In the YA version of Killing Lincoln, it’s stated that some 30 million citizens saw the funeral train. I had assumed that this figure must be in error, as the 1860 Census total U.S. population figure is a bit over 31 million.
But last night, the HBO Monday-night documentary about Lincoln and the author of Pat the Bunny repeated this number.
One online estimate says 12 million people viewed the train. Is the figure of 30 million a credible one?
Of the 31 million population, 9 million were in the Confederate States, and I doubt they watched the train’s journey, even to gloat.
I’ve done a presentation to our local Civil War round table, and the numbers I found from various sources is 1.5 million people passed by the casket in the various cities, and 7 million viewed the funeral train during its passing (about a fifth of the population).
A good book about the funeral train with all the details about the stops and the train itself is Scott Trossel’s Lincoln’s Funeral Train. I have the book but I’m away from home now so I can’t look up its final numbers.
Teddy Roosevelt and his brother are captured in a photograph watching the Lincoln processional from their Uncle’s home in NYC.
They are the two kids in the window in the upper left side of the photo.
Another interesting question: How many US Presidents saw Lincoln’s funeral or his funeral train?
Not counting Lincoln, they are
[ul]
[li]Andrew Johnson[/li][li]US Grant[/li][li]Millard Fillmore (65 years old)[/li][li]Grover Cleveland[/li][li]Theodore Roosevelt (6 1/2 years old)[/li][/ul]
I think Rutherford B Hayes should also be in the list, but I’m not sure.
Bill O’Reilly’s scholarship has taken some well-deserved hits, so I’d take any “fact” he provides with a few ounces of salt: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/bill-oreillys-lincoln-book-banned-from-fords-theatre-because-of-mistakes/2011/11/11/gIQAhJpyFN_story.html
Don’t know how many people actually saw the funeral train, but I’d say hundreds of thousands, at least. It covered a lot of ground. Here’s more: Funeral and burial of Abraham Lincoln - Wikipedia
As it happens, I attended a wreath-laying at the local Civil War monument earlier this afternoon, and said this when I opened court this morning:
“This morning we remember Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, who died 150 years ago today, slain by an assassin. To Lincoln we owe an enduring debt of gratitude for a Union preserved, a Constitution upheld, a Civil War won, and a people liberated from its shackles. May we all prove worthy of Lincoln’s service and sacrifice as citizens of this great republic, blessed for all time with ‘a new birth of freedom.’ We will now honor him with a moment of silence.”
That is a very interesting read. It also has TMI about the the science of embalming in 1865, and the difficulties in keeping Lincoln at least moderately lifelike throughout the journey.
Elendil’s Heir: I wasn’t suggesting I was mistaking O’Reilly for a scholar. (I proofread some of his books in their Young Adult incarnations.)
If Billo went on record that grass was green and the sky was blue, I’d feel obliged to take a look outside and see for m’self … just to make certain!
Very wise of you.
Next time any of you are in Ohio, drop by the Warther Museum in Dover, Ohio, and see this amazing hand-carved model of the Lincoln funeral train: Warner Carving Museum - Lincoln Funeral Train on Vimeo
For more: http://www.warthers.com/
I know the train went through the little town near us (Saint Paris, OH).