Civil War Enew Masthead
A Weekly Look Back at the Civil War

Volume 3, Issue 24

(88 Issues Since 15 October 2010) 


June 15, 1862/2012


Produced by
VHC logo

Like us on Facebook     Follow us on Twitter



Visit American Heritage for American History at Your Fingertips



Quick Links
Lincoln's Presidential Retreat, An Early Emancipation Proclamation Draft

June 18, 1862. 
President Eisenhower and succeeding presidents have had Camp David, a getaway from the White House. President Lincoln had a cottage -- actually a sizable house -- at the Soldiers' Home on a picturesque hilltop just over three miles north of the center of Washington. It was established about ten years earlier as a home for retired and disabled veterans. President Lincoln and his family lived there seasonally, from June to November of 1862, 1863, and 1864, finding some relief from Washington's heat and humidity in the hilltop's breezes.

On June 18, after riding together by horseback to the Soldiers' Home, Lincoln and Vice President Hannibal Hamlin ate dinner together. Then, retreating behind locked doors, Lincoln read him a draft of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. This occurred more than a month before Lincoln read a draft of the proclamation to a surprised cabinet on July 22.
Lincoln Cottage, 1860 
Lincoln Cottage, circa 1860, courtesy Armed Forces Retirement Home, Washington DC
- Submitted by Vermont Humanities Council Executive Director Peter A. Gilbert

SOURCE


Philip Kunhardt, Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography, p. 183.

The Civil War Book of Days

The Civil War Book of Days is a weekly newsletter marking the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. Published by the Vermont Humanities Council, it commemorates what happened each week 150 years ago.

VHC invites people to submit texts linked to specific dates -- an excerpt from a poignant or inspiring letter, an excerpt from a secondary source, or 100-500 words of original descriptive prose.

Please forward the e-mail to friends so they can subscribe -- using the forward link at the bottom of the e-mail.

 

Read previous editions at the Civil War Book of Days Archive, including the most recent:

Sign up for the Civil War Book of Days.

Sign Up and Pass it Forward

We hope you will sign up to receive these weekly Civil War Book of Days e-mails. You can do so safely and securely here.

Please forward the e-mail using the forward e-mail to a friend link below so they can sign up, too!

vhc logo
Vermont Humanities Council

The Vermont Humanities Council is pleased to present this Civil War Book of Days newsletter. To learn more about VHC and its 1,200 annual events, visit vermonthumanities.org.

And sign up for the biweekly VHC enewsletter
to stay up-to-date on humanities programming throughout Vermont!