Lunch With Books: On Board the Lincoln Funeral Train

October 25, 2016
12:00pm - 12:00pm

After four years of Civil War, the Union faithful began to celebrate a hard fought victory. That celebration was cut short by the shocking news that President Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated on April 14, 1865. Death had touched nearly every doorstep in the nation, but nothing could compare with the loss of the man who had preserved the Union.

In 1861, Lincoln left his home in Springfield, IL, for his inauguration in Washington, D.C. Traveling by train he passed through eight Northern states with the dual purpose of celebration his election and introducing himself to people who had elected him. Following his death, the decision was made to return Lincoln’s mortal remains to Springfield along nearly the same route. Only this time the jubilation would be replaced with a national out pouring of sorry.

Under strict control of the United States Army and the Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, the Lincoln funeral train would travel over 1,600 miles, utilize 25 different railroads, and take 13 days to complete it mournful journey. Noted Maryland author Daniel Carroll Toomey will cover the planning and vast amount of logistical resources committed to this signal event in American history. Then he will take you on board the Lincoln funeral train as it passes through the major cities in the North to witness firsthand the epic demonstrations of grief that awaited its arrival.      

Presenter Bio

Daniel Carroll Toomey is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the author or co-author of a dozen books including The Civil War in Maryland and Baltimore During the Civil War. He has lectured for a number of historical organizations and colleges including the Smithsonian Institution and Johns Hopkins University. His course “The Civil War in Maryland has been taught throughout the state. Dan has contributed to a number of radio and television programs and several video productions. He also serves on the Maryland Military Monuments Commission and was Project Historian for the Maryland Memorial erected at Gettysburg in 1994. It was Dan Toomey who wrote the inscription for that monument. Dan has won numerous awards for his historical research and exhibits including the Gettysburg National Battlefield Award in 1985 and was the 2001 recipient of the Peterkin Award given by the National Park Service at Fort McHenry. He is currently the Guest Curator at the B&O Railroad Museum and designed The War Came by Train exhibit – the largest Civil War railroad exhibit ever presented and written a book by the same title.