Distant Memories
by Rosemary Connolly
A short (10-15 min.), 1st person interpretation of an average Springfield resident concerning how she felt about the assassination, the funeral, and of Lincoln himself. My idea of the poem is a great start for people still gathering. Once you have said the poem, you would then begin to reminisce about the time of the assassination. You can tell it from a viewpoint of a month ago, a year ago, or whenever. You are looking back on the whole thing. You were a witness to the funeral procession and the funeral. Where were you when you heard of his death? How did you feel? What did you do? etc. Those kind of questions you need to answer.
Opening:
Read the Poem ~ The Martyr by Herman Melville (read from book) while people gather.
or
There was a funeral.
It took long to pass its many given points.
Many millions of people saw it and personally moved in it and were part of its procession.
the line of mach ran seventeen hundred miles.
As a death march, nothing like it had never been attempted before.
The people, the masses, the nameless and anonymous numbers of persons not listed nor published among those present -- these redeemed it.
They gave it the dignity and authority of a sun darkened by a vast bird migration.
They shaped it into a dram awful in the sense of having naive awe and tears without shame.
They gave it the color and heave of the sea which is the mother of tears.
They lent it to the color of the land and the earth which is the bread-giver of life and the quiet tomb of the Family of Man.
Carl Sandburg.
First Person Introduction:
My name is Rose Hermann. My husband, Charles and I have been living in Springfield since 1855 when we moved from Germany with many others to avoid the turmoil of the German Reformations of 1848. I kept house and my husband a weaver. He took great pride in having the privilege of weaving the cloth for the suit that Abraham Lincoln wore at a big demonstration in Springfield during his first campaign for the presidency. I remember 1860 when our local lawyer was elected president of our country. The locals in Springfield shared in the excitement and pride for his winning a tight and tense election. Mr Lincoln did not win the popular vote but narrowly beat out the other candidates. It was over 5 years ago but seems like only yesterday that I saw Abraham Lincoln giving a farewell speech on the back of a train car. Since then, there was a bloody Civil War. Even my husband had been wounded during the battle of Vicksburg as a member of the 29th Missouri Infantry. (Now you may be wondering why he did not muster into a local unit in Illinois. The 29th was one of only 2 Missouri Federal units made up of mostly German immigrants.) The battle had ended with the South's surrender. Or had it?
The Assassination
Do you remember a significant event that you will never forget where you were when it happened? I sure have one etched in my mind. For me it happened the day of April 15, 1865. I’ll never forget what I was doing when I received news that our beloved president and Springfield neighbor had been fatally shot. You see, I was making preparations with our church choir for Easter services at the (ENGLISH EVANGELICALLUTHERAN) CHURCH in Springfield over on 6th and Madison. It was there that I heard the sad news. A messenger in the street announced that a telegraph message confirmed the president had died.
Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theater while relaxing knowing that the war was over.
He enjoyed the theater because it was a pleasant escape from the burdens of presidential responsibilities. The doctors in attendance had taken the wounded president to the Peterson House nearby and attempted to save our president, but he died the following morning at 7:22 AM on April 15, 1865.
Wailing cries could be heard all around as we tried to console ourselves.
You would think that we would have been hardened to news about death especially at the end of this war, but it never keeps us from tears.
Why now? The war was ended and the people looked forward to peace in the land. It is such a tragic end to this man who worked to lead us all though our darkest hours.
Many have died that the rest of us may live in peace and freedom. Many men that we see on our streets who have come home from the war have scars that will never heal. We will remember this war when ever see the veterans. They will be constant reminders among us of this great struggle for freedom.
Even our Confederate brothers and sisters had hope for the future after so much sacrifice. They believed his words when he said, "With malice towards none". Lincoln will be missed.
Mather (block) Vault:
The people of Springfield believed that President Lincoln was a part of us and we took it upon ourselves to make burial arrangements. It was as if he was a part our family here in Springfield and it was our responsibility to put him to rest. An excavation downtown was begun at the Mather block so that the people could visit our native son regularly and conveniently, as was the custom. The people of Springfield did not at first consider the hallowed ground of Oak Ridge cemetery for the President’s final resting place. Oak Ridge Cemetery was dedicated just months (May 24, 1860) before his nomination for presidency. A crowd of people gathered as the Oak Ridge as it was consecrated. I remember seeing Mr Lincoln in the crowd.
Mary’s wishes
Mary knew what her husband would have wanted for his final arrangements. He told her before he died as they strolled through the park that he thought it would be a lovely place to rest among the trees and hills. Oak Ridge fits the description he gave her. He told her, “Mary, you are younger than I. You will survive me. When I am gone, lay my remains in some quiet place like this”. Just look around this peaceful place compared to the plains of central Illinois. The trees whisper and birds sing songs of peace. Wouldn’t you agree?
Oak Ridge about 2 miles from the city center. Despite the expressed wishes of President Lincoln’s family, our citizens continued with the excavation of the Mather Block. We had formed the National Lincoln Monument Association to make funeral arrangements. Telegrams expressing Mary's wishes were sent on April 28, 29 and more firmly on the 30th, but it wasn’t until his widow threatened to bury Abraham in Chicago that the City Council agreed that our martyred president should be buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery. The receiving vault was always ready for burial and so it was to be. The itinerary changed many times before the actual day of the funeral.
The Funeral
Mary did not attend the funeral because she was so distraught. Their son, Robert, attended on short notice and ensured the family’s wishes for burial were carried out.
The train passed 444 communities in 7 states and lasted 3 weeks. The train had 9 cars. There were a total of 14 funerals and the last was here in his home of Springfield. Buildings along the way were decorated in mourning cloth to express our feelings of loss. Guns and cannons were fired to let people in the surrounding area know that the train was approaching. Camp fires were lit in the evening as a vigil and mourners bowed and knelt as the train went by.
On May 3d, the funeral train arrived in Springfield. Mourners came from places I’ve never heard of and the streets were crowded. I even opened my home to some of those travelers. I even let some sleep on my porch. Many slept where ever they could.
The president’s coffin was open to viewing in the state house by as may as 75,000 people in a 24-hour period. This is remarkable because the population of Sangamon County was only about 15,000. I remember passing through the line to pay respects at the open coffin and for a last look at President Lincoln. I had to see for myself that President Lincoln's life had come to an end. The reality of seeing him lie there was too much to bear. I tried to be strong but my sadness was stronger and I wept. He had so much to live for and did not live to see its glory. We did not appreciate or fully realize his philosophy of life until he lost his own life. He was a martyr that ended the war in man's soul. After the time had ended for the funeral, the doors were closed with many still in line.
Mary did not attend because she was so distraught. Robert Lincoln attended on short notice to ensure his mother's wishes were honored. The coffin was placed in this elaborate hearse and a long cortege followed. The crowd was diverse, solemn, and bands played mournful dirges. There were many dignitaries in attendance including Illinois Governor Richard Oglesby. . The colored citizens were represented because they had lost their “Moses”.
The hearse did not take the most direct route to the cemetery because we went by Lincoln's own house, the only home he ever owned, and the governor’s mansion. As the hearse arrived trough the gate at Oak Ridge, the end of the cortege was still departing downtown.
Upon arrival at Oak Ridge, there was a large choir on the hillside signing funeral songs.
The remains of the father and his son, Willie, were placed on a marble slab. The walls of the vault were covered in black velvet with evergreens - the symbol of immortality.
Bishop Simpson gave a moving eulogy.
Afterward, the tomb had been guarded by Civil War veterans.
Closure:
The people here in Springfield took the news especially hard because we knew Mr Lincoln personally ...excuse me, I mean to say President Lincoln with all due respect. We have been forever changed in our hearts. Because of the length of the funeral, historians have called this event "The Greatest Funeral in the History of the United States". As I try to go on with my daily life, my chores are occasionally interrupted with a spontaneous tear and I must pause and reflect on the martyr who changed our country. All of us from here on must ask ourselves what this assassination means to us.
We were told that Secretary of War, Stanton said, with tears in his eyes, “Now he belongs to the Ages”. Of course he was referring to the moment that our beloved president, Abraham Lincoln died.
This is a Distant Memory of mine!
Here's a photo of me on trip advisor.
Rosetta was b. 1829 and immigrated to IL in 1855. Her husband, Charles Herrmann, was a weaver and took great pride in the fact that while there (Spfd) he had the privilege of weaving the cloth for the suit of jeans which Abraham Lincoln wore at a big demonstration in this city during his first campaign for the presidency
http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=h&GSfn=rose&GSiman=1&GScid=107259&GRid=31222371&
Sgt. Charles HERMANN was born in Prussia and was 35 when he enlisted at St. Louis on August 7, 1862. He mustered in at Benton Barracks on September 6 in Company E. He was Wounded in Action, a gunshot wound to his left heel, at Chickasaw Bayou, MS on December 29, 1862. He left sick at Camp Groves, LA on March 9, 1863. He was discharged for disability on August 22, 1863.
http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/29mo1/29rstr12.html
The presiding pastor at Rose's funeral indicates he was pastor of St. Johns German Lutheran Church in Springfield as early as 1897 and as late as the 1920's:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Schulzke&GSiman=1&GScid=107259&GRid=88154297&
However, that church did not exist until 5 years after Lincoln's funeral. Before that it was the former English Lutheran Church at the Southwest corner of 6th and Madison Street now on the site of Union Square and ICC Railroad Depot.
http://www.stjohns-springfield.org/#/about-us/history
Maps to Rosetta Hermann's burial stone.
Richard E. Hart--Oak Ridge Cemetery's 154th Anniversary
http://sangamonhistory.org/blog/3009343Other presenter, Martha Plog:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIUY_Xso6kM
About German immigrants:
http://www.ushistory.org/us/25f.asp
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