The ruins of the stable were cleaned up immediately, and a few days later Congress appropriated $12,000 to build a new stable. The next day President Lincoln consoled Tad by saying that the horses had "gone where the good horses go." Of his ponies, and his heaviest grief was that one of them had belonged to Willie." The President's, ours, and Tad's two ponies.Tad was in bitter tears at the loss The carriages and coupe alone were saved - everything else went - six horses, including While Cooper was gone to his supper, the stables took fire and burned down. John Nicolay wrote to John Hay, "Put crepe on your hat. The evidence against McGee was insufficient, and he was released. There was a strong suspicion that Patterson McGee, a coachman who had been fired by Mary Lincoln on the day of the fire, was responsible for the blaze. Headway, and the stable and contents were destroyed, in-Ĭluding the President's three spans of carriage horses and TheĮngine responded quickly, but the fire had gained too much To the War Department, where there was a call wire, I sentĪn alarm to the fire-engine house above 17th Street. That the White House stables were on fire, and running back Last night, when leaving the telegraph office I discovered Were on fire, and he had rushed out to try to save theĭavid Homer Bates, manager of the War Department Telegraph Office, recalled: Had come to his mind as soon as he learned the stables He was hisįather's favorite, and the stable contained a pony that hadīelonged to the dead boy. His son Willie had died a short time before. 'Tad,' his youngest son, explained his father's emotion. With others, was standing in the East room, lookingĪt the still burning stable. Immediately hurried him into the White House, while, by Captainīennett's orders, with a detail of the men of ourĬompany, I took charge of the entrance, remaining thereĪfter posting the sentinels, I went inside. Of the Union Light Guard, and some others Giving an opportunity to assassinate him. The purpose of bringing him out of the White House and To some one that possibly the stables had been fired for Would apparently have rushed in had not those standingĪround caught and restrained him. Interior of the stable was in flames, and that the rescue of They had not, and with his own hands burst open the On learning that they had not, he asked impatiently why The stable he inquired if the horses had been taken out. The boxwood hedge that served as an enclosure to the Ground saw a tall and hatless man come running from Sergeant Smith Stimmel (Hanson Studio, Fargo, ND) It was a brick stable, and evidently had been burning for some time before it was discovered. The ponies belonging to the little boys and the goats were all lost in the fire. Lincoln asked hastily if the horses had been taken out, and when told they had not, he rushed through the crowd and began to break open one of the large doors with his own hands but the building was full of fire, and none of the horses could be saved. Quite a crowd had gathered by the time we got there, and the fire department was at work. When he started to go to the fire, I thought to myself, "Old fellow, you are the man we are guarding, guess I'll go along." So I struck out on the double-quick and went with him, keeping close to his side but he took such long strikes that his dog-trot was almost a dead run for me.Īs soon as we got around where we could see what was burning, we saw that, sure enough, the White House stable was on fire. Just then the front door of the White House flew open with a jerk, and out came the President buttoning his coat around him, and said to me, "Where's the fire, what's burning?" I said, "It seems to be around in the vicinity of the stable." With that he started off on a dog-trot down the steps and along the way leading to the stable. A guard at the White House, Sergeant Smith Stimmel, described what happened: President Lincoln could see the flames from a second floor window. on February 10, 1864, the stable caught fire. The only other known view with the stable at the far right In 1861 this building became the Lincoln family's personal stable. Was taken down in 1857, and a new stable was built on the east grounds south of the Treasury. In 1834 President Andrew Jackson directed the construction of a brick stable located east of the White House. Beginning in 1800 many White House stables existed over the years.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |