Galena, Illinois

We moved on to a little town in Wisconsin on the border of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa because we had a few things nearby to visit.  First stop Galena, Illinois.  Population in 2020 was 3308.

Galena was the site of the first major mineral rush in the United States.  By 1828, the population was estimated at 10,000, rivaling the population of Chicago at the time.  Galena developed as the largest steamboat hub on the Mississippi River north of St. Louis.  And because you know we had a reason to visit, Galena was the home of Ulysses S. Grant and eight other Civil War generals.  Today, the city is a tourist destination known for its history, architecture, and resorts.

Ulysses S. Grant moved to Galena with his family in 1860 so that he could work in the family leather business.  After serving in the U.S. Army for 15 years and resigning his commission, Grant failed at several business enterprises.  In desperation, he agreed to take a job offer from his father who owned a leather goods business in Galena managed by his brother.

While not the house (now museum) that Ulysses S. Grant lived in, it gives you an idea of the architecture from 1868.   

We walked in the door and the guide quickly ushered us into a room as they were just starting the movie "hosted" by Ulysses and Julia Grant holograms which was very informative.  Because it was dark when we took our seats we hadn't had an opportunity to look around the room so we lagged behind in order to spend some time.

The Grant Family, 1867

Julia Grant

Replica of the dress Julia Grant was wearing in the portrait above

Grant's arrival at Chattanooga is pictured below.  Following Grant's victories at Vicksburg and Chattanooga, he was suddenly revered in the North as a second George Washington.  This portrait shows Grant in a pose similar to Washington in a John Trumbull painting of 1780.

President Lincoln, who had not yet met Grant, made a point of viewing this painting while it was displayed at the U.S. Capitol.

General Grant on the Battlefield

John Antrobus, Oil on Canvas

1863-4

After talking with the guide for a bit, we climbed the stairs to visit the History & Military Museum.

An interesting fact about Galena is that it was the home of nine Generals in the Civil War.

Ulysses S. Grant

John Rawlins, Augustus Chetlain

Jasper Maltby, Ely Parker, John Duer

William Rowley, John C. Smith, John E. Smith

Many wonder how a small town like Galena could have been home to nine Civil War Generals, not the least of whom was Ulysses S. Grant.  Some contributing factors:  In 1861 Galena was one of Illinois' largest and most influential cities with a population of nearly 12,00 and Galena had been the largest river boat port north of St. Louis for 20 years and a gateway for settlers moving north and west.

In addition to nine Generals, Galena was also the home to Congressman Elihu Washburne, the senior Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives and one of its most influential members.  He was instrumental in furthering the military, and later political, career of U.S. Grant.

Many influential individuals in American history visited Galena over the years.

Theodore Roosevelt, Frederick Douglas, Samuel Clemens AKA Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln

Herman Melville, Robert E. Lee, Susan B. Anthony

Jasper Maltby, one of the Generals above, was also a gun maker - a few of his guns below.

This was an interesting display.

The left boot

While reproductions are interesting, I just love seeing original artifacts.

A great photo of General Grant on the battlefield.

Look at this original signature of Ulysses S. Grant

A lot of lead mining in Galena and there was a display in the museum of an actual vertical mine as the home was built on top of the mine in 1858.

That's a long way down there

By far the most significant artifact in the museum was this portrait, Peace in Union, by Thomas Nast from April 9, 1895.  This painting is the original 9'x12' and we were surprised that it is not in a secure, climate controlled environment.

Nearly every American school child has seen the painting of Robert E. Lee's surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox.  The image has graced the pages of American history textbooks for generations.  Many might think that the original canvas is at the Smithsonian but we learned that the Smithsonian doesn't even own the painting but rather the museum here in Galena.

Upon his commissioning, Nast began two years of intense research on the surrender and the people who were present.  He read up on Grant's generals to portray them as accurately as possible in his painting.  Some show relief in their tired faces for the end of the long and bloody war.  Others show reverence for Grant and his leadership that brought the conflict to a close.  Still others show contempt for Lee and his confederacy of rebels and traitors.

Representatives from the Smithsonian have tried at least three times to convince the Galena Historical Society to sell the oil painting to them.  Every visit to the small town has been unsuccessful though.  No amount of money will allow the people of Galena to part with the painting.  Although Grant and his family lived in Galena for only a year before the start of the Civil War, he would consider it home for the remainder of his life and the town of Galena is extremely proud of that fact.

This key shows who is who in the painting.

And with that we walked through the historic town and saw this interesting building.

There were some fascinating events in this hotel.

We took a look inside - beautiful!

Tomorrow we go to a bucket list item for Ron - stay tuned!

RIP, Mr. President

The last of the Abraham Lincoln history lesson ended appropriately at the Oak Ridge Cemetery, the cemetery where Abraham Lincoln lies for eternity.

On May 4, 1865, the final funeral for President Lincoln was held at Oak Ridge Cemetery, and the President's remains were placed in the public receiving vault along with his son, William.  The remains were in the receiving vault until December 21, 1865, at which time they were placed in a temporary family vault up the hill behind the tomb.  Edward, another son who had preceded the President in death, was moved from Springfield's Hutchinson Cemetery to the family vault where they stayed.

Public Vault

Interior of the public vault

The current tomb can be seen on the hill above and behind the public vault.

We then went to the tomb which was very impressive and fit for this great man.

The obelisk is 117 feet tall.  Over the entrance door is a bronze plaque bearing the Gettysburg Address.  There are 40 shields or ashlars, 37 bear the name of a state and three each individually say U, S, and A.  These are the states that made up the Union at the time the tomb was dedicated in 1874.

The tomb took five years to build at a cost of $171,000 (about $4.8 million today) and was funded by donations given to the National Lincoln Monument Association by friends, school groups, church groups, veteran groups, and the State of Illinois.  

We went inside and met a very nice guide who gave us a brief overview of the tomb.

When you enter the tomb you can see the working study of Daniel Chester French's "Seated Lincoln".  The original is the central theme of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.

Around the walls of the Rotunda, there are 16 marble columns for the 16th President.  There are 36 bronze columns for the 36 states at the time of President Lincoln's death.  The marble in the Rotunda came from Utah, Missouri, Arkansas, Minnesota and Massachusetts, and four countries.  The gratings are designed to resemble the corn stalks of Illinois.  I wish the guide had given me the handout with this information before we took our pictures.

In November 1876, Chicago counterfeiter James Kennally planned to steal Lincoln's body and hold it in exchange for a pardon for his engraver (who was serving a ten-year sentence at Illinois State Penitentiary) and $200,000 (approximately $5 million today).  The plot failed when two men recruited to assist turned out to be paid government informants, and the men sent to get the body did not plan how to remove the quarter-ton coffin from the grounds.

Shortly thereafter, the tomb custodian and a group of trusted confidants moved the coffin from its room to a secret location in the basement of the tomb.  Finding the ground waterlogged, they temporarily set the coffin on the ground and disguised it under a wood pile.  They were relieved to find that the seals on the coffin were intact and that Lincoln's remains had not been disturbed.

On November 18, 1878, the coffin was moved and buried in a shallow grave on the far end of the labyrinth.  After receiving anonymous threats in the mail, the coffin was dug up two days later to make sure it was still there.

In 1880, the "Lincoln Guard of Honor" was formed to serve as custodians of Lincoln's remains.  Other than its members, only Robert Todd Lincoln knew of this organization.  In 1882, after Mary Lincoln died, Robert instructed the Guard of Honor to bury his mother's coffin wherever they kept his father's.  Both coffins remained in the basement until 1887, when they were encased in a brick vault, at which time Lincoln's coffin was opened to verify his remains were still there.

In 1900, a complete reconstruction of the tomb was undertaken as the original tomb was in constant need of repair.  Lincoln's remains were exhumed and the coffin was placed back in the white marble sarcophagus.  Upon completion of the reconstruction in 1901, Robert Todd Lincoln visited the tomb.  He was unhappy with the disposition of his father's remains and decided that it was necessary to build a permanent crypt for his father.  Lincoln's coffin would be placed in a steel cage 10 feet deep and encased in concrete in the floor of the tomb.

And then we entered the tomb.

The President is buried 30 inches back from the front of the stone and 10 feet deep in a steel and concrete vault.  That should make sure his body stays where its supposed to be!

The flags to the left.

And to the right.

Across from the headstone are the graves of Mary and the three sons.

Although oldest son Robert Todd Lincoln is not buried in the tomb with his family, there is a memorial for him.  As you remember, we saw his sarcophagus a few days before when we visited Arlington National Cemetery.

I feel like we've come full circle with the life and death of Abraham Lincoln and his family.  What an education!  RIP, Mr. President.

The Abraham Lincoln Home

Believe it or not, there was still more to learn about Abraham Lincoln.  So we went back into downtown Springfield to see the house he and Mary purchased and proceeded to furnish in 1844 after the birth of their son, Robert,

The 1 1/2 story Greek Revival-style home met the family's needs at first but as the family grew, the Lincolns gradually enlarged the house to its current size.  The most significant change was the addition of a full second story with 11-foot ceilings.  These allowed for the incorporation of transom windows in the upstairs bedrooms to aid in ventilation during the hot summer months.

Obviously no construction cones in front when Abraham and Mary lived here

In this house, the Lincolns raised three more sons and mourned the passing of one of them.  Considered by some to be indulgent parents, the Lincolns filled their home with toys, books, and various other articles for the education and entertainment of their children.  Some of those artifacts remain in the home today.

The sitting room was a place for the family to talk, relax, and play games and was a focal point of family life.  The young boys likely played with their father while Mrs. Lincoln made and mended her family's clothes.

One of the more expensive toys Lincoln purchased for his children was the stereoscope on the table, which allowed a pair of people to view three-dimensional photographs simultaneously.  Mr. Lincoln purchased this stereoscope in the late 1850s.  

The home was also a setting of key events in Mr. Lincoln's political career.  He worked on his campaign strategy for the general election in this house.  He left for Washington D.C. to begin his first presidential term with every intention of returning once he left office.  This was not to be.

The front parlor was a luxurious space where the Lincolns would receive visitors to their home and entertain their guests in grand style.

Photos above the fireplace are originals of George and Martha Washington

Mrs. Lincoln made sure the family's finest furnishings were on display for all to see, the room still contains many original pieces of furniture from the Lincolns' time here.  The room could be separated from the adjacent back parlor by means of a large wooden room divider or opened up to create a spacious formal parlor.

A couple of photos of the back parlor.

 

And a photo from the Lincolns' time.

When both rooms were open the space could accommodate large groups of people.  One such group was the Republican delegation that visited the home to offer Mr. Lincoln their party's nomination for the 1860 presidential campaign.  The back parlor also served as Mr. Lincoln's private library and study.

The master bedroom features 11-foot ceilings and contains some original furniture owned by Lincoln, including his wardrobe, chest of drawers, and writing desk.  The wallpaper is a reproduction of the pattern selected by Mary Lincoln for their bedroom.  

The Lincoln bed

Abraham Lincoln's writing desk

One of the least known of Henry Clay's accomplishments is the influence on a young Abraham Lincoln.  Lincoln once told a sculptor carving his likeness that he "almost worshipped Henry Clay".  Clay was a strong advocate of a centralized federal government and may be one of the reasons that Lincoln would not allow the Union to dissolve.  

Henry Clay on the left, Daniel Webster on the right

Above the mantle in Lincoln's bedroom

Adjacent to the master bedroom is a smaller room where Mrs. Lincoln could bathe and dress in private and where she sometimes slept when Mr. Lincoln worked late into the night.  Younger sons Tad and Willie often slept on a trundle bed in the same room.

One interesting artifact in Mary's bedroom was the Thunder Box.  This is a cabinet stool which encloses a chamber pot.  The thunder box name originated in England and traveled across the ocean.

We went back downstairs and the guide reminded us that we were placing our hands on the same handrail that the Lincolns used in the mid 1850s.

And then we saw the dining room.

The indoor kitchen with the original cast iron stove that Mary used.  She loved this stove and wanted to keep it there for use when they returned to the home.

We stood at the back of the house and imagined what secrets were held behind the windows.

There in the corner of the yard was an outhouse.  I guess this is where the household help went.

It was so interesting to see a photo of the house from about 1865.

Twenty-two years after Lincoln's 1865 assassination in Washington DC, eldest son Robert Lincoln relinquished the family's ownership of the home with the goal of increasing public access to this historic property as long as visiting the home was always free to the public.  The home and the surrounding neighborhood officially became a National Historic Site in 1972 under the management of the National Park Service, which maintains the home to this day.

One more Lincoln educational post to come.