STATEHOUSE NEWS

CSRAB to commemorate the Repose of Lincoln and host Ohio Statehouse Civil War Encampment
April 21, 2016
 

On a cool, damp morning the body of slain President Abraham Lincoln was laid in repose at the Ohio Statehouse April 29, 1865; from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. An estimated 50,000 Ohioans paid their respect to the “Savior of the Union.”

It is difficult to articulate in words how the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln affected the nation. To put it simply, the murder of President Lincoln less than three weeks after the end of the American Civil War and less than two months into his second term was a cataclysmic event. The “Lincoln Funeral Train” traveled more than 1,600 miles and during the 13 day trip one third of the population of the United States witnessed the train pass through their community.

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will commemorate the 151st anniversary of the repose of President Abraham Lincoln in the Ohio Capitol Friday, April 29, 2016. CSRAB is honored to commemorate the Columbus memorial visit the Lincoln Funeral Train made during its journey from Washington D.C. to Springfield, Illinois in the spring of 1865. Batesville Casket Company created the 1865 casket for Lincoln, and has generously provided an accurate replica for this event. The 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A, a group of Civil War re-enactors, will provide an honor guard for a replica of Lincoln’s casket from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. This will take place on the site where the slain President lay in state in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda on April 29, 1865. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the Ohio Statehouse like few Ohioans have and help commemorate this historic event. The public is invited to bring fresh flowers into the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda to add to the display of a replica casket.


In conjunction with the Repose of Lincoln, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A will hold the 2016 Ohio Statehouse Civil War Encampment. Learn what camp life was like during the Civil War. Walk among soldiers’ tents, see how to fire the cannon every half hour and help the Ladies Aid Society deliver comfort to the troops. Historical re-enactors from 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A and other groups will demonstrate Civil War life, cooking and medical practices. Cannon firings will occur every half hour on the West Plaza of the Ohio Statehouse. This program is supported by the 1stOhio Light Artillery, Battery A.


EXHIBITS AT THE OHIO STATEHOUSE

General John C. Caldwell and the Lincoln Funeral Train
April 25 - May 2, 2016
Ohio Statehouse North Hallway, 1 Capitol Square, downtown Columbus
614/752-9777
Free!

General John Curtis Caldwell answered the call of duty at the outbreak of the American Civil War. As a brigade commander and eventual corps commander of the Army of the Potomac, he participated in some of the most ferocious fighting between the North and South. Travelling with the Union army from one battlefront to the next, Caldwell was wounded twice.

On April 20, 1865, General Caldwell received a letter from the War Department advising him that he had been appointed to the "Guard of Honor" that was to accompany President Lincoln’s remains "from the city of Washington to Springfield, Illinois, and continue with them until they are consigned to their final resting-place."

A partial list of objects in the exhibit are: a War Department pass for the President Lincoln’s funeral train, a silver tassel from the president’s catafalque, a mourning badge and ribbon and a funeral time table from the slain president’s Columbus repose.

The Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
April 25 - May 2, 2016
Ohio Statehouse North Hallway, 1 Capitol Square, downtown Columbus
614/752-9777
Free!

A special exhibit of reproduction images from the Library of Congress tells the story of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and the men and woman named as conspirators along with the fate. This exhibit is for mature audiences.

The Lincoln Funeral Train in Pictures and Photos
April 25 - May 2, 2016
Ohio Statehouse North Hallway, 1 Capitol Square, downtown Columbus
614/752-9777
Free!

This photography exhibit begins with the assassination of our nation’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln; it follows his funeral train route from Washington D.C. to Springfield, Illinois, and focuses on how he was honored at each stop. This exhibit will bring to life one of those stops—the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus—where nearly 50,000 citizens paid their respects. Reproduction images are courtesy of the Library of Congress.

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