Saturday 14 March 2015

 

Pvt. David Orem, Cpl. Doc Bowker, Sgt. Wayne Grant and Captain Fred Mossbrucker, Co. D, 7th NJ were detailed to guard President Lincoln and Mrs. Lincoln at the Trinity United Methodist Church in the tiny village of Merchantville.

 

The President and Mrs. Lincoln were attending a concert from 7pm-9pm with a period of greeting afterward. Mrs. Lincoln was resplendent in her gown while apparently setting a new trend. She wore no hoop, gloves nor head covering. This did not detract from her enjoyment of the evening nor did it detract form her usual charm, beauty and grace.

Mr. Lincoln wore his usual stove pipe top hat and black and white formal attire. He looked fairly careworn, having borne the pressure of continuous warfare now for the last four years. He seemed to perk up a little when I told him that Gen. Grant appeared to have Gen. Lee on the run down in Virginia. He said that he hoped for a early cessation to this old war in a few weeks. "If Gen. Grant won't let go, I think we can have this thing over around Easter," was his comment.

*I did observe the Lincolns tapping their toes a couple of times when the band was playing some lively aires. The President truly appreciated the band's final song, "Dixie."

 

YOS,

 Captain Fred Mossbrucker,

Co. D, 7th NJ