OBSEQUIES OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. ORDER OF [FUN]ERAL PROCESSION [caption title]

[N.p., but almost certainly Springfield, Il, ca. May 3, 1865].. Broadside, 12 x 9 inches. Printed in three columns, edged with a printed black border. Old folds, center vertical fold with some separation. Moderate staining. Still, very good. Framed. Likely a proof copy of the exceedingly rare broadside announcing the funeral procession for President Abraham Lincoln in Springfield in early May 1865. Struck down by assassin John Wilkes Booth on April 15, 1865, Lincoln's body lay in state in the White House on April 18, and a ceremonial funeral service took place in Washington, D.C. around noon on April 19. Two days later, President Lincoln's casket was loaded on a funeral train headed for Springfield, Illinois, stopping at Baltimore, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, New York City, Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Michigan City, and Chicago before arriving in Lincoln's adopted hometown early on the morning of May 3. At this time, Springfield's population numbered around 15,000, but Lincoln's funeral train pulled into a town swollen with over 100,000 visiting mourners. Immediately upon arrival, Lincoln's coffin was transferred by hearse to Representatives' Hall inside the Illinois Old State Capitol. For the next twenty-four hours, from about ten o'clock in the morning on May 3 to the same time the next day, about 75,000 mourners were allowed to pass by the open coffin of the slain president to pay last respects.

According to the present broadside, President Lincoln's funeral procession left the Old State Capitol "on Thursday, the 4th Inst., at 10 o'clock a.m., precisely." The funeral party of over 10,000 people then turned right on 7th Street to pass by the Lincoln family home, and then right up Cook Street to proceed past the Governor's Mansion before heading north to Oak Ridge Cemetery.

This broadside printing of the order of the procession for Lincoln's Springfield funeral was probably printed the afternoon of May 3 or possibly even the morning of May 4, the day of the funeral. Surrounded by a heavy black band, the broadside lists all the persons and units involved in the procession, along with their places, and the rules for the day. The entire procession was divided into eight divisions, with Gen. Joseph Hooker acting as Marshal in Chief. The first three divisions of the military escort represented all the elements of the Army and Navy. After them came the attending clergy and Lincoln's attending physicians. Next was the casket itself, the only wheeled vehicle in the procession, with the pall bearers to each side, followed by Lincoln's horse, and then the immediate family. Three more military divisions followed, interspersed with government officials, ambassadors, and state officials, followed by delegations from Springfield and other Illinois towns. Next were representatives of various organizations, delegations from colleges, lawyers, doctors, and the press, Masons, Odd Fellows, and firemen, all interspersed with two more military divisions. The final segment of the funeral procession was designated for "Citizens at large" and "Colored Persons."

The broadside gives directions for locations for the forming up of each group. Only marshals were allowed to be on horseback; all others walked. Bands were under the direction of the Committee on Music. Other particular directions follow, including regulations for the colors of the various scarves worn by the marshals. The text of the document ends with directions to keep the streets through which the procession passes "clear from sidewalk to sidewalk."

This broadside must have been widely distributed to assist the mourners in Springfield, but like all such ephemeral pieces, few copies have survived. OCLC locates only six, at Indiana University, the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Library, the Boston Athenaeum, the Chapin Library at Williams College, the John Hay Library at Brown University, and the Library Company of Philadelphia. The latter location also attributes the place of printing to Springfield. There is also a copy at the Library of Congress, and a copy formerly owned by noted collector James Copley and previously sold by this firm.

The present copy is likely an early printer's proof of the broadside, as it lacks the first three letters of the word "FUNERAL" in the title. The Library of Congress copy is also likely a proof, with its variant title omitting the words "ORDER OF." Both copies also lack the letter "e" in "Order" in the first sentence of text. These errors speak to the haste and stress under which this broadside was surely produced, perhaps the day before, or the very morning of the day when America's greatest president, the Savior of the Union, and Illinois' favorite son was laid to rest in a city teeming with seven times its own population in attendance.

A remarkable and moving document, reflecting a moment of national grief perhaps only approached by the John F. Kennedy funeral, and memorializing the day when America's first assassinated president was solemnly committed to the earth. OCLC 5023077, 79462381.