The Lincoln Boys

journey to Washington

WILLIE AGE 10 TAD AGE 8 1861

Willie: pa has been elected president but some but some busy body little girl writes hi a letter and says he'd look much snapper in whiskers so he is growing a beard

Abe: it is a good time to grow whiskers we will have 12 days on this train before we go get to Washington by the time I wave to all the people in Washington D.C. they will never know I started this trip clean shaven

Willie: the pesident's car was decorated with flags red white and blue festoons hung from the moldings the walls were covered with crimson plush and heavy blue silk studded with silver stars smoke trailing behind in great plumes for me it was the most exciting journey of my young life me and Tad ran from car to car playing hide and seek making a nuisance of ourselves to the astonished passengers the train goes so slowly and stops at every town in Indiana and Ohio Tad asked me to read out the names of the stations and I do Lebanon Cadiz Junction Ashtabula Taddie says the town names after me each train fills with men and then the empire's of some of them farther down the line some of them are in uniforms dome in suits they want to talk to pa all the time people in towns gets close enough to the train to stare in the window of our car who are they

Abe: farmers mostly look at their boots you can tell a farmer from a driver because ones got muddy broigers and the others got riders boots then the shopkeepers clean leathers shoes on them kits cats sacks and wives they need to see the face of the men they elected president otherwise I am just an engram in the newspaper

Willie: the people want to see mama in her best dress and they want to see us me and Taddie but Taddie won't do it he lied on the floor and kicks his feet

Tad: when are we going to get there I want to go outside and run around

Robert: TAD SHUT UP YOUR WHINING IT DOESN'T MAKE THE TRAIN ANY FASTER

Mary: DON'T SAY SHUT UP TO YOUR BROTHER BOBBY ITS COMMON TALK

Willie:I don't think Bob cares because he is on his way to Harvard College that's where his whole mind is

Abe: people are waiting they want me to tell them I will make the war clouds go away

Willie: what are war clouds pa

Abe: gathering in the south Willie the south wants to sheer the state off from the rest of the country they have their own president Jefferson Davis a four flusher if there ever was one they are determined to split the country across the middle half free half slave they'll start a war to do it it's my job not to let them do it

Willie: how are you going to not let them the next morning Taddie takes all the peas out of his soup and puts them on a linen cloth in a line pa is wearing his black top hat a black suit a black bow a black coat black pants black vest white shirt and black shoes pa why are you dressed that way

Abe: just a lot of fancy dressing scout Mr Pinkerton is dressing me like a haberdasher and putting me in a fast train to Washington

Willie: but why pa who us Mr Pinkerton

Abe: see you tomorrow scout

Willie: then pa scooped up Tad's peas messing up his nice line he made on the cloth and in pa's hand and putting them back in Tad's bowl

Abe: eat every single one of those peas Tad

Willie: he winks and then he is gone that night Bob comes to my bunk

Robert: Mr Pinkerton is a detective from Chicago with a passel of hired police to protect Father

Willie: but what happened

Robert: some copperhead in Baltimore threatened father's life Will that's who

Willie: who are the Copperheads

Robert: the copperhead are border states they have got rebel hearts they hate real hard and they wanted to kill father because he will stand against the slave states you wait and see Willie father's going to be swallowed up by the war because it's coming soon

Willie: no one can hurt pa