week or more in Chicago in attendance upon the United States Dis- trict Court as one of the counsel for the defendants in the "Sand Bar" case, referred to in the papers of the time as "one of the most notable

Page Three

trials in the annals of our courts."* It was just after the conclusion of this case that Mr. Lincoln made his visit to Evanston.

A few days previously he had accepted an invitation to address the citizens of Waukegan on political topics, upon which the Chicago Press and Tribune, one of his staunch friends and supporters, remarked : "The announcement will of course bring together one of the largest crowds that Waukegan can furnish."

Evanston Assuming Importance

At that time Evanston was a village of some twelve hundred inhab- itants and was developing a boom as a suburb of Chicago. An article in the paper just referred to, which appeared about this time, spoke of Evanston as having the handsomest residences and the best situation of any town in the vicinity of Chicago, and the writer predicted that be- tween the two places would be built up a continuous line of stores and residences. The Chicago and Milwaukee railroad, afterwards known as the Chicago and Northwestern railway, had been open for six years. There was only a single track and trains passed each other at sidings located at different stations on the line. Leaving the terminal station at the corner of Kinzie and Canal sterets, in Chicago, the stations were : Clybourn Junction, Belle Plaine (Cuyler), Chittenden (Rosehill), and Calvary. Ravenswood and Rogers Park had no existence at that time. The village of Bowmanville lay a mile west of Rosehill. All of these places except Bowmanville had come into existence with the opening of the railroad, and Evanston itself had borne that name only some six years, though under older names it could claim a greater antiquity.

Becomes a Seat of Learning

The Northwestern University had been established in Evanston in the same year that the railroad was opened, namely, in 1854, though its first building had not been completed until the following year. The University from the beginning had given the dominant tone to the com- munity life of the place, and many of those who had more recently made their homes there had been attracted by its influence. These, with the families of the sturdy pioneers, who had opened the country to settlement in the previous generation, formed a population of a high degree of force and vigor which has ever since been distinguished for its wide influence and the high character of its people. Besides the one building completed and occupied by the University, situated at the northwest corner of Davis Street and Hinman Avenue, the Garrett Biblical Institute (affiliated with the University) had likewise one building, afterwards known as Dempster Hall, completed in the same year that the University's first building was opened.

*A more complete account of this celebrated case can be found in "Chicago Its History and Its Builders," Vol. II, p. 73.

Page Four

THE DATE OF MR. LINCOLN'S VISIT

In determining the date on which Mr. Lincoln visited Evanston, I have fixed it as Thursday, April 5, I860. In an article published in the Century Magazine for December, 1881, by Leonard W. Voile (to be referred to presently), the author says that Mr. Lincoln went to Evans- ton on "Thursday." He says in another place that the visit was made "in the early part of April." There is no conclusive evidence on this point to be obtained either from Volk's article, or from any of those whose recollections we shall hereafter refer to.

According to the date on the title page of the Chicago Press and Tribune the first Thursday in that month was on the 5th. If the visit had been made a week later, that is, on the 12th, it would still have been possible, perhaps, to speak of it as having taken place "in the early part of April." It seems impossible, however, to place the date of the visit on the 12th, because in the issue of the Chicago Press and Tribune of the 13th, of that month, a paragraph is quoted from a Bloomington paper stating that Mr. Lincoln was in that city. It seems safe, there- fore, to set the date of the visit as we have given it, namelv, Thursday, April 5th, 1860.

The House in which He Spent the Night

Mr. Lincoln visited Evanston upon the invitation and as the guest of his old friend, Julius White, who afterwards became a general in the Union Army. Mr. White at that time was a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and was harbor master. He lived in Evanston in a house situated at the northwest corner of Ridge Avenue and Church Street, on the lot where Mr. Richard C. Lake's house now stands. It was in this house that Mr. Lincoln spent the night on the occasion of his visit.

The house was built by Alexander McDaniel and by him sold to Rev. Philo Judson, who enlarged it and occupied it for a time. It was a two-story house with a horizontal cornice, the roof sloping up- wards from four sides to a short ridge at the top. The front door was in the middle of the east side of the house with rooms on each side of the hallway. There was no covered porch, simply a platform with steps descending from the front door.

About the year 1884 this house was moved away by Mr. Robert Hill when he erected his residence on the present site which in later years has become the home of Mr. Lake. When the house was moved it was separated into two parts, the larger part being taken to the lot now known as 1227 Elmwood Avenue, adjoining the High School on the south, and remodeled into a comfortable residence, and is now occupied by Mr. Albert D. Sanders. It does not, however, at all re- semble the house in its original form. A much smaller part of the original house was moved to another location.

Page Five

Page Six

When Mr. Julius White (afterwards General) first came to Evans- ton to live, in February, 1859, he took possession of the house just de- scribed; but after he had joined the army, more than a year subsequent to the events here referred to, he moved his family into a smaller house, a story and a half cottage on the southeast corner of Asbury Avenue and Church Street, fronting on the latter street.

In later years the story and a half house referred to was moved to a location in the western part of the town, now known as 2319 Prairie Avenue. From the fact that General White once lived in the house arose a tradition that this was the house in which Mr. Lincoln passed the night, and later occupants have taken pride in relating this story, for which there is no other foundation than that above mentioned.

Other Houses Claim the Honor

It is remarkable how many houses we have here in Evanston wThich lay claim to the honor of sheltering Mr. Lincoln during the night that he spent in Evanston. We have shown that the house on Prairie Ave- nue was not the one, though often claimed as such.

Another house which it is claimed was the one in which Mr. Lincoln was entertained is the cottage at 1513 Greenwood Boulevard, now occupied by Daniel Devine and his family. Mrs. Devine stated in an interview with the writer that at the time Mr. Lincoln visited Evans- ton this house stood a short distance east of its present location, on the southeast corner of Greenwood Boulevard and Asbury Avenue. She says that no members of the family who then occupied the house are now living in Evanston, and that a number of tenants — a dozen or more — have occupied the house during the fifty years since the visit of Mr. Lincoln. She even points out the living room in her house as the room in which Mr. Lincoln received the guests. Before her marriage tc Mr. Devine, Mrs. Devine was a widow, Mrs. English by name, and formerly helped in housekeeping duties at Dempster Hall, when Mr. Langworthy kept a boarding house for students there. She could not recall General White or any member of his family, and could not re- member having heard his name.

A house known as the old Carroll house, formerly at 1465 Elmwood Avenue, was demolished by the city authorities in August, 1909. It was supposed by some that this house was the one in which Mr. Lincoln was entertained.

Still another house, the one situated at 1028 Judson Avenue, is thought by some to be the house in which Air. Lincoln was entertained. As is well known, this house was occupied by General White after the war, when it stood at the northwest corner of Davis Street and Chicago Avenue, and by him moved to its present location and practically re- built. The fact that the house was once the residence of General White has given currency to this belief, and it is often pointed out by residents

Page Seven

in the neighborhood as having an historical interest for the reason that Mr. Lincoln was once a guest under its roof.

The honor, however, must be denied to all those mentioned above, except the house on the northwest corner of Ridge Avenue and Church Street, as described in the previous paragraph.

One way, perhaps, to account for these various claims would be to suppose that Mr. Lincoln visited Evanston more than once; it can be positively stated, however, that the distinguished visitor never stayed but one night in Evanston. It is well known that traditions, such as those referred to, grow from small beginnings, originating with half remembered events often repeated in conversation, and at length have taken on the character of positive statements.

Mr. Volk's Recollections

A reference to Mr. Lincoln's visit to Evanston is found in an article published in the Century Magazine for December, 1881, by Leonard W. Volk, the sculptor. Mr. Volk had met Mr. Lincoln during the period of the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858, and had requested him to sit for a bust. Mr. Lincoln said that he would be glad to do so at the first opportunity.

Mr. Volk, in the course of his article, thus relates:

"I did not see him again for nearly two years. I spent most of the winter of 1860 in Washington, finishing a statuette of Senator Douglas, and just before leaving in the month of March, I called upon Mr. Douglas' colleague in the senate from Illinois [Hon. Lyman Trumbull], and asked him if he had an idea as to who would be the probable nominee of the Republican party for president, that I might model a bust of him in advance. He replied that he did not have the least particle of an idea who he would be, only that it would not be Judge Douglas.

"I returned to Chicago, and got my studio in the 'Portland block' in order and ready for work, and began to consider whose bust I should first begin in the clay, when I noticed in a morning paper that Abraham Lincoln was in town — retained as one of the counsel in the 'Sand Bar' trial. I at once decided to remind him of his promise to sit to me, made two years before. I found him in the United States District court room (in a building known at the time as the 'Larmon block'), his feet on the edge of a table, and his long, dark hair standing out at every imaginable angle. He was surrounded by a group of lawyers, such as James F. Joy, Isaac N. Arnold, Thomas Hoyne and others. Mr. Arnold obtained his attention in my behalf, when he instantly arose and met me outside the rail, recognizing me at once with his usual grip of both hands. He remembered his promise, and said, in answer to my question, that he expected to be detained by the case for a week. He added:

" 'I shall be glad to give you the sittings. When shall I come, and how long will you need me each time?'

Page Eight

" 'Just after breakfast, every morning, would,' he said, 'suit him the best, and he could remain till court opened, at 10 o'clock.' I answered that I would be ready for him the next morning, Thursday. This was in the early part of April, 1860.

" 'Very well, Mr. Volk, I will be there, and I'll go to a barber and have my hair cut before I come.'

"I requested him not to let the barber cut it too short and said I would rather he would leave it as it was ; but to this he would not con- sent. Then, all of a sudden, he ran his fingers through his hair, and

sai

d:

Wanted to Be Released

" 'No, I cannot come tomorrow, as I have an engagement with Mr.

W to go to Evanston tomorrow and attend an entertainment ; but

I'd rather come, and sit to you for the bust than go there and meet a lot of college professors and others, all strangers to me. And I will be

obliged if you will go to Mr. W 's office now, and get me released

from the engagement. I will wait here till you come back.'

"So off I posted, but Mr. W would not release him, 'because,'

he said, 'it would be a great disappointment to the people he had in- vited.' Mr. Lincoln looked quite sorry when I reported to him the failure of my mission.

urWell,' he said, 'I suppose I must go, but I will come 'to you Fri- day morning.'

"He was there promptly — indeed, he never failed to be on time. My studio was in the fifth story, and there were no elevators in those days, and I soon learned to distinguish his steps on the stairs, and am sure he frequently came up two, if not three, steps at a stride. When he sat down the first time in that hard, wooden, low-armed chair which I still possess, and which has been occupied by Douglas, Seward and Generals Grant and Dix, he said :

" 'Mr. Volk, I have never sat before to sculptor or painter — only for daguerreotypes and photographs. What shall I do?'

"I told him I would only take the measurements of his head and shoulders that time, and next morning, Saturday, I would make a cast of his face, which would save him a number of sittings. He stood up against the wall, and I made a mark above his head, and then measured up to it from the floor, and said :

" 'You are just twelve inches taller than Judge Douglas, that is, just six feet one inch.' "

In the above extract, which is printed just as it appeared in the Century article, the name of Mr. White is indicated by the initial W followed by a blank line.

Also it is to be noted that in the last sentence Mr. Lincoln's height is given as six feet one inch, whereas the fact was that he was six feet four inches in height. This was an error either on the part of the author or printer.

Page Nine

HARVEY B. HURD

Born February 14, 1828: died January 20, 1906. He was a resident of Evanston for fifty-two years.

Mr. Hurd's Description

When the day arrived for Mr. Lincoln to go to Evanston he was taken in charge by Mr. Harvey B. Hurd, who had been designated to act as his escort. Mr. Hurd has left on record an account of this jour- ney, which is as follows:

"On his return from his stumping tour through New England in the spring of 1860, bringing back with him the fame of his great Cooper Institute speech, he [Mr. Lincoln] was given a reception in Evanston, at the home of my then next door neighbor, General Julius White, and it was my good fortune to be designated to escort him from Chicago to his house. On the way Mr. Lincoln and I occupied the same seat in the railway car, that next to the stove. Putting his long legs up behind the stove and leaning down toward me, he related to me some of the

Pape Ten

more amusing episodes in his New England tour, such as he thought I would recognize as characteristic of Yankeedom ( I had told him 1 was a native of Connecticut), some of them bringing out in strong light the issues of the campaign and how he had presented them.

"Calling to mind his great debate with Mr. Douglas and how he had grown in popularity all over the country, and that he was being talked of for the presidency, I could not help a passing analysis of his characteristics. The way he impressed me at that time was well summed up by a countryman at another time. 'Not that he knew it all, and that I knew little or nothing, but that he and I were two good fellows, well met, and that between us we knew lots.' His bearing at the recep- tion, while easy, was at the same time dignified and pleasing. It re- quired no stretch of imagination to think of him as the coming president of the United States. He inspired in all a desire to see him nominated and elected to that high office. There was no lurking doubt as to his fitness."

General Julius White

From a photograph by Brady, Neiv York, taken in November, 1862.

GENERAL JULIUS WHITE

Born September 29, 1816; died May 12, 1890. He was a resident of Evanston thirty-one years.

Gen. Julius White (as he soon afterwards became known) deserves some further mention in this place. Soon after Mr. Lincoln's inauguration in 1861 he was appointed collector of the port of Chicago. White re- signed this office later in the year to raise a regiment, the Thirty-seventh Illinois Volun- teers, of which he became the colonel. The fact that he re- signed an office paying the sal- ary several times larger than the one he accepted in the army while having a large family to support was an act of true pat- riotism, and should be remem- bered to his credit. He was afterwards promoted to be a brigadier general and after the war received a commission of brevet major general. Four of the commissions received by General White at different times, two of them signed by Abraham Lincoln, are now in the possession of the Evanston Historical Societv.

Page Elei'en

Mr. Lincoln's Arrival

Many of the old residents of Evanston still vividly remember, after a lapse of half a century, the occasion of Mr. Lincoln's visit here, and the accounts which are here gathered are mainly compiled from their recollections of that most interesting event. They are not all livings whose testimony is here given, but the privilege they enjoyed of meeting and grasping the hand of the greatest American of the nineteenth cen- tury was a rare one and the occasion forms one of the most interesting episodes in our history.

On Mr. Lincoln's arrival in Evanston he was taken for a carriage drive about the village by Mr. White and then to the residence of the latter. A general invitation had been extended to the people to come in the evening and shake hands with the distinguished visitor. It was easy to spread the news of anything of the kind in a small community such as Evanston was at that time, and the people were quick to re- spond to the invitation. The house was well filled with visitors and Mr. Lincoln stood in front of the fireplace in the drawing room and conversed with the people as they arrived. Many did not enter the house, but contented themselves with standing outside on the lawn and giving vent to their enthusiasm by blowing horns, singing and shout- ing, which was called "serenading" in the parlance of the time. These "doings" were naturally followed by calls for a speech, a request which the visitor complied with by appearing on the front steps of the house and addressing the people assembled on the lawn. "I have a sort of general recollection of his speech," relates Dr. Henry M. Bannister, who was present. "He spoke in a high, clear voice explaining his standpoint in politics and the reasons for it, making a special point that he had been guided by his sense of right." There was a general hand- shaking and exchange of greetings usual on such occasions. Afterwards a number of those outside went into the house and were presented to the visitor.

Did Not Speak in Church

It is frequently stated that Mr. Lincoln made a speech in the old Methodist church which at that time stood on the lot where the Evans- ton Public Library now stands; but this is not so. Mr. Lincoln made no speech there. None of those whose evidence has been given regard- ing his visit mentions his having done so, and it was vigorously denied by the late Mr. Frederick D. Raymond, who was an indefatigable in- vestigator in the field of local history. A picture of the old Methodist church was printed in one of the papers some years ago with the state- ment that here Mr. Lincoln made a speech when he visited Evanston, which seemed to give authority for the belief entertained by many per- sons, but it may be positively stated that no speech was made by Mr,. Lincoln in the church.

Pa (^e Twelve

In an interview with William Carney in 1901, Mr. F. D. Ray- mond asked him about his recollections of the Lincoln visit to Evanston, which he said he remembered, and that Mr. Lincoln made a speech from the front steps of General White's house. Mr. H. E. Lombard, now living in Kansas, was a resident of Evanston at that time, and, writing in regard to Lincoln's visit, says: "A number of us serenaded him and he made us a talk from the porch."

"I remember as though it was but yesterday," wrote Mr. Martin Mohler, a former student at the university, in an article printed in The Evanston Index in 1903, "the tall, lanky form of Lincoln and his ex- pressive countenance as he stood shaking hands with admiring friends, while a stream of wit and humor, and story and laughter, came bubbling up from the great soul within."

Mrs. Bannister's Account

Mrs. Emma White Bannister, a daughter of General White, wrote recently giving an account of the visit, which she remembers distinctly. <lFather told us one day that he would bring Mr. Lincoln up to spend the night, adding, 'he may be our next president.' He arrived on the evening train and dined with us, after which he addressed the Evans- tonians from the front porch. Word had been sent to the leading citi- zens that Mr. Lincoln would speak and they soon assembled in goodly numbers in front of the house. At the conclusion of his address my father invited all who desired to come in and meet Mr. Lincoln. They surged into the house, were introduced by father, and all received a cordial greeting and handshake from Mr. Lincoln. My father's house at that time was full of children, and during Mr. Lincoln's visit he endeared himself to us all by his individual and kindly notice."

Mr. Pearsons' Story

Mr. Henry A. Pearsons' memories of the occasion are extremely interesting. At a banquet of the Men's Club at the First Methodist church in February, 1906, he spoke as follows:

"Mr. Lincoln came to Evanston in 1860, soon after he began to acquire a national reputation and had been mentioned as the man whom Illinois would bring out as a candidate for president. Evanston was then only a village of some 1,200 inhabitants, and, of course, all who could get there went to the house of Julius White to meet the distin- guished guest, we boys to cheer and make a welcoming noise and our elders to shake his hand. I have a photograph of him taken in 1858, which pictures him as I remember him. The characteristics which I remember most distinctly were the pleasant smile and kindly greeting he gave us, the cheerful speech and apt words of his address, the ex- ceeding tallness of the man, and the awkward way he had of turning himself one way or the other and bending his knees a little when em-

Page Thirteen

phasizing a point or coming to a climax. A really good quartet, led by our long-time friend and fellow citizen, Charles G. Ayars, called for Lincoln's special commendation ; and I recall how he put his arms around Avars' shoulders, and said: 'Young man, I wish I could sing as well as you. Unfortunately I know only two tunes, one is "Old Hundred," and the other isn't.' Mr. J. Watson Ludlam (recently de- ceased) was then, without doubt, the tallest citizen of Evanston, and Mr. Lincoln stood up against him, back to back, to see which was the taller." Mr. Pearsons on several occasions afterwards, while an officer of the Eighth Illinois cavalry, saw Mr. Lincoln at reviews, and was one of the guard of honor at the time his body lay in state in the Capitol at Washington.

Mr. Ludlam 's Story

Only a short time before his death in the fall of 1908, Major James D. Ludlam wrote his recollections of the visit, in a letter to Mr. Frank R. Grover, to whom he had promised to furnish the details for the records of the Evanston Historical Society. "In redeeming my promise to you," he writes, "to furnish my recollections of Abraham Lincoln's visit to Evanston, I send the following, only reminding you that fifty years is a long time for one's memory to be exactly accurate." He said he received an invitation from Mr. Julius White, "who lived, I think, in the house built by Mr. Judson over on what we then called the ridge." He met there "some twenty or thirty friends," some of whom he mentions by name: Mr. and Mrs. John L. Beveridge, Rev. Philo Judson, Harvey B. Hurd, Mr. and Mrs. N. P. Iglehart, Mr. and Mrs. John A. Pearsons, Mrs. Appleton, Miss Mattie Stewart and Miss Isabel Stewart. "Mr. Hurd led the conversation principally with the help of Mr. Beveridge at the start, but soon Mr. Lincoln had full control, and in conversation and story telling captured the whole com- pany."

Later in the evening some one proposed having some music, and Miss Isabel Stewart was invited to play the piano, which she did in a very delightful manner. Do not let the young readers of this sketch imagine the young lady seated at an "upright," for pianos of that form were not made in those days. Square pianos were in use and the one in Mr. White's house was probably of this pattern, the kind we used to call "megatheriums," which we used to behold with awe and ad- miration, including the player.

Mr. Lincoln then asked for some vocal music and Mr. J. D. Lud- lam was invited to sing. This he consented to do on condition that some one would play for him. He was then introduced to the young lady at the piano, whom he did not know before, and after a song or two the singing became general. It should be noted here that this in- troduction to the young lad}', Miss Isabel Stewart, was more important in its results than seems at first sight, for in about a year after that

Page Fourteen

the singer and the player were married. Thus the Lincoln visit has a peculiar interest as the starting point of a romance.

Measured with Watson Ludlam

James D. Ludlam and J. Watson Ludlam were brothers, both tall men, the latter the taller of the two ; and with them was John L. Bev- eridge who was over six feet in height. There was another tall man present by the name of Homer Curtice, a conductor on the Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad, the name by which the present Chicago and Northwestern Railway was then known. Poor Curtice was killed by the cars up near Kenosha some years later.

Mr. Lincoln had the habit of taking notice of men of unusual stature, as is recalled by an incident occurring a few weeks later than the events of which we are here writing. It is related, in Holland's "Life of Lincoln," that when Judge William D. Kelley of Pennsyl- vania, himself a man nearly as tall as Mr. Lincoln, called on him at Springfield at the head of a committee to notify him of his nomination, Mr. Lincoln, after the introductions had taken place, inquired, "What is your height, Judge?" "Six feet, three," replied the Judge; "what is yours, Mr. Lincoln?" "Six feet, four," responded Mr. Lincoln. "Then, sir," said the Judge, "Pennsylvania bows to Illinois. My dear man," he continued, "for years my heart has been aching fox a presi- dent that I could look up to, and I've found him at last, — in the land that we thought there were none but Little Giants/'

It was not strange that Mr. Lincoln, having this habit of observa- tion, should notice the presence of so many unusually tall men, includ- ing himself, in the rooms of Mr. White's house. He proposed that they should measure up and compare their heights. This was done accordingly, and it was found that Mr. Lincoln and Mr. J. Watson Ludlam were exactly the same height, namely, six feet and four inches. The company remained until quite a late hour, and at length dispersed to their homes throughout the village.

An Interesting Sequel

The sequel to Major Ludlam's story is very interesting. During the following year events succeeded each other with startling rapidity. Mr. Lincoln was nominated and elected president, and the tremendous drama of the Civil war had opened. With many other young men from Evanston J. D. Ludlam had joined the army of the Union, and became an officer (finally major) in the Eighth Illinois cavalry. This was the only Illinois regiment in the eastern army in the early part of the war and Mr. Lincoln came out to their encampment near Washington to visit them, and made a short speech to "his boys," as he called them. He recognized Ludlam at once and asked after Miss Stewart, who had furnished the delightful music on the occasion of his visit to Evanston,

Pcige Fifteen

and invited him to call at the White House. He made calls several times, and after lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln one day, Mr. Lin- coln asked him to sing for Mrs. Lincoln the same songs which he sang when he visited Mr. White's house in Evanston, a request with which he complied. This echo of the Lincoln visit to Evanston, and the romance that had its beginning at that time, throws a golden haze of sentiment over the event we have been describing, and heightens the interest that the episode otherwise possesses for all who take a pride in our Evanston annals.

Mr. Lincoln's visit to Evanston was made when he had reached a period in his life when all was fair. He was at the height of his fame as the most distinguished political orator of his time, he had be- come the rising hope of the new Republican party, and was often men- tioned as a possible presidential candidate. The law case, which had required his presence in Chicago for the preceding two weeks, had just been decided (the day before) in favor of his clients. He was in the full maturity of his manhood, and he was probably as near "care free" as he had ever been in his life.

Six weeks afterwards Mr. Lincoln was nominated for the presi- dency, and in the following November was elected to that high office. He evidently did not forget his Evanston friends and his visit among them, for soon after he became president he began to show his appre- ciation of the friends he met here. White and Beveridge became gen- erals in the Union Army, and, as we have seen, the homely songs and good cheer of the house in Evanston, where Mr. Lincoln wras so pleas- antly entertained, were repeated at the White House in Washington.

Page Sixteen

-/.jL&v^.o&y.a 3 6,7^7

Hmcoln'g ^ettpgburg H>peecf)

Jlofcemfeer 19, 1863

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, con- ceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great Civil War, test- ing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting- place for those who gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note or long re- member what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they, who fought here, have thus far so nobly ad- vanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall have not died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

0

OREGON

RULE

CO.

1

U.S.A.

2

3

5

OREGON RULE CO.

U.S.A.

■

	^Bl6
		B? ■
	Tfcs m
	"fc 9 3
	^ElO:
	Km
	\8 _	9 10	ffl
		JH*